Billboards along Sheikh Zayed Road thanking the Covid vaccine volunteers for the Phase 3 trials conducted in the UAE. Antonie Robertson / The National
A man receives a dose of a vaccine against the coronavirus disease in Dubai. Reuters
People queue for the vaccine near DIFC in Dubai. AFP
The DPI screening centre on the border between Dubai and Abu Dhabi is quick and results are out in a matter of minutes. Antonie Robertson / The National
A woman receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at Zabeel Health Centre in Dubai. EPA
Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara partnered with Tamouh Health Care to provide on-site Sinopharm Vaccination for all residents of the UAE free of charge in February. Pawan Singh / The National
UAE residents receive their vaccine free of charge in February. Pawan Singh / The National
The UAE reported 122 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections to 738,812.
Two people with underlying health conditions died overnight, pushing the death toll to 2,122.
Another 157 people beat the virus. Overall recoveries now stand at 732,595.
Cases have been falling in recent weeks as mass testing and one of the world's fastest vaccination drives have helped the UAE to curb the virus.
The latest cases were identified from 327,338 tests carried out in the past 24 hours. More than 89.5 million PCR tests have been conducted since the beginning of the pandemic.
As of Monday, 20,725,097 vaccines had been administered. Officials said 96.31 per cent of the population has received one dose, while 86.3 per cent is fully vaccinated.
On Sunday, Abu Dhabi's Department of Education and Knowledge announced protocols for the Blue Schools initiative, which will permit private and charter schools with higher vaccination levels to gradually ease coronavirus restrictions.
Schools in the capital with the best vaccination rates will be able to end physical distancing rules and allow pupils to go outside without wearing masks under a Covid-19 safety scheme due to come into force in the second term of the academic year.
A colour-coded tier system will be established - based on the percentage of the school population immunised - that will determine the extent to which safety procedures can be lifted.
Officials said the scheme, approved by the Abu Dhabi Emergency Crisis and Disasters Committee, was a roadmap to lead the education sector back to full recovery.
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
