Middle East Experience

The main coronavirus test that is supposed to tell if a person is infected or not produces false positives at least 20 percent of the time, a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine by researchers at Johns Hopkins University read.The reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for COVID-19 has been used on high-risk persons, such as people exposed to the already infected and health workers. The research, however, suggests that the test has been producing false negatives at least 20 percent of the time, with the likelihood of false positives increasing if the test was administered in the early days of infection.Typically, it is not until day five that symptoms for the coronavirus begin to appear. On day one of infection, the test was completely ineffective in determining if someone has coronavirus, by day four the test produced false negatives just over two-thirds of the time, at 67 percent.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the appAfter symptoms begin to appear on day five, the test was found to give false negatives 38 percent of the time. By day eight, the number of false negatives falls to 20 percent, before rising again to 21 percent on day nine, and 66 percent on day 21.“The false-negative rate was minimized eight days after exposure—that is, three days after the onset of symptoms on average. As such, this may be the optimal time for testing if the goal is to minimize false-negative results,” the researchers wrote in the study.The researchers also warned that the results had their own drawbacks. The increase in false negatives starting at day nine may simply be the result of infections clearing, rather than the test falsely noting that an infected person did not have the virus.“If the goal is to clear a patient from isolation, these negative results may be correct, although more data are needed given studies showing viral replication in other sites,” the researchers wrote.“However, if the goal of the test is to evaluate whether additional follow-up is needed or whether the patient should be treated as SARS-CoV-2–positive for the purpose of contact tracing, the test may not be providing the desired information and caution should be used in decision making,” they added.The researchers called for health workers to consider waiting one to three days after symptoms have begun to test for the virus to minimize the probability of false negative results.Read more:UAE’s G42, UK’s Oxford Nanopore to develop ‘population-scale’ coronavirus testingApple to offer coronavirus testing for staff returning to officesCoronavirus: Egypt to offer COVID-19 testing in all general hospitals
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus tests fail to catch COVID-19 at least one in five times: Study

Oman recorded 1,067 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, raising the total to 19,954, the health ministry announced on Thursday.Most of the newly recorded cases are non-Omanis and 342 are Omani nationals.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.Meanwhile, five people who had previously tested positive for the virus have died, raising the death toll to 89, according to the health ministry.The country’s recoveries continue to increase as well with 983 new recoveries raising the total to 6,623.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the appRead more:Coronavirus: UAE hiring and jobs rates recovering after steep COVID-19 fall: LinkedInNew US lawsuit alleges Qatar secretly funded terror attacks that killed US citizensCoronavirus in UAE: Patients who got stem cell therapy improved faster than others
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Oman’s total cases near 20,000 as health ministry records 1,067 new ones

Egypt is getting ready to open the first antiquities museum in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh later this year, in the hope of boosting the tourism sector that has been badly affected by the coronavirus lockdown.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Sharm el-Sheikh prepares for antiquities museum opening

The United Arab Emirates conducted another 45,000 coronavirus tests that led to the detection of 479 new cases over the past 24 hours, raising the total to 40,986, the ministry of health reported on Thursday.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.Despite recording new cases daily, the ministry has also seen an increase in recoveries with an additional 1,217 individuals who had previously tested positive for the virus having recovered. The total number of recoveries in the UAE has reached 25,234.Two people have died due to complications after being infected with the new virus, raising the death toll to 286.The number of active coronavirus cases in the UAE is now 15,466.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Despite the easing of restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the virus, the health ministry continues to urge individuals to adhere to precautionary measures, wear a face mask, wash hands and maintain social distancing.“We should pay attention to the elderly and individuals at risk. We advise them to follow social distancing and avoid public places,” spokeswoman Dr. Farida al-Hosani said on Wednesday.Read also: Am I allowed to leave Abu Dhabi? UAE movement ban questions answeredThe increase or decrease in new and recovered cases in the country and the world are associated with the commitment of people to precautionary measures in addition to other factors, according to a government spokeswoman.“It should not be taken as an indicator that the spread of Covid-19 has been curbed,” Dr. Amna al-Shamsi said on Wednesday.Read more:EU proposes reopening internal borders on June 15Coronavirus: UAE hiring and jobs rates recovering after steep COVID-19 fall: LinkedInCoronavirus in UAE: Patients who got stem cell therapy improved faster than others
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: UAE conducts 45,000 new tests, confirms 479 cases

