The second wave is real and it hit the Middle East in early October, said a prominent Saudi Arabian doctor.
"We do know the Covid-19 virus is mutating in almost every country, including in the Middle East,” said Dr Ziad Memish, the Kingdom’s former deputy minister of public health.
"The second wave is very real and we are seeing it in all six World Health Organisation regions," he said.
"In the Eastern Mediterranean region, the second wave has started in some countries and the highest affected in the last few weeks are Iran, Iraq, Morocco and Jordan.”
In first two weeks of October, cases jumped by 23 per cent in Morocco and by 46 per cent in Libya, he said.
Dr Memish made his remarks on Friday at The UAE Infectious Diseases Week conference hosted in Dubai. That day, the UAE reported its tenth consecutive day of more than 1,000 new cases.
Covid -19 vaccine development
"The vaccine is the way forward,” said Dr Memish, adding that it may require booster shots as in the case of flu vaccines.
"Whatever vaccine comes up, we will have to give booster doses every year or two years."
He also warned of the risks with rushing vaccine development. Under normal circumstances, the process of producing a vaccine can take up to 15 years.
Vaccine development begins with preclinical studies, which are followed by three phases that require approval from regulatory authorities and detailed safety assessments.
With Covid-19, this process could be shrunk into less than a year, he said.
"Over the last nine months, we have seen a lot of vaccines that have been developing expedited. We have 10 of these vaccines in late clinical trials," said Dr Memish, who is an infectious disease specialist at the King Saud Medical City in Saudi Arabia.
"We do not know many of these 10 vaccines will actually make it to the market."
There have also been some hitches.
The University of Oxford and British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca halted clinical trials globally after a volunteer in the UK fell ill, although work restarted everywhere except the US.
American pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson also temporarily suspended its Phase 3 Covid-19 vaccine trial due to an unexplained illness in a study participant.
"We all know that the concerns with developing vaccines are unknown side effects,” said Dr Memish.
"We require 20 million doses to be administered to know the absolute safety of the vaccine. Currently, the studies going on recruit between 30,000-60,000 individuals, which gives some idea of short-term safety but does not give you information on long-term safety."
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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8.
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Australia
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9.
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Saudi Arabia
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10.
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South Korea
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile%20
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KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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The five pillars of Islam
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THE SPECS
Range Rover Sport Autobiography Dynamic
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Power: 518bhp
Torque: 625Nm
Speed: 0-100kmh 5.3 seconds
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
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Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The%20Kitchen
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No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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