Daily Covid cases in Saudi Arabia above 1,000, continue to climb in UAE

Daily coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia have climbed above 1,000 for the first time since August, while daily infections in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have crossed the 2,500-level.

Authorities in the two Gulf Arab states did not break down the cases by Covid-19 variant. Both countries confirmed their first known case of the Omicron variant in early December.

Saudi Arabia, the largest Gulf state with a population of around 30 million, on Sunday registered 1,024 new coronavirus infections and one death. Daily cases had fallen below 100 in September.

Neighbouring UAE, a tourism and commercial hub now marking its peak tourism season and hosting a world fair, announced 2,600 new coronavirus cases and three deaths.

Also read: UAE announces travel ban on non-vaccinated citizens

Daily infections in the UAE rose above 2,000 on Dec 29, after having fallen below 100 in October.

The UAE said on Saturday it would ban non-vaccinated citizens from traveling abroad from Jan 10 and that fully vaccinated citizens would also require a booster shot to be eligible to travel. 

The latest daily Covid figures are still below a peak of nearly 4,000 hit in the UAE last January when visitors flocked to the country, and a record of over 4,700 in Saudi Arabia in June 2020, according to Reuters data.