Doctors are seeing younger patients with Covid-19 during the second wave of infections, with more professionals and white collar workers needing hospital stays for serious symptoms.
In interviews with The National, front-line medics and hospital directors said the demographic had changed considerably since last year.
More under 40s were seen in recent months than in the first wave in 2020. One hospital reported a recent influx of 28-32-year-olds in January, after the Christmas holidays.
Not all patients had underlying health conditions.
“This time the patient population is quite different,” said Dr Vikas Bhagat, head of critical care at Aster Hospital in Mankhool, which handled hundreds of cases in the first wave.
This time the patient population is quite different. It is surprising most are needing ventilation, but the survival rate is high because they are younger
“Before we were seeing immunity-compromised patients and older people, but now they are much younger, aged 28-32.
“They have no co-morbidities and are suffering extensive lung damage.
“It is surprising as most are needing ventilation, but the survival rate is high because they are younger.
“The damage is limited to the lungs, whereas last year we were also seeing kidney damage.”
Far fewer blue collar workers and labourers, who often live in multiple occupancy rooms and dorms, were admitted in recent months.
During a period of free mass vaccination, construction companies, contractors and labour operators put their employees through shots of the vaccine.
Last week, the government said it would largely restrict vaccines to the elderly and those with underlying illness.
Vaccinating the general population is expected to ramp up again in March.
Dr Prasanna Kumar, a critical care specialist at Medeor Hospital in Dubai, has also seen much younger patients in recent weeks.
“The major difference is we now have more cases overall,” said Dr Kumar, who treated dozens of patients in the first wave last year.
“We are noticing a proportional increase in patients from all age groups.
"We are getting younger patients as compared to the first wave of infections.”
When numbers dropped considerably last year, government hospitals took over all cases and cleared the private sector of patients.
That changed over the past few months, as numbers rose from just under 1,000 in late December to almost 4,000 in January. Medeor and other hospitals began accepting cases again recently.
The UAE findings are similar to those reported in Europe as new, more virulent strains of Covid-19 have swept across the globe.
On Thursday, the UAE reported 18 deaths, the highest since the pandemic began. The 7-day total was 86 and the death toll since the pandemic began was 974.
Doctors said that was a consequence of sheer case numbers, which on Thursday were 3,525, and that more patients were surviving.
Improved survival rates
As the outbreak has progressed, health professionals have learnt more about the virus and which treatments are most effective.
That is leading to better patient outcomes, with fewer dying or requiring critical care, doctors said.
“The intensive care unit stay for severely affected patients has been more or less the same as during the early stages of the pandemic, at around one to three weeks,” Dr Kumar said.
“So far in our ICUs during this second wave, all the patients have recovered and gone out of critical care wards, both young and old patients.
“Thankfully we have had no mortalities in ICU.”
Similar trends have been reported around the world with many countries reporting a two-wave pattern in cases of coronavirus, with a first wave during spring followed by the current second wave in late summer and autumn.
Empirical data showed the characteristics of the virus' effects varies between the two periods.
Surprisingly, we do not see the labour class being as affected, but it is the middle-class and more affluent who are now being impacted
Although differences in age range and severity of the disease have been reported, the comparative characteristics of the two waves remain largely unknown.
In Spain, where there has been more than 3 million cases of Covid-19 and 63,704 deaths, some regions reported patients spending much less time in hospital during the second wave of the pandemic.
A comparative study of patients that required hospital stays in the Spanish city, Reus, found the death rate dropped from 24 per cent during the first wave to 13.2 per cent second time around.
The study found the patients who died were significantly older than the survivors, and those who died in the second wave were older than those in the first wave.
In the UAE, the average population age is 30 compared with 44 years old in Spain.
“We have been treating a mix of both middle-aged and advanced age patients (during the second wave), roughly 50 per cent of each group,” said Dr Surjya Upadhyay, an anaesthesiologist at NMC Royal Hospital in Dubai Investments Park.
“This time round, surprisingly, we do not see the labour class being as affected by the virus, but it is the middle-class and more affluent who are now being impacted.”
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
THE BIO
Ambition: To create awareness among young about people with disabilities and make the world a more inclusive place
Job Title: Human resources administrator, Expo 2020 Dubai
First jobs: Co-ordinator with Magrudy Enterprises; HR coordinator at Jumeirah Group
Entrepreneur: Started his own graphic design business
Favourite singer: Avril Lavigne
Favourite travel destination: Germany and Saudi Arabia
Family: Six sisters
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS
England v New Zealand
(Saturday, 12pm UAE)
Wales v South Africa
(Sunday, 12pm, UAE)
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
