Wednesday, Dubai began inoculating people with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, announced the emirate’s government. The inoculation is free of charge. 

An elderly man and a nurse were the first to receive the vaccine.

Dubai Media Office wrote on Twitter, "The first phase of the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, it will target four main categories; the first category includes Emirati & resident elders aged 60 years and above, people with chronic diseases, people of determination, frontliners & vital-sector workers."

UAE's first batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived from Brussels to Dubai on an Emirates SkyCargo flight late Tuesday, according to the media office.

Last week, Saudi Arabia began inoculating people with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, becoming the first Arab country to use it.

Earlier, the UAE approved the use of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine.

The UAE has recorded more than 197,000 COVID-19 cases and 645 deaths since the start of the pandemic.