UAE reports 2,959 new Covid-19 cases and 14 deaths

The new figures followed one of the biggest days for testing to date

Daily figures issued on Saturday show that the UAE carried out another 242,159 tests for Covid-19. AFP

The UAE reported 2,959 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, with a further 14 deaths.

In its daily coronavirus update, the government said 1,901 patients had been given the all-clear.

The update also showed 242,159 people had been tested – marking one of the biggest days for screening to date.

Weekend figures for testing are typically high, as people prepare to travel or get a weekly or fortnightly test as mandated by their employer.

The latest fatalities took the death toll to 1,310.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, 408,236 Covid-19 cases have been recorded, with 391,205 recoveries.

Earlier on Saturday, officials in Dubai told cafes and coffee shops to stop filling babies bottles with milk or water due to the potential risk of spreading the virus.

UAE airlines play part in Covax roll-out

A worker attaches Covax stickers to a shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine flown by Emirates airline to Felix Houphouet Boigny International Airport in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. AFP

The AstraZeneca vaccine shipment is unloaded from a plane in Abidjan. Ivory Coast received 504,000 doses of the vaccine. AFP

A shipment of more than 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrives in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, as part of the Covax initiative. AFP

The shipment of AstraZeneca vaccine is part of the Covax initiative, a global effort to procure and distribute shots free of charge. AFP

Boxes of the AstraZeneca vaccine are unloaded from an Emirates flight in the Ivory Coast. AFP

Emirates delivers 504,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Abidjan, Ivory Coast. AFP