Coronavirus: UAE records 1,663 new cases and six deaths

Officials reported that 1,638 patients recovered from the disease

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  An AI-enabled service allows Dubai residents to book a Covid-19 vaccine appointment quickly and efficiently via WhatsApp, say officials.

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  Members of the public wait to receive Covid-19 vaccines in Dubai.

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  A man receives a Covid-19 vaccine at the MBRU community mobile health clinic, near the Al Waha Community, on Nad Al Hamar Road, Dubai.

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  Officials have reported a large turnout for the Covid-19 vaccine drive across Dubai Health Authority's vaccination centres.

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  Members of the public register to receive their Covid-19 vaccine in Dubai.

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  A woman is inoculated against Covid-19. A high vaccination rate has helped the UAE keep infection rates down.

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  A man undergoes tests before receiving his Covid-19 vaccination. Elderly people and those with health issues have been prioritised.

The UAE reported 1,663 new coronavirus cases on Friday, following an additional 283,661 tests.

Six people with the disease died from complications in the past 24 hours.

Officials said another 1,638 patients recovered, taking the total number of people to have overcome Covid-19 in the UAE to 614,636.

There are currently 19,784 active cases in the UAE.

The Emirates has recorded 636,245 cases, 614,636 recoveries and 1,825 deaths since the first Covid-19 case was detected on January 29 last year.

Widespread testing and tracing, stringent safety measures and a high vaccination rate have been credited for bringing down daily infections.

The World Health Organisation have urged governments and regional authorities to recognise as fully vaccinated people who have received WHO-approved Covid-19 shots, for the purposes of travel and attending events.

Although not mentioned by name, most European and North American countries have not approved two Chinese vaccines that have been listed by the WHO.

On Thursday, Covid-19 screening provider Unilabs announced it has developed a new PCR test aimed at identifying the highly transmissible Delta variant.

The European diagnostic services firm said it is working with health authorities in the UAE, as well as countries such as the UK, France, Switzerland and Spain, to track the spread of the mutation.