The emirate of Dubai has made revisions to travel protocols to reduce hassles for passengers and exempt citizens from additional procedures without compromising on COVID-19 precautionary measures to ensure the passenger safety.

In his capacity as Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, has directed changes to be made to the travel protocols for passengers arriving or departing from Dubai. Under these directives, the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai headed by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced a new set of travel protocols for Emiratis, residents, tourists and transit passengers travelling into and out of Dubai.

According to the revised protocols, Emiratis returning to Dubai from overseas are not required to do a PCR test prior to departure, regardless of the country they are coming from and the time spent there. They will only be required to conduct a PCR test on arrival in Dubai.

All residents and inbound tourists will have to undergo a PCR test before they depart for Dubai.
Transit passengers from certain countries are required to do a PCR test prior to departure for Dubai. The pre-travel test is also mandatory for transit passengers if their destination country requires them to do so.

Emiratis, residents and tourists travelling overseas from Dubai are required to undergo a PCR test prior to departure only if their destination country requires a pre-travel negative test certificate.

The Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management said the new travel protocols are part of a regular process of revising and optimising precautionary measures based on the latest local, regional and international developments.

The amended protocols are based on the recommendations of frontline entities combating the pandemic including the COVID-19 Command and Control Centre and the Dubai Health Authority, and a comprehensive assessment of the global situation. The protocols also address the travel guidelines and requirements of different countries.

The Committee stressed the importance of implementing precautionary measures and protocols in all Dubai travel ports according to the recommendations of local and global authorities to ensure the safety of passengers, flight crew and airport employees.

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“One million is a terrible number and we need to reflect on that before we start considering a second million. Are we prepared collectively to do what it takes to avoid that number? If we don’t take those actions… yes, we will be looking at that number and sadly much higher,” WHO emergency director Michael Ryan told reporters.

The United States is one of the worst hit countries due to the coronavirus outbreak, and the country has recorded more than seven million positive cases, and 2,08,000 deaths. India is also facing the wrath of the coronavirus pandemic, and the country is all set to touch the six million positive cases mark. In India alone, coronavirus has claimed the lives of more than 93,410 people.

A few weeks back, Anthony Fauci had claimed that coronavirus is a perfect storm with no end in near sight. The recent warning from WHO indicates that Fauci’s words are turning true.

“We are living, right now, through a historic pandemic outbreak. And, we are, right now, in a situation where we do not see any particular end in sight. It’s the perfect storm. We often talk about outbreaks and pandemics, be they influenza or other pathogens, that have to have a few characteristics that make them particularly formidable. Well, this particular virus has that,” said Fauci.

In the meantime, British prime minister Boris Johnson has revealed that the United Kingdom will not return to normalcy in the next six months, as the coronavirus cases in the country started resurging again.

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Experts also revealed that coronavirus pandemic in the country could last for six months, and the only way to combat this drastic spread by implementing another nationwide lockdown.

“In every age group, we have seen an increase. It is now estimated that roughly 70,000 people in the UK have COVID infection and that about 6,000 people per day are getting the infection. If that continues unabated and this grows doubling every seven days then what you see, is by mid-October we would end up with something like 50,000 cases per day,” said Vallance.

Whitty revealed that there is currently no evidence which substantiates that the coronavirus is any milder than it was in April. According to Whitty, there could be unbelievable ramifications if the country fails to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Whitty, sudden rise in coronavirus cases in the country could completely fill NHS hospitals in the country, which will result in ultimate chaos. The nation will also witness increased deaths from other illnesses due to the huge waiting time needed to treat people with coronavirus infection.

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India is among 169 nations who voted in favour of the resolution.

The Omnibus Resolution on Comprehensive and Coordinated Response to the Covid-19 pandemic was overwhelmingly adopted by the 193-member General Assembly on September 11.

The resolution acknowledges the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) “key leadership role” in responding to the outbreak, a reference the United States objected to as it opposed the resolution.

The US and Israel voted against the resolution and Ukraine and Hungary abstained. The US had accused WHO of mismanaging the COVID-19 pandemic and also siding with China.

India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu tweeted “India votes in favour of the Covid-19 omnibus resolution in the General Assembly recognising the pandemic as one of the greatest global challenges that calls for a global response based on unity, solidarity and multilateral cooperation.”

The resolution “reaffirms its commitment to international cooperation, multilateralism and solidarity at all levels and as the only way for the world to effectively respond to global crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic and their consequences, and acknowledges the key leadership role of the World Health Organisation and the fundamental role of the United Nations system in catalysing and coordinating the comprehensive global response to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The UNGA resolution also reiterated Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for a global ceasefire amid the pandemic in order to better facilitate the fight against COVID-19. The text also called for the removal of all “unjustified obstacles”, referring to the sanctions imposed on various countries, so that they could access factors needed to combat the disease outbreak.

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The country witnessed 1,096 Covid-related deaths during the period taking the total death count to 68,472. 30,37,151 patients have recovered from the infection in the country, pushing the recovery rate to 77 per cent. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh account for 70 per cent of the total COVID-19 deaths, according to the government.

