The decision was made by an influential committee of outside experts who advise the Food and Drug Administration.

In a surprising turn, the panel rejected, by a vote of 16-2, boosters for almost everyone. Members cited a lack of safety data on extra doses and also raised doubts about the value of mass boosters, rather than ones targeted to specific groups.

Then, in an 18-0 vote, it endorsed the extra shot for select portions of the U.S. population — namely, those most at risk from the virus.

That would help salvage part of the White House’s campaign but would still be a huge step back from the far-reaching plan proposed by the administration a month ago to offer booster shots of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to practically everybody eight months after they get their second dose.

Friday’s vote was just the first step in the process. The FDA itself is expected to make a decision on boosters in the next few days, but it usually follows the committee’s recommendations.

The offering of boosters is also subject to approval by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A CDC advisory panel is expected to take up the question on Wednesday. The CDC has said it is considering boosters for older people, nursing home residents and front-line health care workers, rather than all adults.

Separate FDA and CDC decisions will be needed in order for people who received the Moderna or J&J shots to get boosters.

During several hours of vigorous debate Friday, members of the panel questioned the value of offering boosters to almost everybody 16 and over.

“I don’t think a booster dose is going to significantly contribute to controlling the pandemic,” said Dr. Cody Meissner of Tufts University. “And I think it’s important that the main message we transmit is that we’ve got to get everyone two doses.”

Read Also – Mahmood Ahmadu Wins Big in Forbes 2021 Awards

Dr. Amanda Cohn of the CDC said: “At this moment it is clear that the unvaccinated are driving transmission in the United States.”

Scientists inside and outside the government have been divided in recent days over the need for boosters and who should get them, and the World Health Organization has strongly objected to rich nations giving a third round of shots when poor countries don’t have enough COVID-19 vaccine for their first.

While research suggests immunity levels in those who have been vaccinated wane over time and boosters can reverse that, the Pfizer vaccine is still highly protective against severe illness and death, even amid the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.

The surprise turn of events could reinforce recent criticism that the Biden administration got out ahead of the science in its push for boosters. President Joe Biden promised early on that his administration would “follow the science,” following disclosures of political meddling in the Trump administration’s coronavirus response.

The FDA panel’s overwhelming initial rejection came despite full-throated arguments about the need for boosters from both Pfizer and health officials from Israel, which began offering boosters to its citizens in July.

Sharon Alroy-Preis of Israel’s Ministry of Health said the booster dose improves protection tenfold against infection in people 60 and older.

“It’s like a fresh vaccine,” bringing protection back to original levels and helping Israel “dampen severe cases in the fourth wave,” she said.

And representatives for Pfizer argued that it is important to shore up immunity before protection against severe disease starts to erode. A company study of 44,000 people showed effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 was 96% two months after the second dose, but had dropped to 84% by around six months.

Both Pfizer and the Israeli representatives faced pushback from panelists. Several were skeptical about the relevance of Israel’s experience to the U.S. Another concern was whether third doses would exacerbate serious side effects.

Meissner said he was worried about extra doses for younger age groups, given the risk of heart inflammation that has been seen in mostly younger men after a second dose. While the condition is very rare, he said, it is not clear if that risk would increase with another dose.

Pfizer pointed to Israeli data from nearly 3 million COVID-19 boosters to suggest side effect rates would be similar to that seen after second doses.

Dr. Paul Offit, a COVID-19 vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said he was supportive of the third dose for adults over 60 or 65, but “I really have trouble” supporting it for anyone down to age 16.

While an extra shot likely will at least temporarily decrease cases with mild or no symptoms, “the question becomes what will be the impact of that on the arc of the pandemic, which may not be all that much,” Offit said.

Source – https://www.newsmax.com/

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People are sharing stories of how their teeth or gums weakened, fell out, became discolored or broke.

Dentists say it’s too early to establish a well-linked connection between the coronavirus and oral health, though.

”We are now beginning to examine some of the bewildering and sometimes disabling symptoms that patients are suffering months after they’ve recovered from Covid,” Dr. William W. Li, president and medical director of the Angiogenesis Foundation, a nonprofit that studies the health and disease of blood vessels, told the Times.

Li said teeth falling out without any blood is unusual and could mean there’s an issue with blood vessels in the gums. SARS-CoV-2 directly infects endothelial cells via ACE2, a protein on the surface of many cell types. Endothelial cells form the inner lining of blood vessels. Blood vessels keep the teeth alive.   

