There has been a surge in cases of the new Omicron sub-variant XE in the UK, reaching a record high for the pandemic.
The Office for National Statistics reported that 4.9 million people in the UK had the coronavirus as of last weekend.
The relaxing of Covid restrictions and the Omicron BA.2 sub-variant are thought to be responsible for the rise in infections.
What is Omicron XE?
Omicron XE is a combination of Omicron BA.1 and BA.2, but with three separate and distinct mutations.
The World Health Organisation said last week that the XE recombinant could be more transmissible and was first detected in the UK on January 19.
“Early day estimates indicate a community growth rate advantage of 10 per cent as compared to BA.2, however this finding requires further confirmation,” the WHO's report said.
“XE belongs to the Omicron variant until significant differences in transmission and disease characteristics, including severity, may be reported.”
The UK Health Security Agency said on Monday that the most recent data showed XE had a growth rate 9.8 per cent above BA.2.
But it cautioned that “as this estimate has not remained consistent as new data have been added, it cannot yet be interpreted as an estimate of growth advantage for the recombinant".
“Numbers were too small for the XE recombinant to be analysed by region,” the agency said.
How many have Omicron XE?
So far, 637 XE cases have been identified in the UK, but the true figure is likely to be much higher as the UK has abolished free tests and reduced testing centres.
However, the statistics office says 4.9 million people in the UK have Covid, so the true figure is thought to be much higher than just the number of identified cases.
What are the symptoms?
The new XE sub-variant is thought to have similar symptoms to the original Omicron variant.
They include a runny nose, sneezing and sore throat, which differs from the original strain of the virus that left sufferers with fever, coughs and a loss of taste or smell.
The National Health Service updated its general list of coronavirus symptoms on Monday to include nine new signs of illness.
People are now being advised to look out for shortness of breath, feeling tired or exhausted, an aching body, a headache, a sore throat, a blocked or runny nose, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, feeling sick or vomiting.
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Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
GAC GS8 Specs
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Transmission: 8-speed auto
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Usain Bolt's World Championships record
2007 Osaka
200m Silver
4x100m relay Silver
2009 Berlin
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2011 Daegu
100m Disqualified in final for false start
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2013 Moscow
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2015 Beijing
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
