7th Oct 2020 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=111 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

The Japan Times With the COVID19 pandemic largely under control in China the Golden Week holiday is putting on display the countrys confidence in its economic rebound and its public health measures. Through the first four days of the weeklong holiday that started Oct. 1 some 425 million people traveled domestically according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism nearly 80 percent of last years throngs. The surge of activity stands in stark contrast to the rest of the world the global tourism industry is expected to lose at least 1.2 trillion in 2020 and underscores the relative strength of Chinas economic recovery. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/10/06/business/economy-business/travelers-china-economy-coronavirus/ 6th Oct 2020

Lockdown Exit

Daily Mail A Wuhan sports centre which was converted into a 1100bed makeshift coronavirus hospital at the height of Chinas COVID19 outbreak has held its first game since life in the city returned to normal. As many as 7500 spectators swarmed into the Wuhan Sports Centre last night to watch a basketball game organised by retired NBA star Yao Ming according to Chinese state media. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8805869/Wuhan-COVID-19-update-Sports-centre-coronavirus-makeshift-hospital-holds-game.html 6th Oct 2020

Lockdown Exit

The Independent A vaccine against Covid19 may be ready by the end of 2020 the head of the World Health Organisation WHO has said. There is hope Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a meeting of WHO executives gathered to examine the global response to the pandemic. We will need vaccines and there is hope that by the end of this year we may have a vaccine. There are currently nine experimental vaccines in the pipeline of the WHOled Covax global vaccine facility which aims to distribute two billion doses by the end of 2021. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-vaccine-who-update-covid-19-b837372.html 6th Oct 2020

Lockdown Exit

Daily Mail In Arizona coronavirus cases remained stable from early March to midMay while stayathome orders were in effect and businesses were closed. After the stayathome order was lifted cases rose by 151 from around 800 per day to more than 2000 daily. On June 17 Gov Doug Ducey updated guidelines and allowed counties to implement mask policies. Cases briefly increased before declining by 75 from 3506 cases per day on July 13 to 867 cases daily on August 7 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8810759/amp/Coronavirus-cases-Arizona-declined-75-summer-mask-mandate-CDC-report-finds.html 6th Oct 2020

Lockdown Exit

BBC We are in the grip of a pandemic like none other in living memory. While people are pinning their hopes on a vaccine to wipe it out the fact is most of the infections faced by our ancestors are still with us. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-876f42ae-5e44-41c0-ba2d-d6fd537aadfe 4th Oct 2020

Exit Strategies

Evening Standard The race is on to trace contacts of almost half of the thousands of positive coronavirus cases initially not recorded in England due to a technical glitch. Some 49 per cent of the almost 16000 cases had still not been reached for contact tracing purposes as of Monday following data issues over the weekend. The Times newspaper said contact tracers had reported conversations disconnecting midcall but a spokesman for the department said no such incidents had been reported either on Monday or over the weekend. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/nhs-in-race-to-reach-50000-covid19-contacts-missed-in-data-blunder-a4564151.html 6th Oct 2020

Exit Strategies

BBC In London a 400strong ensemble of freelance musicians played outside Parliament to highlight the plight of the music industry during the current pandemic. Violinists Nicola Benedetti and Tasmin Little were among the performers who played a short segment of Mars from Holsts The Planets in central London. They then held a twominute silence to put pressure on the government to give more support to selfemployed artists. A concurrent protest took place outside Birminghams Symphony Hall. The events were supported by the Musicians Union which represents more than 32000 performers in the UK. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54437872 6th Oct 2020

Exit Strategies

The Guardian The UK government has been urged to reclassify swimming pools gyms and leisure centres as essential services vital to public health or face the prospect of thousands of facilities being shut permanently if a second lockdown is introduced. As the Guardian revealed in June nearly half of Britains public leisure centres and 20 of the countrys swimming pools risk being closed for good before Christmas putting more than 58000 jobs in peril because of the coronavirus pandemic. Even though lockdown restrictions have been eased a third of leisure centres have still not reopened because of their parlous financial state. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/oct/06/government-urged-to-classify-leisure-centres-swimming-pools-gyms-essential-or-face-mass-closures-covid 6th Oct 2020

Exit Strategies

Yahoo Spain is prepared to extend its furlough program beyond January Social Security Minister Jose Luis Escriva said in the clearest statement yet on the future of the wagesupport policy. We stand ready to reevaluate the situation Escriva said in an interview one week after the government agreed to prolong its previous aid measure through Jan. 31. A lot will depend on a vaccine. A further extension could protect hundreds of thousands of atrisk jobs in a country that already has one of the regions highest rates of unemployment and which is also suffering one of its most dramatic coronavirus outbreaks. https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/spain-emergency-wage-support-may-181228563.html 6th Oct 2020

Exit Strategies

NEWS.com.au It was always going to be a tall order but there are now real doubts creeping in as to whether Victoria will get its case numbers down by enough to move to step three of its path out of lockdown when expected. Just a single word from chief health officer Brett Sutton today highlighted that doubt. Thats the word may. When asked if Victoria would reach its target of a rolling 14day average of five daily cases or fewer of COVID19 by the goal of October 19 he replied Thats a point that well absolutely get to and it may still well be midOctober. Of course that means that Victoria may also not meet that goal by midOctober. The numbers just arent coming down fast enough. https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/coronavirus-victoria-possibility-third-step-wont-happen-when-planned/news-story/f4570f9877cc2b5b619516332e8d81c7 6th Oct 2020