Read Also – Mahmood Ahmadu Bags EuroKnowledge Award

Read Newsmax: NYTimes: Some COVID-19 Survivors Report Issues With Oral Health, Including Teeth Falling Out | Newsmax.com
Urgent: Your Heart Attack Risk Determined Online – More Info

Coronavirus can also cause the immune system to overcompensate, leading to a ”cytokine storm,” says Dr. Michael Scherer, a prosthodontist in California.

”Gum disease is very sensitive to hyper-inflammatory reactions, and Covid long haulers certainly fall into that category,” Scherer told the Times.

Nearly 13 million Americans have been infected with COVID-19 and about 263,000 have died.

Source – https://www.newsmax.com/

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The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, disclosed this at the daily Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday.

He said the huge loss is associated with lack of activities at the sector whose income solely depends on flight operations.

“In civil aviation, we are in a very difficult moment like everyone else. All of these things started because someone travelled and unfortunately came back home with it (ailment) and the consequence is what we have been going through.

“We are the worst-hit than any other sector. Based on the trend of events before COVID-19, the total loss is about N21 billion approximately plus about N3 billion tangentially and this is divided in this form: N7 billion for aviation agencies which they lose in a month, N10 billion for airline and N4 billion for ground handling, catering and others and the tangential N3 billion,” he said.

Scourge

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on all sectors of the economy.

The Nigerian government had on March 23 shut all international airports in the country for an initial period of one month. Local airports were also shut days later. Following the one month completion, the airport closure was extended by two weeks.

An additional four weeks extension was announced on Wednesday afternoon.

The move was part of efforts to contain the spread of the virus which has affected over three million people worldwide and killed over 270,000.

However, the government said emergency and essential flights could be operated from any of the airports within the period.

Other losses

The minister said statistics from the International Airline Transport Association (IATA) on COVID-19’s economic impact on Nigeria has revealed a revenue loss of $994 million.

“Also the figures from the International Airline Transport Association (AITA) Economics gave economic impact in Africa’s largest aviation market and that for Nigeria; airline revenue loss is $994 million. In terms of employment at risk in Nigeria, it is 125,370 and loss of contribution to the GDP is $885 million.

“These are IATA figures and because the sector has to do service delivery and it has not been able to render services, then the revenue is lost because the service has not been rendered and that means I have lost it,” he said.

He explained that the aviation sector was the fastest growing sector in the country before the COVID-19 outbreak.

”At the end of 2018 Q4, aviation became the second-fastest-growing sector in the country and Q4 2019 just finished and aviation was the fastest growing sector in Nigeria.

Read Also – UAE Central Bank’s COVID-19 package supports economy

”This is the figures by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistic. We believe the roadmap we are running will take us to greater heights and it is adding to the GDP and the general wellbeing of our economy,” he said.

Post COVID-19

”This is the situation of civil aviation, it is a pathetic one, we are all crying and I can guarantee you several airlines are not going to come out of it, unfortunately.

“They will not be able to just open up after closing for several weeks and start flying. For example, if you keep your car for several weeks and you come back to start it after six months, the car will develop a problem.

”So, the airplanes have been kept and when we are going to bring them back into service, we will make sure that they are airworthy and they can make those flights safely.

“So also the flight crew; those flying the airplanes. They have certain standards they must conform with. They have their licensing issues to also sort out which will fall due for recurrence within this period,” he said.

Source – https://www.premiumtimesng.com/

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The National Medical Association (NMA) that has lost more than 11 doctors in the battle also kicked against the decision to unlock the economy and polity.

NCDC warned that coronavirus cases will continue to rise for the next few months even as the cases peaked at 2,388 with 85 deaths, a leap within a week by more than 150 per cent.

Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Director General of NCDC, said the cases would likely increase if the people are allowed to mingle and given the increasing capacity to find and test more cases.

The nation lacks bed spaces and this added to more infections will worsen the frightening scenario.

“The easing of the lockdown should not be seen as going back to status quo,’’ as Nigeria may not be able to manage possible explosion, he said.

Dr Ihekweazu said that governments and Nigerians have roles to play in slowing the spread of novel coronavirus pandemic and protecting themselves, their families and communities.

Read Also – UAE Central Bank’s COVID-19 package supports economy

President Muhammadu Buhari who imposed a lockdown in Lagos and Ogun states as well as in Abuja, the epicentres of the pandemic for 28 days as 34 other states also did has declared easing of the lockdown due to public demand.

