Coronavirus: UAE reports 285 Covid-19 cases, 131 recoveries, no deaths

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Sunday reported 285 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 131 recoveries and no deaths.

Over 106.8 million PCR tests have been conducted in the country so far.

The new cases were detected through 310,797 additional tests.

The total number of cases in UAE as on December 19 are 744,137, while total recoveries stand at 738,636 The death toll now stands at 2,151.

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The latest Abu Dhabi border entry rules for commuters have come into effect since early Sunday morning.

Khaleej Times visited the Dubai- Abu Dhabi border checkpoint on Sheikh Zayed Road early on Saturday.

Drivers and commuters were being scanned for symptoms of Covid-19 using advanced EDE scanners, a common sight in Abu Dhabi's malls and other public places.

Police officers were redeployed at the border. Technicians, posted at checkpoint counters, were seen using the scanners on all commuters and drivers.

Scientific advisors to the British government said it was “almost certain” that hundreds of thousands of people were being infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant every day and hospital admissions were likely to surge.

“Currently observed numbers of Omicron infections admitted to hospital in the UK are probably around one tenth of the true number because the data lags of hospital reporting,” the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies said in minutes of a meeting on Dec. 16.

Data published on Saturday showed confirmed Omicron cases hit 24,968 as of 1800 GMT on Dec. 17, up by just over 10,000 cases from 24 hours earlier.

• Dubai