UAE’s efforts to ensure sustained progress in the fight against COVID-19

The UAE announced 564 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 14,163 and totally 2,763 people had recovered from the virus as of May 3.. The UAE has conducted 1.25 million tests for Covid-19 since the outbreak began.

UAE develops breakthrough in COVID-19 treatment:

▪ A UAE-based team of researchers at Abu Dhabi Stem Cells  Center has developed a breakthrough stem cell treatment for  COVID-19. A patent has been granted by the Ministry of  Economy to explore this promising treatment, which has  successfully been administered to 73 patients to date.

Lifting COVID-19 restrictions gradually and cautiously:

▪ Dubai authorities have announced the Emirate could open for  tourism by early July, dependent on global COVID-19  developments.

▪ Malls have reopened in Dubai and Abu Dhabi at reduced capacity. Malls are equipped with thermal scanners, and employ- ees must be tested for COVID-19 before returning to work.

The latest steps taken by the UAE government is:

▪ Abu Dhabi has announced that all workers in commercial and industrial companies must be tested for COVID-19. The UAE has carried out temperature checks, nasal swabs, and basic blood  tests on as many as 35,000 UAE residents per day.

▪ The UAE's National Reference Laboratory announced it is  increasing its daily COVID-19 testing capacity by 2,500, raising  the total number of tests from 3,500 to 6,000.

▪ The UAE is now producing nearly six million tonnes of food per  year, reflecting the country's growing self-sufficiency and food  security. Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, food factories have kept up with demand, with production able to be  tripled if necessary.

▪ More than 58 studies are being conducted in the UAE to re- search and develop innovative treatments for COVID-19. The  studies cover genetic factors, animal-to-human spread, and 3-D  medical technologies.

▪ Four new field hospitals have been built in the Northern  Emirates to raise hospital capacity to more than 5,000 beds  total.

▪ Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways announced it plans to start  operating regular passenger flights from June 16.

The UAE continues humanitarian aid and efforts to combat covid-19: 

▪ The UAE has sent medical aid to the Philippines, Nepal,  Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India. To date, the UAE has provided  more than 348 metric tons of aid to over 34 countries,  supporting nearly 348,000 medical professionals.

In a statement to mark International Labour Day, H.E.  Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, said  that UAE leadership has prioritized workerschr("39") welfare, with the  chr("39")Donchr("39")t Worrychr("39") initiative providing a safety net for the public.