Preventive medications should have been stockpiled before coronavirus appeared but were not because generally people “don’t consider nature to be our enemy,” an American biologist, entrepreneur and philanthropist has said.
People should have learnt their lessons from Sars and Mers but were seemingly caught unprepared following the outbreak of the virus, which originated in Wuhan, China, but has since swept across the globe.
Dr William Haseltine, a former professor at Harvard Medical School and founder of Human Genome Sciences, said the US government spends a lot of money on bio-terrorism, but needs to channel some of that budget into "stockpiling" cocktails of drugs that are preventive.
"I'll give you a number to think about," he said to The National, on the sidelines of the Hegra Conference of Nobel Laureates in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia at the weekend.
"In the past 20 years, the US has spent $50 billion dollars in preparation for a bio-terrorist attack. But the coronavirus isn’t on that list because we don’t consider nature to be our enemy, but nature is our enemy in this case.
"I have a very specific ask of the US government, which is to include the coronavirus on the list of organisms for which we have bio-preparation. It's not on there. It should be."
The anthrax antidote we invented took two years, from conception to FDA approval to purchase. Usually it's 15 to 20 years. When they want to speed it up, they can
Dr Haseltine, who was a professor at Harvard for two decades, and founded the university's HIV/AIDs and cancer research departments, said "China and perhaps India", and in fact any country with major population centres should do the same.
"You can prevent a person who is exposed to HIV from contracting HIV with antiviral drugs," he said.
"Those drugs work against most viruses. Especially if there’s a combination of those drugs."
'I've worked on the flu, and we're due a much worse epidemic'
Dr Haseltine, who founded several bio-technology companies, said he would like to see the same preventive measures taken for the flu.
"I've actually worked on the flu, and we're due a much worse epidemic.
"We're about 20 years overdue for a really nasty flu that will make the coronavirus look mild," he said, saying he is almost certain there will one day be a virus that spreads easily and is highly lethal.
"Our brains are keyed to understand difference, if you actually look at numbers in terms of what kills people, in the US in the past 10 years we’ve had between 12 to 15,000 people die of flu each year. So that’s a much bigger number, but we’re used to it. You believe you’re going to survive the flu, but this is new and unknown which is why there’s a greater fear factor."
He said the major economic impact the coronavirus has had worldwide keeps the disease in the mind’s eye.
"It’s shutting down China and airports, and that has a huge impact on our life. It’s changing our lives in a way the flu doesn’t. Now, should we quarantine flu because it kills on average 25,000 Americans a year? We don't because we know its limits. Or we think we know its limits."
Dr Haseltine said it was difficult to predict what the trajectory of the coronavirus will be but he expects the infection will not "burn out quickly, it's going to be a matter of months."
More than 14,000 people have been infected since the outbreak began in December, with cases in more than 20 countries. Of those thousands of cases, more than 300 have died.
Dr Haseltine said he does not expect the virus to change too much — in contrast to the flu.
"This class of virus isn't highly mutable from person to person. We know it's highly transmissible, but it's sort of intermediate in its variability.”
One thing Dr Haseltine knows for sure is that "face masks don't work" — another reason prevention is so important.
"A Hepa filter mask might work a little bit, but really, try to stop touching your face. That is one of the ways you get ill. You touch a door handle and you then touch your face, but then it’s almost impossible not to touch your face, you’d have to bind your hands almost."
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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LIST OF INVITEES
Shergo Kurdi (am)
Rayhan Thomas
Saud Al Sharee (am)
Min Woo Lee
Todd Clements
Matthew Jordan
AbdulRahman Al Mansour (am)
Matteo Manassero
Alfie Plant
Othman Al Mulla
Shaun Norris
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
WandaVision
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Rating: Four stars
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
On sale: now
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
