UAE records 176 new Covid-19 cases in lowest daily tally for 14 months

Another 258 people recovered from the virus in latest 24-hour reporting period

Abu Dhabi residents are inoculated at the screening and vaccine centre on the Corniche. A nationwide testing and inoculation campaign is credited with driving down cases. All photos: Victor Besa / The National

Staff and nurses from the Abu Dhabi public hospital group Seha urged the public to protect themselves from Covid-19 by signing up to be vaccinated.

Motorists queue for PCR tests at Seha's testing and vaccination centre on Abu Dhabi's Corniche.

Mass testing and a successful vaccination campaign has helped the UAE to tackle the pandemic.

Drivers wait at a centre that provides both PCR nasal swab tests and coronavirus vaccine doses.

Shenaz Abdul Salam, 13, gives a thumbs up as he waits to receive his first vaccine dose.

A staff nurse fills in a vaccination form for a driver at the Corniche centre.

Mariam Al Badi, an Emirati nurse working at Seha's drive-through vaccine centre, has urged everyone to get inoculated against Covid-19.

Ms Al Badi goes through the vaccination process with a driver.

Cars queue at the drive-through testing and vaccination centre on Abu Dhabi's Corniche.

More than 80 per cent of the UAE population has been vaccinated and the government is urging those who have not to sign up.

An Abu Dhabi resident gives the thumbs up after signing up for vaccination.

Authorities have made the vaccines free for everyone.

A medical worker checks papers as Abu Dhabi residents sign up for the Covid-19 vaccine.

The drive-through Covid-19 testing and inoculation centre has proved popular with Abu Dhabi residents.

The UAE recorded 176 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing its tally to 737,073.

Another 258 people overcame the virus, as the number of recoveries climbed to 730,093.

One patient died, raising the death toll to 2,104.

The latest infections, which represent the lowest daily figure since August 3 last year, were detected when an additional 364,265 tests were carried out.

More than 85.5 million PCR tests have been conducted since the outbreak began.

More than 20 million doses of a Covid-19 vaccine have been administered to the public since December.

Mass screening and vaccination strategies have been key to driving down case numbers, which were hovering at about 2,000 a day as recently as June.

Meanwhile, Etihad Airways plans to hire 1,000 cabin crew in a major recruitment drive.

The Abu Dhabi airline is scaling up operations on the back of a recovery in travel demand.

For about six weeks, starting on October 11, Etihad will hold recruitment days in 10 cities across the UAE, Middle East and Europe.

They will be held in countries including Egypt, Lebanon, Russia, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands, the airline said on Monday.

“Etihad is in a position to be able to start hiring cabin crew again,” said Capt Jihad Matta, head of crew performance and support at Etihad Airways.

"In each of these cities, we will be looking for candidates who have a passion for delivering exceptional customer service. We are looking for individuals who will help grow our business."