Coronavirus: UAE announces record 3,591 Covid-19 cases

A further 3,820 patients recovered as six people died

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  Yas Waterworld in Abu Dhabi reopened in August last year after a five-month closure. Victor Besa / The National

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  People fish using social distancing precautions by Business Bay Bridge in Dubai. Reem Mohammed / The National

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  Volunteers for the Covid-19 vaccine trial wait to be screened at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre in August 2020. Victor Besa / The National

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  A man buys balloons at Al Wahda Mall in Abu Dhabi. All shops and malls have safety measures in place to protect shoppers and staff. Victor Besa / The National

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  Shoppers maintain physical distancing and wear face masks at Al Wahda Mall. Victor Besa / The National

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  A shopper looks at face masks at Lulu Hypermarket, Khalidiyah Mall, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

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  Volunteers for the Covid-19 vaccine trial wait to be screened at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre in August 2020. Victor Besa / The National

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  A sign reminds people visiting The Pointe shopping centre on The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, to wear face masks. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  Dubai residents wear face masks during their evening walk in The Gardens. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Socially distanced maghrib prayers in Al Khair Masjid in Dubai in July 2020. Reem Mohammed / The National

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  Visitors to Al Wahda Mall wear face masks. Victor Besa / The National

The UAE confirmed a record number of Covid-19 infections for a 14th consecutive day on Monday.

An additional 3,591 daily cases were announced, raising the country's tally since the pandemic began to 281,546.

A further 3,820 patients overcame the virus as the recovery total rose to 255,304.

Six patients died, increasing the death toll to 798.

The latest cases were detected as a result of 140,477 daily tests.

Close to 24.7 million tests have been carried out to date.

The number of active cases in the Emirates fell to 25,444 after daily recoveries exceeded new cases for the sixth day running.

Infection rates have risen sharply in recent weeks after hovering around the 1,200-1,300 range for much of December.

The UAE's daily caseload has remained above 3,500 for the past six days and has not fallen below 3,000 since January 11.

Since the start of 2021, 73,724 infections have been registered in the country at an average of 2,948 each day.

Authorities have bolstered Covid-19 regulations in a bid to slow the rise in cases.

The number of people allowed to sit together at the same table in Dubai restaurants has been reduced from 10 to seven and only four people will be allowed to sit together in cafes.

The new measures, by the emirate's Supreme Committee for Crisis and Disaster Management, were included in a number of changes issued late on Friday.

The minimum distance between tables has also increased from two to three metres.

A nationwide vaccination drive was launched last month with the aim of inoculating half of the population by the end of March.

On Monday, officials said a further 83,302 doses of vaccine had been administered over the past 24 hours.

This took the overall number of doses given to the public to 2.57 million, representing a distribution rate of 26 per 100 people.