• A man wears a face mask in Al Jadaf area in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    A man wears a face mask in Al Jadaf area in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • A shopkeeper lights coal to burn incense to attract customers to his shop in Dubai's Spice Souq. Antonie Robertson / The National
    A shopkeeper lights coal to burn incense to attract customers to his shop in Dubai's Spice Souq. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • A shopkeeper in Deira Souq. He fills a bag with tea leaves that he hopes to sell to tourists. Antonie Robertson / The National
    A shopkeeper in Deira Souq. He fills a bag with tea leaves that he hopes to sell to tourists. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • Men talk at the Abra station near the Spice Souq. Antonie Robertson / The National
    Men talk at the Abra station near the Spice Souq. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • An almost empty street in Deira Souq. Antonie Robertson / The National
    An almost empty street in Deira Souq. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • Pedestrians wait to cross Baniyas Street in Deira. Antonie Robertson / The National
    Pedestrians wait to cross Baniyas Street in Deira. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • A sign at the Old Souq Abra Station in Deira reminds people to wear a mask. Antonie Robertson / The National
    A sign at the Old Souq Abra Station in Deira reminds people to wear a mask. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • People step off an abra in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National
    People step off an abra in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National

Coronavirus: UAE reports 2,159 new Covid-19 cases as 1,939 recover


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Another 2,159 cases of Covid-19 were reported across the UAE on Saturday, raising total infections to 424,405.

At least 1,939 patients were cleared of the virus, taking the recovery tally to 403,478. At least 95 per cent of all reported cases in the Emirates have ended in recovery.

Ten patients died, increasing the death toll to 1,388.

The number of active cases neared 20,000, with 19,539 people currently with Covid-19. The active cases figure has risen over the past two weeks as the number of new infections has exceeded daily recoveries.

Saturday's infections were detected after another 244,459 tests were carried out. Screenings have increased in recent weeks, with more than 200,000 PCR and DPI tests conducted across the country each day for the past five days.

Almost 33.6 million screenings have been carried out since the outbreak began.

Many of the country's workers are frequently tested as part of safety measures that allow economic activities to resume.

The UAE's immunisation drive has also led to more than 6.5m vaccine doses being administered to date.

After 53,836 more doses were administered since Friday, the current vaccination rate stood at 65.89 per 100 people – ranking the UAE third worldwide, after Israel and the Seychelles.

Sinopharm is the vaccine most widely used across the Emirates and was approved after local trials involving 31,000 volunteers.

Russia's Sputnik V vaccine has been granted emergency authorisation but the UAE has not yet received any doses. The Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are approved for use in Dubai.