Exit Strategies

Yahoo Australia will spend A4 billion over the next year to pay businesses that hire those under the age of 35 Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said as part of an ambitious plan to boost jobs and growth. Australia has been widely lauded for limiting the spread of COVID19 but strict lockdown measures forced shut entire sectors of the economy sending unemployment to a 22year high of 7.5 in July. The impact on younger Australians is even worse with recent data showing the unemployment rate for 15 to 24year olds was hovering near 20. As part of the governments hiring credit scheme Canberra will pay businesses A200 a week for the next a year if they employ a person under 29. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/australia-pay-businesses-employ-young-083656036.html 6th Oct 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters Australia pledged billions in tax cuts and measures to boost jobs on Tuesday to help pull the economy out of its historic COVID19 slump in a budget that tips the country into its deepest deficit on record. While the number of deaths and infections in Australia from COVID19 has been low compared with many other countries the hit to GDP has been severe. Underlying the budget forecasts was an assumption that a vaccine would be developed in 2021. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-australia-budget/australia-to-run-record-budget-deficit-as-government-cuts-tax-boosts-job-support-idUKKBN26R0EO 6th Oct 2020

Partisan Exits

BBC US President Donald Trump has made a theatrical return to the White House to continue his treatment for coronavirus after a threenight hospital stay. Mr Trump who is still contagious removed his mask on the balcony of the White House while posing for pictures. Mr Trump also recorded a video message urging Americans to get back to work. Youre going to beat it coronavirus he told them adding Were going to be out front. As your leader I had to do that. I knew theres danger to it but I had to do it. I stood out front and led. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-us-2020-54427390 6th Oct 2020

Partisan Exits

USA Today President Donald Trump rolled out of Walter Reed hospital confidently urging the nation not to fear the coronavirus despite experts warning the U.S. death toll at more than 210000 could almost double by years end. Experts also warn that the commanderinchief himself may not have seen the worst of the virus just yet. I am very worried that people will take this to mean that If he can beat COVID I can beat COVID said Narasimhan senior vice president for critical care services at Northwell Health. I dont think that we can take any real lessons from Trumps illness except that he did get sick. Pretending this is not real disease will not help. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/10/06/fauci-warns-trump-relapse-president-downplays-coronavirus-death-toll/3634631001/ 6th Oct 2020

Partisan Exits

MSN President Donald Trumps newest coronavirus adviser Dr. Scott Atlas says the presidents COVID19 diagnosis will not change the White Houses current strategy on pandemic control. He is not afraid hes not going to hide in the basement endorse another lockdown ... frozen in fear behind a map Atlas said. Throughout the pandemic Trump and the White House have downplayed the coronavirus pressured states to reopen their businesses and eschewed health experts calls for transparency. The US currently has the highest number of COVID19 cases and deaths in the world. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-s-anti-lockdown-coronavirus-adviser-dr-scott-atlas-says-the-president-s-covid-19-diagnosis-will-not-change-how-the-white-house-tackles-the-pandemic/ar-BB19KrEN?li=BBnbcA1 6th Oct 2020

Partisan Exits

HuffPost UK In England what is stopping the PM from a full lockdown and could a twoweek circuitbreaker compromise be on the cards Covid19 has already ravaged the UK economy and the Bank of England warned last month that the resurgence of the virus will hit the country hard. Chancellor Rishi Sunak is thought to oppose a second lockdown for any long period of time amid fears job losses could soar and unemployment in 2021 could spiral out of control. One thorn in Johnsons side should he move for a second shutdown is a grouping of backbench Tory MPs known informally as the Brady bunch. Notionally led by the chair of the powerful 1922 committee Graham Brady they oppose new restrictions by the state both due to the limits on individual freedoms and the strain on business. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/will-boris-johnson-impose-a-second-national-lockdown_uk_5f74a3c2c5b6d698bb26f4ec 6th Oct 2020

Partisan Exits

The Independent Vince Cable writes about the Japanese approach to the coronavirus pandemic as compared to Trumps The Japanese experience might also prove helpful to Trump. Assuming that he recovers quickly and gets back to the campaign trail he has to find a way of acknowledging that his cavalier disregard for scientific advice wasnt smart but at the same time he has to keep faith with his libertarian supporters who will not accept formal restrictions. A version of the Japanese approach might play well especially since Tokyo has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep onside with Trump. https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/trump-coronavirus-covid-japan-libertarian-b832041.html 6th Oct 2020

Partisan Exits

The Japan Times While respect for maskwearing and personal hygiene is broadly high according to YouGov surveys of European countries support for quarantine and selfisolation is wavering. In France only 48 percent of people currently support quarantining those whove had contact with infected patients down from 78 percent in March. It has also fallen in the U.K. and Spain though to a lesser degree. Theres mounting evidence that people who are asked to stay at home arent doing so. On top of carrots and sticks transparency and education can help compliance. New rules such as closing restaurants and bars at 10 p.m. rather than 11 p.m. havent been justified with any scientifically backed explanations the kind of thing that can chip away at public trust. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2020/10/06/commentary/world-commentary/coronavirus-disobedience/ 6th Oct 2020

