ABU DHABI — Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan was given a dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

"Corona vaccination is our way to return to a normal life," the UAE foreign minister said on his official Twitter account and shared a photo in which a healthcare worker is seen administering the vaccine.

Health Minister Abdulrahman Al Owais was the first in the UAE to have received the dose of a vaccine developed by Chinese drug maker Sinopharm.

Last month, the UAE granted approval for the emergency use of the coronavirus vaccine that is being trialed in the country.

The vaccine is now in the third and final stage of clinical trials and has so far been found safe and effective, according to authorities. Over 31,000 volunteers had received the jab as part of the program.

With the emergency approval, the vaccine is now being administered to frontline workers and professionals who are at the highest risk of contracting the virus.

On Wednesday, Director-General of the UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, (NCEMA) Obaid Rashid Al Shamsi, was given the vaccine dose.

Earlier this week, the UAE approved the phase III clinical trials of Russia's Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V. — SG