DUBAI, LONDON: Bahraini authorities have authorized the use of a booster dose of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, the first time the Russian shot has been approved for a third dose, the state-run Bahrain News Agency said on Saturday.
The booster shot was approved for use among all over-18s at least six months after receiving their second dose of the Sputnik V vaccine, the news agency reported.
Bahrain and the UAE have already approved third booster shots using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The small island nation’s COVID-19 infections are decreasing, currently at 3 percent of their peak with 95 new infections reported on average each day.
There have been 272,709 infections and 1,388 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Bahrain, which has a population of roughly 1.7 million according to the World Bank.
So far nearly 2.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered, enough to inoculate about 76 percent of the population, assuming each person needs two doses.
Meanwhile, Britain reported 37,578 new cases of COVID-19, government data showed on Saturday, meaning cases reported between Aug. 29 and Sept. 4 were up 2.4 percent compared with the previous seven days.
One of the UK’s largest suppliers of seasonal influenza vaccines has warned that there could be delivery delays of up to two weeks as a result of a shortage of truck drivers.
In a statement that has accentuated concerns about the potential scale of this winter’s flu outbreak, vaccine company Seqirus blamed “unforeseen challenges linked with road freight delays” for the disruption to deliveries in England and Wales.
The company said it “is working hard to resolve the delay to allow customers to reschedule their influenza vaccination clinics.”
Though the severity of flu outbreaks vary each year, there are concerns that past lockdowns put in place to combat the coronavirus pandemic might make UK residents more susceptible to the flu in the coming months.
Bahrain approves 3rd booster shot of Sputnik V vaccine
https://arab.news/8wr75
Bahrain approves 3rd booster shot of Sputnik V vaccine
- Bahrain and the UAE have already approved third booster shots using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
Israel military says Iran fires new wave of missiles at country
- Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported several injuries from the Iranian strikes near Tel Aviv
JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said Wednesday that it detected missiles heading toward the country from Iran and had activated air defenses, as it pressed a “wave” of strikes against Iran and Lebanon.
“A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the military said on its official Telegram account.
AFP journalists heard air raid sirens sounding in Jerusalem and the sound of explosions in the distance.
A short time later, Israel’s military said it was permitted to leave shelters.
Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency services reported no immediate injuries following the missile fire, but said its teams were treating “a small number of people who were injured on their way to protected areas.”
Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported several injuries from the Iranian strikes near Tel Aviv.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they targeted a satellite communications center in Haifa, along with military bases in Israel, and US targets elsewhere in the Middle East including Iraqi Kurdistan and the US Fifth Fleet naval base in Bahrain.
“We will continue our sustained attacks with purpose and power, and in this war, we contemplate nothing but the enemy’s complete surrender,” the Guards said on their website Sepah News.
