The UAE has become the first country in the world to give a single COVID-19 jab to 100% of the population.
The UAE was among the first nations in the world to inoculate its residents and citizens free of cost.
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As of November 26, more than 21.8 million doses of the vaccine had been given.
The UAE’s Ministry of Health has taken part in all three phases of the clinical trials of the Chinese vaccine Sinopharm prior to its approval.
Over 31,000 volunteers participated in clinical trials of the vaccine including 1,000 volunteers with chronic diseases.
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In the country frontline health workers were the first to receive the jabs in mid-September 2020 and the Dubai authorities were the first to approve the US vaccine Pfizer-BioNTech for its residents in December 2020. Later Russia’s Sputnik V, UK’s Oxford-AstraZeneca and America’s Moderna were also approved for the public.
In March 2021, the UAE became the first country in the region to announce the production of the Covid-19 vaccine with the Abu Dhabi-based technology company Group 42 (G42) joining Chinese pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm to develop the vaccine. (AW)
