Riyadh, Jan 1 (IANS): The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Monday reported 1,856 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 1,577 recoveries.

Two deaths were also reported. As many as new 145,163 Covid-19 tests were carried out, taking the total number of tests carried out in the country to more than 21 million so far, the Khaleez Times reported.

Meanwhile, the UAE welcomed 2021 with 33 fireworks across the country, where revellers followed strict Covid-19 safety precautions, including wearing masks and following social distance norms.

The World Health Organisation on Thursday granted emergency validation to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, paving the way for countries worldwide to quickly approve its import and distribution.

The WHO said its emergency use listing opens the way for regulators in different countries to approve the import and distribution of the vaccine.

It said it also enables Unicef, which plays a key logistical role in distributing anti-Covid vaccines, and the Pan-American Health Organisation to procure the vaccine for countries that need it.