However, the relax of the lockdown came at a time that Kano, north west Nigeria with a population of more than 20 million, is recording its worse cases and with hundreds of mysterious deaths.

Reports say that more than 150 people, including prominent indigenes of Kano have died mysteriously in two weeks, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to launch a probe into unusual deaths.

President of the Association of NMA, Dr Francis Faduyile, described the unlocking as premature, as it will “figuratively tilt the epidemiological curve towards an upward spike’’.

Source – https://www.nation.co.ke/

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The reserve requirement for demand deposit has also been halved, from 14 to 7 per cent.

This was stated by Mahmood Ahmadu, Chairman of Fintech Solution, during an exclusive interview with Gulf Today, adding that the emphasis is on increasing liquidity in the financial sector and we strongly believe that agile solutions, such as the ones Fintech companies are facilitating, will play a critical role in the expanding the flow of this influx of capital, throughout the entire economy.

Talking about the local market, Ahmadu underscored the positive impact that the ease of money transfer, currency exchange and P2P lending, which Fintech facilitates, is likely to have in the wake of the UAE central bank’s sizable Covid-19 stimulus package.

Also Read – Covid-19: Mahmood Ahmadu and other KT’s partners Sends Hope

In contrast to what has been the norm for decades in developed economies, a huge section of the developing world’s population is still underserved by traditional banking mechanisms, with the recent Covid- 19 crisis acting as a dark reminder of the ramification of this disparity.  Although great strides have been made in this regard in recent years – particularly in India, South East Asia, Brazil and some other South American nations – universal global financial inclusion remains an unattained goal.

In this context, the case for Fintech solutions that facilitate electronic transfer of funds, provide basic insurance cover, and extend micro loan facilities, is compelling. For instance, mobile banking, crowdfunding and P2P lending, make it possible for rural innovators and entrepreneurs, in the remotest of areas, to establish small community oriented enterprises. Skilled as well as unskilled workers are able to look for more lucrative employment, further away from home, empowered by quick and easy money transfers to their dependants.  

According to the 2017 Global Findex Database issued by the World Bank in April 2018 – which is the most recent version of this report – marginally over two-thirds of the population in the MENA region are unbanked. More than 60% of the UAE’s current working population is outside the traditional banking system, because such institutions find it difficult to work with customers earning less than Dh 5,000 per month.

The UAE’s large low income expatriate worker population sends regular remittances to their countries of origin, and Fintech is emerging as the best avenue to service their needs.   Ahmadu, Chairman of Fintech solution provider Innovate 1 Pay – which has operations in 24 different nations and trading in over 60 – spoke about some of the advantages Fintech solutions have over traditional banking, in servicing some of these niche needs for the unbanked and marginalised communities.

“Expat remittances from the UAE were around Dh165 billion in 2019”, said Ahmadu. “These funds stimulate considerable economic activity in the worker’s home countries, so easing this process goes beyond simply facilitating the individual. What’s also significant is that, in recent years, a greater proportion of these funds have been transferred through exchange houses and Fintech solutions, as compared to traditional banking channels”.

Source – https://www.gulftoday.ae/business/2020/04/19/uae-central-banks-covid-19–package-supports-economy

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Whilst the Covid-19 situation appears to be doom and gloom, one should always have hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. All it takes is for a cure or approved treatment to come out. Businesses should get very tight control on their costs and remain above water for the time being. The economic effects of the crisis will take a longer time to kick in and governments need to have a more patient outlook in terms of recovery. — Saeed Al Darmaki, chairman of eGovern.

READ ALSO – Mahmood Ahmadu’s Innovate 1 Pay Features On The Front Cover Of The Financial Times

3 of 16

Challenging times, but as the cliché goes, this too shall pass. Covid-19 has impacted nearly every facet of life and to make it through the pandemic, we have to have hope. Look at the way the UAE leadership has risen to the occasion with numerous proactive measures which have ensured calmness and stability in this great nation. Just hold on. We as a nation have to rise and we will do so sooner rather than later. Rather than looking at the current situation in a negative manner, I would rather use this time to plan for the future and look for ways to make business processes more robust and resilient so that we can hit the ground running when stability returns. — Yusuffali MA, Chairman, Lulu Group

