Behavioural changes in place to stave off the Covid-19 outbreak could change by "late spring or summer" following widespread vaccination efforts in the developed world, according to Bill Gates.
Countries around the world have imposed movement restrictions, placed a cap on large gatherings and made measures such as wearing face masks and sanitisation mandatory to stem the spread of the virus
The billionaire founder of Microsoft, who now focuses on healthcare through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, spoke about the impact of inoculation to contain Covid-19 in an interview on social media app Clubhouse.
“It’s only by late spring or summer that we’re going to get to numbers where you can look at changing your behaviour in a significant way,” Mr Gates said.
More than 231 million doses of Covid-19 have been delivered worldwide, with more than 70 million jabs distributed in the US, the country with the highest number of Covid-19 infections.
Mr Gates, who has been a vocal proponent for adopting preventive measures such as face masks, has received a two doses of the jab but said the vaccination does not stop transmission of the virus.
He urged those who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus to continue wearing personal protective equipment and adhere to social distancing rules to stop the spread.
Globally, the number of infections rose above 114 million as of Saturday, according to Worldometer, which tracks the pandemic. The US accounts for more than a quarter of all infections.
Regulators have so far approved vaccines developed by the Pfizer/BioNTech collaboration, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Oxford, Novavax, Sinovac Biotech, Gamaleya, CanSino Biologics, Sinopharm and more recently, Johnson & Johnson.
However, new and more virulent strains of the pathogen that mutated in the UK, South Africa and Brazil are now adding to the concerns of vaccine makers.
Israel has had the most success in the vaccination programme, with 36.4 per cent of the population vaccinated so far, according to a Bloomberg tracker.
The new administration of Joe Biden has promised to deliver vaccines to 100 million people within the first 100 days of his office.
The five pillars of Islam
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
