Coronavirus: UAE reports third-lowest number of daily cases this year

Officials say 1,404 patients recovered during the past 24 hours

Medical staff inside a Covid-19 screening centre at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Reuters

A healthcare worker tests a man for Covid-19 at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Reuters

A health worker examines a sample taken from a labourer in the Al Quoz district of Dubai. The UAE has significantly increased testing for the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. AFP

A medic takes samples from a worker at a testing centre in Al Quoz. AFP

A man wearing a protective mask has his body temperature reading taken upon arriving at the police station in Naif. AFP

An employee wears a protective face mask and shield while collecting carts outside a Lulu hypermarket in Dubai. Bloomberg

A man, wearing a protective mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, has his temperature taken at the Ibn Battuta centre in Dubai. AFP

Frontline workers, such as medics leading the fight against Covid-19, are being recognised in the UAE. Reuters

The UAE reported 1,260 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, the third-lowest daily tally this year, health officials said.

The lowest cases in 2021 so far were reported on May 17, when 1,229 people were infected, followed by 1,251 infections on May 16.

The number of new daily infections have dropped consistently this week and have stayed below 1,300 for two consecutive days.

Total infections now stand at 698,166.

There were 1,404 recoveries during the past 24 hours and the total number of patients who beat the virus is 675,566

So far, more than 68.7 million PCR tests have been carried out across the Emirates after an additional 321,439 tests were conducted over the 24-hour reporting period.

This is the highest number of tests carried out in one day since the beginning of the pandemic.

Officials reported four deaths overnight, pushing total fatalities to 1,992.

Health officials said more than 17 million doses of vaccines have been given to eligible people.

On Wednesday, authorities said 81.33 per cent of the UAE population had received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose, while 72.59 per cent are fully vaccinated.