Coronavirus: UAE reports 603 new Covid-19 cases, 1,277 recoveries

Dubai - Several tech breakthroughs have ensured that the Covid-19 graph remains in decline.

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Wednesday reported 603 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 1,277 new recoveries.
The total number of cases in the country has now reached 40,507 and the total recoveries has reached 24,017.
Those who received the stem cell treatment recovered in 7 days, three times faster than those receiving conventional treatment. 
One death was also announced as a result of the illness, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 284. 

The ministry has called on the public to abide by the precautionary measures in place and follow all necessary medical advice in order to avoid more infections.
"Social media rumours suggest that asymptomatic patients do not spread the infection. This is a new disease and till now, there have been limited studies. There is no research that confirms this thesis. So, we need to continue taking the reaction, wear masks, and act as if everyone may be infected and we need to stay safe," Dr Farida Al Hosani, Official Spokesperson for the UAE Health Sector said.
While the UAE leads in Covid-19 testing, having carried out 2.5 million tests, and has set up easily accessible facilities across the country, there has been no let up on the innovation to further flatten the Covid-19 graph.
The tests are carried out daily at drive through testing centers and established centers that are all well equipped. Through these centers we have carried 47,000 additional Covid-19 tests.

An Emirati faculty member at Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, has created a new web tool for the analysis of Covid-19 Twitter data in the UAE. This tool offers the public insights into conversations, emotions and sentiments concerning coronavirus. The tool titled 'Analysis of Cross-linguistic markers of Covid-19 Tweets in the UAE' shows that public sentiments remain positive and trustful of the government's actions towards mitigating the spread of the disease, reflecting the UAE's effective measures against Covid-19.

Meanwhile, an Abu Dhabi-based company has developed a breakthrough technology in mass screening for Covid-19 that can be a game-changer in the UAE's fight against coronavirus. Group 42, an artificial intelligence and cloud computing company, has partnered with the UK's Oxford Nanopore Technologies to develop population-wide testing that can rapidly and accurately detect coronavirus. The testing method, which is expected to be ready within weeks, can be done on collected swab samples. The company is also aiming to make the technology work directly from saliva. Moreover, it can also be used to analyse environmental samples to assess the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on surfaces, or in systems such as water and sewage treatment facilities.

The Mohap, too, has adopted a digital platform to quickly identify people at risk of transmission.

The platform has a centralised early warning feature that notifies the relevant public health authorities of new cases. This came as the Fourth Industrial Revolution Council held its periodical meeting, chaired by Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences and Chair of the Council.
Two important questions answered at June 10 briefing are
Q- The supermarket employees wear the same pair of gloves for a long period. Is it effective?
A. The gloves need to be changed regularly and discarded safely. Use sanitisers, dispose them of safely as specified, and always wash your hands with water.
Q- Is Hydroxychloroquine effective?
A. Trials of various medications are underway. We had mixed reports regarding Hydroxychloroquine. We are currently using Hydroxychloroquine on mild and moderate cases, not on critical cases. This is in line with global practices. It is a safe drug with no side effects. We are studying the use of Hydroxychloroquine in UAE and will share the results soon.