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Coronavirus: UAE announces 460 new cases of Covid-19, 61 recoveries

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coronavirus, covid-19, new cases, UAE, genome sequence

More than 25,000 tests conducted to detect infections in the country.

Published: Fri 17 Apr 2020, 4:56 PM

Updated: Sat 18 Apr 2020, 8:31 AM

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The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Thursday announced 460 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus along with 61 recoveries. More than 25,000 tests were conducted to detect the new cases.
The total number of cases in the country stand at 5,825 with 1,095 total recoveries.
MoHAP also reported deaths of two Asian nationals due to complications, taking the death toll to 35 as of April 16.
Also read: Free coronavirus testing announced in Abu Dhabi
The Ministry expressed their condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the patients as speedy recovery.

To detect cases early, the UAE has opened 14 drive-through testing facilities that can screen hundreds of people daily without them having any direct contact with healthcare workers. The health authorities said up to 7,100 people can be tested every day with the new drive-through testing facilities established across the country.

The country now has the capacity to conduct 10,000 tests daily, including at hospitals and out-patient clinics.

Meanwhile, UAE has also started clinical trials of plasma therapy for treatment of Covid-19. Their effectiveness is being researched, and the UAE is keen to further look into studies and treatments around the world.

In a bid to combat the spread of coronavirus, several precautionary measures were put in place in the UAE, including the #StayHome initiative, a nationwide sanitisation drive, guidelines for proper hygiene in homes and workplaces, among others.

Among the latest steps taken by the UAE government is that all residency visas, entry permits and Emirates IDs will remain valid until the end of 2020.
Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah have also announced restriction on movement of workers to and from other emirates.
Dubai's Covid-19 Command and Control Center has also announced the UAE's first full genome sequencing of the Covid-19 virus. The successful sequencing of the virus from a patient in Dubai was performed by researchers at the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU).



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