About 3,000 British volunteers are being sought to take part in a study for Moderna’s Omicron booster vaccine.
The vaccine, which is one of the world’s first to tackle the variant, will be tested at various sites across the UK as part of a partnership between Moderna and the National Institute for Health Research.
Led by a team based at St George’s, University of London, the study will see half of the volunteers receive the new Moderna Omicron variant vaccine and the other half vaccinated with the regular Moderna shot.
It is already known that immunity wanes several months after Covid-19 booster doses, meaning clinical trials are needed to determine whether people may need a fourth dose.
The new trial will also seek to recruit people who have had only two doses of a vaccine and have not yet had a booster.
A separate COV-Boost sub-study will also run to compare Moderna’s Omicron variant vaccine as a fourth dose with a standard dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech inoculation.
“The UK is a world leader when it comes to the research and development of vaccines and medicines, bolstered by our renowned life-sciences industry," said the Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid.
“It’s fantastic to see these capabilities being put to good use, with almost 3,000 people expected to take part in this important clinical trial. I want this country to be the best place in the world to launch clinical trials.
“I urge anyone eligible to take part in this vital research and play their part in protecting the country for years to come as we learn to live with Covid-19.”
Stephane Bancel, chief executive of Moderna, said: “The UK and NIHR have been pioneering in their work to study vaccines and therapeutics throughout the global pandemic and have built up world-class clinical research capabilities.
“This is the first Moderna-sponsored Phase 3 study to be conducted outside of the US with our Omicron-specific booster candidate and we appreciate the collaboration with the NIHR.
“We thank the clinical trial teams and the participants in the study for helping to advance our understanding of this booster candidate.”
Volunteers must not have tested positive for Covid-19 since the start of November 2021, and must have had their last vaccine at least three months before joining the study, which is recruiting for the next four weeks.
The study will take place at up to 29 research sites across England, Wales and Scotland, with the trial lasting up to 13 months.
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MATCH INFO
Al Jazira 3 (O Abdulrahman 43', Kenno 82', Mabkhout 90 4')
Al Ain 1 (Laba 39')
Red cards: Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain)
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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- 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
The years Ramadan fell in May
Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
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A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
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Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
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Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
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founded in 1762 and operated for 233 years before it went bust after a trading
scandal.
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Huddersfield Town 0
Chelsea 3
Kante (34'), Jorginho (45' pen), Pedro (80')
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The biog
Year of birth: 1988
Place of birth: Baghdad
Education: PhD student and co-researcher at Greifswald University, Germany
Hobbies: Ping Pong, swimming, reading
SEMI-FINAL
Monterrey 1
Funes Mori (14)
Liverpool 2
Keita (11), Firmino (90 1)
