Coronavirus: UAE reports 2,629 new cases and five deaths

Back-to-school PCR testing gets under way at Biogenix Labs by G42 Healthcare, Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. All Photos: Victor Besa / The National

Biogenix Labs staff are ready and waiting for the mass testing as schools reopen in the capital.

Children queue to be tested.

Sultan Al Marzooqi, five, gets his back to school PCR test.

The Solitario family get their PCR tests.

Biogenix Labs staff are ready to help in the fight against Covid-19.

Sarah Ahmad, 17, is tested before heading back to school.

A father takes his daughter for testing.

The Aragon family get their PCR tests.

Khamis Al Balooshi, 10, waits for his turn.

The Williams family get their PCR tests.

The youngest Al Marzooqi family member is all smiles after his test.

Mohamed Al Zahri, eight, is swabbed.

The UAE recorded 2,629 new Covid-19 cases on Monday after carrying out an additional 499,001 tests.

The latest infection numbers took the overall tally of cases to 828,328.

Another 1,115 people overcame the virus, taking the tally of recoveries to 769,458.

Five people died during the 24-hour reporting period, taking the death toll to 2,219.

More than 121 million tests have been carried out in the country since the outbreak of Covid-19 nearly two years ago.

Following the emergence of the Omicron variant, cases have remained above 2,500 since the start of January, having fallen below 50 early last month.

Authorities have urged the public to remain committed to safety measures and to receive booster shots of the Covid-19 vaccine if eligible.

Many employees require regular PCR tests to attend their place of work, while a negative test result is required to enter Abu Dhabi from other emirates.

Long queues were reported on Sunday before the resumption of in-person teaching in the capital on Monday after schools switched to remote learning for the first three weeks of the new term.