Scientists in the UAE have warned against complacency in response to Covid-19 as they begin to unlock new information on the virus.
Experts in the country have studied the genetic makeup of the first 240 people to be infected in the Emirates in an effort to understand more.
Establishing a detailed picture of the genetic sequence of the new coronavirus could help identify how effective a potential vaccine might be.
Significantly, researchers found that the virus in their study was relatively stable, increasing the chances of a vaccine lasting for longer periods.
“Detailed information of the genetic sequence of each individual was collected as well as clinical information to understand the genetics of the virus,” said Professor Alawi Alsheikh-Ali, a member of the Emirates Scientist Council and provost at the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) in Dubai.
One cluster showed sequences similar to those in Europe while another was similar to those seen in Iran.
“That data could be compared with the genome sequencing recorded and published in Wuhan, China, in late December.
“This information helps scientist understand more about the genetic background of the virus and track transmission of the disease.”
The results of the new research has helped shed light on how coronavirus entered the UAE.
The first case in the country, a 73-year-old Chinese woman, was announced on January 29. She was released on February 9 after recovering.
Experts said they had uncovered “multiple” introductions of the virus to the UAE, with resulting cluster patterns similar to other countries.
They also found most of the infected patients only showed mild symptoms or were asymptomatic.
Those who presented with more serious symptoms tended to be older, male and had underlying health conditions.
“We found multiple introductions of the virus into the country,” said Dr Ahmad Abou Tayoun, associate professor of Genetics at MBRU and director of the Genomics Centre at Al Jalila Children’s Speciality Hospital.
“One cluster showed sequences similar to those in Europe while another was similar to those seen in Iran.
“A few patients had an Asian background as their sequence clustered with the early cases recorded in China.
“The main finding is we had multiple introductions into the country, as expected with Dubai being such an international hub.”
Dr Tom Loney, an epidemiologist at MBRU, said more research was required to understand if different strains of Covid-19 could be more deadly than others.
Further study is also needed to establish whether those who have caught the virus and recovered build up any immunity and for how long.
“We don’t yet understand if the different variations in the virus is linked to it being more infectious or that it is easier to transmit,” said Dr Loney.
“For the virus to survive it needs to infect more people before it kills them off.
“We will continue our research to see if other strains are related to more serious health outcomes.”
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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
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Civil%20War
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
THE NEW BATCH'S FOCUS SECTORS
AiFlux – renewables, oil and gas
DevisionX – manufacturing
Event Gates – security and manufacturing
Farmdar – agriculture
Farmin – smart cities
Greener Crop – agriculture
Ipera.ai – space digitisation
Lune Technologies – fibre-optics
Monak – delivery
NutzenTech – environment
Nybl – machine learning
Occicor – shelf management
Olymon Solutions – smart automation
Pivony – user-generated data
PowerDev – energy big data
Sav – finance
Searover – renewables
Swftbox – delivery
Trade Capital Partners – FinTech
Valorafutbol – sports and entertainment
Workfam – employee engagement
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
The specs: 2018 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic HSE
Price, base / as tested: Dh263,235 / Dh420,000
Engine: 3.0-litre supercharged V6
Power 375hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque: 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.4L / 100kms
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Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Dolittle
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen
One-and-a-half out of five stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company%C2%A0profile
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