From the Editors: Don’t let your guard down on COVID-19

DON’T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN: The UAE is on top of the global charts when it comes to vaccinating its residents, with the rate of doses standing at 122.39 per 100 people. According to officials, nearly 74 per cent of eligible groups and 80 per cent of the elderly have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. While this is very reassuring, we cannot afford to let our guard down. Each one of us must necessarily follow due precautionary protocols, wear those masks and keep the required social distance at the office or a public place. We owe it to the country to keep ourselves and others safe. [COMMENT BY: Sharmila Dhal, UAE Editor]

ANOTHER PROBE TO FIND ORIGINS OF CORONAVIRUS: More than 17 months after the onslaught of COVID-19, the world is still trying to figure out its origins. US President Joe Biden has now asked the intelligence community to investigate if the virus jumped from an animal host into humans or escaped from a lab. Experts have said that the virus has several naturally occurring features, but have also said they could not rule out that the virus may have escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China. The pandemic has not just robbed mankind of more than a year, it has resulted in the loss of 3.5 million lives. It is important to find out the origins of this virus, not to level blame, but to understand and ensure that it does not happen again. [COMMENT BY: Alex Abraham, Senior Associate Editor]

FORTUNE FAVOURS VILLARREAL AFTER A NERVE-WRACKING EUROPA FINAL: A 11-10 scoreline in penalties certainly reminds one of a tennis tie-breaker, but it only reflects the nerve-wracking nature of the Europa League final in Gdnask, Poland on Wednesday. Spanish club Villarreal had the last laugh against Manchester United after the match went on shootout after a 1-1 at extra-time, extending manager Unai Emery’s brilliant run in the competition. It was a record fourth triumph for the Frenchman as a manager after winning the competition three times with Sevilla – while it was a major heartbreak for the Red Devils. Their trophy drought now extends for the fourth consecutive year – their worse since in 1980s [COMMENT BY: by Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

THE LEGEND LIVES ON: Late actor Chadwick Boseman is being posthumously honoured by his alma mater, Howard University. He is now the namesake of Howard’s newly re-established Chadwick A Boseman College of Fine Arts. Boseman, who graduated in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in directing, died in August 2020 at 43 of colon cancer. As time passes by, the memory of the ‘Black Panther’ star is still going strong. His influence on pop culture and the world at large has been vast and with the naming of the college, his name will live on for many years to come. [COMMENT BY: Jennifer Barretto Assistant Editor – Features]