Dr Anthony Fauci, the leading US expert on infectious diseases, on Tuesday took to the White House press briefing podium to speak about the national Covid-19 booster vaccination drive, as his retirement approaches.
“My final message — maybe the final message I give you from this podium — is that please, for your own safety, for that of your family, get your updated Covid-19 shot as soon as you're eligible, to protect yourself, your family and your community,” he said.
Only 11.3 per cent of the population over the age of five has received the updated booster, US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data show.
The newly designed shot is a bivalent vaccine dose targeting the original coronavirus strain as well as the Omicron subvariants.
White House Covid Response Task Force co-ordinator Dr Ashish Jha announced a weekslong programme to get more Americans boosted before the winter months, when more people travel and spend time indoors.
He said that public health advertisements will be aired during the World Cup.
Dr Jha also announced there will be vaccination clinics at senior centres, nursing homes, community health spaces and universities in the weeks to come.
New CDC data released on Tuesday found that the new vaccine dose provides moderate protection against the disease, but did not say whether it gave better protection over previously designed doses.
Dr Fauci has led the National Institutes of Health for decades and will retire this December.
“I don’t want to see anybody die from Covid, whether you’re a far-right Republican or far-left Democrat, doesn’t make any difference to me,” he said.
Recent CDC projections show that there will be an increase of deaths from Covid-19 in the coming months.
More than one million people in the US have died from the disease so far.
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
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- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
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- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
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What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Meydan race card
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh125,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,200m
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9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 (D)1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
