The UAE announced 18 deaths of Covid-19 patients on Thursday, matching its highest ever daily tally. A further 3,294 infections were confirmed, bringing the country's total to 361,877. Officials said 3,431 more patients had beaten the virus as the recovery tally climbed to 347,366. The death toll in the Emirates stands at 1,073 following the latest fatalities. Both infection numbers and death rates have been on the rise since the turn of the year. Infections have remained above 3,000 for much of 2021, peaking at 3,977 on February 3. Authorities have confirmed 223 deaths among coronavirus patients so far this month. The number of active cases fell to 13,438 as recoveries exceeded new cases for an eighth consecutive day. An additional 171,667 tests were carried out during the past 24 hours. More than 28.8 million tests have been conducted since the outbreak began. Widespread testing and vaccination of the public remain key to the fight against Covid-19. More than 5.2 million doses of vaccine have been distributed to the public since an inoculation campaign was launched in December. The UAE aims to vaccinate half of its population by the end of next month.