All eligible residents receive one dose vaccine

One hundred percent of the United Arab Emirates' population has received at least one dose of a vaccine against Covid-19, the health ministry has said.

The announcement late Friday came amid growing global concern over a new Covid variant dubbed Omicron that was first detected by South Africa.

The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (Ncema) made the announcement on Twitter.

"19,694 doses of #COVID19 vaccine were given in the last 24 hours, to reach a total of 21,802,032 doses, with a distribution rate of 220.44 doses per 100 people. A percentages of 100% have received 1 dose and 90.18% is fully vaccinated of the population," Ncema said.

In the UAE, Covid-19 vaccines can be given to people over the age of 16 years. Some groups including pregnant women and those with certain health conditions are not eligible to take a vaccine, according to Ncema's website.

The UAE is in a league of its own as it is among the top 3 countries in the vaccine administration rate, offering at least a dose to the public and in conducting PCR tests per 1,000 people.

As the Covid-19 vaccine was rolled out globally, the UAE was among the first nations in the world to inoculate its residents and citizens free of cost with Chinese Sinopharm vaccine.