8th Dec 2020 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=156 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Washington Times Austrians lined up to enter stores on Monday as the country relaxed its coronavirus lockdown allowing nonessential shops to reopen after three weeks. But many restrictions remain in place and the countrys leader advised people against all rushing to the shops at once. Tough lockdown measures took effect Nov. 17. The government decided last week that enough progress had been made in cutting coronavirus infections to relax some restrictions. Schools were reopened except for older students as were museums libraries and some other businesses such as hairdressers. But restaurants remain closed for all but takeout and deliveries as do bars and hotels are only open to business travelers https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/dec/7/austrian-shops-open-after-3-weeks-as-lockdown-loos/ 7th Dec 2020

Lockdown Exit

Daily Mail Britons flocked to the High Street after for the first weekend following the lifting of the nationwide lockdown but footfall remained lower than prepandemic levels. The number of shoppers out this weekend was down 30 on the same period in 2019. Crowds keen for a Christmas bargain flocked to shopping areas across the UK on Saturday with large numbers of shoppers photographed on Londons Regent Street and in Manchester. Diane Wehrle marketing director for Springboard who produced the figures said the boost was partly down to people desperate to leave their homes after lockdown https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9026779/Britons-flocked-High-Street-shopping-centres-footfall-30-2019.html 7th Dec 2020

Lockdown Exit

The Independent Christmas shoppers hit the high streets in droves on the first weekend since lockdown was lifted in England sparking concerns over social distancing. Queues formed in Londons West End as crowds flooded Oxford Street and Regent Street on Saturday to make the most of nonessential shops reopening under the new tiered system. The mayor of London Sadiq Khan was out in the West End on Saturday as a show of support for retailers but he warned people to continue following coronavirus rules with the majority of England under tier 2 or tier 3 restrictions which limit social contact between households. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/christmas-shopping-oxford-street-regent-street-nottingham-coronavirus-b1766994.html 7th Dec 2020

Lockdown Exit

Stuff.co.nz In New Zealand the Ministry of Healthy is reducing the frequency of its regular Covid19 updates to four times a week. The news comes as the ministry announced one new case of Covid19 in New Zealand on Monday in managed isolation. Covid19 updates which had been published every day at 1pm will now be scheduled for Monday Wednesday Friday and Sunday. On those days the Ministry will report cases that have tested positive in managed isolation in the preceding days since the last update. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300176814/covid19-one-new-case-in-managed-isolation-ministry-cuts-back-on-updates 7th Dec 2020

Lockdown Exit

Reuters UK Footfall across all retail destinations in England rose by 81 compared to the previous week after a second lockdown ended on Wednesday allowing nonessential shops to begin trading again Springboard said on Monday. Shopping centres saw the biggest boost with a 121.3 rise from Wednesday while high streets saw a 79.8 rise and numbers in retail parks were up 40.7 Springboard said. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-retail-springboard-idUKKBN28H1AU 7th Dec 2020

Lockdown Exit

Metro.co.uk A new app has revealed which areas are most likely to move into another tier next week. The ZOE Covid Symptom Study app shows how many cases there are per 100000 people and the prevalence rate for each area in England. It also shows where these cases are rising and which places are in tier two. This data helps experts at science company ZOE and Kings College London predict which parts of the country can expect new restrictions to be brought in soon. The dashboards most recent reports which are presented to the Government every day show most of Englands prevalence rate falling or staying the same. https://metro.co.uk/2020/12/07/new-app-reveals-which-areas-could-change-tiers-next-week-13715379/ 7th Dec 2020

Lockdown Exit

Daily Mail Researchers surveyed nearly 2000 US adults between midMarch and midApril They found that 34 of participants reported binge drinking during coronavirus pandemic lockdowns. About 60 of binge drinkers increased their alcohol consumption during the pandemic compared to nonbinge drinkers. The odds of heavy alcohol consumption among binge drinkers increased 19 for every week of lockdown. Binge drinkers were more likely to have their job status negatively impacted to be essential workers or to have a history of depression https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9027061/Every-week-coronavirus-lockdowns-drag-increases-odds-Americans-binge-drink-nearly-20.html 7th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Yahoo News Australia Seventy per cent of Australians think face masks should be mandatory on public transport and almost 90 per cent believe theres a moderate to high risk of COVID19 transmission on transport networks. Tourism and Transport Forum research released on Monday found the number of commuters travelling on public transport particularly during the national lockdown from March through to May dropped to between 10 to 30 per cent of normal activity in capital cities. https://au.news.yahoo.com/most-want-masks-worn-public-transport-210038120--spt.html 7th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

