Coronavirus: UAE reports 674 Covid-19 cases, 761 recoveries, no deaths

Dubai - More than 92,000 new Covid-19 tests were carried out.

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Sunday reported 674 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 761 recoveries. No new deaths were reported.

More than 92,000 new Covid-19 tests were carried out, the ministry said, taking the total to 8.7 million tests since the pandemic broke.

Yesterday, the Emirati health minister received the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine that's being trialled in four Arab countries, including the UAE.

AbdulRahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, received the jab days after he announced an emergency approval to administer it to frontline health workers.

The announcement came as the country carried out over 100,000 Covid tests in a single day - the highest ever.

The minister had earlier announced that the vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm CNBG was safe and effective. Over 31,000 volunteers representing 125 nationalities have received the jab in the UAE in six weeks. The side effects reported so far have been "mild and expected, like any other vaccine", another official had said.

However, the ministry has repeatedly stressed the need to avoid gatherings and urged the public to follow safety measures such as wearing masks when stepping out of their homes and maintaining a distance of not less than two metres in public.