UAE Cases Up Tenfold Since First Omicron Infection Was Reported
UAE Cases Up Tenfold Since First Omicron Infection Was Reported
(Bloomberg) -- The United Arab Emirates recorded 665 Covid-19 infections on Wednesday, a tenfold increase since the start of the month, when the gulf nation reported its first case of the highly-transmissible omicron variant.
The country doesn’t break down infections by variant, but reported its first omicron case at the start of the month when daily infections were well below 100. The government has acknowledged the increase, but said hospitalizations remain low.
“In light of the surge in infection rates in the country compared to previous weeks and months, we stress that the health and medical situation in all the country’s hospitals is stable,” Health Spokesperson Noura Al Ghaithi said late on Tuesday. “More than 55% of hospital and intensive care beds are empty, and the Covid-19 bed occupancy rate is below 3%.”
The UAE has used an aggressive vaccination campaign to keep a lid on the virus for most of this year, and has managed to avoid lockdowns unlike most major cities around the world. Staying open has attracted a variety of business and sporting events to the UAE, helping fuel a faster-than-expected economic recovery, especially in the trade and tourism hub of Dubai -- currently host to Expo 2020.
Dubai’s reputation as Covid-free haven helped push property sales to decade highs and hotel occupancy above 2019 levels. The emirate’s benchmark stock index fell 1% on Wednesday, the most in the Middle East, tracking global peers amid concerns of an omicron-fueled winter surge.
Despite an increase in cases, deaths from Covid-19 are rare in the UAE and no fatalities were reported on Dec. 22. High rates of testing and vaccination helped push the country to first place on Bloomberg’s Covid resilience rankings last month. It’s placed third in the latest rankings.
The country is currently administering booster doses to its population of 10 million, and has so far covered just over 30%. The government has urged everyone over the age of 18 to take a booster six months from the date of their second shot.
©2021 Bloomberg L.P.