Partisan Exits

BBC Facebook has deleted a post in which President Trump had claimed Covid19 was less lethal than the flu. Mr Trump is at the White House after three days of hospital treatment having tested positive for the virus. He wrote the US had learned to live with flu season just like we are learning to live with Covid in most populations far less lethal Twitter hid the same message behind a warning about spreading misleading and potentially harmful information. Users have to click past the alert to read the tweet. We remove incorrect information about the severity of Covid19 and have now removed this post said Andy Stone policy communications manager at Facebook. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54440662 6th Oct 2020

Continued Lockdown

Reuters UK Five hundred of the worlds leading charities and social groups have sent a letter to the International Monetary Fund warning that its support programmes which have had to be ramped up to cope with COVID19 were condemning many countries to years of austerity. The IMF has responded to an unprecedented number of calls for emergency financing as a result of this years pandemic and lockdown measures driving the global economy into a severe recession. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-imf-austerity/covid-aid-could-bring-years-of-austerity-charities-warn-imf-idUKKBN26R1KK 6th Oct 2020

Continued Lockdown

Hindustan Times The Covid19 pandemic has likely exacerbated hunger and malnutrition among communities most vulnerable to food insecurity especially children an experts committee set up by the National Human Rights Commission has said. In an advisory the rights watchdog has asked the Union ministries of food and public distribution women and child development and education to urgently restore and expand coverage under various food handout programmes. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/lockdown-hit-food-security-of-children-rights-body-tells-ministries/story-pzQYgrpgwX39WRPOO3jxbL.html 6th Oct 2020

Continued Lockdown

The Week UK Millions of people across the north of England are currently under newly implemented lockdown measures following a surge of cases across the country in recent weeks. Greater Manchester has been under a local lockdown since the end of July. In the northeast Northumberland Newcastle Tyneside Gateshead Sunderland and County Durham have been under stricter measures since 30 September and this weekend new restrictions were introduced in Liverpool Warrington Hartlepool and Middlesbrough https://www.theweek.co.uk/coronavirus/106317/pros-and-cons-of-lockdown 6th Oct 2020

Continued Lockdown

Metro.co.uk In Manchester a number of lockdown parties over the weekend means 400 fines for flouting coronavirus restrictions have now been handed out. Police say they had a busy weekend in the city after issuing 85 fines between Friday and Sunday. Greater Manchester has been under a local lockdown since the end of July with household mixing banned in homes and gardens https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/06/wedding-and-birthday-parties-among-400-fines-handed-to-people-breaking-lockdown-in-manchester-13378347/ 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Yahoo The COVID19 Early Treatment Fund CETF announced the results of a recently funded outpatient clinical trial at Washington University in St. Louis that examined the viability of fluvoxamine in patients with mild COVID19. The trial results indicated that fluvoxamine if given early in the course of COVID19 significantly reduced the likelihood of hospitalization. https://news.yahoo.com/fluvoxamine-data-unveiled-promising-early-163000170.html 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Financial Times The European Medicines Agency has accelerated the approval process for a Covid19 vaccine developed by Germanys BioNTech and US pharma group Pfizer to allow for the rapid authorisation of the shot as soon as safety data from its trial allows. The decision by the EU regulator was based on preliminary results from the companies early clinical trials which showed the vaccine triggers an immune response in adults the regulator and the companies said https://www.ft.com/content/e9ebc6b0-9fa8-4725-a673-b7b14931c391 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian The White House blocked new Food and Drug Administration guidelines for the release of a coronavirus vaccine that would almost certainly have ensured the vaccine would not be approved before the presidential election on 3 November. The FDA planned to instruct that vaccine developers follow patients in trials for at least two months to rule out safety issues before seeking emergency approval. A senior administration official confirmed the move to block the guidelines to the Associated Press on Monday evening saying the White House believed there was no clinical or medical reason for the additional requirement https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/06/coronavirus-vaccine-trump-administration-fda 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail A potential new coronavirus antibody treatment made by GSK has moved into late stage trials. GlaxoSmithKline said its treatment known as Vir7831 could be rolled out by 2021 if its proven to be effective and safe. The drug uses antibodies proteins found in people who have survived Covid19 that have been genetically modified in a lab. These substances are then injected into patients in the earliest stages of their illness. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8810505/Covid-19-treatment-hopes-GlaxoSmithKlines-antibody-drug-moves-phase-3-trial.html 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

