Antibody tests could help determine whether people vaccinated against Covid-19 would require regular booster injections, doctors in the UAE said.
Boosters are an extra dose of a vaccine taken after the first inoculation. A tetanus booster, for example, is recommended for adults every 10 years to reactivate immune memory.
Doctors who spoke to The National said more research was needed to understand whether a vaccinated person's immunity to the Covid-19 virus weakened over time – an antibody test could help to shed light on the matter.
A blood sample is tested to check if a person's body has antibodies present to combat the virus.
If we're taking a killed virus, like Sinopharm, we have to check the antibodies after eight to nine months and decide whether a booster is required
Antibodies are proteins that help to fight off infections and can provide protection against getting that disease again.
"Some of the vaccines remain in our body for life – that's why we need only one dose when we take the childhood vaccine. When it comes to Covid-19, it's very new. We still don't know how long the cells' memory to kill the virus lasts," said Dr Anitha Varghese, general practitioner at Aster Jubilee Medical Centre in Dubai.
“If we’re taking a killed virus, like the Sinopharm vaccine, we have to check the antibodies after eight to nine months and then decide whether the booster dose is required or not.”
The UAE authorised use of the Sinopharm vaccine, which is available nationwide. In Dubai, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is also available to prioritised groups.
More than 2.06 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered so far. The country aims to have at least 50 per cent of the population vaccinated by the end of March.
Two doses of the vaccine are needed to achieve immunity. The first one helps the body's plasma B-cells generate antibodies against the virus.
The second is taken after three to four weeks to boost immunity of the antibodies. This guides the body's T-cells, or memory cells, to find and kill the pathogen.
Dr Varghese said it was unknown how long T-cell memory endured to keep killing the Covid-19 virus in a person's body over time.
Moderna, an American pharmaceutical company, announced last week that it could be testing booster shots for its vaccine to be taken a year later.
This would be in addition to the two injections that people need now – a priming dose, followed by a booster after 28 days.
“From what we’ve seen so far, I think our expectation is that the vaccination should last you at least a year,” Moderna’s chief medical officer, Dr Tal Zaks, said last week during the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, as reported by CNBC.
“To the degree that you need a booster shot, we’ll make a data-based recommendation, and that will require us getting the data.”
Dr Bobomurod Keldiyorov, a family medicine specialist at Canadian Specialist Hospital in Dubai, said other diseases required booster vaccinations. These include tetanus and hepatitis B.
“For tetanus, we do the booster dose every 10 years,” he said.
“For the Covid-19 vaccine, the body can produce enough antibodies initially, but after months or years, it [antibodies can go down and then, maybe, we need the booster dose.
“But the question is how long would it take for the booster dose to be required – after a few months or a year? We don’t know yet and scientists could help us answer that.”
Currently, antibody tests are available for walk-in patients in some Abu Dhabi hospitals and clinics at a cost ranging from Dh250 to Dh300.
Several private hospitals in Dubai told The National that the tests were not available for outpatients or walk-ins, even though they were easily accessible before the vaccine campaign started.
Dr Meenakshi Jain, a pathologist at Prime Medical Centre in Dubai, said the tests could soon be in demand.
“As far as I know, [hospitals in Dubai] are not doing antibody testing. We are still seeking approval from the government,” she said.
“I feel, if the vaccines are out now, there will be a demand by the healthcare provider for antibody tests, mainly for monitoring the response and even checking antibody levels to see if any further booster doses are required.”
HWJN
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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
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US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
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
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs: 2019 Subaru Forester
Price, base: Dh105,900 (Premium); Dh115,900 (Sport)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 182hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 239Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.1L / 100km (estimated)
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Roll of honour
Who has won what so far in the West Asia Premiership season?
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Cup - Winners: Bahrain; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Trophy - Winners: Dubai Hurricanes; Runners up: DSC Eagles
Final West Asia Premiership standings - 1. Jebel Ali Dragons; 2. Abu Dhabi Harlequins; 3. Bahrain; 4. Dubai Exiles; 5. Dubai Hurricanes; 6. DSC Eagles; 7. Abu Dhabi Saracens
Fixture (UAE Premiership final) - Friday, April 13, Al Ain – Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
England squad
Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
