The UAE recorded 1,246 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday as recoveries exceeded new infections for a second day. A further three patients died as the death toll in the Emirates rose to 645. The latest infections – which brought the country's total to 197,124 – were detected following an additional 145,523 tests. More than 19.7 million tests have been conducted across the country since the outbreak began in March as part of a mass screening programme launched to prevent the spread of coronavirus. A further 1,533 people were given the all-clear as the recovery tally climbed to 172,984. The number of active cases nationwide has fallen to 23,495 from 23,785 a day earlier. The encouraging figures come as the first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines arrived in Dubai before the start of an extensive inoculation campaign in the emirate. The Ministry of Health on Tuesday announced the emergency registration of the vaccine, which is 95 per cent successful in preventing Covid-19.
