Around 5,000 people from Abu Dhabi and Al-Ain have registered during the first 24 hours The vaccine was developed by Chinese state-owned manufacturer Sinopharm DUBAI: Abu Dhabi expects more volunteers to sign up for Phase III trials for an inactivated coronavirus vaccine, one of several being developed globally against COVID-19. Around 5,000 people from Abu Dhabi and Al-Ain have registered during the first 24 hours after the trial opened on Thursday, and could potentially involve 15,000 volunteers in the first three to six months of studies, the emirates’ health department said on Friday. Federal health officials are coordinating with Abu Dhabi for a possibility of widening the trials’ coverage nationwide. The vaccine developed by Chinese state-owned manufacturer Sinopharm had Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Hamed, chairman of the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, as its first volunteer to receive the injection. Citizens and residents who would like to join the trials must satisfy specific criteria: must be above 18 years old, healthy, with no chronic illnesses and no history of COVID-19 infection. Those who qualify can register at the trial’s website www.4humanity.ae. Volunteers will receive two doses of the vaccine within three weeks, and will have to go through monthly follow-ups for a year.