Britain will arrange meeting to encourage global COVID vaccine take-up
May 15, 2021, 7:11 pm

Britain will arrange meeting to encourage global COVID vaccine take-up

Bottles of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID19 vaccine await transfer into syringes for administering at a vaccine rollout in Los Angeles, California on March 25, 2021. (AFP)

Britain said on May 15 it is planning to arrange a virtual meeting on June 2 to motivate global take-up of COVID-19 vaccines, bringing together medical experts, officials from G7 countries and other partners.

The event will talk about how to deal with misinformation about vaccines, including the role social media companies can perform in stopping the spread of damaging falsehoods.

Britain, which has one of the world’s fastest vaccination campaigns and an uptake of over 90% in older age groups, hopes to use its presidency of the Group of Seven nations to improve access to vaccines.

Rich countries are in general far ahead of most poorer nations in vaccinating their populations. The World Health Organization has repeatedly urged them to do more to help distribute vaccines worldwide, including boosting supplies to the COVAX scheme to provide vaccines to poorer nations.

Vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “This UK-hosted Summit is a significant opportunity for G7 countries to come together with partners around the world to take action to maintain high levels of trust in vaccines and those that provide them."

“We must work collectively to ensure people across the world can reclaim their lives and livelihoods.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair a G7 summit in Cornwall on June 11-13. U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to attend with other leaders.

In Britain, a first shot has been administered to almost 70% of the adult population and a second to 36%, helping to reduce infection rates and deaths.

Source: Reuters

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”