UAE reports 644 new Covid-19 cases

NMC Royal Hospital's round-the-clock drive-through testing centre in Sharjah. All photos: NMC Healthcare

Cars queue up at the testing centre.

The drive-through centre offers a convenient way for people to be tested.

Healthcare workers say results are usually available within 24 hours and the in-car wait time before testing is about 15 minutes on average.

The UAE recorded 644 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the overall tally of infections to 878,102.

The latest infections were identified following a further 447,829 PCR tests.

One person died during the 24-hour reporting period, raising the death toll to 2,300.

Another 1,822 people beat the virus, as the recovery total climbed to 828,983.

Active cases have continued to fall, dropping to 46,819 (from 70,743 on February 6) thanks to the continued trend of recoveries exceeding new infections.

The Emirates on Friday announced the most significant easing of restrictions since April 2020, when the pandemic spread across the Middle East and the globe.

The decisions scrap quarantine for close contacts, remove PCR testing requirements for travellers and lift border restrictions in Abu Dhabi.

Bloomberg revealed on Thursday the UAE remains top of its Covid-19 global resilience ranking, ahead of Ireland and Saudi Arabia.

It said the Emirates scored highest among the 53 of the world’s biggest economies that it tracks monthly.

More than 136 million tests have been conducted to date as part of a comprehensive screening strategy.