Dubai ‘on track’ to curb virus spread

Dubai has achieved ‘marked progress’ in curbing the spread of the coronavirus, the emirate’s Covid-19 Command and Control Centre has said.

The centre, tasked with managing the emirate’s response to the pandemic, said the emirate has seen a rise in the recovery rates while the number of identified cases has declined.

Latest statistics show that out of 42,982 cases, 28,861 have recovered in the UAE and for the first time, recoveries have surpassed more than 50 per cent of those infected.

The death rate has also continued to be low, standing at 293.

A number of hospitals in Dubai do not have any Covid-19 cases, official news agency WAM quoted Dr. Amer Ahmad Sharif, head of the Command and Control Centre, as saying.

Most government and private hospitals in the Emirate have resumed their diagnostic and treatment services, and their capacity is not under pressure due to COVID-19 cases, he said.

He attributed the progress to a strong strategic plan to combat the outbreak and the cooperation of all stakeholders in implementing the plan. “All task forces worked closely within a carefully designed framework,” Sharif said. Daily meetings were held to monitor progress and respond quickly to developments, he added.

Going by this, Dr Charles Stanford, senior director with VPS Healthcare, who has also been the former head of respiratory and internal medicine at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Ireland, said that it was possible to see the end of the first phase of COVID-19 infections by mid-July.

“Using the UAE WHO statistics upon COVID-19 cases and deaths, it is possible to see the end of the first phase of the epidemic in the UAE by mid-July. Whether or not there will be a second phase remains to be seen,” he said.