UAE to give emergency COVID-19 vaccine to at-risk workers

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) approved the use of an emergency COVID-19 vaccine for at-risk workers on Monday.

The UAE government announced the approval of the coronavirus vaccine in a series of tweets. The vaccine will be available to “first defense” workers who are at the highest risk of contracting the virus. The vaccine completed three phases of clinical trials. Those who took the trial vaccine developed antibodies and did not exhibit dangerous side effects, according to the Emirati government.

COVID-19 is still spreading in the Emirates, as it is throughout the Gulf. The country registered 777 new cases of the virus on Monday. This brings the total number of active, confirmed cases in the country to 10,285, according to Ministry of Health and Prevention statistics. Monday’s figure is close to the highest-ever daily toll in the country, according to Worldometer. The UAE is now largely open for normal activities.

The international community has yet to agree on a vaccine for the virus, though several are deep in the process of development. Creating a vaccine is a priority for the UAE. In June, the UAE and Israel announced they would begin cooperating on research to fight the virus. The UAE and Israel have furthered their joint virus efforts since agreeing to normalize ties in August.