The Wall Street Journal Governments are accelerating toward approving the first vaccines to contain Covid19 but public anxiety over the safety of the doses is threatening to undermine those efforts. A survey from the University of Hamburg showed the percentage of people hesitant or unwilling to get a Covid19 vaccine ticking up in November to around 40 of respondents across seven European countries. An October poll by market researcher Ipsos found that nearly a third of Japanese and almost half of French respondents said they wouldnt get inoculated for the coronavirus. One of the biggest factors behind the hesitancy is the very speed at which things have been moving. https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-vaccine-rollout-faces-public-concerns-over-safety-11607344315?mod=hp_lead_pos7 7th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Chemist+Druggist Well and Lloyds pharmacy have followed in the footsteps of Boots and launched private COVID19 swab test services the multiples have confirmed. Well announced last week December 2 that it was introducing a polymerase chain reaction PCR inpharmacy test priced at 120 also the price of the Boots inbranch COVID19 swab test that launched in October. Lloydspharmacy also offers an athome COVID19 PCR swab test kit. https://www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk/news/well-lloyds-follow-boots-private-covid-19-swab-tests 7th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

BBC A mass vaccination programme against Covid19 is set to begin in the UK on Tuesday. While the government is working to ease the fears of those who are worried about safety some people have a more primal fear needles. My heart would be racing. My mind saying calm down its going to be fine but also its terrifying its going to really hurt you. Then you dont know this person so you cant trust them. I would be thinking of ways to get away from it. Raelene Goody 31 who has cystic fibrosis an inherited condition that causes lung infections and problems digesting food regularly requires injections including an annual flu jab. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55175483 7th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

The Associated Press With time running out lawmakers on Sunday closed in on a proposed COVID19 relief bill that would provide roughly 300 in extra federal weekly unemployment benefits but not another round of 1200 in direct payments to most Americans leaving that issue for Presidentelect Joe Biden to wrestle over with a new Congress next year. The 908 billion aid package to be released Monday would be attached to a larger yearend spending bill needed to avert a government shutdown this coming weekend. https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-coronavirus-pandemic-bernie-sanders-bills-93ae053eda56da2f24d82049f846ca0e 7th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

CIDRAP The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC today recommended universal mask use in all indoor settings except when people are in their own homes as part of a multipronged strategy to slow the nations surge and speed economic recovery. The advice comes a day after the nation recorded new singleday highs for cases and deaths as well as a record number of Americans hospitalized and marks the first time the CDC has recommended universal mask use indoors. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/12/cdc-beefs-indoor-mask-advice-covid-19-cases-surge 4th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters UK A sizeable minority of people believe conspiracy theories about the coronavirus and COVID19 vaccines some experts have warned just as countries prepare to launch mass inoculations to get the pandemic under control. Britain begins its vaccine programme this week and others are likely to follow soon so governments are seeking to reassure people of vaccines safety and efficacy in order to get a critical mass to take them. In the United States Presidentelect Joe Biden said he would have a coronavirus vaccine publicly to demonstrate its safety and referred to people losing faith in the vaccines ability to work. What were finding is in the wake of the pandemic that conspiracy beliefs may have gone mainstream that theyre no longer confined to the fringes Daniel Freeman Professor of Clinical Psychology at Oxford University told Reuters. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-britain-conspiraci/as-uk-prepares-to-roll-out-covid-19-vaccines-scepticism-remains-idUKKBN28H0FI 7th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Stat News Hospitals across the United States are preparing for a Covid19 vaccine distribution timeline thats well behind official government targets as they face ongoing confusion about the process for inoculating frontline employees. Leaders of Operation Warp Speed have repeatedly said they are on track to vaccinate 20 million people in December enough for nearly all the health care workers and longterm care residents who are first in line to get a vaccine. But those involved in vaccine planning at four health care systems in California Illinois Wisconsin and Kansas told STAT they expect to still be giving staff their first shots in midJanuary. These workers would then receive their second vaccine dose three to four weeks later depending on the vaccine and would receive the full immunization effects a week after that in midFebruary. https://www.statnews.com/2020/12/07/pledge-to-vaccinate-20-million-against-covid19-in-december-seems-unrealistic/ 7th Dec 2020

