Don’t wait for a vaccine in order to save lives, the head of the World Health Organisation said as the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases rose by one million in the last week.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed the positive early signs from a recent UK vaccine test but said that more can be done now with the tools already available.
"We do not have to wait for a vaccine. We have to save lives now,” he said. The WHO boss urged nations to take all necessary health precautions, with special emphasis on contact tracing.
Global infections stand at more than 14.5 million, with more than 600,000 deaths.
Mike Ryan, head of the WHO's emergencies programme, welcomed news that AstraZeneca's experimental vaccine developed with Britain's Oxford University was safe and produced an immune response in early-stage clinical trials in healthy volunteers.
"We congratulate our colleagues for the progress they have made," Mr Ryan said. "This is a positive result, but there is a long way to go ... We now need to move to large-scale trials."
Mr Ryan told a media briefing in Geneva there were 23 potential vaccines in development with three making data available for examination by other scientists in peer reviews.
US drugmaker Pfizer and German biotech firm BioNTech also provided additional promising data, Mr Ryan said.
But again, Mr Tedros and Mr Ryan warned that politicians need to commit to a fair distribution of Covid-19 vaccines as they see a worrying pattern of some countries moving in the other direction to corner markets and protect domestic supplies of vital drugs.
Mr Ryan warned that even when a vaccine becomes available, there will be supply issues.
“There is not a mechanism, at it presently stands, that is going to be able to supply a vaccine for everybody on the planet,” he said. “We are going to have to prioritise who gets what vaccine at the beginning, depending on which vaccine becomes available. And we’re going to have to have some policy and priorities around the best use of those vaccines.”
Mr Tedros also warned about the impact of the virus on indigenous communities in the hard-hit Americas as well as the rapid rises seen across Africa. The US and Brazil lead the world for confirmed cases.
He said that as of July 6, there were more than 70,000 cases reported among indigenous peoples in the Americas, with more than 2,000 deaths.
"Indigenous peoples often have a high burden of poverty, unemployment, malnutrition and both communicable and non-communicable diseases, making them more vulnerable," Mr Tedros said, adding that those in current epicentre the Americas were of particular concern.
He said South Africa's growing epidemic should be an alert to the rest of the continent to strengthen disease surveillance. South Africa reported a surge of 13,373 new cases on Saturday, the fourth largest globally.
Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe also reported significant increases in cases over the past week, Mr Ryan told a news conference.
"Even though the numbers in those other countries are smaller I think what we starting to see is a continued acceleration of transmission in a number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa," he said. "South Africa may, unfortunately, be a precursor, it may be a warning for what will happen in the rest of Africa. So, I think this isn't just a wake-up call for South Africa ... we need to take what is happening in Africa very, very seriously.
The rate of the infection spread is still speeding up around the world, having taken months to reach one million and weeks to double again, it is now increasing by around a million every few days.
This is partly due to increases in testing capacity in many countries that were initially slow to begin mass screening, but the WHO says that it is also due to spreading clusters of the disease.
Without applying basic outbreak-control methods, “there is only one way this pandemic is going to go,” Mr Tedros previously cautioned.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
More on Quran memorisation:
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Long Shot
Director: Jonathan Levine
Starring: Charlize Theron, Seth Rogan
Four stars
What you as a drone operator need to know
A permit and licence is required to fly a drone legally in Dubai.
Sanad Academy is the United Arab Emirate’s first RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) training and certification specialists endorsed by the Dubai Civil Aviation authority.
It is responsible to train, test and certify drone operators and drones in UAE with DCAA Endorsement.
“We are teaching people how to fly in accordance with the laws of the UAE,” said Ahmad Al Hamadi, a trainer at Sanad.
“We can show how the aircraft work and how they are operated. They are relatively easy to use, but they need responsible pilots.
“Pilots have to be mature. They are given a map of where they can and can’t fly in the UAE and we make these points clear in the lectures we give.
“You cannot fly a drone without registration under any circumstances.”
Larger drones are harder to fly, and have a different response to location control. There are no brakes in the air, so the larger drones have more power.
The Sanad Academy has a designated area to fly off the Al Ain Road near Skydive Dubai to show pilots how to fly responsibly.
“As UAS technology becomes mainstream, it is important to build wider awareness on how to integrate it into commerce and our personal lives,” said Major General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief, Dubai Police.
“Operators must undergo proper training and certification to ensure safety and compliance.
“Dubai’s airspace will undoubtedly experience increased traffic as UAS innovations become commonplace, the Forum allows commercial users to learn of best practice applications to implement UAS safely and legally, while benefitting a whole range of industries.”
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The End of Loneliness
Benedict Wells
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Sceptre
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
