A police officer wears a smart helmet as he uses it to check the temperature of workers in Dubai. Image Credit: REUTERS

Abu Dhabi/Dubai: The UAE has reported 532 new cases of COVID-19, health authorities announced on Saturday (April 25, 2020), pushing the total cases in the country up to 9,813.

Seven more deaths linked to the coronavirus have also been confirmed, bringing the total death toll to 71, the Ministry of Health and Prevention announced during the daily media briefing.

The announcement was made by Dr. Amna Al Dahhak, a spokesperson for Ministry of Health and Prevention.

Coronavirus tests had been ramped up, with more than 1.02 million COVID-19 tests done so far across the country.

Officials said the deceased, who belong to different nationalities, mostly had preexisting conditions, with many suffering from chronic diseases, which coincided with being infected with coronavirus, resulting complications that led to their death.

Recoveries

The ministry has also revealed the recovery of 127 coronavirus patients, taking to 1,887 the total number of patients recovered in the country.

Officials cited a daily average of 100 recoveries.

The UAE has been ramping up its efforts to contain the outbreak by conducting hundreds of thousands of tests. So far, the UAE has conducted more than 1.02 million COVID-19 tests, according to Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention.

14 drive-through test centres

“Our national plans to increase the coronavirus testing rate is running as scheduled, thanks to the support and directives of our wise leadership. Today, the UAE provides coronavirus tests through more than 14 drive-through centers in addition to health centers and other accessible services for people of determination” the minister added.

"The more tests we conduct, the sooner we will reach to COVID-19 patients and the better we to contain the spread of the virus," Al Owais said.

He clarified that the intensified COVID-19 screening and tests will logically be accompanied by a surge in the number of discovered cases. "We assure the public that this increase is expected and we are moving in the right direction to curb the spread of coronavirus, the minister highlighted," he added.

Smart app

“The UAE’s daily average of recovery from the novel virus has reached 100 patients in the past two weeks, meaning the recovery percentage has grown to 20 per cent of the total infections,” Dr. Amna Al Dahhak, a spokesperson for MoHAP, said.

The accelerated investigative measures resulted in the detection of 532 new cases of different nationalities, she added.