The ruler of Dubai and the head of the UAE government, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, received a dose of an experimental vaccine for the emerging coronavirus, according to his Twitter account Tuesday, at a time when the pandemic continues to spread around the world.

Sheikh Mohammed, who also holds the position of Vice President of the Emirates, is the latest Gulf official to receive experimental vaccines for the virus, among whom is Bahrain's Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

The ruler of Dubai wrote in a tweet attached to a photo of him receiving the vaccine, "We ask God to protect everyone and recover everyone, and we commend the work teams that have worked hard to make our country one of the first countries in the world to receive a vaccine for this virus, and the future is always better and beautiful in the UAE."

Last September, the UAE announced that it had authorized the emergency use of a vaccine against the emerging coronavirus, which is still in the third phase of tests for use by health workers.

The Chinese pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm began the third phase of vaccine trials in the UAE last July, and Emirati officials said that the results are so far positive.

And many of the potential vaccines for the emerging coronavirus are in the final stage or are preparing to become in the final stage, while the virus continues to spread, claiming thousands of lives daily.

The UAE has recorded 135,000 cases, including 497 deaths,and currently has the highest amount of active cases in the Gulf.