CNN The novel coronavirus may have infected about one in 10 people globally meaning the majority of the world remains vulnerable to Covid19 a World Health Organization official has said. Our current best estimates tell us that about 10 of the global population may have been infected by this virus Dr. Mike Ryan director of the WHOs Health Emergencies Programme said at a WHO executive board meeting. This varies depending on country it varies from urban to rural it varies between different groups. But what it does mean is that the vast majority of the world remains at risk Ryan added. https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/06/health/who-coronavirus-world-population-intl/index.html 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Nature Last month a grand experiment was launched to speed up the development of COVID19 vaccines and make sure they are distributed equitably among higher and lowerincome countries. The COVID19 Vaccine Global Access COVAX initiative is coled by the World Health Organization WHO the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations CEPI and Gavi the Vaccine Alliance. As of 1 October 167 countries have signed up covering nearly twothirds of the global population. Under this scheme even poor nations should have enough vaccines to protect healthcare workers and the most vulnerable 20 of their populations. Still Africa has reasons to worry. Already several highincome countries have signed their own contracts with individual companies to buy selected vaccines. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02774-8 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

BBC Covid19 may be a physical illness but it has also hit mental health hard. In August a group of NHS leaders said they were seeing a rise in people reporting severe mental health difficulties while charities including Mind Samaritans and Calm have all said they have seen an increase in people coming to them for help. The BBCs Unusual Times podcast spoke to people around the country about the impact the pandemic and lockdown has had on them. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-54418913 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

BBC As the Covid crisis has unfolded infection rates have fluctuated and restrictions have proliferated. But it has always felt that there was one idea to cling to that by working out which countries were doing well and which were not there was something to be learned. After all historians will surely puzzle over how the countries of Western Europe with broadly similar economies produced such drastically different outcomes. So far at least. We use international comparisons all the time of course theyre a way of measuring how our own governments are doing. But even comparing the simplest data can be complex. There can be differences in how and when death is reported how comorbidities are reflected on death certificates and for how long after a positive test a death is considered to be Covidrelated. All will influence how a countrys performance at any given moment is measured. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54391482 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

heraldscotland.com The Covid pandemic has had a profoundly disruptive impact on hospitalbased care across NHS Scotland researchers have warned. They said the response to the crisis has likely led to an adverse effect on nonCovid19related illnesses and that the longterm impact on avoidable deaths and disease should be monitored. A detailed analysis of the impact of the virus on patient numbers reveals that AE attendance fell to 41 per cent below average between the World Health Organisation declaring a pandemic on March 11 and the announcement of a UKwide lockdown on March 23. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18769538.coronavirus-lockdown-scotland-profoundly-disruptive-nhs-care/ 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International A survey has found infection rates of the new coronavirus to be as high as 94 per cent among some people living in precarious situations in Paris. The findings confirm that COVID19 is more easily spread among people living in crowded conditions such as hostels for disadvantaged people and shelters for the homeless. With winter coming measures to provide homeless people with appropriate accommodation such as hotels must be urgently implemented. https://www.msf.org/high-coronavirus-covid-19-rates-found-amongst-people-living-hardship-paris 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The New Indian Express In India the ratio between psychiatrists and patients still remains poor and amidst the pandemic issues pertaining to mental health and depression have witnessed a rise across all age groups. In order to bridge this gap and make mental health care accessible to all the MHFI Mental Health Foundation India launched a web portal MiHOPE that will have medical experts across the country directly communicate with those who need counselling via telepsychiatry telecounseling and holistic individual wellness emphasising on yoga physical activities and nutrition among others. https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/delhi/2020/oct/06/india-saw-spike-in-mental-health-cases-due-to-lockdown-aiims-doctor-2206446.html 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Medscape South Koreas response to Covid19 has been widely praised. Will Americans ever be willing to adopt a similar approach https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/938627 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail US and Spanish researchers surveyed nearly 13500 people from 19 countries People asked to grade their leaders handling of number of issues during crisis Chinese people were most satisfied with how their Governments had responded https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8806987/China-responded-best-Covid-19-pandemic-study-claims.html 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Business Standard China is in talks to have its locallyproduced Covid19 vaccines assessed by the World Health Organization as a step toward making them available for international use a WHO official said on Tuesday. Hundreds of thousands of essential workers and other groups considered at high risk in China have been given locallydeveloped vaccines even as clinical trials had not been fully completed raising safety concerns among experts. https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/world-coronavirus-dispatch-china-seeks-to-have-its-vaccine-assessed-by-who-120100600833_1.html 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

CNBC Dr. Scott Gottlieb expressed disappointment with the state of the U.S. coronavirus epidemic. The entire Pacific Rim has less than 1000 infections a day. Having a raging epidemic is not inevitable the former FDA chief told CNBC. Gottlieb doesnt believe China is lying about its much fewer case counts. The entire Pacific Rim isnt in on the conspiracy. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/05/dr-scott-gottlieb-a-raging-epidemic-is-not-inevitable-dr-scott-gottlieb-says-.html 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

