The UAE is among the top 10 countries to combat COVID-19

While the COVID-19 pandemic yesterday totaled more than 665,000 cases to leave 82 million infected worldwide, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, the United Arab Emirates maintains its good figures compared to the countries of the region. The effectiveness of its treatment against COVID-19 has surpassed "all countries in the Middle East and Africa". It is ranked tenth in the world for treatment of the virus, according to UAE government sources.

On 18 December, as part of the Global Soft Power Index, the world's most comprehensive research study into national brand perceptions, Brand Finance asked 75,000 respondents from the general public and 750 from specialist audiences about their handling of Covid-19 in 105 countries around the world. The United Arab Emirates ranked highest in the entire Middle East and 14th worldwide. The data reflect that the UAE handled the pandemic better than its neighbours, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The country has managed to regain its place in the 200,000-case group, which consists of only nine states and is exceeded by only 28 others, despite breaking its record for new infections every day. This Wednesday, the authorities registered 1,723 new cases. This figure follows the detection of their first known cases of the new, fast-spreading variant of the virus from the UK.

Since the start of the pandemic, the UAE has recorded a total of 206,092 cases and 665 deaths in the midst of an aggressive testing campaign. An incidence that has been fuelled by the strategy of keeping businesses and tourist resorts open. A decision taken, in part, because of the importance of both sectors to the country's economy.

Dr Omar Al Hammadi, official spokesperson for the UAE Government, has revealed the total number of tests, positive cases, recoveries and deaths reported over the past week. More than 900,000 COVID-19 tests were performed in the country during this period. The number of confirmed cases rose to 8,491, which means that "the rate of positive cases out of the total number of tests remains at 1 per cent".

Overall, the country has conducted about 20.7 million tests since the beginning of the pandemic. "Of these tests, the death rate was 0.3 per cent, which is one of the lowest in the world," said Dr. Al Hammadi.

Among the wide range of decisions taken by the Emirati authorities, are the implementation of isolation and quarantine programmes for all visitors entering the country, confinement periods of between 15 and 25 days for those infected, as well as the development of hygiene awareness and social distancing campaigns.

However, beyond conventional measures, the UAE has opted for ongoing cooperation between public and private sector health institutions. "In recent months, we have increasingly seen the importance of harnessing the strengths of artificial intelligence in health care," said Sherif Beshara, CEO of the American Hospital Dubai. The government has increased the efficiency of preventive measures through the use of artificial intelligence tools.

The UAE uses a remote counselling system for those suffering from chronic diseases, as well as laser technology to diagnose cases of VIDOC-19, and was one of the first countries to use plasma and stem cell therapy to stimulate recovery, according to Dr. Al Hammadi, official spokesperson for the UAE Government. This series of factors has led to its inclusion on the list.