Coronavirus: UAE reports 1,223 Covid-19 cases, 1,127 recoveries, 2 deaths

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Wednesday reported 1,223 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 1,127 recoveries and x deaths.

Total active cases stand at 18,458.

The new cases were detected through 225,577 additional tests.

The total number of cases in UAE on July 27 are 986,747, while total recoveries stand at 965,955. The death toll now stands at 2,334.

China's central metropolis, Wuhan, temporarily shut some businesses and public transport in a district with almost a million people on Wednesday, as the city where the pandemic first emerged raised vigilance after several new infections.

China, heavily invested in its "dynamic Covid-zero" policy, relies on mass testing, quick restrictions on business activity and people's movements, and strict quarantine of cases to block nascent clusters from widening. This strategy has helped Wuhan and other areas in the country to keep the number of cases in check, but harsh lockdowns during major outbreaks and the fear of potential repeated curbs— whenever new cases are reported— have dented the economy, business confidence, and people's willingness to travel.

Wuhan's district of Jiangxia, with over 900,000 residents, said its main urban areas were to enter a three-day restriction from Wednesday onwards, during which it would ban many large group events and dining at restaurants, close various public entertainment venues, agricultural product marketplaces and small clinics, and suspend bus and subway services. It also urged residents not to leave the area during the three day-restriction period, and encouraged travellers to avoid entry.

The order came quickly after Jiangxia authorities said that they had detected two cases during regular testing drives, late on Tuesday, and found two more from the screening of individuals who came in close contact with infection.

Meanwhile, North Korea has held a large mask-free public event for the first time since declaring a Covid-19 emergency in May, honouring veterans of the 1950-53 Korean war just days after saying its coronavirus crisis was nearly over.

Photos released by state media on Wednesday showed thousands of participants at the annual ceremony without masks, including senior ruling Workers' Party officials and elderly uniformed veterans.

The reclusive country said earlier this month it was on a path to "finally defuse" its first publicly declared Covid-19 crisis, even as Asian neighbours battle a resurgence in infections driven by Omicron subvariants.

The official KCNA news agency on Wednesday reported 18 new fever cases for Monday, the third straight day the tally has held below 100 after topping 390,000 in May. It said 99.99 per cent of 4.77 million fever patients since late April have fully recovered.

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• Abu Dhabi