The UAE has carried out more than 6 million Covid-19 tests since January. The country hit the 5 million test mark on on July 30. This means about one million tests have been conducted in less than three weeks. A mass screening strategy has been the key in the country’s efforts to curb the spread of the virus. Temporary screening centres, drive-through testing, and at-home testing were also introduced as part of the UAE’s plan to curb Covid. Besides, Dubai Is The World’s First Airport To Use K9 Dogs To Detect Covid Cases.
Besides, the UAE has also become the ninth highest for testing globally. Now, the bad part! Although the news brings a big, broad smile on our face, the country has witnessed an alarming rise in Covid cases since 18 August. Since the last weekend, the UAE did not witness more than 300 cases. However, the country has reported 365 new cases in the last 24 hours (18-19 August). Here are the other stats as of 19 August:
New Recoveries: 115 new recoveries
Total deaths: 366
Active cases: 6631
Total recovers: 57,909
Total confirmed cases: 64, 906
Well, considering the scenario, are parents in the UAE keen in sending kids back to school? Read CT Dubai’s survey here.
During the country’s regular televised briefing, Abdulrahman Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, said that despite a general decline in the number of daily cases from previous months, there has been a marked increase over the past two weeks.
Residents and Emiratis are urged to avoid gatherings, wear face masks and maintain physical distancing to prevent further infections. Officials further added that the surge was caused by gatherings by family and social visits without adhering to precautionary measures such as social spacing and the wearing of masks. Failure to follow covid rules, will lead to hefty fines.
First Published: August 19, 2020 10:38 AM