The global death toll from Covid-19 has reached one million, with little sign that the world is close to controlling the spread of the deadly pathogen.
Ten months on from the emergence of the coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the number of confirmed cases has passed 33 million and continues to rise fast.
Dozens of research groups are racing to create an effective vaccine, seen as a key step towards cutting death rates and allowing economies to recover from the devastating effects of lockdowns.
But only last week, the World Health Organisation warned that as many as two million people could die before an effective vaccine was developed.
The official case and death numbers are likely to be just a fraction of the real figure.
They also fail to take into account what are forecast to be increased deaths from other medical conditions, such as heart disease and cancer, as hospitals concentrate on the pandemic.
After the virus emerged in China in December, it spread worldwide rapidly thanks to international air travel and easy transmission, with cases reported on every major continent within weeks.
Europe was initially the hardest hit before lockdown measures significantly reduced spread, albeit with a huge economic impact that has tipped many countries into a deep recession.
The Americas then became the pandemic’s centre and they remain the worst-affected continents, with about half of all cases and 550,000 deaths.
Death tolls have been particularly high in the US, at 209,566, and Brazil, at 141,877, which sit with India, where more than 96,000 have died from the virus, according to Worldometer.
After restrictions were loosened across Europe, case numbers are rising quickly again and are likely to be followed in the coming weeks by increases in death rates.
Meanwhile, Israel has become the first country in the world to introduce a second full national lockdown, and case numbers are rising in other parts of the Middle East and in Asia.
While the death toll from Covid-19 has been severe, influenza outbreaks, such as those in 1957-58 and 1968-69, are also thought to have killed at least a million people each, while Spanish flu costs tens of millions of lives between 1918 and 1920.
But this pandemic has still caused surprise, given that it was caused by a coronavirus rather than a form of influenza.
"I thought this outbreak was going to be similar to Sars – that the thing would get going and would soon be snuffed out," said Prof John Oxford of the University of London, who co-wrote the book Human Virology.
"That’s not been the case."
Despite hospitals facing often unprecedented pressure, improvements in the treatment of Covid-19 have limited the number of deaths.
Global infection rates have continued to rise in recent months – partly because testing capacity, while often still inadequate, has grown – but the number of fatalities has remained about steady.
The steroids dexamethasone and hydrocortisone are among the drugs under trial as treatments after it was found that they could cut death rates among the sickest patients.
And the antiviral drug remdesivir has been found to cut recovery times.
Efforts have also focused on developing a vaccine, and late-stage clinical trials of the most advanced programmes, often based on tweaked versions of existing vaccines, began months ago.
WHO data shows nine vaccines from China, continental Europe, Russia, the UK and the US are now in Phase 3 clinical trials.
Involving thousands of participants, these aim to identify rare side-effects and to find out how effective the vaccines are at preventing coronavirus infections.
Licensing agreements for the supply of billions of doses of vaccines have already been signed and manufacturing capacity is being increased for what is set to be unprecedented demand.
Initial immunisation programmes, which have begun in small numbers, could be increased this year, but are likely to focus on particular groups, such as healthcare workers and those most vulnerable to Covid-19.
A large-scale vaccination programme may not begin until well into 2021 or beyond, and reports have warned it could be years before the world’s population is protected.
While it is likely that several vaccines will be rolled out widely, there are concerns about “vaccinationalism”, with countries not making supplies as widely available to other nations as they could.
A vaccine may, in any case, not be a silver bullet in terms of dealing with the pandemic.
“I don’t think actually a vaccine alone will control these outbreaks, let alone eliminate [the virus],” said Prof Oxford.
“We can use a vaccine along with some of the things we’re doing now, like infection control, social distancing, and then we’re in a much better spot [and can] take control of the problem.”
A possible scenario, he said, was that the virus remained in the human population and became a seasonal problem.
“Viruses tend to change as time goes on and become more spreadable and less deadly,” Prof Oxford said. “To some extent, I’m relying on that.”
Also looking ahead, the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, recently told the UN there should be a global laboratory network of “zoonotic hubs” to identify pathogens before they infect people.
Like Sars and another coronavirus, Mers, this coronavirus is believed to have spread from animals into people.
“With nearly a million people dead, with colossal economic suffering and more infections to come, there is a moral imperative for humanity to be honest and to reach a joint understanding of how the pandemic began, how it was able to spread,” Mr Johnson said.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.3-litre%20turbo%204-cyl%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E298hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E452Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETowing%20capacity%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.4-tonne%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPayload%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4WD%20%E2%80%93%20776kg%3B%20Rear-wheel%20drive%20819kg%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrice%3A%20Dh138%2C945%20(XLT)%20Dh193%2C095%20(Wildtrak)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDelivery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20from%20August%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Croatia v Hungary, Thursday, 10.45pm, UAE
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
STAY%2C%20DAUGHTER
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYasmin%20Azad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESwift%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FIGHT CARD
Bantamweight Hamza Bougamza (MAR) v Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Catchweight 67kg Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) v Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lighweight Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) v Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg Mostafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) v Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) v Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78kg Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight Sallaheddine Dekhissi (MAR) v Abdel Emam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg Rachid Hazoume (MAR) v Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG)
Lighweight Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg Omar Hussein (PAL) v Souhil Tahiri (ALG)
Middleweight Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Hani%20Abu%20Ghazaleh%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20with%20an%20office%20in%20Montreal%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%202018%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Virtual%20Reality%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%241.2%20million%2C%20and%20nearing%20close%20of%20%245%20million%20new%20funding%20round%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Afro%20salons
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
