India has approved a home-grown intranasal Covid-19 vaccine to be used as a booster dose for adults, in an effort to protect its citizens from a new coronavirus variant raging in China.
The needle-free vaccine Incovacc, manufactured by Bharat Biotech, will be available to over-18s, after authorities gave their approval on Friday.
The country's drug authority in September gave the vaccine restricted approval for use in emergency situations.
This wider approval comes amid fears of a fresh wave of the pandemic, following a surge in cases in China and other countries.
China has been hit by severe outbreaks driven by Omicron sub-variant BF.7 in recent weeks.
India had reported only four cases of the sub-variant as of December 23.
What is the Omicron variant BF. 7?
BF.7 is a sub-lineage of the Omicron variant — the dominant variant circulating globally of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus.
It has a 4.4-fold higher neutralisation resistance than the original D614G variant, according to a study published in the Cell Host and Microbe journal.
This means, in a laboratory setting, antibodies from a vaccinated or infected individual are less likely to destroy BF.7 than the original virus first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019.
While BF.7 is not the most resilient sub-variant, it has a higher transmission rate — with an R-value of 10 to 18.6.
R-value measures the number of people infected by one person. This means, a person infected with BF.7 will transmit the virus to an average of between 10 to 18.6 other people.
This sub-variant also has a shorter incubation period and a higher capacity to cause reinfection or infect even those vaccinated.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of BF.7 infection are similar to those of other Covid-19 variants, such as fever, sore throat, runny nose and cough. Some patients may also experience diarrhoea and vomiting.
While the variant may not cause severe complications, early detection and isolation of cases is crucial, because it is spread more easily.
What is the impact in China?
The variant is wreaking havoc in China, with more than 60 per cent of cases there reportedly caused by BF.7.
It also accounted for more than 5 per cent of the cases in the US and 7.26 per cent of cases in the UK in October.
Of India's four confirmed cases of BF.7, three were in the western state of Gujarat and one in Odisha, in the east.
India's government has urged people to resume precautions such as wearing face masks, as it seeks to avoid a repeat of the surge caused by the Delta variant that brought the health system to the verge of collapse.
The nation of 1.4 billion people has experienced several waves of Covid-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2019. At least 530,000 people died, out of about 44 million infected.
To avoid a similar situation, India has started genome sequencing for early detection of BF.7 and other new strains, approved nasal vaccine as booster dose and has also begun randomly testing international passengers arriving at its airports.
Many experts believe that while India may experience another wave of the pandemic, it will not be as devastating as Delta, as most Indians have acquired hybrid immunity developed through infection and vaccines.
“We are about eight months out since India last had a wave, which means immunity against infection has waned. India is due for another wave,” Dr Rajeev Jayadevan of the Indian Medical Association told The National.
If a fast-spreading variant arrives in India, many people will pick up an infection but mortality will be lower than from the Delta variant, he said.
'Falling%20for%20Christmas'
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Janeen%20Damian%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EStars%3A%20Lindsay%20Lohan%2C%20Chord%20Overstreet%2C%20Jack%20Wagner%2C%20Aliana%20Lohan%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%201%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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
SPECS
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Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
How The Debt Panel's advice helped readers in 2019
December 11: 'My husband died, so what happens to the Dh240,000 he owes in the UAE?'
JL, a housewife from India, wrote to us about her husband, who died earlier this month. He left behind an outstanding loan of Dh240,000 and she was hoping to pay it off with an insurance policy he had taken out. She also wanted to recover some of her husband’s end-of-service liabilities to help support her and her son.
“I have no words to thank you for helping me out,” she wrote to The Debt Panel after receiving the panellists' comments. “The advice has given me an idea of the present status of the loan and how to take it up further. I will draft a letter and send it to the email ID on the bank’s website along with the death certificate. I hope and pray to find a way out of this.”
November 26: ‘I owe Dh100,000 because my employer has not paid me for a year’
SL, a financial services employee from India, left the UAE in June after quitting his job because his employer had not paid him since November 2018. He owes Dh103,800 on four debts and was told by the panellists he may be able to use the insolvency law to solve his issue.
SL thanked the panellists for their efforts. "Indeed, I have some clarity on the consequence of the case and the next steps to take regarding my situation," he says. "Hopefully, I will be able to provide a positive testimony soon."
October 15: 'I lost my job and left the UAE owing Dh71,000. Can I return?'
MS, an energy sector employee from South Africa, left the UAE in August after losing his Dh12,000 job. He was struggling to meet the repayments while securing a new position in the UAE and feared he would be detained if he returned. He has now secured a new job and will return to the Emirates this month.
“The insolvency law is indeed a relief to hear,” he says. "I will not apply for insolvency at this stage. I have been able to pay something towards my loan and credit card. As it stands, I only have a one-month deficit, which I will be able to recover by the end of December."
Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Canada
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House
Brief scores:
Arsenal 4
Xhaka 25', Lacazette 55', Ramsey 79', Aubameyang 83'
Fulham 1
Kamara 69'
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2015%20PRO%20MAX
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'Of Love & War'
Lynsey Addario, Penguin Press
Match info
What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm
The biog
Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer
Marital status: Single
Favourite book: Al Nabi by Jibran Khalil Jibran
Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food
Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish
Website: www.liliane-tannoury.com
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Match info
Karnataka Tuskers 110-3
J Charles 35, M Pretorius 1-19, Z Khan 0-16
Deccan Gladiators 111-5 in 8.3 overs
K Pollard 45*, S Zadran 2-18
SPEC%20SHEET
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The biog
Age: 32
Qualifications: Diploma in engineering from TSI Technical Institute, bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dubai’s Al Ghurair University, master’s degree in human resources from Abu Dhabi University, currently third years PHD in strategy of human resources.
Favourite mountain range: The Himalayas
Favourite experience: Two months trekking in Alaska
Dubai World Cup nominations
UAE: Thunder Snow/Saeed bin Suroor (trainer), North America/Satish Seemar, Drafted/Doug Watson, New Trails/Ahmad bin Harmash, Capezzano, Gronkowski, Axelrod, all trained by Salem bin Ghadayer
USA: Seeking The Soul/Dallas Stewart, Imperial Hunt/Luis Carvajal Jr, Audible/Todd Pletcher, Roy H/Peter Miller, Yoshida/William Mott, Promises Fulfilled/Dale Romans, Gunnevera/Antonio Sano, XY Jet/Jorge Navarro, Pavel/Doug O’Neill, Switzerland/Steve Asmussen.
Japan: Matera Sky/Hideyuki Mori, KT Brace/Haruki Sugiyama. Bahrain: Nine Below Zero/Fawzi Nass. Ireland: Tato Key/David Marnane. Hong Kong: Fight Hero/Me Tsui. South Korea: Dolkong/Simon Foster.
Specs
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Scores
Scotland 54-17 Fiji
England 15-16 New Zealand
Where to Find Me by Alba Arikha
Alma Books
The years Ramadan fell in May
