UAE reaches one million Covid-19 cases

The milestone was crossed after another 919 infections were recorded on Tuesday

Al Wahda Mall security staff check the Al Hosn app of visitors at the entrance. All photos: Victor Besa / The National

The UAE has passed the 1 million mark for Covid-19 cases.

More than 184 million tests have been conducted to date.

The UAE is the 68th country to exceed 1 million infections, data shows.

Case numbers in the Emirates have declined in recent weeks after a surge in infection rates in June.

Mass screening and an extensive vaccination strategy have been key to efforts to curb the spread of the virus.

There have been more than 590 million cases across the world.

Stay-at-home measures and deep-cleaning operations were introduced in the early stages of the outbreak.

Offices and schools were closed as a precautionary measure and flights were grounded when the coronavirus first broke out in early 2020.

Authorities introduced physical distancing and made the wearing of face masks in public mandatory.

Safety measures have been gradually eased in recent months to support a return to normality.

The UAE on Tuesday surpassed one million Covid-19 infections since the start of the global outbreak.

This milestone figure was reached after a further 919 cases were confirmed.

The country's overall tally now stands at 1,000,556.

Recoveries climbed to 979,362 after another 859 people beat the virus in the past 24 hours.

There were no coronavirus-related deaths during the latest reporting period, with the toll standing at 2,337.

Tuesday's cases were detected as a result of 197,921 PCR tests.

More than 179 million tests have been conducted to date.

The UAE is the 68th country to pass one million infections, figures from the Worldometer data aggregation site show.

There have been more than 590 million cases across the world.

The US has recorded the most infections, more than 94 million. This puts it ahead of India (44 million), France and Brazil (both about 34 million) and Germany (31 million).

Case numbers in the Emirates have declined in recent weeks after a surge in infections in June.

Mass screening and an extensive vaccination strategy have been vital to efforts to curb the spread of the virus, which began to spread across the globe more than two-and-a-half years ago.

Stay-at-home measures and deep-cleaning operations were introduced in the early stages of the outbreak. Offices and schools closed as a precautionary measure and flights were grounded.

The authorities introduced physical distancing rules and made the wearing of masks in public mandatory.

Safety measures have been gradually eased in recent months to support a return to normality and to take into account drops in case numbers.

In February, the UAE lifted requirements to wear face coverings in outdoor places, while motorists travelling to Abu Dhabi from other emirates no longer need to show their green pass status on Al Hosn app.

Timeline: a global fight against Covid-19

December 31, 2019

The World Health Organisation in China is informed of cases of pneumonia of an unknown cause in Wuhan, Hubei province.

Five days later, it reports the cluster and shortly after that issues its first risk assessment and advice.

January 14, 2020

The WHO says there may have been some limited human-to-human transmission of the virus among 41 confirmed cases, mainly among family members. But there is a risk of a possible wider outbreak, it says. Person-to-person transmission is confirmed a week later.

January 29, 2020

The UAE announces its first cases of the new coronavirus in a family from Wuhan. The mother, father, 9-year-old girl and grandmother arrived in the Emirates on January 16 and sought treatment on January 23 after the grandmother developed flu-like symptoms. All four family members subsequently develop the disease.

March 11, 2020

The WHO declares the outbreak a pandemic owing to “deep concern by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction”.

June 24, 2020

The UAE launches the world’s first phase-3 clinical trial of an inactivated vaccine against Covid-19 in co-operation with Chinese manufacturer Sinopharm CNBG. The vaccine is found to be 79 per cent effective against the original strain of the virus.

Nurse Deboral Musthafa prepares before administering the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at the NMC Royal Hospital DIP in Dubai.

Fiji Antony has a consultation with head nurse Ahalya Chandrashekar before her Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at the NMC Royal Hospital DIP in Dubai.

Mohammad Mohamm receives his Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at the NMC Royal Hospital DIP in Dubai.

Fiji Antony receives her Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at the NMC Royal Hospital DIP in Dubai.

Ranjani Poojari receives her Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at the NMC Royal Hospital DIP in Dubai.

The Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at the NMC Royal Hospital DIP in Dubai.

People are booked in for the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at the NMC Royal Hospital DIP in Dubai.

Anuj Dahal receives his Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at the NMC Royal Hospital DIP in Dubai.

Nurse Dennise Docil prepares before administering the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at the NMC Royal Hospital DIP in Dubai.

September 15, 2020

The UAE approves Sinopharm’s inactivated vaccine for emergency use among frontline workers.

December 9, 2020

The country approves Sinopharm’s vaccine for emergency use by the general public, starting a mass vaccination campaign.

December 22, 2020

The Emirates approves Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine against Covid-19 for emergency use among members of the general public over the age of 18. Vaccinations in Dubai begin days later. The approval of other vaccines including Oxford-AstraZeneca, Sputnik V and Moderna follows.

November 27, 2021

Less than a year after it began, the UAE announces that its vaccination drive has administered enough shots to inoculate 100 per cent of the eligible population with one dose.

June 2, 2022

The UAE announces it has vaccinated 100 per cent of all target groups in the country, aiding efforts to limit infections and reduce the numbers of people requiring hospital treatment. About 25 million vaccine doses have been administered.