Live updates: follow the latest news on Covid-19 variant Omicron
UAE health authorities on Wednesday registered the country's first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
The Ministry of Health and Prevention said it had been detected in an African woman coming from an African country through an Arab nation, without specifying which.
The woman has been isolated and those who had contact with her were also traced and isolated.
She had not shown any symptoms but her condition was being monitored.
The woman had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
The ministry reiterated the importance of getting vaccinated, including the booster shot, to tackle the spread of new variants.
Omicron, described as a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organisation, has been found in scores of countries around the world.
Fears about the variant have seen the reintroduction of travel curbs and Covid-19 restrictions.
The UAE suspended the entry of travellers from several countries in response to the variant.
But the WHO on Wednesday said there was no reason to panic about the variant, which was identified by South African researchers and named a variant of concern by the WHO on November 26.
Since then it has been found in 24 countries. The first case of Omicron was also detected in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
“Risk of Covid-19 overall is high,” Dr Abdinasir Abubakar, manager of the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean office's Infectious Hazards Prevention, said on Wednesday.
"Unless we generate enough evidence as to why the Omicron variant is different, there is no reason to panic.
"We have enough tools to limit the spread of this variant."
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
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- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
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1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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