Covid-19 has now killed about 730,000 people in the US, making it the deadliest pandemic in the nation's history, with more lives claimed than by HIV/Aids.
The tally comes as the US marks four decades since HIV — the virus that can cause Aids — was first detected in the country, and some are now looking at the two vastly different diseases and seeing parallels.
The US government's initial approach to both HIV/Aids and Covid was denial and indifference.
As Aids rampaged through communities in New York, San Francisco and elsewhere in the early 1980s, the administration of former president Ronald Reagan looked the other way.
Even as the disease claimed tens of thousands of American lives, Reagan slashed spending on public health agencies, and it wasn't until 1987 that he recognised the pandemic.
“I wish in the HIV response, they tried to bring all Americans along, and it wasn't just a problem that was in certain communities,” Kevin Fisher, director of policy, data and analysis for the Aids Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, told The National.
“If they brought everybody along and said this is something that we all need to figure out, then it would have been better.”
When Covid-19 first arrived in the US, then-president Donald Trump repeatedly played down its dangers, dismissing it as akin to “a regular flu” — even after he knew it was far deadlier.
They're both diseases that kind of prey on human intimacy
Kevin Fisher,
Aids Vaccine Advocacy Coalition
Both crises have disproportionately affected minority groups and poorer communities. For Covid, people of colour have often had to keep working in front-line jobs while white and wealthier people stayed home.
For HIV/Aids, homosexuals and drug-using populations were hit hardest by the disease in the early days as it was transmitted primarily through unprotected sex and intravenous drug use.
“They're both diseases that kind of prey on human intimacy”, despite differences in how they're spread, Mr Fisher said.
More than 34,000 HIV infections were registered in the US in 2019, Kaiser Family Foundation data show.
HIV-related illness ranked tenth in leading causes of deaths for people between the ages of 25 and 34, and killed a total of 486 people in this age group in 2019, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Exact numbers are unknown, but it is believed that at least 700,000 people in the US have died as a result of HIV/Aids.
Covid cases are dropping nationwide but the US continues to report an average of 75,000 infections and 1,250 deaths daily, the CDC said.
The US leads the world in deaths from Covid.
“That's just heartbreaking that in a year and a half of this pandemic, we've seen so many, so many lives lost and especially since having the vaccine available,” Stephen Lee, executive director of the National Alliance of State & Territorial Aids Directors, told The National.
At the same time, Mr Lee said the US government has learnt some important lessons from HIV/Aids.
In 40 years of fighting the virus, health programmes and healthcare infrastructure have expanded, helping the US better address the current pandemic.
Despite his Covid denial, Mr Trump was quick to emphasise the need for a vaccine under the Operation Warp Speed public-private partnership that has helped create and roll out several Covid vaccines and treatments on an accelerated time frame.
“Some of the rapidity of which we see and saw the development of vaccine and treatment and prevention aspects around Covid was built on some of the experience we had with HIV,” Mr Lee said.
Mr Fisher noted how the early official response to HIV/Aids stigmatised sufferers.
With Covid, anti-Asian hate crimes spiked as Mr Trump and others blamed China for the virus.
While there is currently no cure for HIV or Aids, two people have been functionally “cured”: the PrEP pill significantly lowers the risk of HIV infection for at-risk communities and several antiretroviral pills treat HIV, making it a chronic, manageable condition.
Mr Lee and Mr Fisher said another lesson learnt from HIV/Aids was prioritising community engagement.
For instance, volunteer mutual-aid groups were created in local neighbourhoods and the administration of President Joe Biden formed a White House Covid-19 Equity Task Force as part of its national pandemic response.
Many US health leaders, including Mr Biden's top medical adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, and CDC chief Dr Rochelle Walensky, started their careers in HIV prevention and are now leading the US fight against Covid.
Mr Fisher and Mr Lee believe increased investment in public health infrastructure and future pandemic preparedness will help the world address both HIV and Covid.
“There are benefits that we can mine from the Covid response so far,” Mr Lee said.
“All the money and resources that are going into improving our public health infrastructure will have spillover effects and other aspects of communicable diseases like HIV.”
Much work remains to be done, however, including funding US plans to end the HIV/Aids health crisis by 2030, which Mr Biden said he supports.
“Remember that HIV is still there, it's still a major epidemic that we haven't got under control, and we need global commitment to try and finish the work on that,” Mr Fisher said.
START-UPS%20IN%20BATCH%204%20OF%20SANABIL%20500'S%20ACCELERATOR%20PROGRAMME
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
The specs: 2018 Audi Q5/SQ5
Price, base: Dh183,900 / Dh249,000
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder / 3.0L, turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic / Eight-speed automatic
Power: 252hp @ 5,000rpm / 354hp @ 5,400rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,600rpm / 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy: combined 7.2L / 100km / 8.3L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
The specs: 2018 Maserati Ghibli
Price, base / as tested: Dh269,000 / Dh369,000
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 355hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.9L / 100km
UAE%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3E%0DJemma%20Eley%2C%20Maria%20Michailidou%2C%20Molly%20Fuller%2C%20Chloe%20Andrews%20(of%20Dubai%20College)%2C%20Eliza%20Petricola%2C%20Holly%20Guerin%2C%20Yasmin%20Craig%2C%20Caitlin%20Gowdy%20(Dubai%20English%20Speaking%20College)%2C%20Claire%20Janssen%2C%20Cristiana%20Morall%20(Jumeirah%20English%20Speaking%20School)%2C%20Tessa%20Mies%20(Jebel%20Ali%20School)%2C%20Mila%20Morgan%20(Cranleigh%20Abu%20Dhabi).%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Alita: Battle Angel
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson
Four stars
BlacKkKlansman
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver
Five stars
FIGHT CARD
Welterweight Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Tohir Zhuraev (TJK)
Catchweight 75kg Leandro Martins (BRA) v Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Flyweight Corinne Laframboise (CAN) v Manon Fiorot (FRA)
Featherweight Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB)
Lightweight Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) v Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG)
Featherweight Yousef Al Housani (UAE) v Mohamed Arsharq Ali (SLA)
Catchweight 69kg Jung Han-gook (KOR) v Elias Boudegzdame (ALG)
Catchweight 71kg Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
Featherweight title Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
Lightweight title Bruno Machado (BRA) v Mike Santiago (USA)
Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
SPIDER-MAN%3A%20ACROSS%20THE%20SPIDER-VERSE
%3Cp%3EDirectors%3A%20Joaquim%20Dos%20Santos%2C%20Kemp%20Powers%2C%20Justin%20K.%20Thompson%3Cbr%3EStars%3A%20Shameik%20Moore%2C%20Hailee%20Steinfeld%2C%20Oscar%20Isaac%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
The years Ramadan fell in May