The UAE reported 1,255 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, taking the total number of infections to 181,405. There were 657 new recoveries and the total number of patients who have beaten the virus is 161,741. The officials reported four deaths, pushing the number of mortalities to 602. The Emirates carried out 156,425 additional tests in the past 24 hours, which is the highest number of daily tests so far. On Wednesday, testing numbers exceeded 140,000. The second largest number of tests in a single day was on November 8, when 154,882 tests were conducted. Mass screening is central to UAE efforts to limit the spread of the virus. More than 17.8 million tests have been carried out nationwide to date. Authorities steadily stepped up testing rates during the pandemic, which has spanned much of the year. Only 75 tests were carried out when the UAE reported its first four cases of Covid-19 on January 29. In May, daily testing rates hovered between 25,000 and 50,000. In September, the UAE exceeded 100,000 daily tests for the first time. In the months since, daily testing figures have regularly exceeded 100,000. In a major push in the fight against Covid-19, the UAE officially registered China's Sinopharm vaccine for use on Wednesday. The announcement was made after Phase 3 trials found it was 86 per cent effective against coronavirus. The Ministry of Health and Prevention said it had approved a request from the Chinese drug maker "in a major step towards combating the global pandemic". An analysis by the ministry and Department of Health Abu Dhabi also showed the vaccine to have 99 per cent "seroconversion rate", which relates to how antibodies are built up, and 100 per cent effectiveness in "preventing moderate and severe cases of the disease". Abu Dhabi also confirmed that the emirate would resume all economic, tourism, cultural and entertainment activities within two weeks. But the relaxation of coronavirus measures in the capital could be balanced by additional precautions such as an increase in testing, authorities said. "Details of each change will be announced on a case-by-case basis in due course," the government media office said.