UAE PM takes a shot of Chinese Covid vaccine

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Prime Minister and the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, on Tuesday received a shot of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm.

Sheikh Mohammed tweeted about this development along with his photo getting vaccinated.

"While receiving the Covid-19 vaccine today. We wish everyone safety and great health, and we are proud of our teams who have worked relentlessly to make the vaccine available in the UAE. The future will always be better in the UAE," he wrote on Twitter.

Al Jazeera reported that Sheikh Mohammed is the latest Emirati official to get the vaccine developed by Sinopharm.

He is the latest person to receive the vaccine after dozens of other Emirati officials.

On October 16, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of the UAE, received the vaccine, followed by Mohammed Abdullah al-Gergawi, the UAE Minister for Cabinet Affairs.

Front-line healthcare workers in the UAE also got the shot, according to local media reports.

The UAE had earlier approved the use of a Covid-19 vaccine for frontline workers after successful clinical trials in Abu Dhabi.

Local media in the UAE reported that the vaccine was developed by Sinopharm, based in China, where Phases I and II of the trials were successfully conducted.

The UAE is involved through an agreement with technology company Group 42 and was chosen for Phase III trials.- IANS