UAE: Hospitalisation rates low despite daily Covid cases crossing 650-mark

The UAE has seen an increase in the number of daily Covid-19 cases, a government spokesperson has acknowledged.

The country saw 665 cases on Wednesday, December 22 — up from less than 50 on December 6.

More than 55 per cent of hospital beds, including those for intensive care, are vacant.

Currently, only about 3 per cent of patients at hospitals are Covid-19 cases, the government spokesperson, Dr Noura Al Ghaithi, added.

The country has stepped up the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce infections and analyse information. This will help medical personnel in monitoring patients, she added.

Referring to the spread of new Covid strains like Omicron, Dr Noura said the country is monitoring them. “The UAE has implemented appropriate plans to address the variants based on data from the World Health Organisation (WHO),” she added.

The country has also tightened Covid safety measures.

The UAE has imposed restrictions on travel from some countries where infections have surged.

She was referring to the recent revised travel requirements for those coming on direct flights from Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia.

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Dr Noura also referred to the activation of the Green Pass protocol for entering federal government departments. The protocol restricts entry to the departments to fully vaccinated staff and visitors, who have to take a PCR test every two weeks to maintain their green status on AlHosn app.

The official cautioned residents against dropping the guard even if they are vaccinated. They must continue to wear masks, avoid crowded places and maintain a safe social distance.

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