【明報專訊】According to the World Health Organisation's guidelines, a COVID-19 vaccine is deemed acceptable if it has an efficacy rate of 50%, and it is preferable if it is over 70%. Judging by the figures merely, an efficacy rate of 86% is in fact very respectable. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government announced only the results of the analysis yesterday (December 9) and explained its decision to approve the registration of the vaccine and its release onto the market, and the details of the clinical trials of Sinopharm's vaccine have yet to be announced. Because of that, there is much scepticism from Western observers. But what is certain is that the UAE has great confidence in Sinopharm's vaccine. On the same day, the government of Abu Dhabi announced that all economic and tourist activities would resume within two weeks, reflecting its optimism about the prospects of controlling the pandemic.