After more than two tumultuous years, American workers are returning to the office, millions more people are boarding planes — with no US federal travel mask mandate in place — and the Coachella music festival is back.
But even as many in the US are desperate to put Covid-19 behind them, President Joe Biden announced the country's sombre milestone of one million virus deaths on Thursday and said that the pandemic is not over.
Daily cases and hospital admissions are rising yet again due to competing Omicron subvariants that are even more contagious than previous strains.
“We’ve made a choice,” Dr Maureen Miller, an infectious diseases specialist at Columbia University, told The National.
“We’re willing to deal with high levels of preventable death and likely long-term negative health impacts due to Covid infection in exchange for a sense of normality now.”
The US currently has a death rate that is higher than other countries of similar size and wealth.
At least 58 per cent of the US population has tested positive for coronavirus and about half of that amount was infected during the biggest surge of the pandemic, driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant.
The US government also estimates that 23 million Americans are dealing with lingering symptoms following infection with coronavirus — a mysterious disease called long Covid.
But the US has more tools than ever before to both detect and fight the virus, adopting national wastewater surveillance and the widespread distribution of free rapid at-home tests. Vaccines, booster doses and post-infection treatment are also available, including Pfizer's paxlovid antiviral pills.
“The US is in a much better place in the pandemic today due to the tools that have been developed and the high levels of immunity in the population,” Dr Amesh Adalja of the Johns Hopkins Centre for Health Security told The National.
There are caveats, however: at-home tests are not being recorded nationally, making it difficult to track Covid surges; both vaccination and booster uptake has been weak compared to other countries; and distribution of antivirals such as paxlovid has been slow and uneven across the country.
“The US needs to continue to keep abreast of Covid variants, ensure availability of antivirals and monoclonal antibodies and have strong situational awareness of hospital capacity concerns if they occur again,” Dr Adalja said.
Federal funding has also dried up, leading to the closure of many testing sites and ending support for uninsured people looking to get tested and vaccinated.
Mr Biden proposed a $22.5 billion plan that would rectify those cuts and help tackle other issues. Doctors and public health officials praised the plan but the bill is stalled in Congress.
A group of senators countered the legislation with a $10bn bill that omits international aid.
“I am very concerned about funding for the ongoing pandemic response,” Dr Syra Madad, a senior director at the New York City's Health + Hospitals, the nation's largest public healthcare system, told The National.
She was part of the city's test-and-trace system, which recently wound down operations.
The Biden administration asserted in a handout on April 27 that unfulfilled funding would result in fewer vaccines for Americans — including booster doses if they are needed later this year.
It would also mean the US cannot stockpile tests and treatments or send vaccines to countries in need.
“The US has just recently pivoted its pandemic response from reactionary to being more proactive, less 'just in time' to a bit more 'just in case' with the White House’s National Covid-19 Preparedness Plan,” Dr Madad said.
“Just in case” allows for preparation and prevention as opposed to scrambling to address surges “just in time”.
California in February announced the first state “Smarter” plan, which sets up funds, stockpiles and systems to meet future Covid-19 surges.
It was considered one of the first official approaches of treating Covid as “endemic”, something that some — including the World Health Organisation — say hasn't been achieved yet.
A disease is “endemic” when the virus is still present but is manageable either through widespread immunity or treatment.
However, such a definition may still result in a large amount of severe illness and death for the US annually.
Most estimates say 10 to 30 per cent of those infected with coronavirus could end up suffering from long Covid, adding to the number of disabled Americans as scientists race to uncover the mysteries of the illness.
The country could register between 40,000 and 300,000 Covid-19 deaths each year, a Rockefeller Foundation report said in March.
The researchers behind the report say Covid is likely to cause more deaths than the flu, which the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says kills between 12,000 and 52,000 each year on average.
Vaccines and timely boosters are still the best tool against severe illness and death from the highly contagious variants today, although precautions and prevention should still be a priority for some vaccinated populations.
Of the roughly 66 per cent of the US population that is fully vaccinated, CDC data show that half of that amount has received at least one booster.
Despite this, a Kaiser Family Foundation report found that vaccinated adults represented as much as 42 per cent of Covid-19 deaths in January and February this year, with most of the deaths among the elderly.
The report suggests that utilising tools and continuing some level of precaution may still be worthwhile to prevent disability from long Covid or possible death among vulnerable populations.
But if Mr Biden's plan is not funded, these “tools” would be moot if they are not available for those who need them most.
“We’re already seeing the US response: 'People, you’re on your own',” Dr Miller said.
“There is a notion that somehow personal responsibility and mass vaccination will save the day — even though it hasn’t done so yet and is unlikely to do so in the future.”
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
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
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.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Asia Cup Qualifier
Final
UAE v Hong Kong
TV:
Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
