Gargash says UAE has taken effective steps to confront pandemic Kuwait records 903 cases and 5 deaths, Bahrain reports 179 cases and 2 deaths DUBAI: The UAE on Tuesday recorded 1,096 new COVID-19 cases and three deaths. The Ministry of Health and Prevention said the total number of cases since the pandemic began has reached 144,385, with the death toll at 518. The ministry added that 742 people recovered over the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 139,701. UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, said that the Emirati leadership has taken effective steps to confront the coronavirus pandemic to protect public health and at the same time mitigate the negative effects on the economy. He said that the UAE has provided medical supplies to 118 countries, benefiting more than 1.5 million health workers around the world. “The UAE insisted that wider political considerations should not be taken into account when providing humanitarian assistance, and that is why the Emirates did not hesitate to provide aid to Iran when it needed it,” he said at the 7th Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate, organized virtually by the Emirates Policy Center as the UAE nears the 50th anniversary of its independence. Spokesperson for the National Committee for Management and Governance of the Recovery Phase of the COVID-19 Crisis, Saif Al-Dhaheri, said many sectors have been affected by the pandemic, especially health care, economy, tourism, sports, education, aviation and transportation. But “the proactive and forward-looking thinking of the UAE government has enabled it to contain the situation and accelerate the process of a safe, gradual return to the new normal life,” he said during a media briefing on the developments of the health situation in the country. The briefing’s spokesperson Abdul Rahman Al Hammadi said from Nov. 4 to 10 “the total number of deaths reached 15, a decrease of 29 percent, leaving the death rate at 0.4 percent, which is one of the lowest rates in the world compared to the EU which is 2.4 percent, the MENA region at 2.5%, and the the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development at 2.8%.” Meanwhile, Dubai Economy launched the ‘Smart Inspection’ project, an initiative that helps mitigate the repercussions of the pandemic. Director Sami Al-Qamzi said the authority is “committed to supporting the emirate’s digital transformation and accelerating the adoption of smart measures to improve the quality of services provided to the community.” Etihad Engineering launches an in-house production lab to cater to the continuous demand for face masks in the aviation industry. The masks are produced using the finest material which provide up to 98% bacterial filtration efficiency for a high level of protection and safety. pic.twitter.com/jsibg1YABy — Etihad Airways (@etihad) November 10, 2020 Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways announced that it has launched an in-house production facility to produce face masks for the aviation industry to meet the rise in demand and has already accepted an order for 1.3 million masks to be manufactured. “Over the next three months, the medical face masks will be distributed to staff across the entire Etihad Aviation Group from cabin and ground crew, to catering, cargo, engineering employees, and medical professionals,” the carrier said in a statement on its website. Elsewhere, Kuwait recorded 903 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 133,381. The death toll reached 821 after five new fatalities were registered. تعلن #وزارة_الصحة⁩ عن تأكيد إصابة 903 حالة جديدة، وتسجيل 842 حالة شفاء، و 5 حالات وفاة جديدة بـ ⁧#فيروس_كورونا_المستجدّ⁩ COVID-19 ، ليصبح إجمالي عدد الحالات 133,381 حالة pic.twitter.com/2h5se8giy1 — وزارة الصحة - الكويت (@KUWAIT_MOH) November 10, 2020 Oman’s health ministry confirmed 381 new cases and six deaths, bringing the total to 118,884 and 1,316 respectively. #Statemant No. 223 November 10, 2020 pic.twitter.com/JRRszB6dxy — وزارة الصحة - عُمان (@OmaniMOH) November 10, 2020 In Bahrain, two deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 331, while 179 new infected cases were confirmed. Out of 10355 COVID-19 tests carried out on 10 November 2020, 179 new cases have been detected among 69 expatriate workers, 102 new cases are contacts of active cases, and 8 are travel related. There were 189 recoveries from #COVID19, increasing total recoveries to 81414 pic.twitter.com/mRDGCK1Eaz — وزارة الصحة | مملكة البحرين (@MOH_Bahrain) November 10, 2020