Joe Biden says US cannot 'let guard down' after FDA approves third Covid vaccine

US President Joe Biden welcomed the announcement that US regulators authorised a third Covid-19 vaccine.

The Food and Drug Administration said on Saturday that it granted an emergency-use authorisation for the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine for people 18 and older.

But Mr Biden issued a warning that the country could not become complacent.

"This is exciting news for all Americans and an encouraging development in our efforts to bring an end to the crisis," he said.

"But we cannot let our guard down now or assume that victory is inevitable."

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FDA panel unanimously approves Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine

The FDA announcement came after the US reported 500,000 Covid-19 deaths and at a time when health officials are raising concerns that a recent decline in new cases may be stalling.

The Johnson & Johnson shot is highly effective at preventing severe Covid-19, with no serious side effects, agency staff said in a report on Wednesday.

On Friday, a committee of outside advisers to the FDA voted unanimously that the vaccine's benefits outweigh any risks. Johnson & Johnson is prepared to ship between three million and 4 million doses across the US.

“We’re in a race between the virus mutating, new variants coming out that could cause further disease, and stopping it. We need to get this vaccine out,” said Jay Portnoy, director of the division of allergy, asthma and immunology at Children’s Mercy Hospital, who supported an emergency authorisation.

The shot is expected to be easier to distribute and administer than the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the Moderna shot, which were cleared by the FDA late last year.

To reach full effectiveness, those shots require two doses to be given several weeks apart. They must also must be kept at very cold temperatures, while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can be stored in a fridge for long periods of time.

The inoculation drive in the US accelerated in recent weeks, with more than 70.5 million doses given as of Friday. However, Mr Biden said the rise of new variants still posed a threat.

"As I have said many times, things are still likely to get worse again as new variants spread, and the current improvement could reverse," Mr Biden said on Saturday.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is one of the few tested in clinical trials against a variant and it had a 64 per cent efficacy rate at preventing moderate-to-severe disease in South Africa.

The company said on Friday that it was developing a second-generation vaccine that would focus on the South African variant and would be ready to start Phase 1 trials this summer.

Its current vaccine uses a common cold virus known as adenovirus type 26 to introduce coronavirus proteins into cells in the body and trigger an immune response.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are based on new messenger RNA technology, showed higher efficacy rates in their pivotal trials when tested using two doses versus J&J's single-shot vaccine.

But experts cautioned against close comparisons because the trials had different goals and the Johnson & Johnson trial was conducted while the more contagious new variants were circulating.

The company is testing a two-dose version of its vaccine, with results expected this summer.

If you go

Flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.

The stay

Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

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U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES

UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)

Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh

UAE squad:

Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith

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While you're here

Mina Al-Oraibi: 'Managing' the crisis in Palestine-Israel is making it impossible to solve

Raghida Dergham: Here's how Iran is planning to exploit the Palestine-Israel crisis

National Editorial: Why Palestinians are entitled to live in Jerusalem in peace

Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

SPECS

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20electric%20motors%20with%20102kW%20battery%20pack%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E570hp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20890Nm%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Up%20to%20428km%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C700%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.