The UAE Minister of Culture and Youth received the shot over the weekend, and posted about it on her social media accounts. “Thank you Nurse Ozma, from Lahore! She’s been working in the UAE for the past 18 years,” she posted, with a tick next to “COVID-19 vaccine”.

In getting her vaccine, Al Kaabi followed other UAE ministers, including Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Abdulrahman Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention. Obaid Al Shamsi, director general of the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA), also received his first shot last week.

Emergency approval

The COVID-19 vaccine has been developed by Chinese pharmaceutical giant, Sinopharm China National Biotec Group. It requires two doses delivered three weeks apart. The UAE kicked off Phase III trials for the vaccine in July, with more than 31,000 residents registering for them.

Following encouraging results, the vaccine - which also reportedly generated COVID-19 antibodies in all the people who volunteered during the first two phases of testing in China - was granted emergency approval in September for use on frontline workers.