Partisan Exits

Sky News People in the UK will start being vaccinated today against COVID19 on whats being dubbed VDay. Fifty hospitals will administer the jab from early this morning. The vaccine developed by PfizerBioNTech has been distributed across the whole of the UK. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-v-day-is-a-key-moment-in-our-fight-back-against-this-terrible-disease-12154788 8th Dec 2020

Partisan Exits

AlJazeera One person has died and more than 400 have been taken to hospital in southern India due to an unidentified infection that caused many to fall unconscious following seizures and nausea according to a senior health department official. The illness was detected on Saturday evening in Eluru an ancient city in Andhra Pradesh. Since then patients have experienced symptoms ranging from nausea and anxiety to loss of consciousness doctors said. Government and medical authorities in Andhra Pradesh said more than 200 people were discharged at the weekend and that tests had ruled out COVID19 the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Further serological tests are under way. state famous for its handwoven products. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/7/india-unidentified-disease-kill-one-hundreds-hospitalised 7th Dec 2020

Partisan Exits

STAT Both Pfizer and Moderna the two major drug manufacturers likely to receive emergency authorizations for a Covid19 vaccine in the coming weeks have rejected invitations from President Trump to appear at a White House Vaccine Summit on Tuesday according to two sources familiar with the events planning. The Trump administration has openly feuded with Pfizer in recent weeks over its involvement in Operation Warp Speed and the timing of a data release showing its vaccine to be highly effective but had nonetheless invited CEO Albert Bourla to appear on a panel about the vaccine development process. Moderna CEO Stphane Bancel was also invited but neither he nor another company executive will attend. https://www.statnews.com/2020/12/07/pfizer-moderna-decline-white-house-vaccine-summit/ 7th Dec 2020

Continued Lockdown

The Independent Greeces government said Monday it will maintain core lockdown measures through the Christmas holidays acknowledging that monthlong restrictions have not reduced COVID19 cases to the extent it had hoped for. Schools courts and restaurants will remain closed through Jan. 7 government spokesman Stelios Petsas announced while nonessential travel between Greeces administrative regions will also be banned. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/greece-extends-key-lockdown-measures-over-christmas-holidays-government-greece-ap-athens-cases-b1767384.html 7th Dec 2020

Continued Lockdown

Bloomberg France is poised to miss a coronavirus goal set by President Emmanuel Macron as a condition for lifting the countrys lockdown next week with daily new Covid19 cases holding at more than twice the targeted level. The government is worried about the pandemic indicators and is mulling alternatives to a planned end of stayathome measures on Dec. 15 Liberation reported on Monday citing unidentified advisers in the Health Ministry. That could go as far as delaying the end of the lockdown should cases spike according to the newspaper. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-07/france-set-to-miss-goal-for-lifting-lockdown-as-progress-stalls 7th Dec 2020

Continued Lockdown

BBC A French court has ruled that an elderly woman diagnosed with dementia must pay a fine of 166 151 201 for having put the wrong date on her form for leaving home during lockdown. Her daughter had appealed against the original 135 fine imposed during a police check in April. In Frances coronavirus lockdown a downloadable form has to be filled in whenever a person wants to leave home. The woman 73 was stopped while out shopping in Luxeuil eastern France. France Bleu news reports that when police booked her they did not record that she was speaking incoherently. She was going to a supermarket about 800m about half a mile from her home. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55215371 7th Dec 2020

Continued Lockdown

WKMS Citing an uncontrolled spread of coronavirus across 75 of its communities the Navajo Nation expanded its current lockdown by three weeks in an attempt to clamp down on the spread of the virus. The order a continuation of the Nov. 16 mandate remains in place from Monday until Dec. 28. The government previously ordered a lockdown for the nation of over 170000 between March and August. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez warned in a statement Sunday the situation is severe. https://www.wkms.org/post/navajo-nation-extends-lockdown-due-dire-surge-coronavirus 7th Dec 2020

