UAE records 882 new Covid-19 cases after 398,902 tests

Len Apie, from the Philippines, brought her children Lewis, 9, and Clark, 6, to receive a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in Dubai. All photos: Shuchita Gautam

There is a separate wing for children at the Oud Metha vaccination centre.

The centre is decorated with balloons and cartoon cutouts.

A child gets her face painted after receiving the vaccine.

Parents said the experience was smooth on the first day and they were in and out in 10 to 15 minutes.

The UAE reported 882 new Covid-19 cases on Friday after a further 398,902 tests were carried out.

The new cases bring the total number of infections recorded in the country since the pandemic began early in 2020 to 873,092.

Two people died during the 24-hour reporting period, raising the death toll to 2,292.

Another 2,294 people beat the virus, as the recovery total climbed to 813,926.

More than 133 million tests have been conducted across the Emirates under a comprehensive screening strategy.

Daily infections dropped below 1,000 on Tuesday for the first time this year, having peaked at 3,116 on January 15 — the highest since February 2021.

This week, cinemas, shopping centres and other entertainment spots and venues across the UAE were allowed to return to full capacity for the first time in 18 months.

Authorities said there was no change to the use of masks, which are required by law in all indoor and outdoor public places nationwide.

Meanwhile, a new study in the UK has found that people vaccinated against Covid-19 have less chance of developing long Covid in the event of an infection.

The UK Health Security Agency data review also indicates that being inoculated may alleviate symptoms in those who are already experiencing long Covid symptoms.

Researchers studied evidence taken from 15 studies of the condition and how it is affected by vaccination. Two of these studies found that fewer fully vaccinated people developed the medium or long-term symptoms associated with long Covid, such as headaches, fatigue and dizziness.