The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Thursday reported 461 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 131 recoveries. Two deaths were also reported.

More than 72,000 new Covid-19 tests were carried out, the ministry added.

The announcement comes as daily reported cases in the country have more than doubled earlier this week.

The UAE government on Tuesday said it had noticed an "alarming" increase in the number of daily cases. Reported cases have soared in the last four days: 210 (Sunday), 229, 365 and 435 (Wednesday). Doctors have joined the authorities in urging residents to continue adhering to all stipulated precautionary measures.

Nearly 6.2 million Covid-19 tests have been carried out in the country so far, and rapid testing centres have opened up across the emirates to make testing quick and accessible to all.

Meanwhile, G42 Healthcare, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi-based technology company Group 42 (G42), announced on Wednesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with NanoScent, an Israeli company specialised in scent reading technologies, to explore collaborations in the development, validation, distribution and manufacturing of Scent Check - a revolutionary solution capable of detecting suspected cases of Covid-19 from a sample of exhaled nasal air. The Scent Check device detects a combination of volatile organic compounds, or "VOC Signature", from exhaled nasal air that is derived from the host response to the SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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