Continued Lockdown

Reuters Denmark will implement further lockdown measures in parts of the country to curb a spike in coronavirus infections the government announced on Monday. Restaurants museums cinemas and other cultural institutions will have to close on Dec. 9 in 38 of 98 municipalities including Copenhagen and students in upper primary school high schools and universities will be sent home. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-denmark/update-1-denmark-tightens-lockdown-to-curb-covid-19-spike-idUSL1N2IN0PW 7th Dec 2020

Continued Lockdown

Reuters UK Greece said on Monday that it will not reopen schools restaurants and courts until Jan. 7 effectively extending most of the restrictions the country imposed last month to contain the spread of coronavirus. Greece had to enforce a nationwide lockdown in November its second this year after an aggressive surge in COVID19 cases. It has extended it twice since then most recently until Dec. 14. In a televised briefing government spokesman Stelios Petsas said the health system was still under enormous pressure and some restrictions should not be lifted until next month including a night curfew and movement between regions. https://uk.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-greece-idUKKBN28H1GR 7th Dec 2020

Continued Lockdown

Reuters With most Christmas markets closed due to the COVID19 pandemic openair mulled wine stands have popped up across Germany as bars and restaurant owners try to bring festive cheer and earn some income as the nations lockdown light grinds on. But with infection numbers in Germany remaining stubbornly high politicians fear gatherings of people drinking alcohol often without wearing masks and sticking to social distancing rules could hamper efforts to bring case numbers under control. Mulled wine stands are in full swing tonight SPD health policy expert Karl Lauterbach posted on Twitter at the weekend referring to the situation in Cologne. Those infected today will infect others next week. Is it similarly catastrophic in other cities https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-germany-mulled-wine/debate-over-mulled-wine-heats-up-in-germany-amid-pandemic-lockdown-idUSKBN28H1P2 7th Dec 2020