CIDRAP Over the weekend the pandemic total topped 35 million infections as European countries experiencing second waves of activity dialed up their COVID19 measures and the World Health Organization WHO said that the virus has disrupted services for mental health neurologic conditions and substance abuse. The global total today reached 35333085 cases and 1039000 people have died from their infections according to the Johns Hopkins online dashboard. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/10/pandemic-tops-35-million-cases-disrupts-mental-health-services 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Regulatory Focus A second candidate vaccine against COVID19 is undergoing rolling review by the European Medicines Agency EMA as the agency begins with evaluation of preclinical data to support approval of a coronavirus vaccine during the pandemic. The human medicines committee of the agency known as CHMP announced on 6 October that it was initiating a rolling review of the messenger ribonucleic acid mRNA vaccine under development by Pfizer in collaboration with the German pharmaceutical company BioNTech. The rolling review of these vaccines started with CHMP evaluating the first batches of data. It continues until enough evidence is available to support a formal marketing authorization application according to EMAs web page that lists the vaccine candidates undergoing rolling review. https://www.raps.org/news-and-articles/news-articles/2020/10/chmp-starts-rolling-review-of-pfizerbiontech-covid 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail Private contractors hired by Moderna Inc did not hire enough black Hispanic and Native America volunteers for the companys coronavirus vaccine trial. This has slowed down the latestage trial and research centers have been told to focus on increasing participation among minorities. As of September 17 black Americans made up only about 7 of participants but a reflection of the US population should put that figure closer to 13. It is important to test a jab among communities of color because they are at higher risk of being infected with and dying from COVID19. Moderna says it could seek emergency approval for inoculating highrisk groups such as healthcare workers as early as November https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8810241/Moderna-vaccine-trial-contractors-fail-enroll-minorities-prompting-slowdown-sources.html 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Bristol Post Bristol experts are taking part in a major study to unpick the mysteries of coronavirus investigating how antiviral drugs could be used to fight it. The University of Bristol is among six institutions contributing to the 4m international project which is funded by the Food and Drug Administration FDA in the United States. They will specifically research severe cases of Covid19 and their findings will help to develop the treatments and vaccines that are urgently needed to slow the spread of the infection. https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/university-bristol-joins-major-4m-4580126 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Motley Fool It wasnt all that long ago that many people saw AstraZeneca as the leader in the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine. The U.K.based drugmaker partnered with the University of Oxford and got off to a fast start. AstraZeneca has fallen behind over the last four weeks at least in the U.S. Early last month the company announced that it was temporarily pausing its latestage clinical studies evaluating COVID19 vaccine candidate AZD1222. AstraZeneca has since resumed its trials in multiple countries indeed AZD1222 is already being reviewed for potential regulatory approvals in Canada and Europe. But the chances of a regulatory review in the U.S. for AstraZenecas coronavirus vaccine this year appear to be dwindling. Why is this onetime Operation Warp Speed favorite progressing so slowly in the U.S. https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/10/06/astrazenecas-coronavirus-vaccine-is-already-being/ 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters India The U.S. Food and Drug Administration told coronavirus vaccine developers on Tuesday it wants at least two months of safety data before authorizing emergency use a requirement that would likely push any U.S. vaccine availability past the Nov. 3 presidential election. A senior administration official confirmed the White House had approved the plan which undercuts President Donald Trumps hopes of getting a vaccine before voters go to polls. Trump voiced his displeasure in a Twitter post late on Tuesday New FDA Rules make it more difficult for them to speed up vaccines for approval before Election Day. Just another political hit job https://uk.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-fda-vaccine/u-s-fda-asks-covid-19-vaccine-developers-for-two-months-follow-up-data-idINKBN26R2IB 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The U.S. Food and Drug Administration told coronavirus vaccine developers on Tuesday it wants at least two months of safety data before authorizing emergency use a requirement that would likely push any U.S. vaccine availability past the Nov. 3 presidential election. A senior administration official confirmed the White House had approved the plan which undercuts President Donald Trumps hopes of getting a vaccine before voters go to polls. The FDA released the guidance laying out more stringent recommendations for drugmakers hoping to apply for an emergency use authorization EUA for their experimental vaccines. https://uk.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-fda-vaccine/update-4-us-fda-safety-guidelines-likely-to-push-covid-19-vaccine-authorization-past-election-idUKL4N2GX2R8 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The European health regulator is reviewing a COVID19 vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech in real time days after launching a similar assessment process for AstraZenecas vaccine. The European Medicines Agency EMA said on Tuesday its human medicines committee was evaluating the first batch of data on the vaccine and would continue to do so until enough data is available for a final decision. https://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKKBN26R1GM 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

