Restrictions tighten in the Gulf as omicron spreads
Tightening restrictions in the Gulf as omicron spreads: Masking and social distancing mandates came into effect again in Saudi Arabia last week, according to the Saudi Press Agency, while the UAE will introduce a travel ban for all unvaccinated citizens starting 10 January, according to Emirati state-run news agency WAM.
The Health Ministry reported 783 new covid-19 infections yesterday, down from 847 the day before. Egypt has now disclosed a total of 386,358 confirmed cases of covid-19. The ministry also reported 16 new deaths, bringing the country’s total death toll to 21,768.
We received 347k AstraZeneca jabs last week, the Health Ministry announced. The ministry did not disclose where we received the jabs from.
Sinovac shot + Pfizer booster less effective against omicron: The two-dose Sinovac shot followed by a single Pfizer booster produces a lower immune response against the omicron variant than previous forms of the virus, according to a new study. The combination of vaccines produced 6.3x less antibodies against omicron compared to the original strain of the virus, researchers from Yale University and the Dominican Republic Health Ministry found.