It is that time of year again, when governments announce their annual flu vaccination campaigns to encourage people to get the shot.
But who should be vaccinated against the virus?
And how long must you wait after receiving a Covid-19 booster?
The National explains.
Who should get vaccinated against the flu?
Experts recommend that everyone aged six months and older is vaccinated annually against the flu.
“It is particularly important for people who are at higher risk of developing serious flu complications,” said Dr Manoj Jangid, specialist paediatrician at NMC Royal Hospital in Dubai Investments Park.
He said people at higher risk of complications include children younger than five, adults over the age of 65, pregnant women, people with underlying medical problems – such as chronic lung diseases, asthma, diabetes, heart problems, blood disorders, kidney or liver disease – and those who are obese or have a weakened immune system.
Family members of people with any of these conditions are also strongly urged to get vaccinated against the flu to protect the more vulnerable members of the household.
Where is the flu vaccine available and how much does it cost?
The vaccine, which is made using inactivated virus, is available at many health clinics across the UAE.
In Abu Dhabi, the vaccine is available at all Seha health centres and is free for people over 50, children aged 18 and under, people with disabilities, pregnant women, citizens who have Thiqa cards and people with chronic diseases.
There is also no charge for citizens and healthcare workers.
Everyone else can get the flu vaccine for Dh50 ($13.60).
When should you get it?
September and October are the best months to be vaccinated against flu, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
And ideally everyone should be vaccinated before the end of October.
But any time is a good time if you have not already had the vaccine by winter.
How much flu will be around this winter?
It’s hard to tell.
There was very little flu circulating in the 2020/2021 season. Just 0.2 per cent of samples tested in the US were positive from late September to May. That compared to between 26.2 per cent and 30.3 per cent during the three flu seasons preceding the pandemic.
Masks and other Covid-19 precautions could keep cases lower again this year. In the southern hemisphere, which is usually a reliable predictor of what is to come elsewhere, cases have also been “historically light,” experts say.
But the future is by no means certain.
"The incidence of flu this year will be unpredictable," said Dr Karthikeyan Dakshinamoorthy, a specialist in internal medicine, NMC Royal Hospital, DIP, Dubai.
"We can expect lesser cases initially as we are maintaining social distancing, wearing masks and following hand hygiene measures. Since the schools are opened and masks are not compulsory in some places, the flu cases may increase as the government eases the wearing of masks."
What is the difference between flu and Covid-19?
They are both respiratory illnesses and have similar symptoms, but they are each caused by different viruses and differ in severity. A swab test needs to be carried out to check which one is causing illness.
According to the CDC, Covid-19 can cause more severe illness in some people.
And it has a higher death rate. Flu is estimated to kill 0.1 per cent of people it infects, while the majority of studies suggest Covid-19’s infection fatality rate is 0.68 per cent.
"Both flu and Covid are dangerous, being causes of mortality worldwide, especially in the elderly and immunocompromised," said Dr Henry Galuba, specialist in internal medicine at International Modern Hospital in Dubai.
"The only difference is that Covid spreads faster and can cause rapid respiratory complications, thus it's harder to contain. On the other hand flu has been well studied for decades, yearly strains are well tracked thus vaccines are well prepared yearly to give us proper protection."
Symptoms common to both include:
- Fever or feeling feverish/having chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue (tiredness)
- Sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Muscle pain or body aches
- Headache
- Vomiting and diarrhoea
- Change in or loss of taste or smell, although this is more frequent with COVID-19.
Allow for gap between flu and Covid-19 shots
There should be a gap of at least 14 days between the vaccines to allow the body to develop immunity, experts say.
“People should not think twice as this flu vaccine is different from the Covid vaccine, so it is important they take it,” said Dr Hind Al Awadhi, head of health promotion and education at Dubai Health Authority.
“There is no reason not to [take it], we only ask people to leave a gap of two weeks between doses to give their body enough time to develop some immunity," she said.
RoboCop%3A%20Rogue%20City
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WORLD CUP SQUAD
Dimuth Karunaratne (Captain), Angelo Mathews, Avishka Fernando, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Jeevan Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
England 2
Cahill (3'), Kane (39')
Nigeria 1
Iwobi (47')
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EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
MATCH INFO
Burnley 1 (Brady 89')
Manchester City 4 (Jesus 24', 50', Rodri 68', Mahrez 87')
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)
Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Coal Black Mornings
Brett Anderson
Little Brown Book Group
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed PDK
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 820Nm
Price: Dh683,200
On sale: now
The Old Slave and the Mastiff
Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
The Specs
Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
On sale now
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
QUALIFYING RESULTS
1. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1 minute, 35.246 seconds.
2. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Mercedes, 1:35.271.
3. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Mercedes, 1:35.332.
4. Lando Norris, Great Britain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.497.
5. Alexander Albon, Thailand, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1:35.571.
6. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.815.
7. Daniil Kvyat, Russia, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:35.963.
8. Lance Stroll, Canada, Racing Point BWT Mercedes, 1:36.046.
9. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, Ferrari, 1:36.065.
10. Pierre Gasly, France, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:36.242.
Eliminated after second session
11. Esteban Ocon, France, Renault, 1:36.359.
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Renault, 1:36.406.
13. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Ferrari, 1:36.631.
14. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:38.248.
Eliminated after first session
15. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.075.
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.555.
17. Kevin Magnussen, Denmark, Haas Ferrari, 1:37.863.
18. George Russell, Great Britain, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.045.
19. Pietro Fittipaldi, Brazil, Haas Ferrari, 1:38.173.
20. Nicholas Latifi, Canada, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.443.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