4 of 16

With today’s global pandemic, businesses have been facing difficult times with some of them often distraught and forced to make tough decisions in their operations. However, in the UAE many companies can take advantage of the digital infrastructure and initiatives that support both residents and companies to mitigate any negative impact. Many can also benefit from the hand extended by certain partners in the market to find practical and costless solutions to carry on with their business. We need to come together, corporations and residents, to continue supporting the community as a whole. We have seen a strong spirit of solidarity in the market, a spirit that is deeply rooted in our culture. — Rashed A. Al Ansari, Chief Executive Officer, Al Ansari Exchange

5 of 16

The Covid-19 crisis has produced unprecedented challenges in the life of people, professionals and businesses. It has taught us that our fates are deeply intertwined. There are many lessons that we learned. One of the most important ones is to go digital as much as possible. We have launched Tele Health and manage many of our back-office functions digitally. We also have realised the importance of having robust supply chain of materials. There is also the reality that sustainability and business continuity requires sacrifice from everyone as cash flow shall become a major challenge. The visionary leadership and the support by the authorities for businesses is one of the most satisfying realizations during the crisis. — Dr Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman & Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare

6 of 16

Businesses that invest in strategic, operational and financial resilience to emerging global risks will be better positioned to respond and recover. Currently global economy is suffering. People are not at work because they are sick or quarantined. In such a situation, demand stimulus will merely boost inflation, potentially leading to recession. Hence, I am sure impact will be there across each sector of our business as well but our operations are still generating partial revenue, if not full, on account of circular issued by government, allowing the logistical operations of building materials businesses to take place and, by extension, our construction sector. I just pray that this pandemic is eradicated soon, till then, stay safe. — Rizwan Sajan, Founder and Chairman of Danube Group

7 of 16

The world is in the midst of an economic disruption and stagnation, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In this hour of test, businesses have a responsibility to come together to support the economy, each other and their workforces. As a start-up, Facilio is accustomed to meeting challenges proactively and we see this attitude reflected in the response of entrepreneurs and enterprises to this disruptive moment. We believe in the resilience of our institutions and industries, within the UAE and globally, and that together we will emerge from this crisis stronger than we have ever been. — Nivedha Sridhar, Director of Content and Growth Strategy, Facilio Inc.

8 of 16

As the world undergoes economic turmoil in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, marginalized sections of the global population, who have limited access to financial services and face challenging circumstances at the best of times, are particularly vulnerable. As businesses and individuals who are blessed with the means to, it is our duty to look out for those less fortunate. We believe the disruption can be short lived and the damage be kept to a minimum, if we all come together to support the needy during this crisis, and in the rebuilding efforts that will follow. — Mahmood Ahmadu, Chairman of Online Integrated Solutions.

9 of 16

In these uncertain times, strength and hope are our only lifelines. The strength to be able to overcome this economic instability and a hope that the UAE economy will rebound stronger than ever. We pray for the frontliners and thank them for their services. — Kamal Vachani, group director of Almaya Group

10 of 16

We are moving through a hard time and we all should stand together, work together for the future. Business owners should take this opportunity as a lesson-learned session, fix your strategies and boost your business to the next success. — Sultan Ali Rashed Lootah, chairman, managing director and co-founder of Relam Investment

11 of 16

The crisis that the whole world is currently passing through can only be overcome by hope and faith. It’s not just some industries or some countries, but the entire global economy is at stake. This will have an everlasting impact on the way we did business or lived our personal life. E-commerce, digital banking, e-finance, remote working and distance learning will see higher adoption. A contactless world will create pressure on certain industries and opportunities for others. Crypto and digital currencies will see more use cases and acceptance resulting in brighter future. We may see a more de-globalised world but strongly connected virtual community can balance that out. More investments in healthcare and research is required so that the world can be protected from any such future pandemics. — Arshad Khan, co-founder of Arabian Bourse

12 of 16

This is a great opportunity for business leaders to focus on how the business community can play a vital role in building a more resilient economic system. This is the time for introspection and building stronger relationships with employees, business associates, customers, and supply chains that will help us to move forward with full vigor when the situation becomes normal. This is the time to understand and be ready to face the future in a confident manner. It is true that organisations will make changes when the economy improves. I feel the changes will be for better utilisation of resources, better business practices and better systems. — Dhananjay Datar, Chairman and MD, Al Adil Group of supermarkets

READ ALSO – Mahmood Ahmadu’s Innovate 1 Pay Features on the front cover of the Financial Times