A full-body hug is a safer way to make contact with someone else than a handshake while trying to avoid contracting coronavirus, Belgian virologist Marc Van Ranst told US-based newspaper New York Post on Tuesday.Global coronavirus lockdowns are beginning to ease, with authorities slowly walking back on measures meant to combat the spread of the deadly virus. While practicing adequate social distancing is still recommended, Van Ranst said that if people are going to touch each other, hugging is better than a normal handshake.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app“People are allowed to hold each other,” Van Ranst, an epidemiologist at the Rega Institute for Medical Research, told the New York Post.Handshakes, however, are not recommended as it allows hands to “come into contact with each other and with the environment,” increasing “the chance of the spread,” he said, the New York Post reported.Health authorities have already warned citizens against unnecessary touching to limit the spread of the virus.In March, the UAE advised residents that they should “avoid direct contact with others, in particular cheek and nose greetings.”Van Ranst noted that hugs should only be kept for “people you have an affinity with,” rather than a general greeting, the Post reported.Read more:AI taught to detect coronavirus infection from lung scans: ReportsCoronavirus: Blood type increases how likely you are to catch COVID-19, says reportAmid coronavirus fears, UAE asks residents to avoid handshakes, ‘nose greetings,’ ‘kissing’
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Hugging less risky than handshakes, warns virologist

Saudi Arabia recorded 3,733 new coronavirus cases, its highest daily increase yet, raising the total to 116,021, according to the health ministry.Nearly 40 percent of the newly detected cases were found in the city of Riyadh which has seen the highest number of cases in recent weeks.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.The health ministry also announced 38 fatalities, raising the death toll to 857. Meanwhile, 2,065 people who had previously tested positive for the virus have recovered over the past 24 hours.Nearly 70 percent of those who have contracted the new coronavirus have recovered as of June 11, according to the health ministry.On Tuesday, a health official warned that the number of active coronavirus cases and the virus-related death toll in Saudi Arabia is rising because several members of the public continue to ignore preventative measures.Saudi Arabia has been gradually easing restrictions throughout the country over the past several weeks. The Kingdom’s mosques are now allowed to open for Friday prayers but must open no more than 40 minutes before the prayer begins.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Meanwhile, public sector employees throughout the country began to gradually return to workplaces on May 31 and are expected to fully return by June 14.Read more:Saudi Arabia installs PPE, sanitizer vending machines in Riyadh airportCoronavirus tests fail to catch COVID-19 at least one in five times: StudyUAE’s G42, UK’s Oxford Nanopore to develop ‘population-scale’ coronavirus testing
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia records 3,733 new cases, its highest increase yet

Emirates has resumed regular passenger flights, but the carrier had to reduce the size of its workforce concurrent with its reduced operations, a spokesperson said.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Dubai-based airline Emirates cuts jobs again

El Al is facing major difficulties during the current economic and health crises and is seeking government help as Israel's borders remain closed.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Report: Israel’s El Al airline could be owned by state again

Victims of a shipwreck off the coast of Tunisia are believed to have set off for Italy a week ago on a boat with 53 people on board..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: More than 50 dead in migrant shipwreck off Tunisia

The recent killing of Yemeni photojournalist Nabil Hasan al-Quaety by unidentified gunmen in Aden sheds light on a long and complex history of unresolved political assassinations in Yemen..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Yemen has a long and destructive history of political assassinations