UAE reports rise in COVID-19 deaths as infection rate drops slightly

The United Arab Emirates reported a significant rise in the number of new coronavirus fatalities with health officials recording 18 new deaths in the past 24 hours on Thursday, according to the Ministry of Health and Prevention.

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The virus-related death toll in the UAE is now 1,182.

The rate of infections in the country seems to have slowed down as officials reported a slight drop of 3,025 new cases on Thursday.

The UAE had been recording over 3,200 for a few weeks after the tourist-hub emirate of Dubai welcomed a surge of tourists over the holiday season.

The total number of confirmed infections in the country has risen to 381,662, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, the number of recoveries in the UAE rose to 375,059 after 4,678 people recovered from the coronavirus in the last 24 hours.

The UAE has been leading one of the world’s most effective vaccination programs. The country has plans to innoculate at least 50 percent of its population by March.

A man receives a dose of a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Reuters)

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