• People get tested for coronavirus at the Mina Rashid screening centre in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    People get tested for coronavirus at the Mina Rashid screening centre in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, health authorities have called upon citizens and residents to join with the efforts of health care professionals. Health workers, such as these Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, have led the way. Reem Mohammed / The National
    Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, health authorities have called upon citizens and residents to join with the efforts of health care professionals. Health workers, such as these Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, have led the way. Reem Mohammed / The National
  • Healthcare workers at the emergency ward in Sheikh Khalifa Medical City. The President, Sheikh Khalifa, has paid tribute to the frontline workers who helped to curb Covid-19. Reem Mohammed / The National
    Healthcare workers at the emergency ward in Sheikh Khalifa Medical City. The President, Sheikh Khalifa, has paid tribute to the frontline workers who helped to curb Covid-19. Reem Mohammed / The National
  • Healthcare workers at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City receive a patient outside the emergency department. Reem Mohammed / The National
    Healthcare workers at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City receive a patient outside the emergency department. Reem Mohammed / The National
  • A consultant physician at the emergency department in Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, receives a Covid-19 patient. Reem Mohammed / The National
    A consultant physician at the emergency department in Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, receives a Covid-19 patient. Reem Mohammed / The National
  • People get the laser blood test tests at the Mina Rashid screening centre in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    People get the laser blood test tests at the Mina Rashid screening centre in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • A nurse sanitises her hands after conducting a swab test at one of the UAE's screening drive-through centres in Mina Rashid, Dubai. Victor Besa / The National
    A nurse sanitises her hands after conducting a swab test at one of the UAE's screening drive-through centres in Mina Rashid, Dubai. Victor Besa / The National
  • A health worker taking the Covid-19 nasal swab test at a testing station in thet Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    A health worker taking the Covid-19 nasal swab test at a testing station in thet Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Nurse Renu Venugopal, who contracted Covid-19, recovered and continued to treat patients at Al Zahra Hospital, Sharjah. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Nurse Renu Venugopal, who contracted Covid-19, recovered and continued to treat patients at Al Zahra Hospital, Sharjah. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Ruth Deva Kiruba says being pregnant during a pandemic was surreal and sometimes lonely. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Ruth Deva Kiruba says being pregnant during a pandemic was surreal and sometimes lonely. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • EMT nurse Jephy Antony, who contracted Covid-19, recovered and continued to treat patients at the NMC Royal Hospital, DIP, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    EMT nurse Jephy Antony, who contracted Covid-19, recovered and continued to treat patients at the NMC Royal Hospital, DIP, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • A visitor gets tested at the Ras Al Khaimah Covid-19 drive-through testing centre. Reem Mohammed / The National
    A visitor gets tested at the Ras Al Khaimah Covid-19 drive-through testing centre. Reem Mohammed / The National
  • Nurse Nikhil Rajendran inside the fever clinic at the Bareen International Hospital in Mohamed Bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi. Pawan Singh / The National
    Nurse Nikhil Rajendran inside the fever clinic at the Bareen International Hospital in Mohamed Bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Shane Simeon Galang from Philippines, Mervat Aslan Mhgoub Mohamed from Egypt and Sowmya Kotian from India, who are nurses at the Bareen International Hospital in Mohamed bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi. Pawan Singh / The National
    Shane Simeon Galang from Philippines, Mervat Aslan Mhgoub Mohamed from Egypt and Sowmya Kotian from India, who are nurses at the Bareen International Hospital in Mohamed bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi. Pawan Singh / The National

UAE records 73 new Covid-19 cases and first death in nine days


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  • Arabic

The UAE reported 73 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing its total to 741,643.

Another 90 people beat the virus as the recovery tally climbed to 736,423.

One person died following a coronavirus infection, raising the death toll to 2,145.

It is the first Covid-19 death recorded in the Emirates since November 15.

The latest cases were detected as a result of a further 290,301 PCR tests.

Almost 99.7 million tests have been conducted to date under a robust screening strategy aimed at limiting the spread of the virus.

The UAE's daily case numbers have remained below 100 since October 21, an encouraging sign of the country's steady recovery.

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Updated: November 24, 2021, 10:35 AM