Coronavirus: UAE records 82 new cases

Mass testing and one of the world's fastest vaccination drives curbs virus's spread

A new drive-through offering Covid-19 vaccination and testing has opened in Abu Dhabi.

Seha said the centre can administer 200 vaccinations and carry out 1,000 nasal swabs and laser tests per day.

The new centre was built utilising shipping containers, similar to the centres recently opened in Al Sarouj in Al Ain and Al Manhal in Abu Dhabi.

All Seha centres offer Sinopharm and Pfizer vaccines.

The new Seha-run centre in Rabdan has six lanes that cater for vaccinations, nasal swabs and DPI laser-based testing.

The UAE reported 82 new cases of Covid-19 on Friday, taking the total number of infections since the pandemic began to 739,736.

Another 121 people beat the virus, with recoveries now at 733,903.

One person died from complications related to Covid-19, bringing the overall death toll to 2,136.

The figures came after a further 297,148 tests were carried out.

Mass testing and one of the world's fastest vaccination drives has helped the UAE to curb the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the UAE public on Tuesday was thanked for their commitment to driving down Covid-19 case numbers, but were told rules, including the use of masks in all places, will remain.

There has been a significant drop in the number of cases in recent weeks but with new variants of the Delta, Alpha and Gamma strains causing surges in case numbers in Europe, the Americas and South Africa, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Agency said precautionary measures will remain in place.

"The importance of abiding by these measures has become a necessity, especially with the spread of the mutations that might constitute a risk for some," authorities said at the weekly Covid-19 briefing.