Covid in UAE: Daily cases cross 2,700-mark

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Wednesday reported 2,708 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 743 recoveries and no deaths.

Total active cases stand at 23,473.

The new cases were detected through 469,028 additional tests.

The total number of cases in UAE as on January 5 are 77,4897, while total recoveries stand at 74,9254. The death toll now stands at 2,170.

At the start of the second term, private school managements in Dubai held emergency meetings to discuss strategy as they switched to remote learning in less than 24 hours.

Many institutes in the Emirate switched to distance learning on Monday and Tuesday (Jan 3rd, 4th) after receiving a significant number of positive tests reports and close contact notifications within their school communities.

Long queues of cars outside drive-thru Covid-19 screening centres have become commonplace in recent days as UAE residents grapple with post-holiday virus blues.

A large number of the school faculty and students had travelled during the winter break and many RT-PCR tests results taken on arrival are still pending.

Parents of pupils in public schools in the UAE have been reminded about their essential role in supervising their children, as they attend classes remotely at home.

All public school pupils in the country resumed the second term on January 3, with remote learning which will continue for two weeks as a precautionary measure to protect them and teachers from Covid-19.

At least 30 schools in Dubai have temporarily switched to distance learning But many private schools are continuing with face-to-face learning.

Medical practitioners in the UAE advised parents to monitor and keep track of children’s health. They have urged parents to observe children’s eating and exercise habits as well as allergies.

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News coming from India, the country's drug regulator on Wednesday granted approval to Bharat Biotech to conduct late-stage trials of its nasal Covid-19 vaccine to be used as a booster shot.

The vaccine maker submitted the late-stage trial application to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) in December, adding that an intranasal vaccine as a booster dose will be easier to administer in mass vaccination campaigns.

• UAE