UAE sees steady rise in Covid recoveries in last 2 weeks

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Photo: Dubai Media Office
Photo: Dubai Media Office

Dubai - On Wednesday, there were just 983 cases in contrast to 1,583 recoveries

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Saman Haziq

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Published: Wed 25 Aug 2021, 2:53 PM

With a steady increase in Covid-19 recoveries over the last two weeks — and with the daily tally of cases dropping to its lowest this year — health experts say the country appears to have turned a corner in the pandemic.

From August 9 onwards, the number of Covid recoveries in the UAE has steadily gone up, overtaking the daily count of new cases.


On August 9, new Covid cases were at 1,321 while recoveries were 1,400. The trend continued, and on Wednesday, there were just 983 cases in contrast to 1,583 recoveries.

Healthcare professionals attributed the “good news” to strategic planning, stringent rules, vaccination and sterilisation drives, as well as the overall efforts of the UAE Government.


Dr Ravi Arora, internal medicine specialist at NMC Specialty Hospital, Abu Dhabi, said: “This proves yet again that viral transmission can be potentially halted with public health measures and mass vaccination drive.

“We have been very fortunate to have had five different vaccines in the UAE (Sinopharm, Pfizer, Moderna, Sputnik, AstraZeneca). With more than 75 per cent of the UAE population fully vaccinated, our vaccination rates are far higher than the global average (barely 25 per cent of the global population is fully vaccinated). Major credit goes to the UAE Government, departments of health and an overwhelming response from residents.”

Mass vaccination, he said, is “perhaps the only chance for us to return to normal”.

Dr Raza Siddiqui, executive director at RAK Hospital, attributed the trend to the country’s proactive measures.

“The roll-out of vaccinations for the age group of 12-17 years, implementation of booster shots, strict testing rules, and flight restrictions have all added to the recovery process. Moreover, the approval of vaccination for the younger children between the ages of 3-11 will further help curb the spread,” Dr Siddiqui said.

While many governments across the world eased Covid protocols after observing a decline in cases, Dr Siddiqui lauded how the UAE has been continuously reinforcing the importance of masking up, hand hygiene, and other precautionary measures.

“As the virus is here to stay and is still mutating, it is vital that we continue to observe the rules and conduct ourselves responsibly without letting our guards down,” he advised.

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Bidhan Chowdhury, founder and group CEO, Medi Q Healthcare Group, hailed how the UAE further bolstered its health infrastructure to beat the challenges wrought by the pandemic.

“Timely medical care is key to fast recovery from Covid and the way the government has augmented its medical facilities, including setting up field hospitals, is commendable,” Chowdhury said.

saman@khaleejtimes.com


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