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Regular Covid-19 saliva testing for primary-age pupils in Abu Dhabi will help schools return to relative normal soon, a top public health official said.
Tests that involve spitting into a tube were trialled in December and will now be rolled out more widely in the coming weeks.
Dr Omniyat Al Hajeri, director public health at the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, said the screening programmes will ensure young children do not need to undergo PCR nasal swabs.
The initial trial began with 400 pupils aged under-12 at a private school in the capital.
It was later rolled out to 2,000 pupils in 25 schools – including in "hot zones and clusters" of outbreaks.
We had to stop for the winter break and, given the epidemiological situation, the return of school has been delayed several times
“They were brave to be the first,” Dr Al Hajeri said at an event hosted online.
"What happened is that we had to stop for the school winter break and, given the epidemiological situation, the return to school has been delayed several times."
Saliva test effectiveness is now regarded as on par with PCR testing, according to a recent journal report.
Most private schools in the capital saw pupils return to their desks in February. For middle-year pupils, it was the first time they had stepped foot in school for 11 months.
“Given that, we will embark on the remaining hot zone school screening programme within the coming few weeks,” Dr Al Hajeri said.
Despite the hopes of a return to normal learning, schools across the Northern Emirates have shut in the past two weeks and most government-run schools nationwide remain closed.
Many private schools in Dubai opened in September, only to close and return to home learning when they were outbreaks among pupils. Most headteachers allow parents and pupils to choose whether to physically attend school or learn online.
Mobile check-ups on elderly and vulnerable
Dr Al Hajeri also said there were concerns that elderly and vulnerable people were avoiding regular check-ups and treatment due to worries about visiting hospitals.
"Many were worried about going to the hospital and given that, we have a high rate of chronic diseases," she said.
Doorstep visits by medics have been in place since early on in the pandemic.
Services include regular medical treatment and those relating to coronavirus – such as home testing.
"We put ourselves in their shoes. We asked ourselves, what do we need for our parents?" she said.
"So in order to maximise benefits, we initiated a full programme that tried to cover their needs.
"We invested in the infrastructure that we had. Taking care of the population at risk was critical," said Dr Al Hajeri.
“However, we realised that people were reluctant to take our calls, so we've taken that a step further and reached people where they are instead of waiting for them.
"We realised that there were cases that needed urgent communication with their health providers.”
During the pandemic, many younger people in their 40s missed regular heart scans for signs of cardiovascular disease.
“We also looked at what we could do for those above 40 and have activated screening services, such as cardiovascular screening," she said.
Phase two, for those under 40, will begin in the next few months.
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
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
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
On sale: now
Honeymoonish
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The years Ramadan fell in May
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if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Seoul from Dh3,775 return, including taxes
The package
Ski Safari offers a seven-night ski package to Korea, including five nights at the Dragon Valley Hotel in Yongpyong and two nights at Seoul CenterMark hotel, from £720 (Dh3,488) per person, including transfers, based on two travelling in January
The info
Visit www.gokorea.co.uk
FIGHT INFO
Men’s 60kg Round 1:
Ahmad Shuja Jamal (AFG) beat Krisada Takhiankliang (THA) - points
Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) beat Akram Alyminee (YEM) - retired Round 1
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Bhanu Pratap Pandit (IND) - TKO Round 1
Men’s 71kg Round 1:
Seyed Kaveh Soleyman (IRI) beat Abedel Rahman (JOR) - RSC round 3.
Amine Al Moatassime (UAE) walk over Ritiz Puri (NEP)
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months