Rise in COVID-19 deaths in UAE linked to new variants

The rise in COVID-19 deaths in the UAE last week has been attributed to the spread of viral variants of SARS-COV-2.

That's according to Dr. Farida Al Hosani, the UAE health sector's spokesperson, who revealed during the latest government media briefing that Beta and Delta variants account for the bulk of COVID-19 infections in the UAE.

Failure to follow safety protocols and reluctance to get vaccinated also contributed to the rise in fatalities.

She added that 94 per cent of the deaths have been among unvaccinated people, with only 6 per cent among the vaccinated population.

Health Sector: In comparison to last week, there was an increase in number of deaths in the country, due to the spread of new variants of the virus, failure to abide by preventive measures, as well as reluctance to get the vaccine.#TogetherWeRecover

— NCEMA UAE (@NCEMAUAE) June 27, 2021

Talking about variants, Dr Al Hosani added that recent global studies have shown that the Delta variant has seen a 40-60 per cent increase in its transmission.

Health Sector: Recent data conducted by  other countries highlight that the hospitalization rate doubles with the Delta variant, compared to Alfa variant, especially with those suffering from other health conditions.#TogetherWeRecover

— NCEMA UAE (@NCEMAUAE) June 27, 2021