The Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, on Tuesday, disclosed that he was injected with COVID-19 trial vaccine produced by the UAE medical teams.
@HHShkMohd, who shared this on Twitter with a photo of a health worker injecting him, said the teams worked relentlessly to make the vaccine available.
He, however, did not state whether or not the vaccine has been endorsed by the World Health Organisation. He also did not reveal his COVID-19 status.
The PM wrote, “While receiving the COVID-19 vaccine today. We wish everyone safety and great health, and we are proud of our teams who have worked relentlessly to make the vaccine available in the UAE. The future will always be better in the UAE.”
The need for a vaccine has become more urgent globally especially in the wake of a new wave of the pandemic.
More European countries including France, England, Germany, Spain, amongst others, have also imposed different curbs to reduce the rate of new infections.
Nigeria’s President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), last week also said the country’s virus-hit economy cannot afford another round of lockdown.
He tweeted, “Looking at the trends in the other countries, we must do all we can to avert a second wave of Covid-19 in Nigeria. We must make sure that our cases, which have gone down, do not rise again. Our economy is too fragile to bear another round of lockdown.”
Meanwhile, the UN organisation in charge of global health coordination said it will prioritise vulnerable groups when a safe vaccine is found.
“There are currently more than 100 COVID-19 vaccine candidates under development, with a number of these in the human trial phase.
“WHO is working in collaboration with scientists, business, and global health organizations through the ACT Accelerator to speed up the pandemic response.
“When a safe and effective vaccine is found, COVAX (led by WHO, GAVI and CEPI) will facilitate the equitable access and distribution of these vaccines to protect people in all countries. People most at risk will be prioritised,” WHO wrote on its website.