The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Thursday announced 518 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus. The ministry also announced 91 new recoveries.

Total cases in the country now stand at 8,756, while total recoveries stand at 1,637.

As many as 29,000 more tests have been conducted, the ministry added.

The ministry also announced the death of four more patients, taking the total to 56.

The UAE has taken over 100 initiatives over 45 days to combat the Covid-19 coronavirus in the country, both at federal as well as emirate level. After the success of the initial round of the nationwide sterilisation campaign, Dubai on Friday announced an extension of the campaign for another week.

To detect cases early and curb the spread of the coronavirus, 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.

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, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman have also announced restriction on movement of workers to and from other emirates.

Dubai's Covid-19 Command and Control Center has also announced the UAE's first full genome sequencing of the Covid-19 virus. The successful sequencing of the virus from a patient in Dubai was performed by researchers at the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU).