Most countries in the Middle East reported a fall in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in recent weeks, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday.
“Thankfully, we have observed a decline this week and last week, compared with the previous one,” Dr Ahmed Al Mandhari, WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said during an online briefing.
Case numbers declined by 16 per cent and deaths by 8 per cent in the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean region, which comprises 21 countries and the occupied Palestinian territories – a population of about 679 million people.
Dr Al Mandhari said that “the situation remains fragile and unpredictable”.
Five territories in the region – Egypt, the Palestinian territory, Somalia, Syria and Yemen – are reporting surges in coronavirus cases and deaths.
The Eastern Mediterranean region has reported a total of more than 15 million confirmed cases and in excess of 278,000 deaths.
Variants of concern, low take-up of public health measures and insufficient vaccination coverage because of limited distribution are all challenges that plague the Middle East, Dr Al Mandhari said.
“There are no shortcuts. We can break the chain of Covid-19 transmission only when we apply all available measures at once,” he said.
There are four main variants of concern across the region – Alpha, Beta, Delta and Gamma.
The highly contagious Delta variant, which has been detected in 163 countries, is in at least 16 countries in the region, the WHO said.
Nine countries in the Middle East will not meet the WHO global target of vaccinating 10 per cent of the population by the end of this month, Dr Al Mandhari said.
The WHO has set further vaccination targets of 40 per cent by the end of this year and 70 per cent by the middle of next year.
Globally, almost 90 per cent of high-income countries have now reached the 10 per cent target, and more than 70 per cent have reached the 40 per cent target. Not a single low-income country has reached the minimum target.
In the region, some countries have vaccinated less than 1 per cent of their populations, while others reached 75 per cent, Dr Al Mandhari said.
Dr Richard Brennan, WHO regional emergency director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said countries should refrain from offering booster shots in the interest of vaccine equity.
“Given the shortage of vaccines and the fact that some of the most vulnerable people in lower income countries have not been vaccinated, we’re asking that the third doses not be administered at this stage and that the available vaccines be equitably distributed,” he said.
The region has so far received about 51 million vaccine doses through the Covax programme for equitable distribution out of 89 million doses allocated.
Iran, which has the highest number of cases and deaths in the region, received its fourth Covax shipment on Saturday, taking the total to nearly 9.7 million doses.
The country of 85 million has reported a total of more than 5.3 million cases and 115,000 deaths.
“The trend is showing a decrease in the last few days,” said Dr Syed Hussain, the WHO representative in Iran, at the briefing.
On Tuesday, the number of daily positive cases was 22,329, a decrease of 212 cases from the previous day.
The number of deaths was 408, a decline of 40.
Iran has fully vaccinated about 14 per cent of its population, reaching a daily vaccination rate of more than 1.2 million people.
It will be able to reach or surpass the WHO targets “if the current flow of vaccines from Covax and other sources is maintained”, Dr Hussain said.
The Iranian Food and Drug Administration has approved two locally produced vaccines for emergency use, COVIran Barekat and Pasteurcovac. About half a million doses have been made available.
But Dr Hussain said vaccination will not be enough to end the pandemic in Iran, noting that the country's five Covid-19 waves coincided with festivities, elections or religious gatherings.
"The community’s willingness to apply the public health measures needs to be much more enhanced, and that will be the key to stop the circulation of the virus," Dr Hussain said.
KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wes%20Ball%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Owen%20Teague%2C%20Freya%20Allen%2C%20Kevin%20Durand%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
Spare
Profile
Company name: Spare
Started: March 2018
Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah
Based: UAE
Sector: FinTech
Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
MWTC info
Tickets to the MWTC range from Dh100 and can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.ae or by calling 800 86 823 from within the UAE or 971 4 366 2289 from outside the country and all Virgin Megastores. Fans looking to attend all three days of the MWTC can avail of a special 20 percent discount on ticket prices.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
THE%20STRANGERS'%20CASE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Brandt%20Andersen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOmar%20Sy%2C%20Jason%20Beghe%2C%20Angeliki%20Papoulia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
more from Janine di Giovanni
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
Facebook | Our website | Instagram
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 1 (PA) $49,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner RB Frynchh Dude, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
7.05pm Al Bastakiya Trial – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner El Patriota, Vagner Leal, Antonio Cintra
7.40pm Zabeel Turf – Listed (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,000m
Winner Ya Hayati, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm Cape Verdi – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Althiqa, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
8.50pm UAE 1000 Guineas – Listed (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Soft Whisper, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
9.25pm Handicap (TB) $68,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Bedouin’s Story, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