India’s daily COVID-19 testing numbers is one of the highest in the world, Health Ministry has said. From conducting merely 10 tests per day on January 30, the daily average has crossed more than 11 lakh, the ministry said adding this demonstrates an exponential increase in daily COVID-19 testing in the country.

Less than 0.50 per cent or 2,717 patients of the total active cases in the country are on ventilator support, according to the ministry.

After registering a low student turnout on the first day, the JEE (Main), which is underway, witnessed better attendance on Wednesday and Thursday.

According to data released by the National Testing Agency, 81.08 per cent of the registered candidates appeared for the entrance test on Day 2 and 82.14 per cent on Wednesday.

Global coronavirus infections have soared past 2.57 crore as countries tighten restrictions to halt the health crisis that has upended life for most of humanity. Over 8.56 lakh people have died of the infection globally.

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In the last 24 hours, 11,72,179 samples were tested, the highest single-day tests so far, taking the total number of tests past 4.55 crore.

An additional 1,043 deaths linked to the highly contagious disease have pushed the total number of fatalities to 67,376. Over 29 lakh have recovered from the infection in the country so far. Maharashtra remains the state hit hardest by the pandemic followed by three southern states – Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

According to health ministry data, twice as many men have died of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as women in India, with men accounting for 69 percent of all fatalities. More than 90 percent of the people who died, both men and women, were above 40 years of age.

As part of Unlock 4.0, metro services will resume across the country, except Maharashtra, in a graded manner between September 7 and 12, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri said, urging commuters to follow Covid-19 restrictions and “name and shame” those violating them.

Meanwhile, some 500 regular trains will be discontinued and 10,000 stops across the Indian Railways’ network will be erased in a new timetable for operations that will be adopted once the pandemic ends and services return to normal.

Globally, over 25 million have been infected with the novel coronavirus till now. While 861,668 while succumbed to the virus, over 17 million have recovered so far.

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The UAE could be in the verge of a second outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic if residents and citizens do not adhere to the strict precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus, said Obaid Al Hussan Al Shamsi, director-general of the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), on August 23 in an interview on Abu Dhabi TV.

Earlier on August 21, Dr Saif Al Dhaheri, NCEMA spokesman had warned that the National Sterilisation Programme could return if the number of COVID-19 cases kept increasing.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) on August 23 reported 390 new cases, 80 recoveries and three deaths. The ministry has urged the public to cooperate and stick to the Covid-19 precautionary measures outlined by the UAE government. The ministry said the recent surge in daily infections was because all people did not follow preventive measures such as wearing masks and practising social distancing.
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The NCEMA on August 22 denied the validity of reports circulated on television and social media regarding the death of five members of one family as a result of COVID-19, WAM reported. The matter has now been referred to the Federal Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Prosecution to take the necessary legal measures in coordination with the authorities concerned.

Newspapers had reported the news based on a family member’s version given to a local TV channel.

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Meanwhile, the death toll due to the COVID disease rose to 774,288, with the US reporting the highest deaths in the world (170,052), followed by Brazil (107,852), Mexico (56,757), and India (50,921).

Globally, more than 13 million people have recovered from the infection (13,372,643), with the highest number of recovered in Brazil (2,655,017) and followed by India (1,919,842).

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday decided to delay New Zealand’s national elections by four weeks as the country deals with a new coronavirus outbreak in its largest city, Auckland. The election had been scheduled for September 19 but will now be held on October 17. Under New Zealand law, Arden could delay election for two months.

South Korea, which efficiently controlled the virus outbreak, witnessed a triple-digit spike in new coronavirus cases, as fears grew about a massive outbreak in the greater capital region. The government urged people to stay home and curb travel.

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As many as 1007 deaths were reported, taking the causalities to 44,386. For the last four days, now Covid-19 cases have in India has risen by over 60,000.

India has been reporting more novel coronavirus infections than any other countries in the world.
A record number of over 7lakh COVID-19 tests were conducted in a single day, the Health Ministry said.

Globally, over 19.5 million cases of coronavirus and 7.25 lakh deaths have been reported. Australia had its deadliest day in the coronavirus pandemic, with 19 fatalities in the state of Victoria. Texas reported its positive-test rate rose to a record as the U.S. passed 5 million Covid-19 infections, having added 1 million cases in barely more than two weeks.

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“India, as a whole, has a low testing rate compared to some of the countries which have done well like Germany, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and even the US,” she said while speaking on ‘The vaccine race, balancing since and urgency’ organised by the Telangana government.

She said the WHO had been repeatedly emphasising that testing is extremely important. “Unless we do testing adequately, we don’t know where the virus is. If you are not testing, you are fighting a fire blindfolded. We have to test, test and test.”

Participating via video-conferencing, she said that every public health department needs to have benchmarks like what is the test rate per million and what is the test positivity rate. “The moment your test positivity rate is above 5 percent, you know that you are not testing adequately,” she said.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan was discharged from hospital this morning after recovering from the disease. He had been admitted to Chirayu Hospital in Bhopal after he tested positive for the disease on July 25.

