• A health worker takes swab sample at a coronavirus drive-through screening centre in Abu Dhabi.
    A health worker takes swab sample at a coronavirus drive-through screening centre in Abu Dhabi.
  • A health worker collects a swab sample.
    A health worker collects a swab sample.
  • A health worker wearing protective clothing administers a swab test.
    A health worker wearing protective clothing administers a swab test.
  • A woman undergoes a nasal swab.
    A woman undergoes a nasal swab.
  • A health worker checks a man's temperature before conducting a coronavirus test at a drive-through testing centre.
    A health worker checks a man's temperature before conducting a coronavirus test at a drive-through testing centre.
  • A nurse measures the body temperature of a small girl.
    A nurse measures the body temperature of a small girl.
  • A nurse collects a swab sample at the drive-through centre.
    A nurse collects a swab sample at the drive-through centre.
  • A man has his temperature checked.
    A man has his temperature checked.
  • A nurse administers a swab test.
    A nurse administers a swab test.
  • A technician takes a nasal swab.
    A technician takes a nasal swab.
  • Cars line up as people wait to enter the drive-through testing centre.
    Cars line up as people wait to enter the drive-through testing centre.

Health

Coronavirus: UAE records 2,109 cases and five deaths

Mass testing and one of the world's fastest vaccination drives are key to the country's strategy to combat the pandemic

The National

June 19, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

The UAE recorded 2,109 new Covid-19 infections on Saturday.

This brings the total number of cases recorded since the pandemic began to 610,179.

Another 2,075 people recovered from the virus, taking the total to 589,235.

Five more patients died of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 1,752.

The latest cases were detected as a result of 267,968 tests, and the number of active cases in the UAE now stands at 19,192.

Mass testing and a nationwide vaccination drive are key to the country's strategy to combat the pandemic.

  • Members of Vogue Fitness demonstrate their green status. All photos: Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Members of Vogue Fitness demonstrate their green status. All photos: Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • A visitor demonstrates his green status on Al Hosn app at The Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa
    A visitor demonstrates his green status on Al Hosn app at The Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa
  • Khaled Hassan AlMarzooqi, 32, shows proof of his green status on Al Hosn at Boroughs cafe at Yas Marina.
    Khaled Hassan AlMarzooqi, 32, shows proof of his green status on Al Hosn at Boroughs cafe at Yas Marina.
  • Keith O'Donell shows his Al Hosn app at Vogue Fitness in Yas Marina.
    Keith O'Donell shows his Al Hosn app at Vogue Fitness in Yas Marina.
  • Keith O'Donell takes part in a workout session after gaining entry to Vogue Fitness.
    Keith O'Donell takes part in a workout session after gaining entry to Vogue Fitness.
  • Stine Foshth, a regular at Vogue Fitness, used her green status to access the centre.
    Stine Foshth, a regular at Vogue Fitness, used her green status to access the centre.
  • Alyan Al Hajeri works up a sweat on an exercise bike after using the al hosn app to access Vogue Fitness.
    Alyan Al Hajeri works up a sweat on an exercise bike after using the al hosn app to access Vogue Fitness.
  • Green pass safety requirements came into force at The Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa on Tuesday.
    Green pass safety requirements came into force at The Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa on Tuesday.
  • Green pass protocols are laid out at the entrance to Khalidiyah Mall
    Green pass protocols are laid out at the entrance to Khalidiyah Mall
  • A visitor shows her green pass status to a security guard at Khalidiyah Mall.
    A visitor shows her green pass status to a security guard at Khalidiyah Mall.
  • Two visitors present their Al Hosn app to gain entrance to Khalidiyah Mall.
    Two visitors present their Al Hosn app to gain entrance to Khalidiyah Mall.

More than 54.5 million tests have been conducted across the UAE, with more than 14 million vaccine doses administered.

Earlier this week, Tamouh Healthcare opened a number of tents offering free PCR tests in Abu Dhabi, after the city’s new green pass system was rolled out.

On Thursday, a spokesperson said it had screened about 45,000 people for Covid-19 – almost double the number of patients than the day before.

Under the green pass system, members of the public will be required to show their status on the Al Hosn app before entering venues in the capital, including malls and gyms.

A negative PCR result is required to obtain a green pass.

But its duration depends on whether the person has been vaccinated, and for how long.

The system is currently suspended due to technical issues with the mobile application.

Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee said the system would be on hold from Friday until the issue was fixed, but said it would be back up and running again soon.

Trump v Khan

2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US

2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks

2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit

2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”

2022:  Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.

Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”

Name: Peter Dicce

Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics

Favourite sport: soccer

Favourite team: Bayern Munich

Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer

Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates 

 

KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Rating: 2.5/5

%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Know before you go
  • Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
  • If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
  • By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
  • Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
  • Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.

 

SQUADS

Bangladesh (from): Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mahmudullah Riyad, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Taijul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain, Nayeem Hasan, Mehedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadat Hossain, Abu Jayed

Afghanistan (from): Rashid Khan (capt), Ihsanullah Janat, Javid Ahmadi, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Qais Ahmad, Sayed Ahmad Shirzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zahir Khan Pakteen, Afsar Zazai, Shapoor Zadran

While you're here
While you're here
While you're here
While you're here
Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

Available: Now

ROUTE%20TO%20TITLE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%201%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Leolia%20Jeanjean%206-1%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%202%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Naomi%20Osaka%207-6%2C%201-6%2C%207-5%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%203%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Marie%20Bouzkova%206-4%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%204%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Anastasia%20Potapova%206-0%2C%206-0%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EQuarter-final%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Marketa%20Vondrousova%206-0%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESemi-final%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Coco%20Gauff%206-2%2C%206-4%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinal%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Jasmine%20Paolini%206-2%2C%206-2%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

Oscars in the UAE

The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am

How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

Tomorrow 2021
La Mer lowdown

La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
 

ScienceCoronavirusUAE