A leading vaccine scientist is “optimistic” the UK will achieve herd immunity against Covid-19 despite the spread of the Indian variant.
Prof Adam Finn, a paediatrician and government vaccine adviser, said on Thursday the country could still beat the disease if uptake of the vaccine remained high.
"We're now confronted with, yet again, another version of the virus and we're still in the process of understanding how infectious it is," he told BBC's Radio 4 Today programme.
"The proportion of the population and the evenness with which you give them the vaccine ultimately will determine when you achieve population immunity for any infection. I'm optimistic that we, particularly in the UK, with the high coverage we're achieving and the extremely effective vaccines we've got, that we can achieve population immunity."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also increasingly confident that the final stage of lockdown easing will take place on June 21.
He said there was "nothing conclusive" in the data that means England "would have to deviate from the roadmap".
"We have increasing confidence that vaccines are effective against all variants, including the Indian variant."
The number of confirmed cases of the India variant rose to 2,967 on Wednesday – up 28 per cent from Monday’s 2,323.
However, England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam said hospital admissions remained “fairly flat” in variant hotspots.
He said the India variant could be between 20 and 30 per cent more infectious than the strain first identified in England, but vaccines would guard against serious illness.
“I pitch this personally as a straight race between the transmissibility of this new variant … and vaccine delivery,” he said.
“The NHS is doing everything it can to turbo-boost that, and that is the challenge that’s ahead of us in the next two to three to four weeks, to make sure that we outrun the virus through really vigorous pull-through on vaccine delivery.”
The UK opened its vaccination programme to those aged 34 and above on Wednesday.
More than 70 per cent of the adult population has received the first dose, and nearly 40 per cent are fully vaccinated, government data shows.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
