Governments must urgently mobilise to mass-produce Covid-19 tests by emulating technological breakthroughs by the countries that have responded most effectively to the pandemic, according to the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
In a series of papers and reports this week, the institute said it is only through the application of technology and innovation that countries can overcome the challenges presented by rapidly testing a large percentage of their populations to fight the coronavirus.
A three-pronged approach should be adopted in which technology, engineering and manufacturing capacity was redirected towards mass production of rapid tests; digital tools should be developed to support community testing and prioritise who should be tested; and private-sector companies should be leveraged to deliver tests to households.
Feted as the “gold-standard” was South Korea, where phone booths are being used to allow medical professionals on the opposite side of a glass wall to administer tests via a handset, and a smartphone app providing details of the virus’s spread is enabling drive-through testing to be set up by roadsides in hotspots.
Mr Blair, the former British prime minister, said in the foreword to a report released on Monday that the effort required to secure mass-scale production was “Herculean”, likening it to the mobilisation of industry during the Second World War.
He also described as "unrealistic" the concept of so-called herd immunity, which proponents say would give the general population protection against the pandemic.
“I do not see a way out of this crisis without mass testing and the development of a clear exit strategy involving testing and tracing, together with innovations in treatment and the use of technology,” he said.
“The coronavirus dilemma is simply expressed: the disease is more serious than flu. Its lethality may be anything up to 10 times more. Therefore, we cannot let it ‘run through the herd’."
Britain's Health Minister Matt Hancock recently set a target of 100,000 tests a day by the end of the month but faces considerable scepticism that this can be achieved. There are fears that the available home tests are not accurate enough, with even Mr Hancock saying he has not yet seen one that works well.
Prof Sir John Bell, Regius professor of medicine at the University of Oxford and government adviser on life sciences, said creating home test kits is "not easy".
"Sadly, the tests we have looked at to date have not performed well," Prof Bell said, and this was a problem experienced elsewhere, including in Germany and Spain.
The push to speed up testing has led to calls for greater international co-ordination. The UK Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee has argued that multilateral organisations, such as the World Health Organisation, are failing to achieve the international cohesion that is needed to save lives. It called for a "G20 for Public Health" that would enable better co-operation between researchers and allow the sharing of health data.
"The only way we can overcome a global crisis on the scale of coronavirus is by working together as a global community,” said Tom Tugendhat, the chairman of the committee. “Our best weapons against this virus are science, evidence and co-operation.
“This may seem obvious to most, yet instead of sharing the information needed to help tackle the pandemic, some of the most powerful countries in the world have actively tried to suppress and manipulate it.”
UK Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said that Nato should be at the forefront of work to improve the resilience of vulnerable countries and co-operation to develop a vaccine.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
GAC GS8 Specs
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Australia
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South Korea
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
THREE
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The Sky Is Pink
Director: Shonali Bose
Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf
Three stars
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
