Tag: fears

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Business

Eire, Netherlands droop AstraZeneca vaccine amid blood clot fears

Ireland, Netherlands suspend AstraZeneca vaccine amid blood clot fears

A medical worker fills a syringe with AstraZeneca vaccine at Santa Caterina da Siena – Amendola secondary school in Salerno on March 13, 2021 in Salerno, Italy.

Francesco Pecoraro | Getty Images News | Getty Images

LONDON – Ireland and the Netherlands have joined the growing list of countries that have stopped using the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University because of blood clot concerns.

The Dutch government said Sunday that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine would not be used until March 29, while Ireland said earlier in the day it had temporarily suspended the shot as a precautionary measure.

The World Health Organization tried to downplay the ongoing safety concerns and stated last week that there was no link between the shot and an increased risk of developing blood clots. The United Nations Health Department has urged countries to continue using the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

Even so, some European countries have already stopped using the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. It added to the worries of the battered vaccination campaign in the region when the German health department warned that a third wave of coronavirus infections had already begun.

Thailand has also stopped the planned use of the vaccine.

The move to suspend use by Dutch and Irish officials came shortly after the Norwegian Medicines Agency announced that three health workers were hospitalized for bleeding, blood clots and low platelet counts after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Norway has suspended its vaccination program against Oxford-AstraZeneca.

Geir Bukholm, director of the Infection Control and Environmental Health Department at the Norwegian Public Health Institute, said the Norwegian Medicines Agency will “follow up on these suspected side effects and take the necessary action in this serious situation”.

The picture taken on November 27, 2020 shows “Nikki” Anniken Hars treating a Covid-19 patient in the intensive care unit of Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet in Oslo, Norway.

JIL YNGLAND | AFP | Getty Images

The European Medicines Agency, the European Medicines Agency, also said there is no evidence that Oxford-AstraZeneca’s vaccine causes blood clots and that the vaccine’s benefits “continue to outweigh the risks”.

The EMA admitted that some European countries had stopped using the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot, but said vaccinations may continue to be given while a clot investigation is ongoing.

How did AstraZeneca react?

“A careful review of all available safety data from more than 17 million people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the European Union (EU) and the UK found no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis ( DVT) or thrombocytopenia in a certain age group, gender, group or country, “AstraZeneca said in a statement on Sunday.

The most common side effects of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, which does not contain the virus and cannot cause Covid, are usually mild or moderate and improve within a few days after vaccination.

A health worker holds a box of the AstraZeneneca vaccine at the Bamrasnaradura Institute for Infectious Diseases in Nonthaburi Province on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Chaiwat subprasome | SOPA pictures | LightRocket via Getty Images

The pharmaceutical company said that 15 events involving deep vein thrombosis and 22 events involving pulmonary embolism were reported among those vaccinated in the EU and the United Kingdom.

“This is much less than expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size, and it is similar to other approved COVID-19 vaccines,” said AstraZeneca.

What do the experts say?

“Covid definitely causes bleeding disorders and each of the vaccines prevents Covid disease, including more severe cases,” said Stephen Evans, professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

“Therefore, it is highly likely that the vaccine’s benefits will significantly outweigh the risk of clotting disorders, and the vaccine will prevent other consequences of Covid, including deaths from other causes.”

Evans said it was “perfectly reasonable” to conduct studies on vaccines and coagulation disorders, but added, “It seems a step too far to take precautionary measures that would prevent people from receiving vaccines that prevent disease.”

Many high-income countries – such as the UK, France, Australia and Canada – have decided to continue rolling out the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

“When there is clear evidence of serious or life-threatening side effects that have important consequences,” Adam Finn, professor of pediatrics at Bristol University, said in a statement.

“So far, however, this has not been the case, and it is highly undesirable to disrupt a complex and urgent program every time people, after receiving a vaccine, develop illnesses that are random and not causal. In situations like this, it is not easy to Making the right call, but a steady hand on the tiller is probably what is needed most, “said Finn.

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Health

AstraZeneca Covid vaccine suspended in some international locations over blood clot fears

AstraZeneca Covid vaccine suspended in some countries over blood clot fears

A health worker holds a box of the AstraZeneneca vaccine at the Bamrasnaradura Institute for Infectious Diseases in Nonthaburi Province on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Chaiwat subprasome | SOPA pictures | LightRocket via Getty Images

LONDON – The coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University has been exposed in a number of countries in Europe and Asia after reports of blood clots in some vaccinated people.

However, many other nations have defended their use of the shot and announced that they will continue their respective vaccination campaigns.

