Covid in UAE: Daily cases cross 3,000-mark again

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Thursday reported 3,014 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 1,067 recoveries and 4 deaths.

Total active cases stand at 50,010.

The new cases were detected through 504,831 additional tests.

The total number of cases in UAE as on January 20 are 816,945, while total recoveries stand at 764,731. The death toll now stands at 2,204.

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Students in public schools and colleges across the UAE are all set to return to in-person learning in two groups from next week.

To facilitate their return, the Ministry of Education has announced a set of Covid safety measures. The protocol is a federal mandate, but each Emirate has its own disaster management committee that formulates crisis plans at the local level. Therefore, they may not apply in all the Emirates.

As per the protocol announced by Hazza Al Mansoori, a government spokesperson, students must have a negative result of a Covid test conducted within 96 hours of return to campus.

In the same vein, one of UAE’s leading healthcare providers has warned residents to avoid purchasing ‘fake negative RT-PCR tests results’, especially for travel purposes.

Aster DM Healthcare issued an advisory on Wednesday after travellers were found at the airport carrying fake test reports issued by third party agents on behalf of healthcare companies, including Aster.

The company has registered a complaint with Dubai Police, and the matter is under investigation.

Meanwhile, the Pink Caravan Ride, an annual breast cancer awareness initiative of UAE-based non-profit Friends of Cancer Patients (FOCP), has announced its decision to postpone the 11th edition of the ride.

The pan-UAE horseback ride was originally scheduled to be held in February 2022. The move aligns with the precautionary measures taken by the UAE to ensure the safety of citizens and residents and curb the spread of Covid-19.

The Higher Steering Committee of the ride called on local communities to conduct regular breast self-exams to improve chances of early detection. It reaffirmed its commitment to raise awareness about breast cancer through special activities and events that will be announced “at a later date”.

• Dubai