UAE says 2,454 have recovered over the past 24 hours Kuwait records 494 cases and 1 death, Bahrain reports 316 cases DUBAI: The UAE on Tuesday recorded 3,243 new COVID-19 cases, double that of two weeks ago, and six deaths related to the virus. Officials from the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) said the total number of cases since the pandemic began had reached 236,225, while the death toll rose to 717. It also said that 2,195 people had recovered from the virus in the past 24 hours. The total number of recoveries is 210,561. MoHAP said it had has vaccinated 1.276 million people so far, as part of its initiative to vaccinate half of the country’s 9.6 million population by April and 70 percent by the end of the year. Praising the UAE’s vaccination campaign, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said: “The UAE has made great strides in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, we are ranked the second globally in the rate of vaccine administration. Taking the vaccine is every individual’s responsibility to protect their health, families and wider society.” Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed also commended the country’s efforts to vaccinate more than one million citizens and residents, saying: “We hope that with vaccinations picking up pace we will reach the point of full recovery in the shortest possible time.” Thanks to the tremendous efforts of our frontline heroes, 1,275,000 vaccinations have already been provided to UAE citizens and residents. We hope that with vaccinations picking up pace we will reach the point of full recovery in the shortest possible time. — محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) January 12, 2021 The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) — the largest health care network in the UAE — announced the opening of two COVID-19 vaccination centers in the emirate and one in Dubai to provide more opportunities to people to receive the vaccine. “The centers were established and equipped in a record time of four days, after the Ministry of Health and Prevention announced the registration of the vaccine, making the UAE among the first countries in the world to launch a campaign to vaccinate the community against COVID-19. Both centers in Abu Dhabi have the capacity to administer 6,000 doses per day at each sites, while the one in Dubai, located at the SEHA field hospital in Dubai Parks and Resorts, is able to vaccinate 3,000 people a day. Health ministry spokesperson Farida Al-Hosani said that the vaccine is currently one of the most important solutions available to reduce the impact of the virus and its severity. “After reviewing the statistics for the numbers registered inside the country, we noticed an accelerated increase in the number of coronavirus infections,” she told a press conference, adding “this increase is due to many reasons, the most important of which is the increase in local transmissions and in cases coming from outside the country.” She said the health sector had proven its ability to deal with the pandemic and had increased it capabilities in hospitals, health centers and laboratories. During daily inspection tours, Dubai Economy issued fines to two commercial establishment and warnings to four others for failing to adhere to anti-COVID-19 measures. Inspection teams found 490 other businesses to be compliant. Elsewhere, Kuwait reported 494 new coronavirus cases, raising the total number to 155,335. The death toll rose to 946 after one coronavirus-related death was reported in the previous 24 hours. تعلن #وزارة_الصحة⁩ عن تأكيد إصابة 494 حالة، وتسجيل 202 حالة شفاء، و حالة وفاة واحدة جديدة بـ ⁧#فيروس_كورونا_المستجدّ⁩ COVID-19 ، ليصبح إجمالي عدد الحالات 155,335 حالة pic.twitter.com/jojKkJkzIm — وزارة الصحة - الكويت (@KUWAIT_MOH) January 12, 2021 Oman’s health ministry confirmed 164 new cases and no deaths, bringing the totals to 130,944 and 1,508, respectively. #Statement No. 265 January 12, 2021 pic.twitter.com/OIGJ503pdl — وزارة الصحة - عُمان (@OmaniMOH) January 12, 2021 The sultanate’s Ministry of Education announced that students will return to schools from Jan. 17, while adhering to anti-coronavirus measure. In Bahrain, no deaths was reported, keeping the death toll to 356, while 316 new infected cases were confirmed. Out of 10911 COVID-19 tests carried out on 12 January 2021, 316 new cases have been detected among 126 expatriate workers, 171 new cases are contacts of active cases, and 19 are travel related. There were 275 recoveries from #COVID19, increasing total recoveries to 92920 pic.twitter.com/4v1aZ97t74 — وزارة الصحة | مملكة البحرين (@MOH_Bahrain) January 12, 2021