HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has ordered payment of all costs related to treatment of critical cases of coronavirus through stem cell therapy.
The initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan comes after the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Center, ADSCC, announced development of an innovative and promising treatment for COVID-19 infections using stem cells.
The treatment was administered in the UAE to 73 COVID-19 patients who have all been successfully treated and cured of the virus by inhaling the treatment into their lungs after it has been nebulized into a fine mist.
The ADSCC’s initiative aims to encourage medical research to develop a COVID-19 treatment by utilising human and technical capabilities, providing necessary technology and facilitating its use in all hospitals of the UAE.
According to the ADSCC, the new potential therapy is a supportive treatment that rather helps Coronavirus patients overcome the symptoms of the virus. However, it does not kill the virus on its own.
It involves taking a blood sample from the patient with the therapy used to activate these cells so that they can get inhaled back into the lungs.
It is hypothesized to have its therapeutic effect by regenerating lung cells and modulating the immune response to keep it from overreacting to the COVID-19 infection and causing further damage to healthy cells.
The treatment has been given to patients along with the conventional medical intervention and will continue to be applied as an adjunct to established treatment protocols rather than as a replacement.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Prevention’s is planning to increase COVID-19 testing throughout the country for the early detection of infections, particularly among those who had prior contact with infected individuals, the Ministry has conducted 41,000 additional tests.
Testing resulted in the detection of 553 new cases among various nationalities, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 16,793.
The new cases in question are in a stable condition and undergoing the necessary medical treatment.
The Ministry also announced the death of nine patients of various nationalities due to complications arising from COVID-19. The deceased suffered from other chronic health issues. The total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the country now stands at 174.
The Ministry offered its sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to all patients currently undergoing medical care.
The Ministry also announced that 265 people infected with the virus have fully recovered after receiving the necessary medical care, bringing the total number of recoveries to 3,837.
The Ministry called upon the public to adhere to health guidelines and instructions from the relevant authorities, particularly concerning social distancing, for the sake of the health and safety of all.