Explained: Why UAE is witnessing a surge in number of Covid-19 cases

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is seeing a hue surge in number of Covid-19 cases. In the past one month, the number of cases in the UAE have nearly tripled.

This led to the ruler of Dubai to replace the head of the emirate's health authority.

The surge came after the country largely removed coronavirus restrictions with the exception of face masks in public and social distancing. Dubai, the region's business and tourism hub, has seen an influx of visitors during its peak winter season.

The doctors in the UAE say that cold weather could be a potential reason for a spike in the cases of Covid-19. Explaining the behaviour of the virus, the doctors said that it typically survive and reproduce more effectively in colder climatic conditions.

Doctors said that dipping mercury levels may also reduce the immune response and make it harder for the body to fight off harmful microorganisms.

Part of its potency comes from the fact that the viruses change so quickly that the human body is rarely prepared for the next season’s strain, said the doctors.

Healthcare professionals also pointed out that the antibodies no longer recognise the virus, leading to a loss in immunity.

The number of daily coronavirus cases in the UAE averaged about 1,200 a day over the past couple of months, but infections started to spike at the end of December and the country reported a record 2,998 cases on January 9.

Last week, Dubai suspended non-essential surgeries in hospitals for a month and live music at restaurants indefinitely after daily infections of the coronavirus in the United Arab Emirates rose to their highest levels in January.

On Saturday, authorities reported 3,647 new cases and 12 deaths bringing the total number of cases and deaths from Covid-19 to 300,661 and 674 respectively.

In contrast with the UAE’s capital Abu Dhabi, which has rolled out Sinopharm vaccine to the general public since December, Dubai began the first phase of its vaccination campaign with vaccines produced by Pfizer and BioNTech.

The gulf state of about 9 million people hopes massive vaccination will curb infections while keeping its economy open for business.

On Saturday, the government said 107,561 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were given in the past 24 hours, taking the total of doses distributed so far to 3,114,162, with a rate of of 31.49 doses per 100 people.

(With agency inputs)