Dubai - More than 34 million Covid-19 tests have been carried out in the country so far.
The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Tuesday reported 2,018 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 2,651 recoveries and 4 deaths.
The new cases were detected through additional 208,085 tests.
The UAE has conducted over 34 million tests till date as part of the country's massive screening programmes to combat the spread.
The total number of cases in UAE as of March 16 are 430,313 with 410,736 total recoveries. Death toll rises to 1,406.
A new coronavirus variant has been found in the French region of Brittany, said the French health ministry in a statement late on Monday, adding that initial analysis did not show this new variant to be more serious or transmissible than others. The health ministry said the new variant had been found in a cluster of cases in a hospital centre in Lannion.
The overall number of global Covid-19 cases has surpassed the grim milestone of 120 million as the pandemic is still raging, while the deaths have surged to more than 2.65 million. The US has witnessed the lowest single-day increase of Covid-19 cases and deaths since last winter, while India reported 24,492 new coronavirus cases today, the sixth straight day of more than 20,000 infections, as curbs to try to stop the spread of Covid-19 were expanded in parts of the country that have recorded a surge.
In UAE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) has suspended the short-term recruitment as a precautionary measure against the spread of Covid-19. Workers can now be hired for a minimum period of seven days. They are not allowed to be replaced or transferred during this period, the MOHRE said.
A free Covid rehabilitation programme — which will help patients recover and manage long-term effects — was launched on Monday. The online programme — the first of its kind in the Middle East — was introduced by Arise UAE, an initiative of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, in association with RAK Hospital.
Meanwhile, the Ras Al Khaimah Police have issued Covid-safety measures for residents to follow during the holy month of Ramadan that begins in less than a month. The police have warned that gatherings are not allowed and residents have to maintain a two-metre distance while wearing masks.