ABU DHABI — The health ministry in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday announced it has approved the Russian COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, for emergency use, making it the third such vaccine to be approved for use in the country. The decision comes as part of the UAE"s comprehensive and integrated efforts to ensure increased prevention levels against the virus and to safeguard the health of the country"s citizens and residents. The UAE has hosted the third phase of clinical trials of the vaccine, which was developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian health ministry and financed by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). Since the launch of the trials in December 2020, a total of 1,000 volunteers received their first dose of the vaccine, a celebrated milestone that paved the way for registering the vaccine under emergency use authorization. Study results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the vaccine in triggering a strong antibody response against the virus, its safety for use, and its compliance with international safety and effectiveness standards. Sputnik V had been registered under the same procedure earlier in Algeria, Argentina, Bolivia, Serbia, Palestine, Venezuela, Paraguay, and Turkmenistan. The vaccine is also registered in Russia and Belarus. Supplies of the vaccine to the UAE will be facilitated by RDIF’s international partners in India, China, South Korea, and other countries. Commenting on the development, Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the RDIF, said: “The UAE is one of Russia’s key partners in the Middle East. RDIF appreciates the cooperation with health authorities of UAE and welcomes the regulatory approval of Sputnik V." "We strive to help people of UAE to get access to a safe and effective Russian vaccine against coronavirus based on a proven and well-researched platform of human adenoviral vectors. The decision to include Sputnik V in UAE’s national vaccine portfolio is an important step towards protecting the population with one of the best vaccines against coronavirus in the world.” — Agencies