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The UAE inoculated 8% of its population with coronavirus vaccines and aims to cover half of its residents during the first quarter.
The Gulf nation, which offers free vaccines to its residents, has administered more than 826,000 doses to date, said Farida Al Hosani, a spokesman for the UAE health sector, according to the government’s official Twitter account.
The country, with a mostly expatriate population of about 10 million, seeks to curb the recent increase in cases “by reviewing procedures and focusing on vaccinating as many people as possible,” Al Hosani said. Vaccines are optional and not mandatory, he added.
The Gulf nation has approved the Pfizer Inc.—The BioNTech SE Covid-19 vaccine, as well as that of Sinopharm unit National Biotech Group of China.
Israel has taken the lead in the high-speed sprint in the global coronavirus vaccine race, vaccinating about 15% of its population since Dec. 20. The Middle Eastern nation plans to get vaccinated From 70% to 80% of its population in April or May.
The United Arab Emirates reported 1,967 daily cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, the highest daily figure recorded. The total number of cases is 216,699.