Vaccination campaigns are under way across the Emirates to ensure as many people as possible are immunised against Covid-19.
Hundreds have been vaccinated so far, including some of the country's leaders, ministers and top officials in an effort to encourage others to follow suit.
The two vaccines are free and voluntary.
One, developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm, is available across the country and uses a killed version of the virus to prompt an immune response. It is administered in two doses over 21 to 28 days, and is 86 per cent effective, UAE regulators say.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is authorised for use in Dubai, where authorities have set out priority groups for inoculation before the shot is made available to the wider public. This vaccine contains a piece of genetic code that trains the immune system to recognise the spiked protein on the surface of the virus.
Last week, authorities in Dubai said they planned to vaccinate at least 70 per cent of the emirate's population with the Pfizer-BioNTech shot by the end of 2021.
"We want to reach the herd immunity that is required," said Farida Al Khaja, chairwoman of Dubai's steering committee for Covid-19 vaccinations.
In September, the UAE Cabinet approved the National Policy on Vaccinations, which aims to ensure high-quality vaccines and preventive care for many illnesses – not only Covid-19 – are widely available in the Emirates.
Other objectives include raising awareness of the importance of immunisation as well as supporting innovation and research.
It also includes a push to promote a healthy lifestyle as the best defence against many diseases. Many governments realised the extent to which high rates of obesity and diabetes, among other lifestyle conditions, make people susceptible to severe forms of Covid-19, among other illnesses.
