ABU DHABI // A paramedic who died last week after contracting the Mers coronavirus infected 10 colleagues, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.
Abundio Verzosa Esporlas, 45, an Al Ain Rescue and Ambulance Section worker from the Philippines, died on Thursday after developing flu-like symptoms.
It was not known whether the WHO figure included five Al Ain Rescue workers who had direct contact with Esporlas before his death and are in precautionary quarantine.
WHO said it had been informed of the 10 new cases by UAE health authorities.
However, in a statement released through the state news agency Wam, the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (Haad) said it had identified an additional three cases after screening healthcare workers in Al Ain.
Officials at Haad refused to comment on the discrepancy in the figures.
In its statement to Wam, Haad said the three new cases displayed no symptoms, but preventive measures had been taken to keep them in quarantine.
“From previous asymptomatic cases in the UAE, individuals tend to clear the virus themselves within 10-14 days, but are kept in isolation in hospital during this time,” the authority said.
Haad said there was no public-health concern and it was coordinating with the Ministry of Health and other authorities, taking measures recommended by WHO to screen anyone who had come in contact with a confirmed case.
WHO said it had been informed of the 10 new cases on Sunday and Monday but was not issuing any special recommendations.
“We would need more information to understand the background to the new cases,” said spokesman Gregory Hartl.
The new cases bring the global Mers total to 238 infected, with 92 deaths.
Dr Asiim Malik, a consultant and the head of infectious disease at Mafraq Hospital, said the new cases were no cause for concern.
“I think people probably get so scared,” he said. “When they see a cluster, they think it is an outbreak. But as long as people take good care of their hygiene and turn to advice from the proper authorities and the experts, I do not think anyone should panic.”
He said healthcare workers needed to strictly adhere to the health and safety guidelines and protocols already in place.
“We know that healthcare workers are on the front line for any kind of communicable disease,” he said. “If they want to mitigate that risk they must follow the guidelines. Those people who are treating or transporting patients … they have had the training.
“This has to be 100 per cent compliance for the health-care workers to protect themselves and to protect others, so that is what I am urging.”
Mers is still an emerging disease, said Dr Malik, and questions about it remain.
“This is a new disease,” he said. “We can only share what we know, we cannot tell people what we don’t know. Things are under control. For us, we work every day with these people so we are the front line. All we are trying to tell people is that it’s business as usual for us. Nothing has changed.”
Haad’s most recent statement repeated advice from earlier in the week on how to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses. This includes washing hands in soapy water for 20 seconds, covering the mouth when coughing or sneezing, and avoiding close contact with anyone complaining of flu-like symptoms.
It said it was imperative to follow advice about the illness released by the Ministry of Health and other local health authorities.
The ministry has said no travel bans, port screenings or trade restrictions had been put in place as a result of Mers, but it was monitoring the situation closely to ensure the health and safety of all.
The virus emerged in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and cases of Mers have been confirmed in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Tunisia.
Travellers who have been to the Middle East who develop flu-like symptoms should be tested for the virus, WHO advises.
jbell@thenational.ae
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Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Ireland v Denmark: The last two years
Denmark 1-1 Ireland
7/06/19, Euro 2020 qualifier
Denmark 0-0 Ireland
19/11/2018, Nations League
Ireland 0-0 Denmark
13/10/2018, Nations League
Ireland 1 Denmark 5
14/11/2017, World Cup qualifier
Denmark 0-0 Ireland
11/11/2017, World Cup qualifier
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
Usain Bolt's time for the 100m at major championships
2008 Beijing Olympics 9.69 seconds
2009 Berlin World Championships 9.58
2011 Daegu World Championships Disqualified
2012 London Olympics 9.63
2013 Moscow World Championships 9.77
2015 Beijing World Championships 9.79
2016 Rio Olympics 9.81
2017 London World Championships 9.95
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MATCH INFO
Chelsea 0
Liverpool 2 (Mane 50', 54')
Red card: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
Man of the match: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
(All games 4-3pm kick UAE time) Bayern Munich v Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg v Mainz , Eintracht Frankfurt v Freiburg, Union Berlin v RB Leipzig, Cologne v Schalke , Werder Bremen v Borussia Monchengladbach, Stuttgart v Arminia Bielefeld
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
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In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
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