He has reportedly been advised to remain at home for another seven days, during which his health will be monitored.

Former Maharashtra chief minister and senior Congress leader Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar passed away early on Wednesday morning. The 91-year-old had recently recovered from the novel coronavirus, his family said.

In other news, Anil Rathod, a five-time former MLA of the Shiv Sena from Ahmednagar also died on Wednesday. He had tested positive for Covid-19.

The global coronavirus cases rose to 18,466,594, with as many as 699,134 fatalities. At least 11,058,317 people have recovered from the disease so far, data by John Hopkins showed.

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This is the third straight day that India has reported over 50,000 cases.

As per the health ministry’s website, there are 5,65,103 active cases while 10,94,374 patients have been recovered.

765 deaths due to COVID-19 have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll of 36,511.

However the fatality rate further dropped to 2.15 percent.

According to ICMR a total of 1,93,58,659 samples have been tested upto July 31.

Despite the flurry of new cases, restrictions on the movement of individuals outside containment areas at night will be lifted from today. Lockdowns will continue to be strictly implemented in the containment zones till August 31.

Globally, cases had crossed 1.73 crore leaving over 6.68 lakh succumbed to the infection by Friday night.

US recorded another surge in deaths in California, Florida and Arizona reporting high numbers of fatalities. France warned that its pace of infections is accelerating with the rate of infection doubling in three weeks.

The WHO said that countries were not prepared for the pandemic because of deep under investment in public health infrastructure. The absence of affordable universal health care also aggravated the situation.

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A total of 775 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours taking the death toll to 34,968 from 34,193.

Maharashtra continues to be the worst-affected state as it reported 9,211 new covid-19 cases and 298 deaths on July 29. The total number of cases in now at 4,00,651, including 2,39,775 recovered cases, 1,46,129 active cases and 14,463 deaths.

The total number of cases in Tamil Nadu reached 2,34,114.

The national capital reported 1,035 covid-19 cases on July 29 taking the total number of cases in Delhi to 1,32,275.

The total number of COVID-19 samples tested up to July 29 is 1,81,90,382 including 4,46,642 samples tested on July 29, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

According to the new norms, which will be effective from August 1, the night curfew has been removed and the gymnasiums and yoga training centres have been allowed to function from August 5, on the condition that a standard operating procedure (SOP) is followed.

Schools, colleges and coaching institutions will remain closed till August 31.

Also, services pertaining to Metro rail, cinema halls, swimming pools and bars will also remain closed in this phase of Unlock.

Globally 16,959,936 people have been infected with the novel coronavirus. The death toll stood at 665,581.

The United States continued to remain the worst affected followed by Brazil and India.

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Safurat was admitted in the hospital in England, on April 2 after showing symptoms of covid-19, including shortness of breath.

She had to be on a ventilator in intensive care for six weeks when her condition became critical. After spending seven weeks recovering, she was finally discharged on July 22.

She even celebrated her 75th birthday while recovering.

“I couldn’t talk or get up. I couldn’t see my daughter. I’m just thanking God that I’m still alive,” she said.

Safurat was struck down by the virus while visiting the country from Nigeria. She came to England to visit her daughter and to take care of her grandchildren. However the pandemic worsened and the country went into an unprecedented lockdown.

Her daughter Olajumoke worked as a midwife at the same hospital where his mother was admitted. She was unable to work while her mother was being treated.

Olajumoke said she felt like she had “won the lottery” when she was told that her mother could return home.

“At that moment when they told us, I just feel like the happiest person on earth. I feel like I’ve won a million pounds,” she said.

Olajumoke described the past weeks and months as the hardest time of her life.

She praised the work of all the teams at the hospital who treated and cared for her mother.

There was a moment when Safurat was not responding to treatment. However her willpower helped her to come out of the scary situation because she knew this fight was worth fighting because of her daughter and her lovely grand children.

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Of these, 21 drugs were determined to be effective at concentrations that could be safely achieved in patients. Four of these compounds can be used synergistically with remdesivir, a standard drug used to treat coronavirus globally.

“Remdesivir has proven successful at shortening the recovery time for patients in the hospital, but the drug doesn’t work for everyone who receives it. That’s not good enough. As infection rates continue to rise in America and around the world, the urgency remains to find affordable, effective, and readily available drugs that can complement the use of remdesivir, as well as drugs that could be given prophylactically or at the first sign of infection on an outpatient basis,” said Chanda, in a recent statement.

Researchers revealed that this study report significantly improves the therapeutic options for treating coronavirus patients. Out of these drugs, two drugs are already approved by the FDA, which includes, astemizole (allergies), clofazimine (leprosy), and remdesivir has received Emergency Use Authorization from the agency (COVID-19).

“This study significantly expands the possible therapeutic options for COVID-19 patients, especially since many of the molecules already have clinical safety data in humans. This report provides the scientific community with a larger arsenal of potential weapons that may help bring the ongoing global pandemic to heel,” added Chanda.

As per the latest statistics, coronavirus has killed more than 6,50,000 people worldwide, and the total number of positive cases has already crossed 16.5 million.

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