The UAE recorded 1,196 Covid-19 cases on Friday as testing rates jumped to a new high for a second day. A further 694 patients were given the all-clear as the recovery tally climbed to 162,435. Five patients died after contracting Covid-19, raising the death toll to 607. The UAE has reported 182,601 infections since the outbreak began. The latest cases were identified as a result of 163,352 additional tests. The figure surpasses the 156,425 tests carried out on Thursday, itself a record number. The amount of daily tests has exceeded 145,000 for four consecutive days. The UAE has carried out more than 18 million tests in total, a number close to twice its population. Authorities have made mass screening of the public an integral part of their strategy to limit the spread of the virus. The cost of a PCR nasal swab has dropped from Dh370 to as little as Dh85 in recent months, while access to testing has been widened through the introduction of drive-through screening centres, programmes in densely populated districts and the rollout of testing facilities in malls. The number of active cases in the country has risen to 19,559 as new infections continue to outstrip recoveries.
