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A site in Abu Dhabi's port district is being used as a vital centre to send millions of coronavirus vaccine doses across the globe, especially to the developing world.
The 19,000-square metre, ultra-cold facility can store up to 120 million vaccine vials at a time. Its personnel have already handled 45 million vials, which have gone to 35 countries.
Mostly recently, the Hope Consortium – a group of healthcare and logistics companies that includes Etihad and Abu Dhabi Ports – expanded its fleet of freezers to 53. Plans are now under way to increase its supply handling capacity from six billion vaccine doses a year to 18 billion.
“This is under implementation, not just future thinking,” said Dr Omar Najim, executive office director at the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi.
International shipments vary from 10,000 to 100,000 to 1 million a day; no day is like the next
Robert Sutton,
Abu Dhabi Ports
The National visited the centre at the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi, or Kizad, on Wednesday and took a tour of the ultra-cold chambers where certain vaccines can be kept at temperatures as low as -80°C.
Workers and visitors need to wear heavy jackets to endure spending any more than five minutes inside the chambers.
The centre's expanded capacity, which is expected by the end of this year, is important to provide a safe exit for the vaccines, which are in increasing demand, especially in the developing world.
The ability to store shots at ultra-cold temperatures is crucial for vaccines such as Pfizer-BioNTech's.
Having a logistics centre that is capable of handling a vaccine received at any time saves "countries and communities the challenge of building their own supply chains”, said Robert Sutton, head of logistics at Abu Dhabi Ports.
“The model allows it to store large quantities of vaccines at its advanced cold and ultra-cold storage hub in Abu Dhabi, at temperatures ranging from +8°C to -80°C and align its deliveries with the ability of recipient countries and communities to absorb these supplies safely.”
The site, which is operated by Abu Dhabi Ports, has been sending vaccines locally, and to other countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.
“At any point in time we have between 5 and 50 per cent occupancy,” Mr Sutton said.
“The reason it is so low is because the vaccine supply is lower than the demand, but with time they will balance the supply and there will be a greater need for storage.”
The amount of doses received and sent varies from day to day. The centre currently sends between 1 million and 1.5 million doses a day to local vaccination centres.
“And international shipments vary from 10,000 to 100,000 to 1 million a day; no day is like the next,” Mr Sutton said.
“But what we can say is that we are able to process the vaccines now on a daily basis, and Etihad, our airline partner, is not very far from here.”
The port centre was initially used in early 2020 for storage to support the government’s food reserve programme.
“But then Covid came and we quickly switched from food to health care,” Mr Sutton said.
The Hope Consortium was cofounded by the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi Ports, Etihad Cargo, Rafed, Skycell and Maqta Gateway.
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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
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match info
Athletic Bilbao 1 (Muniain 37')
Atletico Madrid 1 (Costa 39')
Man of the match Iker Muniain (Athletic Bilbao)
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
Remaining fixtures
- August 29 – UAE v Saudi Arabia, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
- September 5 – Iraq v UAE, Amman, Jordan (venue TBC)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH RESULT
Liverpool 4 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Liverpool: Salah (26'), Lovren (40'), Solanke (53'), Robertson (85')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Liverpool’s fixtures until end of 2019
Saturday, November 30, Brighton (h)
Wednesday, December 4, Everton (h)
Saturday, December 7, Bournemouth (a)
Tuesday, December 10, Salzburg (a) CL
Saturday, December 14, Watford (h)
Tuesday, December 17, Aston Villa (a) League Cup
Wednesday, December 18, Club World Cup in Qatar
Saturday, December 21, Club World Cup in Qatar
Thursday, December 26, Leicester (a)
Sunday, December 29, Wolves (h)