Thailand became the first Asian country to stop using the sting on Friday due to safety concerns, shortly after Denmark announced a two-week hiatus from its nationwide rollout after reports of blood clots and a death.

In a setback to the battered vaccination campaign in Europe, seven other countries have also suspended the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot: Norway, Iceland, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

Austria and Italy have since announced that they will no longer use certain batches of the vaccine as a precaution.

The European Medicines Agency, the European Medicines Agency, stressed Thursday that there was no evidence that the shot was causing blood clots, adding that the vaccine’s benefits “continue to outweigh the risks”.

The EMA acknowledged that some member states had stopped using the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot, but said vaccinations may continue to be given while a clot investigation is ongoing.

By Wednesday, around 5 million people in Europe had received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Of this number, 30 cases of so-called “thromboembolic events” were reported. These cases relate to blood clots that form in the blood vessels and block blood flow.

AstraZeneca said the vaccine has been extensively studied in Phase 3 trials and peer-reviewed data confirms the shot is “generally well tolerated.”

Why do countries pause vaccination campaigns?

The Thai Ministry of Health announced on Friday that it would temporarily postpone the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The shot is reportedly labeled a “good vaccine” but is said to be suspended for safety investigation.

Kiattiphum Wongjit, permanent secretary of the health ministry, said the Southeast Asian country may suspend its vaccination campaign as it has largely controlled a second wave of Covid cases through quarantines and border controls, according to Reuters.

A press conference will be held on March 12, 2021 in Bangkok, Thailand, to temporarily suspend the introduction of vaccination against AstraZeneca Covid-19 in Thailand.

Xinhua | Rachen Sageamsak via Getty Images

The country of nearly 70 million people has so far recorded around 26,600 cases and 85 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The decision of Thailand to suspend the planned launch of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which was due to start on Friday, was made following the decision of the Danish health authority.

“It is important to emphasize that we have not decided against the AstraZeneca vaccine, but are putting it on hold,” said Soren Brostrom, director of the National Health Agency in Denmark, on Thursday.

“There is good evidence that the vaccine is both safe and effective. However, we and the Danish Medicines Agency need to respond to reports of possible serious side effects from both Denmark and other European countries.”

Many high-income countries have chosen to continue rolling out the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for safety reasons.

The UK, France, Australia, Canada and Mexico are among the nations that have tried to reassure citizens about the vaccine’s benefits and have announced that they will continue their respective vaccination campaigns.

“An analysis of our safety data of more than 10 million records has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis in any particular age group, gender, batch or country with AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.” said an AstraZeneca spokesman.

“In fact, the number of these types of events observed is significantly lower in vaccinated people than would be expected in the general population.”

What do the experts say?

The EMA’s safety committee is investigating the problem, but has determined that there is currently no evidence that the vaccination caused blood clots. It should be noted that these are not listed as side effects of this vaccine.

The European Medicines Agency also noted that the data available so far showed that the number of blood clots in vaccinated people is no higher than in the general population.

“Reports of previously received blood clots are no greater than the numbers that would have occurred naturally in the vaccinated population,” said Dr. Phil Bryan, Vaccine Safety Director for the UK Medicines and Health Products Agency.

“Public safety will always come first. We will continue to examine this issue carefully, but the evidence available does not confirm the vaccine is the cause. People should still get their COVID-19 vaccine when prompted become.” Said Bryan.

Peter Brownsea, a Southampton resident, receives the Oxford / AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine from a member of the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service at a temporary vaccination center at the Basingstoke Fire Station in Hampshire, southern England, while crews continue to answer 999 emergency calls.

Andrew Matthews | AFP | Getty Images

Stephen Evans, Professor of Pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “The problem with spontaneous reports of suspected vaccine side effects is the tremendous difficulty in distinguishing a causal effect from a coincidence.”

“This is especially true when we know that Covid-19 disease is very closely related to blood clotting and that there have been hundreds, if not many thousands of deaths caused by blood clotting as a result of Covid-19 disease. That first thing to do is to be absolutely sure that the clots were not caused by any other cause, including Covid-19, “added Evans.

How does the vaccine work?

The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine is designed to prevent coronavirus in people aged 18 and over. It’s made up of an adenovirus that has been modified to contain the gene to make a protein from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

The most common side effects of the shot, which does not contain the virus and cannot cause Covid, are typically mild or moderate and improve within a few days after vaccination.

In late clinical studies, the AstraZeneca-Oxford shot was found to have an average of 70% effectiveness in protecting against the virus.

A recent study by Oxford researchers found that the Covid vaccine was 76% effective at preventing symptomatic infection for three months after a single dose and that the effectiveness rate actually increased with a longer interval between the first and second dose.

