The UAE recorded 1,310 Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing its total to 161,365. A further 683 people overcame the virus, bringing the recovery tally to 150,261. Five patients died, taking the country's death toll to 559. The latest cases were identified as a result of 100,011 additional tests. The daily number of infections is the highest confirmed in the Emirates since October 29, when 1,312 cases were announced. The UAE has carried out close to 16 million tests since the outbreak began as part of a mass screening strategy aimed at limiting the spread of the pathogen. The number of active cases in the Emirates has risen to 10,545, after falling below 2,000 at the start of the month. This steep rise comes on the back of a recent trend of new infections exceeding recoveries. Over the past seven days, the UAE has reported 8,556 new infections at a rate of 1,222 per day. During the same period, 5,614 people have recovered following a positive test, representing a daily average of 802. Twenty-one Covid-19 patients have died in the past week. Across the globe, more than 59.6 million infections have been detected and 1.4 million people have died. More than 41 million people have been given the all-clear after contracting coronavirus. There are close to 17 million active cases around the world. Major strides have been taken in the race to secure a vaccine in recent weeks, with leading candidates such as Pfizer - in partnership with BioNTech - and Moderna reporting encouraging successes in clinical trials. Australian airline Qantas said all international travellers will have to prove they have been vaccinated against Covid-19 before they can board. The Australian airline’s chief executive, Alan Joyce, said vaccinations against the virus will become a prerequisite once they become freely available. And based on his conversations with the bosses of other global carriers, the requirement will be “common,” he said.
