The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Wednesday, April 15, announced 432 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases to 5,365. 

The ministry also said that more than 1,034 cases of recoveries have been reported in the country, with the addition of 101 new cases. 

The Ministry of Health and Prevention expressed its sincere condolences to the families of five expats of different nationalities who tested positive for COVID-19 and died due to complications. This brings total death toll to 33.

As priority is given to performing advanced and extensive testing and screening to identify and isolate cases as early as possible, more than 767,000 Covid-19 tests were performed to date, across the UAE, UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention announced.

To detect cases early, the UAE has opened 14 drive-through testing facilities that can screen hundreds of people daily without them having any direct contact with healthcare workers. The health authorities said up to 7,100 people can be tested every day with the new drive-through testing facilities established across the country.

The country now has the capacity to conduct 10,000 tests daily, including at hospitals and out-patient clinics.

Meanwhile, UAE has also started clinical trials of plasma therapy for treatment of Covid-19. Their effectiveness is being researched, and the UAE is keen to further look into studies and treatments around the world.

In a bid to combat the spread of coronavirus, several precautionary measures were put in place in the UAE, including the #StayHome initiative, a nationwide sanitisation drive, guidelines for proper hygiene in homes and workplaces, among others.

Among the latest steps taken by the UAE government is that all residency visas, entry permits and Emirates IDs will remain valid until the end of 2020.

Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah have also announced restriction on movement of workers to and from other emirates.