Coronavirus: UAE reports highest daily cases of Covid-19 to date

New cases and recoveries raise totals to 216,699 and 193,321 respectively

Medical staff speak to drivers before they take a prick of blood from their finger that can rapidly be scanned for signs of the virus. All photos by Leslie Pableo for The National

Police direct a long line of vehicles waiting for the rapid test at the Dubai-Abu Dhabi border

Many commuters are expected to use the quick Dh50 to enter Abu Dhabi instead of undergoing a PCR nasal swab test, which costs about Dh150 in a private clinic

A medic takes a drop of blood from a commuter

A medic takes a drop of blood from a commuter

Medical staff use a laser scanning technique called DPI to look for signs that the body has generated antibodies to fight off a virus

Medical staff use a laser scanning technique called DPI to look for signs that the body has generated antibodies to fight off a virus

A medic takes a drop of blood from a commuter

Eighteen stations can handle 36 vehicles at any one time. The process takes several minutes to show a result

Although the DPI test does not specifically look for Covid-19, it quickly identifies whether someone may be ill

Drivers line up to be tested on Al Faya Road just off the E11 highway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi

The company that runs the service for the government said it should save drivers time and money

Drivers line up to be tested on Al Faya Road just off the E11 highway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi

The UAE reported 1,967 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday - the highest number of daily infections to date.

The figures exceeded the previous record set on January 2 by four.

Tuesday's cases were detected after another 153,645 tests were carried out and raised the country's total infections to 216,699. Of these, 193,321 patients have recovered, after 1,866 more were cleared of the virus.

Three people died of related complications over the past 24 hours, increasing the death toll to 685.

The number of active cases now stands at 22,693 - an increase of about 100 since Monday.

More than 21.5 million PCR and DPI tests have been carried out across the UAE since January.

On Tuesday, authorities said case numbers were rising around the world as well as within the UAE.

Dr Farida Al Hosani, spokeswoman for the UAE health sector, said this was due to internal infections as well as travellers into the Emirates carrying Covid-19.

She reminded the public to adhere to the safety measures in place to slow the rate of infection. She also called on everyone to consider getting vaccinated to help the country reach herd immunity, reduce new case numbers and control the virus.

Since October 1, at least 826,301 vaccine doses have been administered, she said.

That is the equivalent of 8.35 doses administered per 100 people in the total population.

On Monday, Abu Dhabi launched a campaign to encourage residents and Emiratis to have the Covid-19 vaccine.

Called Choose to Vaccinate, the drive aims to reduce infections in the emirate in combination with other precautions such as physical distancing and mandatory face masks.

Any adult in the UAE can be inoculated against the virus, with a handful of exceptions. It is free of charge.

“The approved Covid-19 vaccines are safe and will give recipients the immunity needed to protect themselves,” said Dr Jamal Al Kaabi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi.

“I hope everyone chooses to vaccinate to help get our lives back to normal.”