Abu Dhabi has started Phase III clinical trials of Russia's experimental COVID-19 vaccine, known as Sputnik V, Abu Dhabi's media office said on Thursday.
The human trial, announced in October, is initially seeking up to 500 volunteers to be vaccinated at a hospital in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Two doses of the vaccine will be given, 20 days apart, to volunteers, the statement said.
Participants will have to be 18 years or older, have not previously been infected with COVID-19 or participated in other COVID-19 vaccine trials, it said.
The UAE is also conducting Phase III trials of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm). The UAE has approved the vaccine and it is available for free to anybody who wants it, with priority given to more vulnerable individuals, according to the health ministry.
Last month, Dubai only began inoculating people with the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTec.
Authorities in the UAE say 826,301 vaccines had been administered as of Tuesday. They added the UAE aims to vaccine more than 50% of the population in the first quarter this year.
In October, Sinopharm's local partner, G42, said it intended to start manufacturing the vaccine in 2021.