BBC Coronavirus swabs and other key NHS tests for conditions including cancer are under threat after a supply chain failure at a major diagnostics company. Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche said problems with a move to a new warehouse had led to a very significant drop in its processing capacity. A spokesperson said Covid19 tests would be prioritised but it could take two weeks to fix the issue. One NHS trust has already advised its GPs to stop all nonurgent blood tests. In a statement Roche said We deeply regret that there has been a delay in the dispatch of some products. We are prioritising the dispatch of Covid19 PCR diagnostic and antibody tests and doing everything we can to ensure there is no impact on the supply of these to the NHS. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54435226 6th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail Researchers mixed samples of the coronavirus and influenza A virus with human skin samples obtained from autopsies 24 hours prior. The flu virus survived for less than two hours on skin while the coronavirus lived for up to nine hours. Both viruses were completely inactivated within 15 seconds by hand sanitizer containing 80 alcohol. The team says the findings show how the coronavirus has a higher risk of contact transmission than the flu and the importance of handwashing https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8808063/Coronavirus-survive-NINE-HOURS-human-skin-study-finds.html 5th Oct 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail Researchers looked at more than 500 patients with COVID19 at 10 hospitals for neurological symptoms. About 42 had neurological symptoms when their symptoms began 63 suffered them while in the hospital and 82 had them at some point while ill. The most common symptoms were muscle pain and headaches with 45 and 38 having them respectively. Nearly onethird of patients experienced encephalopathy which is an altered mental state leaving them confused. Patients with encephalopathy has an average hospital stay that was three times longer and a death risk seven times higher. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8807729/More-80-hospitalized-coronavirus-patients-neurological-symptoms-study-finds.html 5th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC The number of people admitted to hospital with Covid19 on one day has jumped by nearly a quarter in England. There were 478 people admitted to hospital on Sunday the largest daily figure since early June up from 386. More than twothirds of those were in the North West North East and Yorkshire. It comes as a further 14542 cases were confirmed across the whole of the UK on Tuesday. That daily figure has trebled in a fortnight. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54441133 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Britain reported 14542 new cases of COVID19 on Tuesday up from 12594 on Monday according to government data. There were 76 deaths within 28 days of a positive test. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-britain-cases/uk-reports-14542-cases-of-covid-19-idUKKBN26R2PE 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Daily Mail Cancer patients could face having their treatments withdrawn if the virus does not stay under control. Matt Hancocks admission comes after an Excel Spreadsheet failure saw 16000 positive cases overlooked. The oversight means thousands have been wandering the community after being exposed to the virus. Number 10 revealed this afternoon that only 63 per cent of these cases have now been contacted for tracing https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8810281/Labour-savages-Matt-Hancock-having-NO-idea-contacts-need-traced.html 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Guardian Students in lockdown must have access to food and basic toiletries university leaders have said as the government made deliveries of just one litre of hand sanitiser to campuses in England. Universities UK UUK which represents 139 higher education institutions published a checklist of measures for universities supporting students who were selfisolating after Covid19 exposure several weeks after teaching restarted at some sites. But the checklist makes no mention of financial support or refunds for costs incurred during lockdowns ordered by university authorities. It was also criticised as too late to help thousands of students already selfisolating including 824 confirmed Covid cases at Manchester University more than 770 at Northumbria University and 800 among students at Sheffields two universities. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/oct/06/isolating-students-offered-food-toiletries-but-no-financial-support-by-uk-universities 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

CNN Almost nine months into the coronavirus pandemic the crisis shows no signs of abating even in states that were once not considered Covid19 hotspots. Utah where the vice presidential candidates will debate Wednesday is averaging more than 1000 new cases each day for the past week. Thats the highest its been since the first cases in the US were reported in late January. https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/06/health/us-coronavirus-tuesday/index.html 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Guardian The Irish government has rejected a recommendation to return the country to a full lockdown in the first clash with health chiefs since the Covid outbreak began. The surprise recommendation by the National Public Health Emergency Team NPHET late on Sunday to impose the highest of five levels of restrictions possible with immediate effect had led to sharp criticism from some of the countrys most senior politicians including the former taoiseach Leo Varadkar. While the rising spread of the virus is causing alarm and has led to partial lockdowns in several counties most of the country is still on level 2 restrictions involving fewer limits to social and economic activity. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/06/irish-government-rejects-return-to-full-coronavirus-lockdown 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

YAHOO! The rate of Covid19 infections across the UK has almost doubled in a week. The UKwide sevenday rate currently stands at 125.7 cases per 100000 people up from 63.8 per 100000 a week ago analysis by the PA news agency shows. When it comes to daily figures as of 9am on Tuesday there were 14542 labconfirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK. These have trebled in a fortnight on September 22 there were 4926 cases recorded. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/uk-covid-19-infection-rate-162450689.html 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

