Case numbers of a new coronavirus variant are likely to increase over winter but ultimately the virus will fade away, a leading expert has said.
The emerging BA.2.86 or Pirola variant of SARS-CoV-2 is also unlikely to cause more severe symptoms than other circulating versions.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US said last month that it was closely monitoring variant, which has so far been found in Denmark, Israel, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK and the US.
Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia in the UK, who has been one of the most prominent scientific voices during the pandemic, said that the new variant may have been "silently spreading" in countries that carry out little testing for weeks or even months.
I don't believe we'll find it's any more virulent or cause any more severe diseases
Paul Hunter,
professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia in the UK
Prof Hunter told The National that BA.2.86 had more than 30 mutations compared to its ancestor, the BA.2 variant, which caused a wave of infections.
However, he believes that the new variant is unlikely to avoid existing immunity, whether from vaccination or prior infection.
"I don't believe we'll find it's any more virulent or cause any more severe diseases," Prof Hunter said.
"It will probably increase for a while before it will fade out. Whether that drives up a huge number of infections, it's difficult to say. But probably not in my view, but we will see."
Spike in infections
Prof Hunter said infections will likely rise in the last quarter of the year, regardless of whether there are any new variants, adding that infections will peak in November, December, January and February.
The increase in infections, he says, is likely in parts of the northern hemisphere where the temperature drop in winter means that people spend extra time indoors and are more likely to catch and pass on pathogens.
Laboratory tests analysing Pirola have indicated that it's unlikely that the variant will escape immunity.
Prof Hunter said that while BA.2.86 was likely to become more common in the immediate future, it would also probably fade away just as quickly.
"That's what happens with every new variant: it starts off, looks really impressive, then a couple of months later it peters out," he said.
New variants are likely to multiply and spread more easily because people's pre-existing immunity would find it marginally harder to recognise them than pre-existing variants, he added.
However, as this advantage declines, the new variant no longer spreads faster than others. At the same time, evolution results in the creation of yet more new variants.
Increased analysis of variants
FL.1.5.1 is another variant that is causing about 15 per cent of infections in the United States. According to reports, it may be more effective at evading existing immunity than BA.2.86.
Ian Jones, a professor of virology at the University of Reading in the UK, said that there was an argument that the continued detection and detailed monitoring of variants was "find out more than you need".
"In years gone by, we wouldn't even know they were variants because the sequencing would not be done," he told The National.
The crucial factor, he says, is whether the new variants can cause severe symptoms.
"Will it lead people to be off work or lose their lives? The answer to that – a consistent downwards from the original strain – is no," he said.
While new vaccines have been formulated to cope with new variants, Prof Jones said that there had only been a few such updates, highlighting the way that the new variants were vulnerable to pre-existing immunity.
In August last year the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved what is called bivalent vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech.
They are designed to provide protection against both the original version of the virus and the Omicron variant.
Reformulated vaccines aimed at providing immunity against XBB.1.5, known as Kraken, a subvariant of Omnicron, has been developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Novartis, and are set to be rolled out soon.
Moderna said this week that trials indicated that its vaccine against Kraken was likely to provide good protection against Pirola too, Reuters reported.
It comes after comments from both Moderna and Pfizer made last month that their Kraken vaccine also provided good protection against the Eris variant or EG.5.
"Certainly [the vaccine manufacturers] are not falling over themselves to change the vaccine with the latest variant, which tells you something," Prof Jones said.
The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders
Stuart Kells, Counterpoint Press
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Key fixtures from January 5-7
Watford v Bristol City
Liverpool v Everton
Brighton v Crystal Palace
Bournemouth v AFC Fylde or Wigan
Coventry v Stoke City
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal
Manchester United v Derby
Forest Green or Exeter v West Brom
Tottenham v AFC Wimbledon
Fleetwood or Hereford v Leicester City
Manchester City v Burnley
Shrewsbury v West Ham United
Wolves v Swansea City
Newcastle United v Luton Town
Fulham v Southampton
Norwich City v Chelsea
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Enterprise-grade%20security%20and%20privacy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Unlimited%20higher-speed%20GPT-4%20access%20with%20no%20caps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Longer%20context%20windows%20for%20processing%20longer%20inputs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Advanced%20data%20analysis%20capabilities%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customisation%20options%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shareable%20chat%20templates%20that%20companies%20can%20use%20to%20collaborate%20and%20build%20common%20workflows%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Analytics%20dashboard%20for%20usage%20insights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Free%20credits%20to%20use%20OpenAI%20APIs%20to%20extend%20OpenAI%20into%20a%20fully-custom%20solution%20for%20enterprises%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Scoreline
Ireland 16 (Tries: Stockdale Cons: Sexton Pens: Sexton 3)
New Zealand 9 (Pens: Barrett 2 Drop Goal: Barrett)
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
