Coronavirus update: UAE confirms 8th case

The UAE has confirmed the eighth case of the new coronavirus, that of an Indian national who had interacted with a recently diagnosed person, official news agency WAM reported.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention confirmed that all reported cases were in stable condition, except one, who is being closed monitored by a team of senior consultants.

“We assure members of the community that we are taking all adequate preventive measures including check-ups and observation of the patients’ escorts,” the Ministry’s statement said.

Since the epidemic broke out in China, the UAE had reported seven cases of the new virus, five of which were Chinese nationals who had flown into the UAE from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus.

The additional two cases were of Chinese and Filipino nationalities.

Read: Coronavirus update: UAE confirms two new cases; total tallies seven

Earlier this week, the UAE confirmed that one of the infected patients – a Chinese national, who had been under treatment in an isolation ward since January 23 – had now “fully recovered”.

Also read: Chinese woman with coronavirus in the UAE makes ‘full recovery’

In light of the outbreak, the UAE suspended all flights to and from China, sans the country’s capital, Beijing. The suspension that commenced February 5 onwards, will remain in effect until further notice.

Read more: UAE halts all flights to China, except Beijing

The Ministry reassured all that it was coordinating with health and other nation-wide authorities, and has implemented all measures warranted for effective prevention of the new virus. Furthermore, it urged the public to read the awareness instructions available on its website and of health authorities in the UAE.

“The public are also advised to adopt protective health behaviours to avoid infectious diseases, including washing hands with soap and clean water, and covering the mouth when coughing or sneezing to stop the spread of germs and viruses,” the Ministry’s statement said.

The new coronavirus, that emanated from Wuhan, the capital of China’s Hubei province, has since claimed over 1,000 lives in China, while the number of confirmed cases tallied to 42,638. China has removed two health officials from their posts, according to its state television.

The number of coronavirus cases in the US reached 13.

With inputs from Bloomberg