UAE records 2,128 new COVID-19 cases, 6 deaths

UAE records 2,128 new COVID-19 cases, 6 deaths
March 26, 2021, 10:19 am

Two men play backgammon while smoking a shisha water pipe at a restaurant overlooking the canal and the Dubai Marina neighborhood in Dubai on May 1, 2015. (AP)

The United Arab Emirates recorded 2,128 new COVID-19 cases and six virus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the country’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP).

The country’s total death toll has now reached 1,472, with 450,765 cases recorded overall.

MoHAP said it conducted 236,782 additional tests in the last 24 hours. An additional 2,262 patients also recovered from the virus in that time, bringing the total recovered to 434,035.

While infections in the UAE have steadily declined since peaking in January, neighboring Oman announced Thursday that it would introduce a nighttime curfew and was considering full lockdown due to a huge surge in case numbers.

New cases recorded daily in the sultanate reached 733 on Thursday, up from 192 on February 7, according to the official Oman News Agency.

The UAE has rolled out a wide-reaching vaccination program that is understood to be one of the world’s most comprehensive. More than one million doses were administered in the last two weeks of February.

Restrictions on gatherings for Ramadan were also brought in on Tuesday March 16 to prevent transmissions during the holy month which usually sees worshippers gather daily to break their fast for Iftar.