A senior World Health Organisation official on Monday said it was unrealistic to think the pandemic might be stopped by the end of 2021.
But Dr Michael Ryan, director of the WHO’s emergencies programme, said the recent arrival of effective vaccines could at least help to dramatically reduce hospital admissions and deaths.
The world’s singular focus right now should be to keep transmission of Covid-19 as low as possible, Dr Ryan said.
“If we’re smart, we can finish with the hospitalisations and the deaths and the tragedy associated with this pandemic” by the end of the year, he said.
Dr Ryan said the WHO was reassured by emerging data that many of the licensed vaccines appeared to be helping to curb the virus’s spread.
“If the vaccines begin to impact not only on death and not only on hospitalisation, but have a significant impact on transmission dynamics and transmission risk, then I believe we will accelerate toward controlling this pandemic.”
But Dr Ryan warned against complacency, saying nothing was guaranteed in an evolving epidemic.
“Right now the virus is very much in control,” he said.
The WHO’s director general, meanwhile, said it was “regrettable” that younger and healthier adults in some rich countries were being vaccinated before health workers in developing countries.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said immunisations provided by the UN-backed Covax effort began this week in Ghana and the Ivory Coast.
But he lamented that this was happening three months after countries such as Britain, the US and Canada began vaccinating their own populations.
“Countries are not in a race with each other,” Dr Tedros said. “This is a common race against the virus.
"We are not asking countries to put their own people at risk. We are asking all countries to be part of a global effort to suppress the virus everywhere.”
But the WHO stopped short of criticising countries that are moving to vaccinate younger and healthier people instead of donating their doses to countries that have not yet been able to protect their most vulnerable.
“We can’t tell individual countries what to do,” said Dr Bruce Aylward, a senior WHO adviser.
Dr Tedros also noted that for the first time in seven weeks, the number of Covid-19 cases increased last week, after six consecutive weeks of declining numbers.
He said the increase was “disappointing” but not surprising.
Mr Tedros said the WHO was working to better understand why cases increased, but that part of that surge appeared to be due to the “relaxing of public health measures".
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
The specs: 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 60kWh battery
Transmission: Single-speed Electronic Precision Shift
Power: 204hp
Torque: 360Nm
Range: 520km (claimed)
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai,
HBKU Press
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
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Book%20Details
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FIGHT CARD
1. Featherweight 66kg
Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)
2. Lightweight 70kg
Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)
3. Welterweight 77kg
Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)
4. Lightweight 70kg
Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)
5. Featherweight 66kg
Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)
6. Catchweight 85kg
Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)
7. Featherweight 66kg
Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)
8. Catchweight 73kg
Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Abdipatta Abdizhali (KGZ)
9. Featherweight 66kg
Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)
10. Catchweight 90kg
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
UFC%20FIGHT%20NIGHT%3A%20SAUDI%20ARABIA%20RESULTS
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do
Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.
“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”
Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.
Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.
“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”
For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.
“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
