(Adds details, context)
DUBAI, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Dubai will start vaccinating people
with the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, the state
media office said on Tuesday as the United Arab Emirates battles
its biggest outbreak since the pandemic begun.
The first shipment has arrived from India, the state media
office said in a tweet. It did not provide details on how many
doses were received or when inoculations would start.
India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar tweeted:
"Made in India vaccines reach Dubai. A special friend, a special
relationship."
Dubai is already inoculating residents, free of charge, with
the Pfizer-BioNTech and China National Pharmaceutical Group
(Sinopharm) vaccines.
The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management
Authority reported 3,310 new cases on Tuesday, down from a peak
of 3,966 on Jan. 28.
The UAE does not disclose where in the country cases are
being reported, though Dubai has recently tightened restrictions
on hotels, bars, restaurants and shopping centres, where
capacity has been limited.
(Writing by Alexander Cornwell. Editing by Mark Potter)