Coronavirus: UAE announces record 3,579 cases on biggest day of testing to date

Record number of recoveries, 4,166, also confirmed on Sunday

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  The Third Place Cafe on the Corniche in Abu Dhabi has a sticker to remind customers of Covid-19 precautions. Victor Besa / The National

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  An 'X' reminds people of the need for physical distancing at the Third Place Cafe. Victor Besa / The National

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  The Third Place Cafe in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

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  Sanitation workers at Haddins Fitness, Zayed Sports City. Victor Besa / The National

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  Places of worship, such as Shiva temple in Dubai, have been subject to restrictions during the pandemic. Reem Mohammed / The National

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  Fitness buff Natalie Navikova exercises at Cobra Fitness Abu Dhabi at Al Bandar. Victor Besa / The National

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  CrossFit class at Vogue Fitness Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

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  A worshipper at Shiva temple in Dubai follows safety precautions. Reem Mohammed / The National

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  The floor of the main prayer hall at the Gurunanak Darbar in Jebel Ali, Dubai, is covered with plastic sheets to help tackle the spread of Covid-19. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Safe distance marking stickers placed on the floor at Gurunanak Darbar in Jebel Ali, Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Midday prayers are performed at Al Farooq Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  Hotel beaches are now open to guests at the Ramada Abu Dhabi Corniche after Covid-19 restrictions eased. Victor Besa / The National

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  Al Farooq Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque in Dubai has safety measures in place to help protect worshippers. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  Al Farooq Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  Shiva temple in Dubai put safety measures in place to protect worshippers. Reem Mohammed / The National

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  Covid-19 safety measures are put in place at Mahamevnawa Buddhist Temple in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  Residents wear face masks as they walk in Abu Dhabi city centre. Victor Besa / The National

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  People walk along near the Ramada Hotel Abu Dhabi Corniche during the pandemic. Victor Besa / The National

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  A visitor wears a protective face mask at Al Shindagha Museum in Dubai. EPA

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  A man on his e-scooter travels along the Corniche in Abu Dhabi as the sun sets. Victor Besa / The National

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  People wear face masks in Al Barsha, Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

The UAE announced a record number of Covid-19 cases for the 13th day running on Sunday, as daily testing and recovery rates also hit new highs.

Officials confirmed 3,579 new infections, raising the country's total since the pandemic began to 277,955.

A further 4,166 patients were given the all-clear, as the recovery tally climbed to 251,484.

Nine people died, bringing the toll in the Emirates to 792.

Another 179,117 tests were carried out, pushing the overall tally above 24.5 million.

The number of active cases in the country has fallen to 25,679 after recoveries exceeded new cases for the fifth day in a row.

Case numbers have steadily risen throughout the first month of the year, although a recent surge in recoveries has offered encouragement as the country continues to grapple with the wide-ranging impact of the outbreak.

Figures ranged between a low of 944 and a high of 1,730 in December.

Since the start of 2021, the UAE has recorded 70,133 Covid-19 cases, at an average of 2,922 each day.

Testing has been expanded in recent days to help contain the spread of the virus.

More than 160,000 daily tests have been conducted on each of the past six days.

On Sunday, Abu Dhabi permitted the use of three new types of Covid-19 tests to screen people in emergency rooms at hospitals and urgent care centres.

The Department of Health said the new tests gave faster results and would help physicians to provide better care.

The mass screening strategy is operating alongside a nationwide vaccination drive.

The UAE approved the public use of the vaccine from China's Sinopharm across all seven emirates on December 9.

A phased introduction of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot followed two weeks later.

UAE authorities approved Russia's Sputnik V vaccine on Thursday. Officials said it would be available for emergency use.

The decision came after the Emirates hosted a small-scale Phase 3 trial of the vaccine, produced by Gamaleya National Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology, involving about 1,000 volunteers.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention said on Sunday that a further 60,991 doses of Covid-19 vaccine had been administered in the past 24 hours.

Close to 2.5 million doses have been given to the public to date, representing a distribution rate of 25.15 for every 100 people.