Oman’s daily increases in Covid-19 cases have dropped by more than 60 per cent after a two-week lockdown that ended on Friday, the health ministry said.
The ministry reported 1,380 new infections on July 24, a day before the committee overseeing Oman's pandemic response banned travel between regions and imposed daily movement restrictions between 7pm to 6am.
On Saturday, a day after the travel ban was lifted, the health ministry reported 290 new cases over the previous 24 hours.
“We see now an encouraging result after the end of the regional travel lockdown, with more than 60 per cent reduction in infected cases. However, we still need people to take the usual precautions and keep to the rules,” the ministry said.
The evening restrictions were extended for a week until August 15 but now begin at 9pm and end at 5am.
The southern Dhofar region remained cut off from the rest of the country for now because “the number of infections there is still a concern”, according to the ministry.
Dhofar, home to the resort city of Salalah, is the most popular tourist destination in Oman. The region's loss of tourism income this summer is estimated by the government at 80 million rials (Dh793m). The majority of Dhofar's tourists are domestic visitors, Emiratis and foreigners working in the UAE.
The total number of Covid-19 infections in Oman now stands at 81,357, while seven deaths reported on Saturday raised the sultanate's toll from the pandemic to 509. The number of recoveries rose by 1,401 to 73,481, leaving 494 patients in hospital including 173 in intensive care, health ministry said.
The health ministry figures revealed a recovery rate of 90.3 per cent among Covid-19 patients in Oman, far higher than the world average.
Globally, 12,615,278 patients had recovered out of 19,634,248 cases as of Saturday evening, according to a tally by Worldometer, giving a recovery rate of 64 per cent.
About 600 medical staff have contracted the virus so far, but the country has flown in retired doctors and nurses from abroad, mainly from India, to help fight the pandemic.
Oman's latest infection figures reflect a downward trend seen among GCC states in recent weeks.
Saudi Arabia, which has the highest number of cases in the Gulf region outside of Iran, reported 1,469 new cases on Saturday, down from daily figures of 2,000-plus two weeks ago. The Saudi health ministry also said 37 patients had died since Friday, taking its Covid-19 tally to 287,262 cases and 3,130 deaths.
Recoveries rose by 1,492 to 250,440, with 33,692 cases still active, the ministry said.
Kuwait's tally of cases rose by 472 to 71,199, while the number of deaths rose by three to 474.
The Kuwait health ministry said 320 of the new cases were Kuwaitis and 152 expatriates.
Ministry spokesman Abdullah Al Sanad said there were 7,919 Covid-19 patients receiving medical treatment including 125 in intensive care. The number of recoveries rose by 476 to 62,806.
In Qatar, the health ministry reported 267 more cases and two more fatalities since Friday, raising its coronavirus death toll to 182.
The ministry said 296 patients recovered, raising the total recoveries to 109,438 and leaving the country with 3,030 active cases including 78 in intensive care.
Bahrain's figures for Saturday were not available but the kingdom reported 418 new cases, 331 recoveries and three deaths late on Friday.
Meanwhile Iran’s daily death toll fell to the lowest in six weeks at 132, with the number of new cases at a month-low of 2,125. Iran now has 18,264 fatalities from 324,692 infections since it reported its first cases in late February.
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
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Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
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Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
SPECS
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'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Pathaan
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THURSDAY FIXTURES
4.15pm: Italy v Spain (Group A)
5.30pm: Egypt v Mexico (Group B)
6.45pm: UAE v Japan (Group A)
8pm: Iran v Russia (Group B)
RESULTS
5pm: Rated Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: AF Mouthirah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Alajaj, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Hawafez, Connor Beasley, Abubakar Daud
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Tair, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Wakeel W’Rsan, Richard Mullen, Jaci Wickham
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
Winner: Son Of Normandy, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
