UAE records 116 new Covid-19 cases

A further 173 people recovered during the latest 24-hour reporting period

Billboards along Sheikh Zayed Road thanking the Covid vaccine volunteers for the Phase 3 trials conducted in the UAE. Antonie Robertson / The National

A man receives a dose of a vaccine against the coronavirus disease in Dubai. Reuters

People queue for the vaccine near DIFC in Dubai. AFP

The DPI screening centre on the border between Dubai and Abu Dhabi is quick and results are out in a matter of minutes. Antonie Robertson / The National

A woman receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at Zabeel Health Centre in Dubai. EPA

Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara partnered with Tamouh Health Care to provide on-site Sinopharm Vaccination for all residents of the UAE free of charge in February. Pawan Singh / The National

UAE residents receive their vaccine free of charge in February. Pawan Singh / The National

The UAE reported 116 Covid-19 cases on Thursday as case numbers remained below 150 for the eighth day in a row.

The latest caseload brought the country's overall tally to 738,268.

Another 173 people beat the virus as total recoveries climbed to 731,805.

One person died during the 24-hour reporting period, raising the death toll to 2,117.

The new infections were detected as a result of 320,554 PCR tests.

More than 88 million tests have been conducted to date as part of a mass screening strategy.

Daily recoveries continue to surpass new infections, leading to a steady decline in the number of active cases in the country, which are now below 4,400.

Infection rates have dropped significantly in recent months, with comprehensive testing of the public and a successful vaccination drive cited as key to the inroads made in the fight against the pandemic.

Daily case numbers peaked at close to 4,000 in February but now stand at about 3 per cent of this figure.