UAE records 579 new Covid-19 cases

Infections have topped 500 for five days in a row

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  Michael McLaughlin, director of the ICU at American Hospital Dubai, said it expanded capacity to cope with extra demand during the second wave of Covid-19, driven by the Delta variant. Victor Besa / The National

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  'Making Peace with a Pandemic' charts Dubai’s response to the Covid-19 crisis. Photo: Screengrab / Films by Nomad

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  The two-part documentary, which aired on Discovery Channel, focuses how staff at the emirate's hospitals battled to save lives as the coronavirus spread. Photo: Screengrab / Films by Nomad

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  Alice Augustin, one of the patients featured, was working as a school nurse and was seven months' pregnant when she caught Covid-19 in January 2021. Photo: Screengrab / Films by Nomad

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  Waafika Seegers, intensive care unit manager at the Mediclinic Parkview, said the virus had calmed down and the hospital had not seen any Covid-19 cases lately. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Covid-19 vaccines were a game-changer, Dr McLaughlin said. Photo: Screengrab / Films by Nomad

The UAE reported 579 Covid-19 cases on Monday, as infection rates exceeded 500 for a fifth consecutive day.

A further 476 people recovered from the virus and no deaths were reported in the past 24 hours.

Authorities have recorded 911,514 cases, 894,569 recoveries and 2,305 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

The latest cases were detected as a result of an additional 175,759 PCR tests.

More than 163.5 million tests have been conducted to date.

Daily infection rates have risen steadily in recent weeks, having dropped below 200 between May 4 and 7.

But they remain well below those recorded in January, when daily infections topped 3,000 five times.

Mass screening of the public and a comprehensive vaccination drive have been central to the country's fight against Covid-19.

Nearly 25 million vaccine doses have been administered since inoculation campaigns were launched in December 2020.