– CNBC’s Holly Ellyatt contributed to this report.

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Business

Biden Presses Financial Support Plan, Rejecting Inflation Fears

Biden Presses Economic Aid Plan, Rejecting Inflation Fears

With investors looking for some pickup in growth and slightly faster price hikes, Federal Reserve observers have expected it to slow down its large bond purchases that it has been using to support growth and raise interest rates earlier than expected.

The central bank has promised to keep interest rates near zero until the economy reaches full employment and inflation is above 2 percent and is expected to stay there for some time. If markets expect the economy to hit these goals sooner rather than later, it could be viewed as an expression of optimism.

“If you look at why they are rising, it has to do with expectations of a return to more normal levels, inflation in line with mandate, higher growth and an opening economy,” said Jerome H. Powell, chairman of the Fed. said of rates during a recent Congressional testimony.

The markets are forward-looking, however: the economy still has a long way to go before it can return to full strength. Administration officials have vowed not to be sidetracked by improvements in high-profile numbers like general employment growth and instead to continue the recovery until historically disadvantaged groups regain jobs, incomes and the benefits of other measures for economic progress.

Employment growth last month was above economists’ projections, but it would take more than two years for the labor market to return to employment levels in early 2020.

While economic pain remains across all populations, the effects have not been evenly distributed. Employment for black workers is still nearly 8 percent below pre-pandemic levels, while employment for white workers has declined by around 5 percent. Black workers tend to lose their jobs severely during recessions and only get them back after a long period of employment growth.

Ms. Jones, the Department of Labor economist, said the government was determined to accelerate the recovery of marginalized workers, noting that it took black workers in particular years longer to recover from the 2008 financial crisis – a delay that left permanent scars on these households.

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World News

Rally picks up steam as market shakes off charge fears, Dow climbs 650 factors

Rally picks up steam as market shakes off rate fears, Dow climbs 650 points

US stocks rose sharply on Monday as government bond yields fell from last week’s highs, alleviating inflation concerns and higher interest rates undermining stock valuations.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 660 points, or 2.2%, led by Boeing, which rose 6.8%. The S&P 500 gained around 2.1% as all 11 sectors traded in the green. The Nasdaq Composite, the tech heavy index that was hit hard last week, also fell 2.1%.

The 10-year government bond yield fell to 1.43% on Monday, a 3 basis point decrease from Friday and a decrease from its recent high of 1.6% on Thursday. The sudden surge in the benchmark yield has rocked stocks for the past week as rising interest rates can jeopardize the relative attractiveness of stocks and compress stock valuation by reducing the value of future cash flows.

Market breadth was strong on Monday with only about 8 stocks trading lower across the S&P 500. On the NYSE, 11 stocks rose for every stock that fell. Economic reopening games like Carnival and American Airlines were at least 3% higher due to optimism about vaccines and economic reopening. Meanwhile, high-growth technology stocks did better as interest rates fell. Apple and Tesla both rose 3%.

“Equity investors continue to view the rise in interest rates primarily as ‘a good thing’ rather than a threat, although the tree was mixed up in several stocks and other parts of the market last week,” said Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer at Bleakley Advisory Group . “The advantages of vaccines versus the challenge of higher rates will be the theme this year.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Board unanimously decided on Sunday to recommend the use of Johnson & Johnson’s one-off Covid-19 vaccine for people aged 18 and over. The company expects to initially ship four million cans.

Last week the blue-chip Dow and the S&P 500 lost 1.7% and 2.5%, respectively. Tech-heavy Nasdaq fell more than 4% over the same period after suffering its worst one-day sell-off since October on Thursday. Technology companies rely on being able to borrow money at low interest rates to invest in future growth.

“The oversized rotation suggests that there may be a tactical reversal as returns calm down,” said Keith Parker, equity strategist at UBS, in a note. “The result should more than make up for headwinds over the course of the year, albeit with downward trends in this upward trend.”

On the stimulus front, the House passed a $ 1.9 trillion Covid Relief Act, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, early Saturday. The Senate will now review the legislation.

Key averages rose in February on the back of a strong earnings season, positive news on the vaccine launch and hopes for another stimulus package.

The Dow was up 3.15% in February for its third positive month in four years. The S&P 500 was up 2.61% and the Nasdaq Composite was up nearly 1% for the fourth positive month in a row.

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World News

Dow falls greater than 100 factors amid price fears, Apple and Tesla shares decline

Dow falls more than 100 points amid rate fears, Apple and Tesla shares decline

US stocks fell on Monday as a steady rise in bond yields hurt appetite for risk-weighted assets, particularly growth technology stocks.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 120 points. The S&P 500 lost 0.7%, led by technology and consumer discretionary. The Nasdaq Composite fell 1.1%.

