Coronavirus: UAE has carried out more than 125,000 tests for Covid-19

The Ministry of Health and Prevention said roughly 13,000 people out of every one million had been screened

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The UAE has carried out more than 125,000 tests for coronavirus, health officials have revealed.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention said on Monday that almost 13,000 people per million had been assessed as part of efforts to combat the spread of the pandemic.

The authority said its testing coverage was "the highest in the world".

The UAE has recorded 98 cases of the virus, the first of which were confirmed in a family of four travelling from Wuhan on January 29.

A total of 26 patients have since made full recoveries after receiving treatment in the Emirates.

The coronavirus has rapidly spread across the globe in recent weeks, with countries taking different approaches in order to contain it.

South Korea has adopted rigorous testing procedures, with roughly 250,000 screened for possible infection.

 

The United States has received criticism for its initial response, with fewer than 39,000 people understood to have been tested across the country.

More than 40,000 people have been tested for the virus in the United Kingdom.

The UAE has taken steps to curb the spread of the virus by introducing travel restrictions, closing schools and universities for a month and closing parks, beaches and other leisure facilities such as cinemas and bars.