The UAE recorded another 1,963 cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, the highest number of daily infections for the fourth consecutive day. They were identified after a further 152,588 DPI and PCR tests were conducted and raised the country’s total number of infections to 211,641. Three patients died of Covid-19, raising the death toll to 674. Recoveries outstripped infections, with 2,081 cleared of the virus on Saturday. This cut the number of active cases to 22,867, a fall of about 120 from Friday’s figure. The total number of recoveries recorded in the UAE to date is 188,100. More than 21 million tests have been carried out across the Emirates since the outbreak, one of the largest screening campaigns per capita worldwide. Two voluntary and free vaccination campaigns are currently under way in the country. Sinopharm’s vaccine, which includes a killed version of the virus, is on offer throughout the country. It is administered in two doses over 21 to 28 days, and is 86 per cent effective, UAE regulators say. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is authorised for use in Dubai, where authorities have set out priority groups for inoculation before the jab is made available to the wider public. This vaccine contains a piece of genetic code that trains the immune system to recognise the spiked protein on the surface of the virus. Last week, authorities in Dubai said they planned to vaccinate at least 70 per cent of the emirate’s population with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by the end of 2021. “We are targeting to vaccinate approximately 70 per cent of the population of Dubai by the end of 2021. We want to reach the herd immunity that is required,” said Farida Al Khaja, chairwoman of Dubai’s steering committee for Covid-19 vaccinations.
