Fall in coronavirus cases ‘brings normality a step closer’
▶ About 30 million people in the country are fully inoculated and can take their first steps towards normality
A fall in Covid-19 infection rates over the past two weeks has brought normal life a step closer, UAE authorities said yesterday.
Daily cases have fallen below the 3,000 mark since March 3. Yesterday, the country recorded 2,373 new infections and 1,784 recoveries.
“We are witnessing a gradual decrease in the infection rates over the past two weeks,” the weekly Covid-19 briefing heard.
“This is a positive sign and a step to recovery and resuming normal life, which can be achieved by the co-operation and commitment of all.”
Officials welcomed the drop in numbers and reminded people to follow safety rules after 55,966 Covid-19 breaches were recorded across the country in February.
Failing to wear masks was the most common offence, at 47 per cent, followed by shops and commercial establishments breaching precautionary measures, at 20.5 per cent.
This was followed by a lack of commitment to physical distancing, at 17.5 per cent; not complying with the number of people allowed in a single vehicle, at 8 per cent; and at gatherings, at 4.5 per cent.
Health officials announced that 10 patients died, taking total fatalities to 1,345.
Though the daily death count increased in recent weeks, the UAE has among the lowest Covid-19 fatality rates in the world, with 0.3 per cent of cases ending in death.
Seven field hospitals will also open in the UAE this month with a total capacity of 2,058 beds, of which 292 are for critical cases.
“Field hospitals provide exceptional treatment services and they are equipped with the latest medical supplies in accordance with the highest international medical standards to isolate the infected and provide them with appropriate treatment,” the briefing heard.
The country’s immunisation campaign is also under way, with more than 6.3 million doses administered.
Another 37,460 doses were given over the preceding 24 hours, raising the rate of vaccination to 63.95 doses for every 100 people – the highest in the world, after Israel and the Seychelles.
In other developments, Abu Dhabi International Airport said all arriving passengers will be offered a free PCR test, with results available in 90 minutes.
The lab is located inside the airport and has the capacity to test more than 20,000 travellers and staff daily.
Fully vaccinated people in the US can gather without masks, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Rochelle Walensky, the head of the agency, announced new guidelines during the White House Covid-19 Task Force briefing on Monday.
She said that fully vaccinated people could safely visit each other without wearing face masks or maintaining a social distance.
“You can visit your grandparents if you have been vaccinated and they have been too,” Dr Walensky said.
Fully vaccinated people are those who received both doses of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, or the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson shot.
People who have been inoculated should avoid gatherings for two weeks after receiving their last dose.
Dr Walensky said fully vaccinated people could also meet those who had yet to be inoculated but were not at high risk for severe Covid-19 symptoms.
“We believe these new recommendations are an important first step in our efforts to resume everyday activities in our communities,” she said.
The updated guidance was highly anticipated because the vaccinated population is growing by the day. About 18 per cent of people in the US have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, the agency’s vaccine tracker said.
As of Monday morning, 9.2 per cent of the population, about 30 million people, had been fully vaccinated. The agency is still urging fully vaccinated people to wear face masks and practise social distancing in medium or large gatherings or in crowded spaces.
But they do not have to quarantine or have a Covid-19 test after they have been exposed to a positive case if the vaccinated person is asymptomatic, although they should be tested if they experience Covid-19 symptoms.
There is a small chance that a fully vaccinated person can still spread the virus to those who have not been immunised, the agency said.
Dr Walensky advised people against travel because the US is still dealing with high levels of daily infections and there are fears of a smaller fourth surge in cases, especially after the discovery of new variants of the disease.
The US has recorded more than 29 million Covid-19 cases and almost 540,000 deaths since the pandemic began – the highest tallies in the world.
The Food and Drug Administration has so far approved three vaccines for emergency use in the US – the PfizerBioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots.
Doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine are required to be taken a few weeks apart.
US President Joe Biden said the country would have enough vaccine for every adult in the country by the end of May or in early June.
A vaccine tracker by Bloomberg News showed the US is inoculating about two million people each day.
There are ongoing conversations about how many people need to be vaccinated for the US to achieve herd immunity.
Scientists estimated that about 80 per cent of the adult population must be inoculated to reach that level.
Dr Walensky said the agency would continue to update its guidelines as more research was carried out.
“We’re hopeful that our next set of guidance will have more science around what vaccinated people can do, perhaps travel being among them,” she said.