The Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine can cut the spread of coronavirus by two thirds, raising hopes the illness will eventually morph into a common cold.
The new Oxford study also found that one shot of the vaccine offered 76 per cent effective protection against symptomatic infection, supporting the UK government’s decision to allow a longer gap of 12 weeks between two shots.
The results come as the number of vaccine doses administered in the UK passed 10 million, with 9,646,715 first doses and 496,796 second doses given to healthcare workers and vulnerable groups.
The vaccine is also being delivered worldwide – the first doses arrived in Dubai on Tuesday.
It is the first time a study has shown a Covid-19 vaccine can reduce transmission of the virus.
Prof Andrew Pollard, chief investigator at the Oxford Vaccine Group, said the findings showed the Oxford vaccine should have "a huge impact on transmission" in the UK.
"There is about a two-thirds reduction in the number of people who have been vaccinated who have a positive PCR [polymerase chain reaction], and who therefore are infected," he told BBC's Radio 4 Today programme.
"Because they are no longer infected, they can’t transmit the virus to other people. That should have a huge impact on transmission."
However, Prof Pollard said that the study did not take into account new variants of the virus, such as the mutations first identified in South Africa and Brazil.
"This virus is absolutely trying to find ways of continuing to transmit despite human immunity," he said.
A new mutation found in parts of the UK is adding to the concerns of scientists.
The mutation, called E484K, is "highly likely" to have an effect on the existing suite of vaccines, Prof Pollard said, but he said developers were already looking at updating their vaccines and that it was a "relatively short process" to do so.
He said the illness could eventually transform into a disease that still transmits but does not cause severe illness, such as the common cold.
"Hopefully it will be like other coronaviruses that are around all the time … that will cause colds and mild infections, and we will have built up enough immunity to prevent the severe disease we’ve seen over the past year," Prof Pollard said.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the results of the study were "really encouraging", raising hopes coronavirus restrictions can be lifted by Easter.
"It does show the world that the Oxford jab works, it works well, it protects you because there were no hospitalisations among those who had the jab and it slows transmission by around two thirds," he said on Tuesday.
"It’s good news for the whole world because this is the vaccine that is most accessible and AZ are producing it at cost."
Asked about French President Emmanuel Macron's remarks labelling the Oxford vaccine as "quasi-ineffective for people over 65", Mr Hancock said: "The science on this one was already pretty clear and with this publication overnight it’s absolutely crystal clear that the Oxford vaccine works."
Prof Pollard said of Mr Macron's comments: "I don’t understand what the statement means."
Two-shot 'sweet spot'
The study measured the effect on transmission by testing for asymptomatic infections, swabbing participants every week, in addition to recording when anyone fell ill with Covid-19.
The results, gathered from trials in Britain, Brazil and South Africa, also showed that immune responses were boosted with a longer interval to the second dose among participants aged 18 to 55 years.
AstraZeneca's research chief said 8-12 weeks between doses seems to be the "sweet spot" for efficacy, contrasting with US drugmaker Pfizer, which warned that the vaccine it developed with Germany's BioNTech was not trialled with such an interval.
The new study did not address concerns about a lack of data on efficacy among the oldest people, who the British government have given highest priority in their vaccine campaign.
Prof Pollard said the data showed the 12-week interval between doses was "the optimal approach to roll out, and reassures us that people are protected from 22 days after a single dose".
The findings of the pre-print paper, which had not been peer-reviewed, supported Britain's decision to extend the interval between initial and booster doses of the shot to 12 weeks, Oxford said.
"Vaccine efficacy after a single standard dose of vaccine from day 22 to day 90 post vaccination was 76 per cent, and modelled analysis indicated that protection did not wane during this initial three-month period," Oxford academics said in the pre-print.
The paper said that vaccine efficacy was 82.4 per cent with 12 or more weeks until the second dose, compared with 54.9 per cent for those where the booster was given less than six weeks after the first dose.
The longest interval between doses for those aged 56 and over was between six and eight weeks, so there was no data for the efficacy of a 12-week dosing gap in that cohort.
Europe's medicine regulator said there is not enough data to determine how well the vaccine will work in people aged over 55, but Britain expressed confidence the vaccine works in all age groups.
The study said none of the 12,408 people vaccinated with a single dose of the vaccine was admitted to hospital with Covid-19 from 22 days after immunisation.
In another study, almost 90 per cent of people who tested positive for Covid-19 were found to have protective antibodies against the virus six months after their initial infection.
The UK Biobank study, which looked at 1,699 people who had caught the virus, was one of the largest follow-up studies in the world.
In pictures – coronavirus in the UK
The five pillars of Islam
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
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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
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The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight Championship AJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Carzaty%2C%20now%20Kavak%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarzaty%20launched%20in%202018%2C%20Kavak%20in%20the%20GCC%20launched%20in%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20140%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Automotive%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarzaty%20raised%20%246m%20in%20equity%20and%20%244m%20in%20debt%3B%20Kavak%20plans%20%24130m%20investment%20in%20the%20GCC%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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