13 of 16

Though the pandemic has pulled down the globe dreadfully, the stringent actions taken to test masses and the lockdowns across regions have shown marked results. Businesses are striving to sail through without drastic measures of laying-off people and instead resorting to lean staffing during these tough times. Communities and authorities have stood together and shown remarkable cooperation in fighting this pandemic. There is also hope that with time science will overcome this disease and find a solution to manage it at the onset. We are hopeful that we will be able to regain stability gradually over the next few months, taking one step at a time and planning judiciously for the future, once we see more recoveries, and the numbers of new infections dropping globally. — Taher Shams, Managing Director, Zulekha Healthcare Group

14 of 16

fam Properties was started in 2009, which was the peak of the global economy and the real estate crisis. I had an eye to see the accomplishments of Dubai, which has proved its long-term ability to overcome all kind of challenges. It takes hope accompanied by our consistent actions to overcome hurdles. Hope without actions means nothing. — Firas Al Msaddi, CEO of fam Properties

15 of 16

There is a silver lining to this pandemic: lower carbon levels in the atmosphere, sightings of wildlife in previously busy areas, and most of us get to spend more time with our loved ones. There’s no doubt that this is a very difficult and uncertain time for the region, but governmental entities and startups alike are not losing sight of the importance of banding together against Covid-19. I am not alone in being grateful for the work the government is putting to ensure the safety of its residents. Now is the time for every decision maker to roll up their sleeves and focus on building a digital tomorrow. — Walid Daniel Dib, co-founder of Addenda

READ ALSO – Mahmood Ahmadu brings revolutionary banking approach to Dubai

16 of 16

It is clear by now that the Covid-19 pandemic has and will continue to impact our daily lives and the health of the global economy until a cure and a vaccine become available. We at MEVP are conducting business as usual and are more motivated than ever to support and grow the MENA technology ecosystem we have been a key member of for the past decade. Our belief is that this pandemic will be a catalyst to the digitisation of our society across all key technology sectors, and most tech ventures are well positioned to benefit from the new market dynamics and gain market share. After the storm comes the sunshine. — Walid Hanna, founder and CEO, Middle East Venture Partners

SOURCE – https://www.khaleejtimes.com/

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The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) – an emergency that has almost brought the entire world to a standstill, with sectors that contribute to the thriving of economies being affected, tourism being one of the industries hit hard globally.

The disease which first broke out in Wuhan, China in November of 2019, has now found itself across the globe with over 1.3 million infections as of the last count.

This has resulted in total lockdown in some countries and with this, the closure of businesses and travel. Governments around the world have also put in place stringent travel and social restrictions to curb the spread of the disease.

ALSO READ – Mahmood Ahmadu’s Innovate 1 Pay Features on the front cover of the Financial Times

The Government of Kenya has in turn taken bold, but necessary steps to fight this scourge which include stopping of conferences and events, as well as halting international flights from coming to the country as among a raft of precautions against the spread of the disease.

Consequently, the tourism industry in Kenya is predicting losses in the Billions owing to the disruption that has been occasioned by COVID-19 globally.

Currently, several hotels and hospitality establishments have temporarily closed as human traffic to the outlets has significantly reduced as a result of the limited movement and restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the disease.

This said, it is not all gloom and doom for the travel industry. We first need to accept that recovery from this pandemic will take time and we must be patient as we recover from it.

Secondly, we need a paradigm shift on the mentality that we have if we want a quick recovery and better tourism. It is no longer about waiting for international visitors to come in for tourism to thrive. 

Source – https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/

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Vice President Bawumia made the projection in a message posted on his social media platforms on Good Friday.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created huge global shortage of personal protective equipment (PPEs) even in advanced countries that has been hit hard by the contagion.

Some PPEs such as cover-ups, googles, nose masks, boots, face shields and surgical gloves are in high demand, compelling pharmaceutical companies globally to scale up production.

In Ghana, for instance, the Akufo-Addo-led government has selected five local companies to produce 3.6 million PPEs within the shortest possible time, as demand by frontline health workers and other allied professionals has become imperative to protect themselves from contracting the respiratory disease.

Read Also – Mahmood Ahmadu’s Innovate 1 Pay Features on the front cover of the Financial Times

As many countries around the world are implementing total or partial lockdown in COVID-19 hotspots, the use of online or electronic services has become imperative as churches and mosques are now streaming live sermons and prayers on Facebook, Conference Calls and other online portals to reach up to their audiences or congregations.

There are others who are busily transacting business and marketing their goods and services on the social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to reach up to their customers and potential clients.

In that vein, the Vice President’s call for developing nations across the globe to stand in readiness for post COVID-19 pandemic is timely and relevant.

Source – https://newsghana.com.gh/

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