Some equity investors have been increasingly concerned over the past few weeks about rapidly rising government bond yields as they could hurt especially high-growth companies that rely on easy borrowing while reducing the relative attractiveness of stocks.

Tesla stock lost 3% after falling 4% last week. Big tech stocks came under pressure as Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix and Alphabet traded at least 1% less.

The yield on 10-year government bonds rose last week by 14 basis points to 1.34%, the highest level since February 2020. The reference yield rose on Monday by a further 3 basis points to 1.37%. So far this month the reference rate has risen by 28 basis points. One basis point is 0.01%.

“This movement in returns should be watched closely by investors,” said Matt Maley, chief marketing strategist at Miller Tabak, in a note. “Just because long-term interest rates are extremely low on a historical basis, we don’t think they need to rise as much as most experts believe … before they affect the stock market.”

All eyes will be on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell as he gives his semi-annual testimony on the economy to the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday. His comments on rates and inflation could set the market direction for the week.

Meanwhile, many on Wall Street believe the rise in bond yields is a sign of growing confidence in the economic recovery and stocks should be able to absorb higher interest rates on strong gains.

“We don’t see the recent surge in returns as a threat to the bull market,” said Keith Lerner, chief market strategist at Truist, in a note. “Given that we are in the early stages of an economic recovery, monetary and fiscal policies remain supportive, and the strong recovery in earnings and cheap relative valuations maintain our overweight position on equities.”

The move on Monday came after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite posted a two-week winning streak last week, losing 0.7% and 1.6% respectively. The blue-chip Dow was up 0.1% over the same period, supported by Caterpillar and JPMorgan.

The market goes into the last week of February with solid gains. The Dow and S&P 500 are up more than 5% this month, while the Nasdaq is up 6.2%. The small-cap Russell 2000 outperformed this month, up 9.3%.

On the pandemic, the White House said it expects to ship millions of delayed coronavirus vaccine doses this week after a widespread winter storm disrupted logistics. Governor Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that a New York resident tested positive for the variant of Covid-19, which was first identified in South Africa.

The airline’s shares rebounded after Deutsche Bank upgraded several stocks. American Airlines rose more than 7%.

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Categories
Politics

Promotions for Feminine Generals Had been Delayed Over Fears of Trump’s Response

Promotions for Female Generals Were Delayed Over Fears of Trump’s Reaction

“It was about timing, not that it was women,” Miller, who served as acting Secretary of Defense for nearly three months, said in an interview.

Had Mr Trump won re-election, General Milley would most likely have sent the recommendations to the White House for approval, hoping for the best. But the General and Mr. Esper felt that under a Biden administration, the selection process was faced with a smoother selection process.

Mr. Biden and Mr. Austin could always select other candidates, but Mr. Esper and General Milley were confident that the new team would confirm their selection, which had been reviewed and evaluated over several months.

Col. Dave Butler, spokesman for General Milley, declined to comment on the article.

General Van Ovost is already a four-star officer who heads the Air Force Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Of the 43 four-star generals and admirals in the US military, she is the only woman. General Van Ovost, a seasoned Air Force Academy graduate who was selected to lead the multiservice transport command, also located at Scott Air Force Base, played out her strengths.

General Richardson is the three-star commander of the Army component of the Pentagon’s North Command in San Antonio, which plays an important role in the military support for FEMA’s Covid vaccination program.

“Very capable, great team builder,” said Anthony R. Ierardi, a retired commander of the Army’s First Cavalry Division, which included General Richardson, in an email. “Get things done.”

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Business

Primary Road enterprise failure fears rise once more in pandemic whipsaw

Main Street business failure fears rise again in pandemic whipsaw

Margaux & Max stayed afloat with Dinges’ Facebook livestreams and creative marketing even though the retail store is closed for personal purchases.

Photo: I Donna Dinges

Small business owners suffered a minor whiplash injury last year when Covid-19 took over the nation. Restrictions, at the discretion of state and local leaders, resulted in closings, reopenings, and limited activity in markets across the country.

New data from the CNBC | SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey for the first quarter of 2021 shows that the experiences of entrepreneurs on Main Street reflect this time of unpredictability.

While just over half of small business owners say they can stay open throughout the pandemic, 20% of small business owners say their stores were temporarily closed due to the pandemic and have since reopened, but with limited capacity. In addition, 10% of small business owners say they have closed and haven’t reopened. Another 4% say they shut down, reopened, and then shut down again.

