Coronavirus: UAE records 362 new Covid-19 cases as tests pass 7 million

Number of active cases across country stands at 8,708

A model of a transformer robot wears a mask and carries a sign saying 'Stay home' outside a shop in Ras Al Khaimah. All photos by Chris Whiteoak / The National

A cleaner disinfects different surfaces at the H Hotel in Dubai.

Tailor Zeeshan Javed makes a pair of trousers in his workshop with protection measures in place.

A lifeguard watches over the pool at the H Hotel in Dubai.

An employee at Century Financial in Dubai sterilises a conference room.

A manager at Stone Grey, a tailoring business, rearranges dresses.

A hotel receptionist works behind a plastic partition at the H Hotel in Dubai.

Two colleagues keep a safe distance at Century Financial in Dubai.

Motorists get laser based DPI tests at the Mina Rashid screening centre in Dubai.

Motorists get laser based DPI tests at the Mina Rashid screening centre in Dubai.

Motorists get laser based DPI tests at the Mina Rashid screening centre in Dubai.

An additional 362 new cases of Covid-19 were recorded across the UAE on Sunday.

The infections, identified from 87,955 tests, brought the country's total case number to 69,690.

Another 398 people were cleared from having the virus, taking the recovery tally 60,600.

And three patients died due to complications, adding to a death toll of 382.

The number of active cases across the country currently stand at 8,708. Authorities said all patients were receiving medical care.

At least 87 per cent of all cases in the Emirates have ended with recovery.

The UAE has taken a robust approach to testing in an effort to limit the spread of the virus and prevent a second wave. More than 7 million Covid-19 tests have been carried out since January. Of the 7,011,895 tests, just under 1 per cent have produced a positive result.

The number of infections announced on Sunday was lower than the average daily cases reported over the past 10 days (389). The highest number of cases announced over the past 10 days was last Thursday when 491 new infections were recorded. Since then cases have hovered closer to 400.

On Sunday, thousands of pupils across the country returned to classrooms for the first time since March.

Children were dropped off by a parent of collected by bus in an organised operation with a series of safety precautions in place.

Schools have spent weeks ensuring safety measures are in place to protects pupils and staff, including a staggered return to classrooms and giving parents the option to continue distance learning for the first term.

Global cases passed 25 million on Sunday, with 842,499 deaths and 16.4 million recoveries since the outbreak.

Johns Hopkins university data showed 25,009,250 global cases on Sunday morning.

The official number of global coronavirus cases is now at least five times the number of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to World Health Organisation data.