A man walks his dog past a poster promoting the coronavirus disease testing at local mobile test centres in London. Reuters
A man walks his dog past a poster promoting the coronavirus disease testing at local mobile test centres in London. Reuters
A man walks his dog past a poster promoting the coronavirus disease testing at local mobile test centres in London. Reuters
A man walks his dog past a poster promoting the coronavirus disease testing at local mobile test centres in London. Reuters

UK faces coronavirus surge if track-and-trace plans fail


Paul Peachey
  • English
  • Arabic

The UK must improve its Covid-19 tracing programme amid fears that a second wave of the virus could be twice as bad as the first, researchers said.

A study found that reopening British schools as planned in September must be accompanied by an effective trace, track and isolate programme to keep infections down.

Without sufficient coverage of a test-trace-isolate strategy the UK risks a serious second epidemic peak either in December or February

The UK has suffered more than 46,000 deaths during the pandemic, putting it below only the US, Brazil and Mexico, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Researchers from University College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found that three quarters of people with the disease would need to be diagnosed and isolated and two thirds of their contacts traced if schools returned full-time in September.

If the level of contact tracing fell below that threshold in the UK while schools reopened full-time and control measures were eased, a secondary wave of Covid-19 would peak in December, according to a report in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal

The authors issued a warning that a secondary wave of infections could be two to 2.3 times the size of the original outbreak.

Dr Jasmina Panovska-Griffiths, who led the study, said: “Our modelling suggests that with a highly effective test and trace strategy in place across the UK, it is possible for schools to reopen safely in September.

“However, without sufficient coverage of a test-trace-isolate strategy the UK risks a serious second epidemic peak either in December or February.”

The study was published as British former prime minister Tony Blair’s think tank called for more testing and transparency to limit the impact of the government’s quarantine policy on international arrivals.

The think tank said the measures, which require international passengers arriving from certain countries to quarantine for 14 days, risk further grinding the travel industry to a halt.

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Gallery: Coronavirus around the world

Planes grounded by coronavirus

British Airways: Cancels all direct flights to and from mainland China 

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific: Cutting capacity to/from mainland China by 50 per cent from Jan. 30

Chicago-based United Airlines: Reducing flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong

Ai Seoul:  Suspended all flights to China

Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March

Indonesia's Lion Air: Suspending all flights to China from February

South Korea's Asiana Airlines,  Jeju Air  and Jin Air: Suspend all flights

Australia men's Test cricket fixtures 2021/22

One-off Test v Afghanistan:
Nov 27-Dec 1: Blundstone Arena, Hobart

The Ashes v England:
Dec 8-12: 1st Test, Gabba, Brisbane
Dec 16-20: 2nd Test, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (day/night)
Dec 26-30: 3rd Test, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Jan 5-9, 2022: 4th Test, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Jan 14-18: 5th Test, Optus Stadium, Perth

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4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

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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.

The Kingfisher Secret
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ARABIAN GULF LEAGUE FIXTURES

Thursday, September 21
Al Dahfra v Sharjah (kick-off 5.35pm)
Al Wasl v Emirates (8.30pm)

Friday, September 22
Dibba v Al Jazira (5.25pm)
Al Nasr v Al Wahda (8.30pm)

Saturday, September 23
Hatta v Al Ain (5.25pm)
Ajman v Shabab Al Ahli (8.30pm)

While you're here

Fixtures:

Thursday:
Hatta v Al Jazira, 4.55pm
Al Wasl v Dibba, 7.45pm

Friday:
Al Dhafra v Al Nasr, 5.05pm
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai v Al Wahda, 7.45pm

Saturday:
Ajman v Emirates, 4.55pm
Al Ain v Sharjah, 7.45pm

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  • 600-seat auditorium
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Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto

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China

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Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

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Aston Villa 1
Samatta (41')
Manchester City 2
Aguero (20')
Rodri (30')

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

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