UAE: 12,798 vaccine doses administered in 24 hours

The UAE has administered 12,798 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in the past 24 hours.

The country's Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) said the total doses administered now stand at 24.3 million.

This takes the rate of doses to 245.75 doses per 100 people.

Japan is considering offering a fourth coronavirus vaccine shot later this year, a newspaper reported on Friday, while a government spokesman said a decision would be made based on the severity of the pandemic.

The Yomiuri daily said if a decision was made to give a fourth shot they would likely be vaccines supplied by Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc, and they could be offered this summer.

Israel’s health ministry said in January a fourth vaccine dose, or a second booster, for people over 60 made them three times more resistant to serious illness and twice as resistant to infection.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, asked about the Yomiuri report, told reporters the government would have to consider the pandemic situation both at home and abroad.

Meanwhile, coronavirus infections appear to be rising in older adults in England, with cases remaining at a high level despite a broad decline since a peak in January, according to a government-commissioned study published Thursday.

The REACT Covid-19 monitoring program, which looked at almost 95,000 home swab tests taken in February, showed that around 1 in 35 people in England was infected with the virus during the period and infections were rising among those aged 55 and older.

Researchers said the increase could be driven by more socialising since all coronavirus restrictions were lifted in late February, as well as waning protection from the vaccine booster.

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