The back and forth has weighed on the mood of small business owners and led the Main Street community to cancel President Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion bid relief plan, according to the poll, which was conducted January 25 through January 2 across the country among 2,111 small business owners. 31 Using the SurveyMonkey Platform.

Je Donna Dinges relaunched her boutique for clothing and accessories, Margaux & Max, in a new, larger location at the beginning of March 2020. Within a few days, cases of Covid began to rise nationwide and the Ferndale, Michigan-based store was closed.

Je Donna Dinges opened her Margaux & Max boutique in a new and bigger location when Covid spread across the United States. It had to close within a few days in March 2020.

I donna thing

She has not yet reopened her retail store to personal business, a conscious choice for things as she has an autoimmune disease and wants to limit her exposure. However, the entrepreneur is not deterred. To stay afloat, she broadcasts livestream fashion shows that she holds on Friday evenings in her shop on Facebook and shows her styling mannequins in all sizes with clothes and accessories. Your customers tune in, Dinges said, and then shop on the side of the road during the week and pick up their purchases.

“I am very concerned about my own health … and I am also very concerned about my clientele,” Dinges said. “I made the decision to stay closed but not go out of business.”

The CNBC poll found that small business sentiment fell to new lows in the first quarter. Confidence plummeted from 48 to 43 quarterly, the lowest since CNBC and SurveyMonkey started tracking confidence on Main Street in 2017. Additionally, the number of small business owners who believe they can work longer than a year fell from 67% in the fourth quarter to 55%.

The level of trust varied depending on the breed of business owner. The CNBC poll found that fears of permanent shutdowns are high among black small business owners. 37% say they can survive for more than a year in current conditions, compared with 59% of white small business owners and 55% of Hispanic small business owners.

Black-owned companies that have not reopened (25%) after a temporary shutdown due to the pandemic contrasts with 8% of white-owned small businesses.

Despite the challenges, the survey’s Small Business Confidence Index finds that black small business owners continue to be optimistic and have a higher confidence rating for small businesses than their peers.

The paycheck protection program was a lifeline for some, but the program was tweaked after outcry by some businesses and advocates last year that the PPP was not serving smaller and minority borrowers. In January, when the $ 284 billion program restarted, community financial institutions, typically serving smaller businesses or possibly mission-based, first got access to the portal.

To date, more than $ 103 billion has been approved for more than 1.4 million small business loans, according to the Small Business Administration. According to the SBA, 82% of all loans went to companies applying for less than $ 100,000, indicating that smaller businesses were looking for help. In addition, nearly a third of the loans went to businesses in rural communities. Anti-fraud measures have extended approval times and loans were no longer approved on the day of last year as they were last year.

Underserved small business

Administration officials have stated that they believe the PPP will not run out of money like it did in April 2020 when the program first launched, and lawmakers continue to push for transparency about the demographic profile of corporate borrowing. President Biden has pledged to include aid to underserved small businesses in the form of grants and funding in his $ 1.9 trillion pandemic package, as small businesses are likely to need more lifelines when the PPP closes in March.

“When the administration is really getting grants directly to companies and business owners, it is actually helping the capital and working capital of those companies rather than just effectively acting as a passageway for their employees, which of course it did.” The intention of the PPP. She’s invaluable in her own way, “said Brian Blake, public policy director for the Community Development Bankers Association.

Dinges said she struggled to get access to PPP funds last year and eventually reached out to Kabbage for a small business loan after being turned down. She is considering applying for a second loan this year and is optimistic about the future despite ongoing challenges. Their sales are down nearly 40%, but it could be a lot worse considering what Main Street has seen over the past year.

“”I am definitely hopeful. As I drove through my church, I look at empty shop windows, which is sad. But I look at the empty shop windows of big retailers, “said Dinges.” And it just struck me as these big retailers collapse and I’m still standing … the loyalty I get from my customers really moves me. “

Categories
Business

Biden and the Fed Go away 1970s Inflation Fears Behind

Biden and the Fed Leave 1970s Inflation Fears Behind

Market-based inflation expectation measures are hovering around 2 percent and the consumer inflation outlook has fallen slightly over the past decade, although one indicator has risen recently. Unless buyers expect higher prices, companies may not be able to increase them, so whatever people expect can determine reality.

It’s also hard to see where a big and sustained price spike would come from, analysts said.

Airfares, clothing prices, and hotel prices have all taken a blow in the depths of the pandemic in 2020, and they are likely to spike as the economy reopens and consumers with money in their pockets go on vacation and renovate their wardrobes, Alan Detmeister said. A former Fed inflation expert who now works at UBS.

