Patients suffering from diabetes account for 40 percent of Covid-19 deaths in the UAE, according to official government spokesperson Dr. Amna Al Dahak Al Shamsi.
It comes as a further two coronavirus-related fatalities were announced on Monday, taking the country’s death toll to 291. That would make the number of deaths connected to those suffering from diabetes around 116.
“As our records show that 40 percent of Covid-19 deaths have been associated with diabetes, we urge the public to pay more attention to groups at risk,” said Dr Al Shamsi.
“These include the elderly and people who have diabetes and other chronic diseases.”
According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), around 19 percent of the population in the UAE suffers from diabetes.
While an estimated 32 percent of the adult population (age 20-79) in the UAE, including both UAE nationals and expatriates, may have diabetes or pre-diabetes over the next decade, if present trends continue.
The UAE Government announced on Monday that more than 27,000 additional Covid-19 tests were conducted among UAE citizens and residents, resulting in the detection of 342 new cases and taking the total number of infections in the country to 42,636.
Dr. Al Shamsi revealed that an additional 667 individuals have fully recovered from Covid-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to more than 28,129, adding that a total of 14,216 individuals are still being treated.
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