New coronavirus cases in the UAE remained above 900 on Friday, bringing the total number of cases in the UAE to 77,842.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) said it conducted 75,177 additional Covid-19 tests over the past 24 hours as part of its aim to continue expanding the scope of testing nationwide to facilitate the early detection of coronavirus cases. A total of 931 new infections were reported, one more than the previous day which was a four-month high.

According to a statement carried by state news agency WAM, the ministry said the infected individuals are from various nationalities, are in a stable condition, and are receiving the necessary care.

MoHAP said that an additional 517 individuals had fully recovered from coronavirus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 68,462, adding that no new deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours.

The latest figures come a day after the UAE's National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority urged citizens and residents to be more vigilant after announcing that new daily coronavirus cases in the country totalled 930 on Thursday, with five further deaths.

The numbers represented a five times increase compared to a month ago when just 179 daily cases were reported.

Among the factors associated with the increase in new cases were a leniency in abiding by rules of social distancing and face masks while some shopping malls failed to reduce capacity as instructed by authorities.

The authority also criticised many private schools in the UAE for not taking precautionary measures seriously despite being issued regulations by the Ministry of Health. More inspections are being planned to catch violators.

Coronavirus cases in the wider Middle East from Morocco to Pakistan topped two million, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday.

The caseload for the 21 countries has more than doubled since July 1, the UN agency said.

WHO listed the hardest-hit countries as Iran with more than 393,000 cases, Saudi Arabia with more than 320,000, Pakistan with just under 300,000 and Iraq with nearly 274,000.

It is now six months since the WHO declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic.

Worldwide, there have been more than 27.7 million confirmed virus cases, according to an AFP count based on official statistics, with the worst-hit region Latin America and the Caribbean, followed by Europe.

Officials in the UAE on Tuesday re-iterated calls for the public to maintain social distancing and avoid large gatherings.