However, the price of goods, which jumped as workers moved to their home offices – from the laptop category to the auto category – could decline and weigh on overall profits. Categories that are very important to the overall index, such as rent and health insurance, are both subdued and slow.

In any case, a temporary rise in prices is not the same as an inflation process in which the price gains continue month after month.

Even if prices recover temporarily, the Fed has pledged to be patient with inflation. Over the past few years – also under the supervision of Ms. Yellen – interest rates have been raised before price gains really picked up to counter any possible overheating. The central bank’s new framework, passed last year, calls on policymakers to aim for a period of over 2 percent inflation so that, on average, they meet their target over time.

In addition to stabilizing prices, Congress is also mandating the Fed to try to maximize employment. Charles Evans, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, said earlier this month that $ 1.9 trillion in government spending had the potential to help the Fed meet its inflation and labor market targets faster.

“I have a hard time realizing how big this is, which is causing overheating,” he said.

Categories
Business

Is Dubai’s celebration over? File Covid instances spark fears of recent lockdown

Is Dubai’s party over? Record Covid cases spark fears of new lockdown

Fireworks emanated from the Burj Khalifah tower in Dubai during the New Year’s Eve celebration on December 31, 2020, which attracted thousands of tourists and saw relaxed restrictions on social gatherings, allowing up to 30 people per household to gather. AFP via Getty Images

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – On the surface, Dubai’s party scene feels more alive than ever – bustling restaurants and bars, beaches and hotel pools inhabited by laid-back residents and tourists enjoying the winter sun.

However, daily record breaking Covid-19 infections in the Middle East’s commercial and vacation hub have made the chatter of a possible new lockdown inevitable.

“It’s getting really bad. How long did you think you could get away with it?” Farah S., a Dubai attorney, told CNBC.

According to the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Health, the new cases recorded on Monday hit a daily high in the country of 3,591. When the country imposed its strictest lockdown in March and April, which left orders for home and closed borders completely, daily cases were less than a tenth that number.

Just last week the 3.3 million desert emirate – whose economy depends heavily on tourism and hospitality – began making changes that believe the government’s message that everything is under control.

On January 21, the authorities ordered all hospitals in Dubai to suspend unnecessary operations for a month. Around the same time, a policy was passed suspending all “entertainment” activities in restaurants and bars. The limit for weddings, social events and private parties has been reduced from 30 to 10 people. As of January 27, restaurants and cafés will require more space between the tables and fewer people per table.

Customers and equipment in gyms now need to be 3 meters apart, as opposed to the previous 2 meters, although this 2 meter requirement has often not been applied very sensibly.

Dubai fired the head of its health department on Sunday and replaced Humaid al-Qutami, who had held the office since 2018, with a new representative. The authorities did not provide a reason for the replacement and did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Some Dubai residents have claimed that hospitals are running out of intensive care beds, although this has not been confirmed as hospitals and health officials failed to respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.

Over the weekend, the UAE Ministry of Health posted a post on its Instagram story entitled “URGENT EMPLOYMENT” offering fixed-term contracts for intensive care nurses in Dubai, as well as Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah. This came just days after the order to cease non-essential operations.

According to the Johns Hopkins University, 281,546 cases with 798 deaths have been confirmed in the United Arab Emirates so far. The death rate of 0.3% is well below the global average.

A safe haven for 2020

After the Emirate of Dubai, which, in contrast to the more conservative capital Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, pursued a strategy of openness, kept its cases well below 2,000 per day for the entire year 2020, it turned out to be a pandemic success story.

It was certified as a “Safe Travel” destination by the World Tourism Council last summer and attracted celebrities and influencers. There has been a surge in occupancy at hotels and theme parks, and tourists from all over the world flocked to Dubai for a sense of missing normalcy. The wearing of masks continued to be ubiquitous and testing is widespread.

It has only been in the past two months that the city has hosted golf and polo tournaments, shopping and film festivals, and concerts to promote its image as safe and welcoming ahead of the long-awaited 2020 World’s Fair, postponed to October 2021 due to the pandemic.

However, the new and highly transmissible variant of the coronavirus, first identified in the UK, is believed to have sparked the recent surge in cases as thousands of UK tourists came in over the holidays to avoid the UK’s tough lockdown. Since December 30th, the daily numbers have more than tripled within a month.

Women sunbathers sit on a beach in the Gulf emirate of Dubai on July 24, 2020, while the Burj al-Arab Hotel can be seen behind it. After a painful four-month hiatus in tourism that ended in early July, Dubai is paying off as a safe travel destination with the resources to ward off coronaviruses.

KARIM SAHIB | AFP via Getty Images

Andy Pearson, a British engineer living in Dubai, blames large numbers of tourists whom he believes do not meet local safety requirements.

