Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Britain launches world's first-ever Covid-19 booster dose trial

Britain launches world's first-ever Covid-19 booster dose trial

BRITAIN has launched the world’s first-ever Covid-19 booster shot trials today with nearly 3000 volunteers to explore if giving a third dose would be safe and effective in extending immune protection against COVID-19.

The trial is backed by £19.3 million government funding and will be the first in the world to provide vital data on the impact of the third dose on patients’ immune response. Initial findings of the trial are expected in September.


“The data from this world-first clinical trial will help shape the plans for our booster program later this year,” said Matt Hancock, the health secretary. “I urge everyone who has had both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, and is eligible, to sign up for this study and play a part in protecting the most vulnerable people in this country and around the world for months and years to come.”

The officials are said to be planning for the possibility of a booster vaccination campaign before the winter sets in after immunizing the whole adult population by summer this year. 

The vaccines being evaluated in the trial are the vaccines that are already being rolled out in Britain, along with the ones from Johnson & Johnson, Novavax, Valneva, and CureVac for which the country has future supply deals. The booster will be given as third shots to people who have already received two doses of Pfizer or AstraZeneca's vaccine. 

Saul Faust, a professor of pediatric immunology and infectious diseases at Britain's Southampton University who is co-leading the trial, said the findings would help vaccination strategy planners and politicians to decide “whether to boost anybody with a third at all or - if they are going to get a booster - which vaccine might be used.”

Major vaccine makers have often suggested that a booster dose or an annual Covid-19 vaccine might be needed for better protection. However, many scientists have reportedly raised questions on when or whether such shots are needed.

More For You

UK migrant tutor posts

Seema Malhotra (Photo: Getty Images)

Government scraps tutor posts for detained migrants after backlash

HOME OFFICE minister Seema Malhotra has ordered the removal of UK government job advertisements for roles such as a balloon craft tutor, which were being offered to migrants held at a detention centre in London.

The intervention followed a report in The Sun newspaper highlighting job listings worth over £30,000 a year at the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre (HIRC).

Keep ReadingShow less
Mumbai-Reuters
A drone view of the construction work of the upcoming coastal road in Mumbai, India. (Photo credit: Reuters)
Reuters

India’s economy grows faster than expected as US tariffs pose risk

Highlights:

  • India’s GDP grew 7.8 per cent in April-June, beating forecasts of 6.7 per cent.
  • US has double tariffs on Indian imports to 50 per cent, raising export concerns.
  • Consumer spending rose 7.0 per cent year-on-year, driven by rural demand..

INDIA’s economy expanded faster than expected in the April-June quarter, even as higher US tariffs on Indian imports are set to weigh on activity in the coming months.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hindu group chief urges Indian families to have three children

India's RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat speaks during a question-and-answer session as part of the RSS' three-day lecture series on '100 years of Sangh journey', in New Delhi. (ANI Photo/Ishant Chauhan)

Hindu group chief urges Indian families to have three children

THE head of India's powerful Hindu group, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), said that Indian families must have three children each, warning about the long-term risks from the current trend of declining birth rates.

At 1.46 billion, India is the world's most populous nation but the total fertility rate has dropped to less than two children per woman, according to the UN Population Fund's 2025 report, as economic growth gathers momentum.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bangladesh-protests-Getty

Anti-government protesters display Bangladesh’s national flag at Sheikh Hasina’s palace in Dhaka last year. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Bangladesh Election Commission announces roadmap for February polls

BANGLADESH’s Election Commission (EC) on Thursday released a roadmap for the general election, expected to be held in February next year.

The poll schedule will be announced at least 60 days before the voting date, officials said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Karim Khan misconduct

International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan, attends a United Nations Security Council meeting on Sudan and South Sudan at the United Nations headquarters on January 27, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Second woman accuses ICC prosecutor Karim Khan of sexual misconduct

A SECOND woman has accused Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), of sexual misconduct, reported the Guardian.

The woman alleged that while working as an intern for Khan more than a decade ago, he repeatedly subjected her to unwanted sexual advances, abused his senior position, and pressured her into situations where she felt unsafe.

Keep ReadingShow less