New Statesman On 30 July after the weekly rate of Covid19 cases in Greater Manchester West Yorkshire and East Lancashire reached 66.6 per 100000 people local restrictions were imposed on the area with a few hours notice from central government. The situation was clearly seen as urgent. Were constantly vigilant and weve been looking at the data the Health Secretary Matt Hancock explained at the time concluding We need to take action. https://www.newstatesman.com/2020/10/why-another-87-million-people-should-now-be-under-lockdown-uk 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC Another lockdown in Northern Ireland to tackle Covid19 is avoidable if people adhere to the rules First Minister Arlene Foster has said. She said the executive did not want to have to impose further restrictions. However Mrs Foster said if that became necessary then Westminster would have to provide extra financial support. She and Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill spoke to Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove about that prospect on Monday afternoon. Speaking on BBC Radio Ulsters Evening Extra programme the first minister said she did not believe another lockdown was inevitable. The important thing to do is work with us and comply with the guidance and regulations out there she said. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-54422804 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC New coronavirus restrictions for Scotland will be announced on Wednesday but it will not be another full lockdown Nicola Sturgeon has said. Options for a socalled circuitbreaker to slow the spread of the virus were discussed by the Scottish cabinet on Tuesday morning. But the first minister said people would not be told to stay at home and there would be no national travel ban. And schools will only close for the October holidays. However the first minister did not rule out local travel restrictions being introduced or the possible closure of pubs and restaurants in areas with higher rates of the virus. Ms Sturgeon was speaking as 800 new cases of Covid19 were confirmed in Scotland. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-54434561 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Metro.co.uk Cities and areas with universities including Nottingham Sheffield Leeds and Oxford have seen figures soar after a computer technical issue. There was reportedly an error with an Excel spreadsheet which meant 15841 cases between September 25 and October 2 were left out of the Governments dashboard MailOnline reports. The error saw the daily cases jump to a record high of 22961 on Sunday. https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/06/revealed-cities-facing-lockdown-within-days-because-of-missed-data-13377553/ 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The New Indian Express Italys health minister says the government is examining a proposal to make masks mandatory outdoors as the country enters a difficult phase of living alongside COVID19 with the number of infections growing steadily for the last nine weeks. Roberto Speranza told the lower house of parliament on Tuesday that as infections spread it is necessary to return to restrictions that were gradually loosened over the spring and summer months after Italys strict nearly threemonth lockdown. We must raise our guard with the awareness that our county is better off than others Speranza said. https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2020/oct/06/covid-19-here-to-stay-italian-govt-wants-to-extend-state-of-emergency-measures-till-january-2022-2206595.html 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Daily Mail Italy Sweden and Greece are all above the Governments infection threshold. They are likely to be added to the growing red list of highrisk countries. Quarantine could be slashed to eight days if travellers receive a negative test. New arrivals will have to go into selfisolation but can end it with a test on day 8 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8808595/Italy-Greece-Sweden-added-UK-quarantine-list-week.html 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Guardian Bars in Paris have been ordered to close for two weeks Madrid residents may no longer leave their city and Ireland is set to introduce tighter national restrictions as governments struggle to contain a Europewide surge in Covid19 cases. As infections in the Paris area rose to 270 for every 100000 people and as high as 500 for every 100000 among 20 to 30yearolds with 36 of intensive care beds occupied by Covid19 patients the citys police chief said bars must close from Tuesday. Outlining measures he described as a balance between assuring the health of our fellow citizens and the reality and necessity of economic and social life Didier Lallement said the French capital and its surrounding ledeFrance region were necessary because the epidemic is moving too fast. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/05/europe-struggles-to-contain-surge-of-coronavirus-cases 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters India France reported a marked slowing in new daily COVID19 cases on Monday but the number of people hospitalised for the disease shot up by more than 300 for the first time since Apr. 12 when the country was in the middle of a lockdown. Among the 7294 patients hospitalised more than 1400 were treated in intensive care units ICUs the highest number since May 28. https://in.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-france-casualties/frances-daily-covid-19-cases-slow-but-hospitalisations-spike-idINKBN26R067?il=0 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

iNews It was all going so well until suddenly it wasnt. Following the superstrict lockdown in the spring life in Paris had pretty much returned to normal. I mean granted face masks were now compulsory in public spaces both indoors and out and there was still little international tourism in the city. But other than that things felt reassuringly normal again. The brasseries were busy once more the bars were positively bustling and business meetings had started to resume. People had even got used to abandoning la bise the famous kiss on both cheeks for the awkward elbow shuffle. Some of us had secretly come to prefer that style of greeting. In short there was no longer the feeling that we were living through an apocalypse. https://inews.co.uk/opinion/paris-covid-lockdown-restrictions-coronavirus-boris-johnson-uk-u-turns-678686 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Forbes After a Covid daily record of 16972 new cases on Saturday Paris bars were ordered to close for two weeks from Tuesday as the capital is declared a maximum alert zone due to the escalating pandemic. Health Minister Olivier Vran warned on Thursday that Paris was heading that way unless the escalating Covid19 crisis improved. Instead the situation continued to worsen. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tamarathiessen/2020/10/04/paris-bars-close-france-new-covid-daily-record-17000-cases/ 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Business Standard The coronavirus barometer of the Himalayan Nation has surged high in recent days with the number of cases reaching 86823 on October 4. Nepal on Sunday overtook China in the number of infections which has reported 85450 cases amid speculation that the toll could be higher. Nepal on Sunday alone logged 2253 new cases with 1329 cases of recoveries and seven deaths. Out of new cases Kathmandu Valley alone contributed 1373 new cases while Lalitpur registered 187 and Bhaktapur 39 new cases of coronavirus. https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/nepal-staring-at-possible-lockdown-as-cases-overtake-china-s-covid-tally-120100400882_1.html 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