“The police should do more checks on party areas to make sure people are obeying the rules,” he said. “Tourists don’t care because they can just go home – they ruin it for the rest of us.”

The Dubai Media Office did not respond to multiple requests for comment on whether a lockdown is imminent or what other changes will be made to counter the rise in cases.

Countries are putting barriers to cases in the UAE and testing concerns

Another red flag came last Thursday when Denmark announced a five-day suspension of flights from the UAE on suspicion that the Covid tests carried out on travelers before they departed Dubai were not reliable.

“We cannot ignore such a suspicion,” said the Danish transport minister, adding that at least one citizen had returned from Dubai with the variant recently discovered in South Africa, among several others whom he described as positive for Covid.

The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Health pushed back the announcement, claiming that all accredited testing centers in the United Arab Emirates operate to international standards and are regularly checked. According to the UAE authorities, talks are ongoing between the two countries.

Earlier this month, the UK and Israel introduced quarantine requirements for travelers from the UAE. The United Arab Emirates had previously been on the UK Safe Travel Corridor, which negated the need for quarantine times for arrivals.

The Covid-19 case numbers relate to the entire country and do not indicate where the infections are concentrated. But while Dubai welcomes tourists – some require negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results before boarding and others receive tests on arrival – Abu Dhabi still requires that anyone flying into the emirate be quarantined for ten days on arrival is provided. Participants from Dubai to Abu Dhabi are also required to provide a number of negative PCR test results.

Nationwide vaccination boost

The developments come as the UAE nationwide vaccination campaign is in full swing. This is the second fastest rollout in the world after Israel.

China’s Sinopharm vaccine is available nationwide for free to all residents aged 16 and over, while Dubai’s launch of Pfizer BioNtech vaccine, which began in late December, was announced as late on Saturday. The Dubai authorities attribute the delay to a “global shortage”.

Still, the UAE wants to achieve its goal of vaccinating half of its population by the end of March. Emergency approval was announced last week for the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, for which Phase 3 studies are still ongoing in Abu Dhabi.

Certain industries now mandate weekly PCR testing for unvaccinated employees. Some local residents believe that a pressure campaign to promote vaccination is being carried out. For many who live in Dubai, this step – and other restrictions – is welcome.

“I think they should be banned for two weeks,” said Sara El Dallal, an education advisor based in Dubai. “Restrictions have been in place since last week, and yet the numbers haven’t gone down.” She noted that state schools have been keeping their classes online since early January.

Melissa Webb, a Dubai-based yoga teacher, infected herself with the virus after returning from a family visit to the UK over Christmas. However, she tested negative upon arrival in Dubai, only to test positive three days later when attempting to enter Abu Dhabi. She told her story as a warning story.

“Of course I was happy about six months of normalcy, but since Christmas I’ve felt very nervous again,” she said.

“But I recognize the need for the economy to remain open, otherwise we won’t be able to live here much longer anyway.”

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Hundreds of thousands Flock to Telegram and Sign as Fears Develop Over Large Tech

Millions Flock to Telegram and Signal as Fears Grow Over Big Tech

Neeraj Agrawal, a spokesperson for a think tank for cryptocurrency, has typically used the encrypted messaging app Signal to chat with privacy-conscious colleagues and colleagues. He was surprised on Monday when the app drew his attention to two new users: mom and dad.

“Signal still had a subversive glow,” said Mr. Agrawal, 32. “Now my parents are in.”

Gavin McInnes, founder of the far-right Proud Boys group, had just announced his return on Telegram. “Man, I haven’t posted anything here in a while,” he wrote on Sunday. “I will post regularly.”

And on Twitter, Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur, also weighed in two words last week: “Use Signal”.

In the past week, tens of millions of people downloaded Signal and Telegram, making them the two hottest apps in the world. With Signal, messages can be sent with “end-to-end encryption”, ie only the sender and recipient can read the content. Telegram offers some encrypted messaging options, but is mostly popular for its group-based chat rooms where users can discuss a wide variety of topics.

Their sudden surge in popularity was fueled by a series of events over the past week that raised concerns about some of the big tech companies and their communication apps, like WhatsApp, which Facebook owns. Tech companies like Facebook and Twitter removed thousands of far-right accounts – including President Trump’s – after the Capitol storm. Amazon, Apple, and Google have also dropped support for Parler, a social network popular with Mr. Trump’s fans. In response, conservatives looked for new apps to communicate with.

At the same time, privacy concerns about WhatsApp were mounting, which last week a pop-up notification reminded users that some of their data will be shared with the parent company. The notification sparked a wave of fear fueled by viral chain messages falsely claiming Facebook could read WhatsApp messages.

