The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday recorded its highest daily COVID-19 caseload in months, reporting 452 infections in the past 24 hours, including two deaths, The Associated Press reported.

The number constitutes an increase not seen in the highly vaccinated Gulf Arab state since mid-September. Infections had plummeted to record lows, around 50 a day, just over a week ago.

The UAE boasts one of the world's highest vaccination rates, with authorities reporting that over 99% of eligible residents have received at least one dose. The government also offers Pfizer-BioNTech booster shots to all adults, noted AP.

Early in the pandemic, the UAE halted issuing visas to tourists, but decided in August it would reopen its doors to tourists from all countries after it reported less than 1,000 cases per day for the first time in months.

The spike in cases in the UAE comes amid the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant around the world. Emirati health authorities announced they'd detected the first Omicron case in the country earlier this month and signs of rapid spread of the variant have emerged.

In one example, a passenger on Prime Minister's Naftali Bennett's flight home from the UAE tested positive for the virus. Israel subsequently added the UAE to its list of “red countries” due to the high risk of infection.