Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) in the UAE began inoculating the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine against COVID-19 on UAE citizens and persons over 60 years of age permanently residing in Dubai.

The DHA said the campaign, which kicked off on 31 January, "is in line with our commitment to giving the public a choice between the different types of vaccines available in Dubai."

The head of DHA’s Health and Care Division, Chair of the Emirate’s Vaccination Regulations Committee, Farida al-Hajja, said the provision of the Sinopharm vaccine expresses “DHA’s interest in making sure that COVID-19 vaccination is available to all sectors of society, especially the elderly, who belong to risk ".

The agency said it is ready to reach out to patients who have already signed up for vaccinations, and that the Chinese vaccine will be available to the rest of the population in the next stages of the vaccination campaign.

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Tuesday reported 3,310 newly diagnosed cases of COVID-19. Thus, the total number of people infected with coronavirus infection in the country has reached 309 649 people. The total number of deaths increased by 7 and reached 866.