Deep inside the isolation wards of Prime Hospital in Dubai, Covid-19 patients rushed in by ambulance are fighting for their lives.
It may be the early days of Ramadan, but there are no reduced working hours for medical teams holding up against the most dangerous pandemic of a generation.
Consultants, registrars and nurses continue to work around the clock at Prime, one of the nation’s many private hospitals that has taken up the fight against Covid-19.
Consultant Dr Dirar Abdullah, head of the hospital's intensive care unit, has received many patients since the hospital’s first case on March 15.
“These are tough times for all of us, but we are getting used to it and supporting each other,” he said.
No one wants a second wave of infections so the isolation measures taken in Dubai are hugely important
“The nurses are doing a great job. We know it is challenging physically and emotionally for everyone.”
Patients unresponsive to the usual treatment for respiratory conditions are admitted to ICU and placed on ventilators to increase their oxygen supply.
They are isolated in their rooms for weeks at a time unable to see family until they have recovered.
“We take all precautions to protect ourselves as if we pick this up we know we will be unable to work for a month,” he said.
“No one wants a second wave of infections once we have seen the numbers fall so the isolation measures taken in Dubai are hugely important.”
Of the hospital’s 59 rooms, 24 are set aside for coronavirus patients, while four of the facility’s 10 intensive care beds are currently taken up by those with Covid-19.
Some walk-in patients are concerned about their symptoms, others arriving by ambulance are often in a more perilous state and need emergency care.
All are from the surrounding area of Garhoud.
Being close to the airport, the hospital has formed a partnership with Emirates airline to offer urgent care to cabin crew and passengers who arrived into the UAE from abroad before flights were grounded.
So far, 76 coronavirus patients have been admitted with 50 released after recovering and the others remaining as in-patients.
The hospital has been transformed since the beginning of the outbreak.
A three-bed stroke unit has been converted into a coronavirus isolation ward, as has a cardiac care unit.
The in-house Covid-19 task force is made up of a consultant, assistant registrar and four specially trained nurses, with two more on standby for busy periods.
The weekend was one of those times.
As patients struck down by the virus were wheeled through corridors into isolation units where they will spend the next two weeks at least, nurses continued to triage the steady stream of new arrivals.
Hospital director Shatrujeet Kumar Rai, from India, said he is receiving about six patients a week with the virus.
“When this outbreak started, we had just two isolation rooms,” he said.
“The way the numbers started to come in, we had to make a quick decision to adapt.
“It was not an easy thing to do.
“If you have an established building like ours, making changes to have more isolation rooms is challenging.”
Staff have had special training to deal with the specific situation they are facing.
They are not allowed to enter coronavirus treatment rooms unless decked out in complete protective equipment.
That includes surgical overalls, plastic hairnet, gloves and shoe cover. Most either wear an N95 mask and goggles, or a mask and plastic face shield.
Despite that protection the fear of picking up the virus stalks each and every medic during their daily rounds.
“Although some of our staff have had coronavirus, we are confident they did not pick it up here during their work,” he said.
“Infection control is vital to what we are trying to do here.”
Egyptian Dr Adel Alsisi, the chief medical officer, said staff must change their protective equipment after each contact with a Covid-19 patient.
“In the first few days there was a lot of panic, we did not know how we should be fully protecting ourselves or how to give the best treatment,” he said.
“Like all my colleagues, my aim is to help others but it became clear very early we could only do this if we kept safe.
“I have worked during similar outbreaks like Mers and Sars but this is very different.
“We have learned that getting accurate information on the patient when they arrive is very important.”
At the beginning there was a lot of panic as we did not know how the patients would respond to treatment. Now we are seeing more positive outcomes and discharges
Mariana Siritanu, nursing director, is one of those working all hours of the day from home and at the hospital to co-ordinate the facility’s response.
“We are prepared in advance and a patient will only be brought in to us if we have the space and necessary equipment available for the patient’s needs,” she said.
“Once I get a call I check we can take the patient in and then coordinate with the ward supervisor.”
Ms Siritanu, from Romania, is on call all day every day and rarely sleeps before 2am with her next shift looming at 7am.
“We never stop and do not get much time for sleep,” she said.
“At the beginning there was a lot of panic as it was a new virus and we did not know how the patients would respond to treatment.
“Now we are seeing more positive outcomes and discharges so that has increased the morale of our staff.”
Senior nurse Jemy Joseph said the mental challenge is almost as great as the long shifts wearing uncomfortable protective equipment.
“It is so stressful, emotionally and physically especially when I go home to my family,” she said.
Ms Joseph has two young children, aged four and seven months, and a husband.
As soon as she goes home she changes her clothes and showers before having any contact with her family.
“We know we are exposed to the virus so we must take all necessary steps to protect them,” she said.
“There is hope as we see any patients improve. Even those who are on ventilators are getting better after 14 days or so.
“This is the biggest challenge I have faced as a nurse.
“When I go home I try to forget about work and hope this will pass, then everything will be fine.”
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
FIXTURES
Saturday
5.30pm: Shabab Al Ahli v Al Wahda
5.30pm: Khorfakkan v Baniyas
8.15pm: Hatta v Ajman
8.15pm: Sharjah v Al Ain
Sunday
5.30pm: Kalba v Al Jazira
5.30pm: Fujairah v Al Dhafra
8.15pm: Al Nasr v Al Wasl
More on Quran memorisation:
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The%20specs
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The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
RESULT
Copa del Rey, semi-final second leg
Real Madrid 0
Barcelona 3 (Suarez (50', 73' pen), Varane (69' OG)
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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South Korea
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
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If you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
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SPECS
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Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Milkman by Anna Burns
Ordinary People by Diana Evans
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Circe by Madeline Miller
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
