Coronavirus: UAE reports 77 Covid-19 cases, 93 recoveries, no deaths

Over 97.8 million PCR tests have been conducted in the country so far

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Friday reported 77 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 93 recoveries and no deaths.

Over 97.8 million PCR tests have been conducted in the country so far.

The new cases were detected through 339,318 additional tests.

Total number of cases in UAE as on November 19 are 741,291, while total recoveries stand at 735,992. The death toll now stands at 2,144.

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France does not need to follow those European countries imposing Covid-19 lockdowns on unvaccinated people, because of the success of its health pass in curbing the virus’ spread, President Emmanuel Macron said.

Europe has again become the epicentre of the pandemic, prompting some countries including Germany and Austria to reintroduce restrictions in the run-up to Christmas and causing debate over whether vaccines alone are enough to tame Covid-19.

“Those countries locking down the non-vaccinated are those which have not put in place the (health) pass. Therefore this step is not necessary in France,” Macron told La Voix du Nord newspaper in an interview published on Thursday.

In France, proof of vaccination or a recent negative test is required to go to restaurants, cafes and cinemas and to take long-distance trains, among other activities.

Europe accounted last week for more than half of the seven-day average of infections globally and about half of the latest deaths, according to a Reuters tally.

Meanwhile, mask-wearing is the single most effective way to tackle Covid, reducing its incidence by 53 per cent, the first global study of its kind shows.

A systematic review and meta analysis of non-pharmaceutical interventions has found that mask-wearing, social distancing and hand-washing are all effective at curbing Covid-19 infections.

Of the three, wearing masks has been found to be the most effective.

“This systematic review and meta analysis suggests that several personal protective and social measures, including hand-washing, mask wearing, and physical distancing are associated with reductions in the incidence of Covid-19,” the researchers wrote in The BMJ.

The results highlight the need to continue practising all Covid safety measures, especially mask-wearing, researchers said.

Researchers at Monash University and the University of Edinburgh say multi-faceted measures, such as lockdowns and closures of borders, schools and workplaces, need further analysis to assess their potential negative effects on populations.

• Dubai
• Abu Dhabi