ABU DHABI 7 October 2020: The UAE has become the first country in the world where the number of coronavirus, Covid-19, tests exceeded the total population, with the number of tests performed by national health establishments totalling over 10 million.
Dr. Omar Abdulrahman Al Hammadi, official spokesman of the UAE Government, pointed out that the current academic year is witnessing the continued operation of 1,025 schools around the country under the framework of the remote learning system, accounting for some 82.86 percent of the total number of schools, while 212 schools are operating within the framework of the in-person learning system, representing 17.14 percent of the total, said Wam.
Al Hammadi explained that the number of school students taking part in the in-class learning system is 201,797, or 17.28 percent of the total number of student population in the country.
Seasonal Flu
He said that catching seasonal influenza and Covid-19 will pose risks to patients, especially given the difficulty in differentiating between the two conditions.
Everyone should help the national health sector by taking the influenza vaccine, which is available at all health centres, Al Hammadi added, highlighting the fact that influenza may only cause mild symptoms in some categories of people, but elderly people and people with chronic diseases may experience serious reactions.
He also noted that influenza is similar to the coronavirus in terms of transmission, most notably through inhaling droplets from coughs and sneezes and touching contaminated surfaces then touching the mouth, nose or eyes.
Al Hammadi revealed that precautions against influenza and the coronavirus infections are the same. These are wearing facemasks, applying social distancing, sanitising hands and refraining from exposure to patients. The difference between the two is the availability of a safe and approved vaccine.
The influenza vaccine does not protect people from Covid-19, but it protects them from catching influenza that may lead to serious complications, he further said while pointing out that the importance of taking the influenza vaccine increases for those suffering from complications and those with a higher risk of transmitting the disease to others, such as medical workers, children below the age of five, smokers, pregnant women and elderly people above 65 years of age, as well as people suffering from diabetes and cardiac, lung, liver and kidney diseases.
UAE covid cases cross 100,000
The Ministry of Health and Prevention, MoHAP, conducted 102,379 additional tests and announced 1,061 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 100,794.
MoHAP also announced 6 deaths due to covid complications, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 435.
MoHAP also noted an additional 1,146 individuals had fully recovered from Covid-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to 90,556.
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