DUBAI: People might need to be vaccinated against the coronavirus annually, according to the spokeswoman of United Arab Emirates’ health sector.
Doctor Farida Al-Hosani said virus mutations increase the likelihood that there will be a need to re-vaccinate against it annually in much the same way that people do for influenza, state news agency WAM reported.
The annual vaccination – like with flu – would need to be adapted each year to the most prevalent strain, she explained.
Around 40-50 percent of people infected with COVID-19 are asymptomatic, Al-Hosani added.
“Based on this, we increased the focus on old people. The earlier the detection of the virus among old people and people with pre-existing conditions, the more chance the virus can be contained,” Al-Hosani added.
The UAE has seen a surge of cases recently and the government has introduced some stricter precautionary measures, such as a one-month suspension of non-emergency and elective surgeries as well as decreasing the number of people in gatherings, weddings and parties.
The Gulf country saw on Tuesday another record high in daily coronavirus infections with 3,601 cases confirmed by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHaP).
Coronavirus cases in the country have climbed for 15 consecutive days.
The country’s COVID-19 caseload is now at 285,147 with recoveries at 259,194, after 3,890 new patients recovered from the disease in the previous 24 hours.
Health authorities also announced seven fatalities due to COVID-19 complications, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 805, state news agency WAM reported.
UAE health: COVID-19 may require an annual vaccine
https://arab.news/bzeer
UAE health: COVID-19 may require an annual vaccine
- Around 40-50 percent of people infected with COVID-19 are asymptomatic
- The UAE has seen a surge of cases recently
Turkiye seals preliminary deals for largest foreign-funded railway project
- The funding will support the 125 km (78 mile) long Northern Ring Railway Project, which will carry passengers and freight from Gebze to Halkali via the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge connecting Istanbul’s two main airports
ISTANBUL: Turkiye has reached preliminary agreements with six international lenders to secure $6.75 billion for a new railway line across the Bosphorus in what would be Turkiye’s largest foreign-financed railway project, Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said on Tuesday.
Once completed, the line that will pass through north Istanbul is expected to carry 33 million passengers and 30 million tons of freight annually, he said, adding that it will open “a new era in logistics” by boosting the country’s rail capacity between Asia and Europe.
The funding will support the 125 km (78 mile) long Northern Ring Railway Project, which will carry passengers and freight from Gebze to Halkali via the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge connecting Istanbul’s two main airports.
Preliminary deals were reached with the World Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Asian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, OPEC Fund for International Development and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the minister said.
“We aim to complete the tender process and hand over the site this year so that (construction) work can start,” Uraloglu said.
An uninterrupted rail freight across the Bosphorus Strait is currently possible through the Marmaray railway tunnel and only during limited hours daily. According to the ministry’s website, a total of just 1.7 million tons of cargo were transported through Marmaray between 2020 and October 2025.
