Coronavirus: UAE reports 239 Covid-19 cases, 431 recoveries, no deaths

Over 151.6 million PCR tests have been conducted in the country so far

By Web Desk

Published: Fri 15 Apr 2022, 1:55 PM

Last updated: Fri 15 Apr 2022, 2:17 PM

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Friday reported 239 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 431 recoveries and no deaths.

Total active cases stand at 16,221.

The new cases were detected through 256,333 additional tests.

The total number of cases in UAE as on April 15 are 895,018, while total recoveries stand at 876,495. The death toll now stands at 2,302.

The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday issued an emergency use authorisation for what it said is the first device that can detect Covid-19 in breath samples.

The InspectIR Covid-19 Breathalyzer is about the size of a piece of carry-on luggage, the FDA said, and can be used in doctor’s offices, hospitals and mobile testing sites. The test, which can provide results in less than three minutes, must be carried out under the supervision of a licensed health care provider.

Dr Jeff Shuren, director of the FDA’s Centre for Devices and Radiological Health, called the device “yet another example of the rapid innovation occurring with diagnostic tests for Covid-19.”

The FDA said the device was 91.2 per cent accurate at identifying positive test samples and 99.3 per cent accurate at identifying negative test samples.

South Korea said on Friday it will drop most Covid-19 pandemic-related restrictions next week, including a midnight curfew on eateries, as the Omicron surge in cases shows signs of waning, although people will still have to wear masks.

From April 18, the midnight curfew on restaurants and other businesses will be scrapped, along with the cap on private gatherings which was set at 10, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum told a coronavirus response meeting.

“Wearing masks is still a very important means to protect ourselves,” Kim said. “It is inevitable to maintain the indoor mask mandate for a considerable period of time.”

On wearing masks outdoors, Kim said the government will review whether to lift the existing restriction in two weeks, depending on the virus situation.