Coronavirus: UAE reports 2,616 Covid-19 cases, 982 recoveries, 4 deaths

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Wednesday reported 2,616 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 982 recoveries and 4 deaths.

Total active cases stand at 35,463.

The new cases were detected through 300,983 additional tests.

The total number of cases in UAE as on January 12 are 793,314, while total recoveries stand at 755,670. The death toll now stands at 2,181.

Doctors in the UAE say that the Omicron variant can come with an increased risk of reinfection, even among those who've had Covid-19 earlier.

It usually also comes in a much milder form in immunised communities, say medics.

Dr Priya Bharat, Specialist Internal Medicine, Prime Medical Center says, "The B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant has many mutations, some of which are concerning. Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other variants. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expects that anyone with Omicron infection can spread the virus to others, even if they are vaccinated or don't have symptoms."

Health practitioners in the country also say that the saliva-based Covid-19 test has proven accurate and is conducted at various institutions, including by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA).

Doctors say that many studies have documented that saliva test is an acceptable alternative to a nasopharyngeal swab.

But samples of saliva collected at home is not acceptable for travel. "This could vary from country to country and depends on the regulatory authorities."

Several UAE nationals have spoken out about the importance of getting vaccinated against Covid-19, stressing that the jab is critical for their own protection and that of others, providing them with a sense of safety and security, especially when travelling abroad.

Earlier, the NCEMA announced a travel ban on unvaccinated citizens from January 10.

The authorities also said that fully vaccinated citizens would need to get the Covid-19 booster dose. Those who are unable to take the vaccine because of medical reasons are exempted from the decision.

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In an interview to CNN’s Richard Quest, the chief executive officer of Dubai Airports said that testing for Covid-19 will soon become history, and the governments should stop interfering with the ‘common sense health regulations’.

Paul Griffiths said, “I think we have got to get to live with it, we got to be able to travel as part of that normalisation of the approach to the virus in the future.”

Griffiths said Dubai had not shut down the airports but put them in a hibernation mode.

• UAE