Coronavirus: UAE reports 3,249 cases of Covid-19 as recoveries exceed infections

Active cases drop by more than 650 as recoveries outstrip new cases for a fifth consecutive day

Abu Dhabi residents enjoy the winter weather on the Corniche in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

A couple watch the sunset from the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

A man plays at Arena Games at DIFC Gate Avenue. Reem Mohammed / The National

Staff disinfects the lobby at the Waldorf Astoria on Al Hamra Island in Ras Al Khaimah. Leslie Pableo for The National

A pianist performs at the Waldorf Astoria on Al Hamra Island in Ras Al Khaimah. Leslie Pableo for The National

Children play at Zabeel park in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

A closed notice is pasted on the gate of a church in Jebel Ali in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

A man sells balloons in Zabeel park in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

A medical staff member answers questions from people getting tested at the DPI Testing Centres in Ghantoot, at the border of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Leslie Pableo for The National

Tests are carried out at the drive-through DPI screening centres in Ghantoot, at the border between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Leslie Pableo for The National

The UAE reported 3,249 cases of Covid-19 on Thursday after another 156,472 tests were carried out.

They raised the total number of cases to 316,875.

Another 3,904 patients recovered from the virus, taking the total number of people to have overcome Covid-19 in the UAE to 293,180.

Health authorities said 10 people died of related complications, raising the death toll to 888.

More than 26 million DPI and PCR tests have been conducted across the country since the outbreak.

At least 92 per cent of all cases have ended in recovery and 0.28 per cent resulted in a death. Authorities previously said the UAE had among the world's lowest Covid-19 death rates.

Part of this is a result of the country's early detection strategy that includes mass testing. Typically more than 150,000 DPI and PCR tests are conducted each day in the country to detect, isolate and treat patients as quickly as possible and prevent the virus from spreading. Regular testing is also required of many professionals in health care, the service industry and government to prevent outbreaks.

The number of people with a positive Covid-19 diagnosis in the UAE is 22,807. Active cases dropped by more than 650 from Wednesday after recoveries outstripped new infections for a fifth consecutive day.

Authorities on Thursday said 157,783 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were administered in the past 24 hours under the country's immunisation campaign. More than 3.8 million doses have been given so far, which represents a rate of 38.92 doses per 100 people.

Vaccines available in the UAE are Sinopharm and Sputnik, while Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech are available in Dubai.

Coupled with the vaccine drive, regulations were tightened across the country over the past two weeks to prevent a further increase in case numbers.

This week, Dubai suspended brunches to prevent social gatherings. Dubai Tourism singled out brunches – which typically have all-you-can-eat-and-drink deals and entertainment – in an email to hotels and restaurants.

Managers were told to “postpone any activity that leads to large gatherings such as weekend brunches”.

Although brunches are now off the menu, special offers and set fees for meals and alcoholic drinks were not specifically ruled out.

On Wednesday, hotels and bars told The National they were still taking orders for scaled back "set deals" this weekend, and would have various distancing measures in place to ensure compliance.

Other safety measures in the city include reduced seating capacity in venues including cinemas, entertainment and sports complexes to 50 per cent. Restaurants and cafes required to close by 1am and suspension of entertainment activities.

Any licensed venue classed as a “pub or bar” but that is not a restaurant has been ordered to close.