CNA Australias coronavirus hotspot of Victoria state on Tuesday Oct 6 reported a slight rise in new cases but authorities sought to allay fears by saying they could link most of those infections to known outbreaks. Victoria Australias secondmost populous state reported one death from the virus in the last 24 hours and 15 cases its biggest daily rise in infections in five days. They are again predominantly related to known cases to outbreaks and we have to get on top of these outbreaks to really drive these numbers down states Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told reporters in Melbourne. I dont like to see a number thats in double figures and not in single figures and no one obsesses over the daily numbers more than me or my team. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/australia-victoria-covid-19-cases-linked-outbreaks-13210078 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Cambridge News Health Secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed that he is set to announce changes to the local and national lockdown rules in England. His confirmation comes amid speculation that current rules are to be replaced with a simpler threetier system. That traffic light system would impose a level of rules on an area or the whole country based on the coronavirus risks on a threetier scale. New lockdown measures could include everything from a ban on households mixing to a ban on visiting care homes and even pubs being closed at the most serious level. https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/matt-hancock-says-changes-local-19056137 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Irish Times Between May and September 2020 we had an opportunity to prepare for the next wave of Covid19. We have not done so. During this time Ireland changed governments changed ministers for health the politicians took a sixweek break and community medical services have remained in a deep freeze waiting for the next wave. We had an opportunity to safely open the country and to secure our borders and develop workable red and green lists similar to our EU neighbours and indeed those around the world. We were listening to the experts of the day and our politicians saying we should adopt a New Zealand model knowing that would never work as New Zealand does not have a border with Northern Ireland. We wasted time and our economy has suffered. https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/we-need-localised-covid-19-solutions-not-lockdown-1.4372677 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

U.S. News & World Report Germany must avoid another shutdown of industrial activity Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Monday as rising COVID19 infections cloud the growth outlook for Europes largest economy. The German economy contracted by a record 9.7 in the second quarter as measures to contain the spread of the pandemic brought public life and business activity to a near standstill from midMarch to late April. https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2020-10-05/germany-will-avoid-lockdown-for-industry-altmaier 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Moscow schools began unplanned holidays on Monday and businesses were required to have at least 30 of their staff working remotely as COVID19 cases across Russia hit their highest level since May 12. Authorities were also weighing the possibility of reintroducing tough lockdown measures last seen in the capital in late spring the Vedomosti newspaper reported as the daily tally of new cases reached 10888 nationwide including 3537 in Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was unaware of plans to impose a strict lockdown however despite new restrictions aimed at limiting social interaction taking effect in the Russian capital on Monday. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-moscow-schools/moscow-schools-start-unplanned-holidays-as-covid-19-cases-rise-idUSKBN26Q1AV 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters UK The Kremlin said on Monday that it was not aware of any current government plans to impose a strict lockdown in Russia to curb the sharp rise in coronavirus cases. Russias daily tally of new coronavirus cases rose to its highest since May 12 on Monday as authorities reported 10888 new infections nationwide including 3537 in Moscow. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-russia-kremlin-idUKKBN26Q1HU 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC The number of people admitted to hospital with Covid19 on one day has jumped by nearly a quarter in England. There were 478 people admitted to hospital on Sunday the largest daily figure since early June up from 386. More than twothirds of those were in the North West North East and Yorkshire. It comes as a further 14542 cases were confirmed across the whole of the UK on Tuesday. That daily figure has trebled in a fortnight. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54441133 6th Oct 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters UK Ireland must act now to prevent a damaging return to lockdown Prime Minister Micheal Martin said on Monday after rejecting a surprise recommendation by his health chiefs to shut down the economy immediately and opting instead to tighten COVID19 restrictions. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-ireland/ireland-resists-lockdown-call-tightens-covid-19-curbs-instead-idUKKBN26Q17A 6th Oct 2020

New Lockdown

U.S. News & World Report Malaysias Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Tuesday said targeted lockdowns would be imposed in areas with high rates of coronavirus infections as the country grapples with a sharp spike in cases over the past two weeks. The health ministry reported 691 new COVID19 cases and four deaths on Tuesday another new record in the wake of last months election in the state of Sabah from where many infections have been traced. For now we are not thinking of imposing a total lockdown nationwide. If we do that again it could bring down the countrys economic and social systems Muhyiddin said in an address on Facebook Live from his home where he is undergoing quarantine due to possible exposure to the virus. https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2020-10-06/malaysia-to-impose-targeted-lockdowns-to-halt-infections-surge 6th Oct 2020

New Lockdown

EL PAS in English The rising number of coronavirus cases in Spain is accelerating the introduction of new confinements across the country. For now the restrictions being introduced are not as severe as they were during the first wave when the central government implemented a state of alarm that saw Spaniards confined to their homes for several months. But perimetral lockdowns are being established where the transmission rate of the virus is on the rise. https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-10-06/more-than-52-million-spaniards-are-now-under-coronavirus-mobility-restrictions.html 6th Oct 2020

New Lockdown

The New York Times Two midsize Spanish cities Len and Palencia were ordered on Monday by the regional authorities to apply lockdown restrictions similar to those that came into force in Madrid last weekend underlining the extent to which a second wave of coronavirus infections is spreading beyond Spains capital region. The new restrictions mean that residents of Len and Palencia which are in the northwestern region of Castile and Len will not be able to leave their cities as of Tuesday. Both have reached an infection rate of more than 500 cases per 100000 residents. Over the last seven days Spain has reported 73451 new cases which works out to 157 cases per 100000 residents according to a Times database. As of Monday almost 11000 people were being treated in hospitals across the country for Covid19 the disease caused by the virus including 1580 people in intensive care units https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/05/world/two-more-spanish-cities-announce-lockdown-orders-as-a-second-wave-of-cases-spreads-beyond-the-capital.html 6th Oct 2020