COVID-19 cases rising in UAE due to new variants spreading rapidly: Health Officials

The recent increase in COVID-19 cases in the United Arab Emirates is due to the various mutations of coronavirus spread in the country, said the health authorities on June 27. The health officials also revealed that the number of deaths in UAE has increased due to the spread of various mutations of the novel virus. Health authorities said that people not following COVID-19 protocols and reluctance of people in not taking vaccine are also causes of deaths in the country. 

Rise in COVID-19 cases in UAE

Speaking at a media briefing, Dr. Farida Al-Hosani, spokeswoman for the UAE health sector, said that the UAE has vaccinated more than 71 per cent of its population against the COVID-19. Al Hosani said the number of deaths in the country increased during the past week compared to the previous week, due t spread of virus mutations, reported Arab News. She added that people not following COVID-19 restrictions and the people not getting vaccinated are also causes for the rise in coronavirus deaths. According to National Emergency Crisis and o theDisaster Management Authority(NCEMA), the rate of mortality amongst unvaccinated individuals was 94 per cent, while it was 6 per cent among vaccinated individuals.

"The number of deaths in the country has increased recently, in comparison to previous week, due to the spread of viral mutations and lack of commitment to preventive measures," Dr Farida Al Hosani stated during the weekly COVID-19 briefing.

Al Hosani highlighted that the Delta variant was particularly worrying as it transmits much faster than other coronavirus variants, reported Arab News. She stressed that the recent data highlights that the risk of hospitalization doubles after infection with the Delta mutation compared with the Alpha mutation, especially in those who suffer from other health conditions,” she said.She added that the global studies show that the transmissibility of the Delta variant has increased by about 40 to 60 percent. She noted that the dominant coronavirus variants found in the UAE are Beta variant with 39.2 percent, followed by the Delta variant with 33.9 percent and Alpha strain with 11.3 percent.

Taking to Twitter, Al Hosani advised people to avoid crowded places.She advised people to follow social distancing and stick to wearing masks in the public places. According to NCEMA UAE, 2040 new COVID-19 cases were reported taking the overall tally to 628,976. Six deaths were reported due to the novel virus bringing the fatalities to 1802. The total recoveries in the country stand at 607,606.

IMAGE: Unsplash/DrFaridaHosani/Twitter