Coronavirus: UAE reports 2,291 Covid-19 cases, 1,014 recoveries, 1 death

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Sunday reported 2,291 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 1,014 recoveries and one death.

Total active cases stand at 64,604.

The new cases were detected through 459,244 additional tests.

The total number of cases in UAE as on January 30 are 843,030, while total recoveries stand at 776,186. The death toll now stands at 2,240.

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The BA.2 sub-lineage of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, which is classed as a variant under investigation in the UK, spreads much faster than the original BA.1 strain but it also seems to show higher vaccine protection, health authorities have said.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that BA.2 has an increased growth rate compared to BA.1 in all regions of England where there are enough cases to assess it. As of January 24, 1,072 genomically confirmed cases of BA.2 have been identified in England and all assessments remain preliminary whilst case numbers are relatively low.

“While growth rates can be overestimated in early analyses of a new variant, the apparent growth advantage is currently substantial,” the UKHSA said.

The experts said their analysis from routine contact tracing data indicates that transmission is likely to be higher among contacts of BA.2 cases in households at around 13.4 per cent than those for contacts of other Omicron cases at 10.3 per cent in the period between December 27, 2021, to January 11, 2022.

Meanwhile, thousands of protesters gathered in Canada’s capital on Saturday to protest vaccine mandates, masks and lockdowns.

The sounds of honking horns echoed around Ottawa’s downtown core. A convoy of trucks and cars parked in around Parliament Hill with some parking on the grounds of the National War Memorial before police asked them to move.

“Parking on this sacred ground that includes the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was a sign of complete disrespect,” Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson tweeted.

Some compared Covid restrictions to fascism and made use of Nazi symbols on upside down Canadian flags. One truck carried a Confederate flag while many carried expletive-laden signs targeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

• Dubai
• Abu Dhabi