UAE confirms 8th novel coronavirus case

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has confirmed another novel coronavirus case late Monday night, February 10 – an Indian who had interacted with a person who was recently diagnosed with 2019-nCoV.

The latest case brings to 8 the total confirmed 2019-nCoV cases in the UAE. No further official details about the newest case were made available as of posting.

The MoHAP said that except for one, all the other cases were in “stable condition.”

“All reported cases are in stable condition, except for one case, who is being put under close observation by a team of senior consultants at the Intensive Care Unit,” the ministry said in a statement released by the state-run Emirates News Agency (ENA).

“We assure members of the community that we are taking all adequate preventive measures including checkups and observation of the patients’ escorts,” it added.

The other cases include a Filipino and 6 Chinese. The UAE has the second largest population of Filipinos at around 750,000 with neighboring Saudi Arabia having the most at approximately 1.02 million. 

Most of the Chinese nCoV patients came from Wuhan in China, the epicenter of the outbreak.

The country confirmed its latest nCoV case a day after it announced the first case of a full recovery from the 2019 novel coronavirus in the UAE.

The ministry also confirmed that in coordination with health and other concerned authorities in the country, it has taken all the necessary precautions to ensure that efficient preventive measures were in place.

It urged the public to follow the preventive procedures and to read the awareness instructions, available on its website and the official websites of health authorities in the UAE.

“The public are also advised to adopt protective health behaviors 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 statement said.

“In cooperation with key partners, we follow a very effective epidemiological monitoring mechanism – in accordance with the highest global practices and based on World Health Organization’s standards – to respond to any health emergencies,” it added.

On late Sunday afternoon, February 9, MoHAP announced the recovery of a 73-year-old woman from China who was recently admitted to the hospital for nCoV.

The 2019-nCov death toll breached 1,000 on Tuesday, February 11. – Rappler.com