Coronavirus: UAE records 353 new cases and no deaths

Another 1,033 people recovered over a 24-hour period

People will no longer have to wear face masks outside. The rule applies across the UAE. Antonie Robertson / The National

Masks must still be worn in all public indoor areas, such as shopping centres and schools. Pawan Singh / The National

The UAE has scrapped PCR testing requirements for fully vaccinated travellers. AFP

Tracking wristbands that were in use in Abu Dhabi to monitor the movement of people with Covid-19 will no longer be used during home isolation. Photo: Abu Dhabi Government Media Office

Ncema has approved the return of the pre-pandemic time intervals between the first and second prayer calls. AFP

The UAE reported 353 new coronavirus cases and 1,033 recoveries on Saturday.

Officials said no one died in the past 24 hours from complications.

The country has recorded 885,089 cases, 850,156 recoveries and 2,302 deaths since the first Covid-19 case was detected in the Emirates on January 29, 2020.

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

Cases have dropped since reaching close to 4,000 a day in January 2021.

An additional 302,346 tests were conducted over the 24-hour period, bringing the total number carried out since the beginning of the outbreak to more than 142 million.

Elsewhere, a new coronavirus strain that combines parts of the Delta and Omicron mutations has been identified, with scientists watching closely to see how contagious it might be.

The hybrid version, called “Deltacron”, has been confirmed in at least 17 patients in the US and Europe, researchers said.

Genetic recombinations of coronaviruses have been known to happen when two variants infect the same host cell.