Coronavirus: UAE reports 1,319 Covid-19 cases, 1,076 recoveries, no deaths

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Monday reported 1,319 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 1,076 recoveries and no deaths.

Total active cases stand at 16,152.

The new cases were detected through 180,075 additional tests.

The total number of cases in UAE as on June 13 are 917,815, while total recoveries stand at 900,358. The death toll now stands at 2,305.

US Food and Drug Administration staff reviewers on Sunday said Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccines were effective and safe for use in children aged 6 months to 4 years.

The FDA reviewers said in briefing documents published on Sunday evening that their evaluation did not reveal any new safety concerns related to the use of the vaccine in young children.

The FDA analysis of data from Pfizer’s trial was published ahead of a June 15 meeting of its outside advisers. Recommendations from the external advisers will determine the FDA’s decision on the vaccines.

“Available data support the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine 3-dose primary series in preventing Covid-19 in the age group of 6 months through 4 years,” FDA staff said in the review.

An early analysis of data from Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine based on 10 symptomatic Covid-19 cases identified when the Omicron coronavirus variant was dominant suggested a vaccine efficacy of 80.3% in the under-5 age group.

Covid-19 shots for children under the age of 6 are yet not approved in most parts of the world. It remains unclear how many parents will get their young ones vaccinated as demand has been low for kids aged 5 to 11.

Meanwhile, Beijing’s most populous district Chaoyang announced three rounds of mass testing to quell a “ferocious” Covid-19 outbreak that emerged at a bar in a nightlife and shopping area last week, shortly after the city relaxed curbs imposed during an outbreak in April.

City health officials said that so far there have been 166 confirmed cases linked to the outbreak that began at the Heaven Supermarket bar in the Sanlitun area on Thursday, 145 of them bar patrons.

Mass testing would take place between Monday and Wednesday in Chaoyang district, where the bar is located, officials told a press briefing.