Kuwait starts COVID-19 jabs as Gulf states roll out mass vaccinations drive

Kuwait starts COVID-19 jabs as Gulf states roll out mass vaccinations drive

Sheikh Sabah Al Khaed Al Sabah eceives a Pfizer-BioTech vaccine injection at a vaccination centre in Kuwait City on Thursday. AFP



Kuwait began coronavirus vaccinations on Thursday, following several other Gulf states in rolling out a mass inoculation campaign.

"This vaccine is safe and has been approved by many countries," said Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah, who was the first to receive the jab, state media reported.

A woman receives a Pfizer-BioTech COVID-19 vaccine injection in Kuwait. AFP

Kuwait, which has officially confirmed more than 148,000 coronavirus cases including 924 deaths, received the first 150,000 doses of the vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech on Wednesday.

A woman receives a dose of vaccine in Dubai. AFP

In the UAE, Abu Dhabi began vaccinations on Dec.14 after approving the Sinopharm vaccine, while Dubai began its campaign using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Wednesday.

In Bahrain,