Coronavirus: UAE reports 823 Covid-19 cases, 819 recoveries, no deaths

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Friday reported 823 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 819 recoveries and no deaths.

Total active cases stand at 18,906.

The new cases were detected through 234,950 additional tests.

The total number of cases in UAE as on August 12 are 1,003,129, while total recoveries stand at 981,884. The death toll now stands at 2,339.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will no longer recommend quarantines or test-to-stay programs at schools or daycare centres for people exposed to Covid-19, the agency said on Thursday, in updated guidelines.

The agency also said it was no longer recommending that unvaccinated people quarantine after exposure, as around 95 per cent of the US population has either been vaccinated, contracted Covid-19 already, or both.

“This guidance acknowledges that the pandemic is not over, but also helps us move to a point where Covid-19 no longer severely disrupts our daily lives,” a CDC scientist said in a statement.

Meanwhile, a study shows how SARS-CoV-2 infects brain cells called astrocytes, causing structural changes in the brain. Infection with SARS-CoV-2 can cause brain alterations and cognitive dysfunction, particularly in long Covid-19 syndrome, but the underlying mechanisms are elusive.

Daniel Martins-de-Souza and his colleagues used MRI scans to compare brain structure in 81 study participants recovering from a mild Covid-19 infection, and 81 healthy individuals.

The authors found that the former group exhibited reduced cortical thickness, which was correlated with cognitive impairments, as well as symptoms such as anxiety and depression.