Coronavirus: UAE reports 73 new Covid-19 cases and 101 recoveries

Abu Dhabi residents wait to be vaccinated against Covid-19 at the Biogenix Labs at G42 in Masdar City. Victor Besa / The National

From August 20, most public spaces in the emirates will use the Al Hosn app as official proof of vaccinations and PCR results. Victor Besa / The National

Only people who are considered low-risk will be permitted to enter government department buildings and most public spaces. Victor Besa / The National

The UAE is recommending all residents get vaccinated against Covid-19. Victor Besa / The National

Booster shots can now be taken without prior appointment at any Seha vaccination centre, the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi has said. Victor Besa / The National

Mirza Zaib, from Pakistan, gets vaccinated at Biogenix Labs G42 in Masdar City. Victor Besa / The National

Nurse Dennise Docil prepares before administering the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at the NMC Royal Hospital DIP in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Nurse Deboral Musthafa gets ready to administer the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at the NMC Royal Hospital DIP. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Fiji Antony receives her Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at the NMC Royal Hospital DIP. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The UAE reported 73 coronavirus cases on Saturday, after an additional 281,138 tests.

One person died in the 24-hour period from complications, officials said.

The Emirates has recorded 740,362 infections and 2,139 deaths since the first Covid-19 case was detected on January 29 last year.

Another 101 people overcame the virus, taking the total number of recoveries to 734,796.

Daily cases have remained below 100 since October 21, as 98.29 per cent of the country's population has received a dose of the vaccine, while 88.21 per cent is fully vaccinated.

To date, the UAE has administered more than 21.3 million vaccine doses since December last year when the country embarked on a nationwide inoculation campaign.

More than 94.6 million tests have been conducted since the outbreak began at the end of January 2020, as part of the Emirates' testing and tracing.

Meanwhile, the makers of an antiviral pill for Covid-19 have said they stopped a trial after the drug was shown to cut by 89 per cent the chances of hospital admission or death for adults at risk of developing severe disease.

Pfizer said it plans to submit interim trial results for its pill, which is given in combination with an older antiviral called ritonavir, to the US Food and Drug Administration as part of the emergency use application it opened in October.