Russia has given regulatory approval to the world's first Covid-19 vaccine, a mere two months after the developer's phase-three clinical testing began with plans to produce 500 million batches over the next year.
That industrial production of Sputnik V will start in September and officials claim 20 countries have expressed interest in ordering a billion doses.
World Health Organisation representative Tarik Jasarevic said that the WHO would be working closely with Russia with regard to the qualification of the vaccine, including “the rigorous review and assessment of all required safety and efficacy data” that the global body oversees.
The speed at which Russia’s vaccine has been approved confounds all previous benchmarks. The standard length of a phase-3 vaccine trial is typically between one to four years.
The move to production paves the way for mass inoculation while clinical trials to test safety and efficacy continue. The lightning-quick ratification has provoked consternation among the global science community who fear that is dangerously premature.
The unparalleled approval time highlights country's determination to win what has been called a vaccine space race. Russia has named its vaccine Sputnik V in reference to the first satellite placed in orbit during the Cold War space race.
How does Sputnik V work and is it safe?
The vaccine is based on the DNA of a Sars-CoV-2 type adenovirus - more commonly known as the common cold, the same method adopted by another Phase-3 trial run by scientists at Oxford University.
Before Russia's push to production, the most prominent research product was the Oxford trial, which is backed by British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.
In July, chair of the UK government’s taskforce Kate Bingham told Parliament that the Oxford vaccine was “well ahead of the world” and the “most advanced vaccine anywhere”.
Alexander Gintsburg, director of the Gamalweya National Research Centre which developed the vaccine, said that the coronavirus particles in the vaccine have been effectively deactivated so that they cannot multiply and harm the body.
More than 100 possible vaccines are being developed around the world to try to stop the Covid-19 pandemic. At least four are in final phase-3 human trials, according to WHO data.
Who is leading the global vaccine race?
The US leads the vaccine race overall with 39 research projects.
The American biotech company Moderna is pioneering work on a mRNA vaccine. This approach delivers genetic material to human cells that provide a 'spike' protein seen on the surface of the coronavirus. This should trigger an antibody response that allows the body to fight Covid-19.
Moderna hopes to have data from latest trials on 30,000 participants available by November. US drug maker Pfizer and German biotech company BioNTech are also conducting "promising" research along the same approach.
China ranks second on the WHO list with 20 projects. The Lancet in late May said the phase-1 trial of a potential Covid-19 vaccine developed by Chinese top military virologists showed promising results.
CanSino is poised to launch a Phase III trial of its vaccine candidate which also uses a harmless cold virus to carry genetic material from the coronavirus into the body. Meanwhile SinoPharm launched its phase three trial among 15,000 volunteers —aged 18 to 60, with no serious underlying conditions— in the UAE.
A WHO overview published last week said 165 candidate vaccines are being worked on around the world, with six reaching phase 3.
In his government address on Tuesday morning, President Vladamir Putin said the vaccine “works quite effectively, forms strong immunity and [that it] has passed all the needed checks”.
The Russian leader revealed the vaccine had even been administered to one of his daughters.
Scientists in the UK have expressed scepticism. Professor Keith Neil, epidemiologist at the University of Nottingham, believes the vaccine’s cloak of secrecy makes it impossible to know if it will be effective.
And he cautioned that even if scientific papers had been made available for analysis, then there still may have been “problems on data quality”.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has said he has “huge trust” in Russia’s vaccine. He can be the “first they experiment on", he added.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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Match info
Deccan Gladiators 87-8
Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16
Maratha Arabians 89-2
Chadwick Walton 51 not out
Arabians won the final by eight wickets
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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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 specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
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Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
Results
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1hr 32mins 03.897sec
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) at 0.745s
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 37.383s
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) 46.466s
5.Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda) 52.047s
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 59.090s
7. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 1:06.004
8. Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) 1:07.100
9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:25.692
10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:26.713,
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
Leap of Faith
Michael J Mazarr
Public Affairs
Dh67
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