The result has been mass migration that, if it continues, could weaken the power of Facebook and other big tech companies. On Tuesday, Telegram announced that it had added more than 25 million users in the past three days, which equates to more than 500 million users. According to estimates by Apptopia, an app data company, Signal added nearly 1.3 million users on Monday alone, after an average of just 50,000 downloads per day last year.

“We already had a lot of downloads,” said Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, in a message on the app on Tuesday. “But this time it’s different.”

Carl Woog, a spokesman for WhatsApp, said that users’ privacy settings have not changed and that rumors about what data is being shared are largely unfounded.

“What doesn’t change is that private messages to friends and family, including group chats, are protected with end-to-end encryption so that we can’t see them,” he said.

The rise of Telegram and Signal could spark the debate about encryption, which helps protect the privacy of people’s digital communications, but can hinder authorities in criminal investigations as conversations are hidden.

In particular, the move to apps by far-right groups has worried US authorities, some of whom are trying to track plans for potentially violent rallies at or before the inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. next week.

“The proliferation of encrypted platforms where law enforcement can’t even monitor rhetoric enables groups with bad intent to plan behind the curtain,” said Louis Grever, director of the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies.

Capitol Riot Fallout

Updated

Jan. 13, 2021, 6:09 p.m. ET

Telegram is particularly popular with right-wing extremists as it mimics social media. After Facebook and Twitter limited Mr Trump to their services last week and other companies enlisted their assistance from Parler, right-wing groups on Parler and other fringe social networks posted links to new Telegram channels and encouraged people to join them.

In the four hours after Parler went offline on Monday, a Proud Boys group on Telegram gained over 4,000 new followers.

“Don’t trust Big Tech,” read a message in a Proud Boys group on Parler. “We need to find safer rooms.”

On Signal, a Florida-based militia group said Monday that it is organizing its chats in small city-to-city chats, limited to a few dozen people each, according to the New York Times. They warned each other not to let in anyone they did not know personally to avoid police officers spying on their chats.

The deluge of users of Telegram, based in Dubai, and Signal, based in Silicon Valley, goes well beyond American right. Mr Durov said 94 percent of Telegram’s 25 million new users were from Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa. Data from Apptopia showed that while the US was the main source of Signal’s new users, downloads of both apps increased in India, Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil and elsewhere.

Concerns about WhatsApp’s privacy policy have increased Telegram and Signal’s popularity. While there haven’t been any significant changes to the way WhatsApp handles user data, users immediately interpreted the app’s privacy notice last week as infiltrating and infiltrating all kinds of personal information – such as personal chat logs and voice calls passes this data on to companies.

WhatsApp was quick to say that people were wrong and that it couldn’t see anything in encrypted chats and calls. But it was too late.

“The whole world now seems to understand that Facebook doesn’t create apps for them, Facebook apps for their data,” said Moxie Marlinspike, Founder and CEO of Signal. “It took this one little catalyst to get everyone over the edge of change.”

The passion was so great that Moses Tsali, a rapper from Los Angeles, released a music video for his song “Hit Me On Signal” on Tuesday. And Mr. Musk’s endorsement of Signal last week drove publicly traded shares of Signal Advance Inc., a small medical device maker, from a market value of around $ 50 million to over $ 3 billion. (The company has no relationship with the messaging app.)

Some world leaders have also urged people to join them on the apps. On Sunday, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s Twitter account from Mexico spoke about his new telegram group. As of Wednesday, it had nearly 100,000 members.

Eli Sapir, executive director of Apptopia, said that while WhatsApp has fairer concerns about data collection on Facebook, WhatsApp actually uses more secure encryption than Telegram. “It’s like switching from something high in sugar to corn syrup,” he said, adding that Signal was the safest of the three.

Meyi Alabi, 18, a student in Ibadan, Nigeria, said she was surprised this week when her mother invited her to join Signal. Her mother downloaded the app at the urging of a friend who was worried about WhatsApp.

“I was shocked because she got it before me,” she said. “We usually tell our parents about the new apps. Now we are suddenly informed. “

Mr Agrawal, the cryptocurrency worker, said his parents had long been active in several WhatsApp group chats with college friends and relatives in India. He said they told him they joined Signal to follow many of the chats that moved there because some of the attendees were concerned about WhatsApp’s new policy.

He said he knew the dangers of the WhatsApp policy were overstated, but that much of the public did not understand how their data was being handled.

“They hear these important things – data sharing, Facebook, data protection,” said Agrawal, “and that’s enough for them to say I have to get away from it.”