UAE: 9,482 vaccine doses administered in 24 hours

The UAE has administered 9,482 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in the past 24 hours.

The country's Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) said the total doses administered now stand at 24,811,570.

This takes the rate of doses to 250.87 doses per 100 people.

The UAE has pledged to donate Dh220 million ($60 million) to support global efforts in addressing the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future pandemics, including coronavirus variants.

The country’s donation will include Dh36 million ($10 million) to facilitate easy access to Covid-19 testing kits, and Dh183 million ($50 million) worth of aid to provide specialised medical supplies to curb the spread of the pandemic.

On the international front, North Korea on Sunday reported 15 additional deaths from “fever”, days after officially confirming its first-ever Covid-19 cases and ordering nationwide lockdowns.

The outbreak, which leader Kim Jong Un has said is causing “great upheaval”, leaves a country with one of the world’s worst healthcare systems on the edge of potential disaster.

Meanwhile, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tested positive for Covid-19 with moderate symptoms, her office said in a statement on Saturday.

She will not be in parliament for the government’s emissions reduction plan on Monday and the budget on Thursday, but “travel arrangements for her trade mission to the United States are unaffected at this stage,” the statement said.