The UAE reported 2,692 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, taking the overall tally of infections to 399,463. There were 1,589 new recoveries and the number of patients who have beaten the virus is 385,587. The Emirates carried out 218,351 additional tests in the past 24 hours. More than 31.2 million tests have been done since the pandemic began. The number of active cases increased to 12,607, as new cases exceeded recoveries for a sixth consecutive day. Health officials reported 16 deaths, pushing the number of fatalities to 1,269. The Emirates recorded a weekly average of 10 deaths or more since early February – three times the numbers reported for most of last year. Delaying or avoiding medical care when there are early signs of Covid-19 is leading to more deaths and patients suffering more severe symptoms, doctors said. Dr Farida Al Hosani, spokeswoman for the health sector, said early treatment could save lives and help to reduce admissions to intensive care. “We call on all people to go to the nearest health centre if they display symptoms and provide health authorities with information on contacts to protect them and others – especially people most at risk of developing symptoms and complications of the disease,” Dr Al Hosani said on Tuesday. “There are some people who neglect respiratory symptoms and do not go for an examination until their health deteriorates and they develop acute respiratory symptoms, such as shortness of breath." As of Wednesday, the UAE delivered 6,094,956 doses of the vaccine.