Continued Lockdown

CNN The Navajo Nation has extended its lockdown for three more weeks to try to slow the growth of Covid19 cases in the community that has already filled nearly all of their ICUs to capacity. We are near a point where our health care providers are going to have to make very difficult decisions in terms of providing medical treatment to COVID19 patients with very limited resources such as hospital beds oxygen resources medical personnel and little to no options to transport patients to other regional hospitals because they are also near full capacity Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez warned in a statement issued Sunday. A public health order issued by the Nation said it is experiencing an alarming rise in positive COVID19 cases and uncontrolled spread in 75 communities across the Navajo Nation. https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/07/us/navajo-nation-covid-lockdown-december/index.html 7th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Sky News Scientists have achieved a breakthrough in sampling wastewater to detect changes in COVID19 infections within large communities. The new method is capable of identifying the coronavirus within wastewater samples and tracking whether infection rates are growing or shrinking. Wastewater is a robust source of COVID19 according to researchers because infected people shed the virus in their stool meaning large amounts of virus particles are flushed down the toilet. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-scientific-breakthrough-in-monitoring-infections-through-wastewater-12154189 8th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Financial Times Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac has secured a 515m cash injection as one of the countrys leading vaccine hopefuls looks to increase production and distribution of its Covid19 vaccine once finalstage testing is concluded. Sino Biopharmaceutical a Hong Konglisted generic drugs group said on Monday it had acquired a 15 per cent stake in Sinovac Life Sciences the subsidiary of Sinovac that has developed a Covid19 vaccine undergoing largescale trials in Brazil Pakistan Indonesia and Chile. Sinovacs vaccine alongside two other candidates developed by staterun group Sinopharm is a Chinese frontrunner to be sold worldwide. https://www.ft.com/content/98f2b691-7def-4e03-8664-88c4dbd16bcc 7th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Independent How could scientists race out COVID19 vaccines so fast without cutting corners A head start helped over a decade of behindthescenes research that had new vaccine technology poised for a challenge just as the coronavirus erupted. The speed is a reflection of years of work that went before Dr. Anthony Fauci the top U.S. infectious disease expert told The Associated Press. Thats what the public has to understand. Creating vaccines and having results from rigorous studies less than a year after the world discovered a neverbeforeseen disease is incredible cutting years off normal development. But the two U.S. frontrunners are made in a way that promises speedier development may become the norm especially if they prove to work longterm as well as early testing suggests. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/years-of-research-laid-groundwork-for-speedy-covid19-shots-moderna-vaccines-scientists-biontech-research-b1767499.html 7th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail FDA regulators will meet to decide if Pfizers coronavirus vaccine is ready to be used in the general public on December 10. If it gets emergency approval it could be rolled out as early as this week. But the shot is given in two doses injected 21 days apart and doesnt become protective until about 710 days after the second dose. Dr Anthony Fauci warned there will be a delay between the first rollout of the vaccines and a decline in deaths said he can guarantee it will come https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9026821/COVID-19-vaccines-wont-cut-death-rates-WEEKS-Fauci-warns.html 7th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail Test detects whether our immune systems are gearing up to fight SARSCoV2 It assesses levels of two molecules in the blood linked with our immune response People with low levels of these molecules could be at risk of more severe Covid Scientists say the test could be important during the wait for vaccines to roll out https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9025933/Prototype-blood-test-detects-people-develop-severe-Covid-19.html 7th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Wired.co.uk Its a Friday morning in October and Charlotte Summers has been up since the crack of dawn. As a leading expert in respiratory and intensive care medicines she is one of the clinical researchers responsible for advising on the UKs national treatment guidelines for Covid19. But overnight results of a trial by the World Health Organisation have been published concluding that remdesivir an antiviral drug global leaders once pinned high hopes on has little or no effect on patient survival. https://www.wired.co.uk/article/covid-treatments-vaccine-charlottle-summers 7th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian The World Health Organization is holding discussions on Monday about the feasibility of trials in which healthy young volunteers are deliberately infected with coronavirus to hasten vaccine development amid questions over whether they should go ahead given the promising data from the frontrunner vaccine candidates. Some scientists have reservations about exposing volunteers to a virus for which there is no cure although there are treatments that can help patients. However proponents argue that the risks of Covid19 to the young and healthy are minimal and the benefits to society are high. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/07/who-looks-at-giving-covid-to-healthy-people-to-speed-up-vaccine-trials 7th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail Professor Andrew Hayward warned that the pandemic is still not over today He said it would be sad for cases to surge following the Christmas period Covid19 vaccine is a ray of hope for ending pandemic in the next few months https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9026075/January-severe-peak-coronavirus-infections-foot-pedal.html 7th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Associated Press Indonesias government said 1.2 million doses of a COVID19 vaccine developed by Chinabased biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech arrived in the country late Sunday. President Joko Widodo said in a televised address that another 1.8 million doses of the vaccine are expected to arrive in early January. We are very grateful thank God the vaccine is now available so that we can immediately curb the spread of the COVID19 disease Widodo said. The government is still waiting for millions of other doses of the Sinovac vaccine to arrive in the form of raw materials that will be further processed by stateowned pharmaceutical holding company PT Bio Farma. https://apnews.com/article/technology-indonesia-joko-widodo-coronavirus-pandemic-china-4e741b7b44447eee54bde32481418bf5 7th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Sydney Morning Herald Epidemiologist Professor Jodie McVernon was in the Qantas lounge at Canberra airport on the evening of February 3 when she took an urgent call from Brendan Murphy then the Commonwealths chief medical officer. McVernon had for days been obsessively tracking information on the mysterious new virus seeping out of Wuhan China. Murphy had a fresh task for her. Your Prime Minister needs a projection a future scenario in 48 hours he told her. McVernons colleague mathematical biologist Professor James McCaw was also on the road when he received the same news. The two longtime collaborators had little more than two days to get a brief to the federal governments National Security Committee a first stab at how the alarming new threat might evolve. It was a curtainraiser to what would prove to be the most destructive pandemic to sweep the world since the Spanish flu 100 years before. https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-12-39am-email-that-triggered-australia-s-response-to-covid-19-20201202-p56jzu.html 7th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Stuff.co.nz Three hundred fewer people died during the Covid19 lockdown compared to recent years even as thousands of patient appointments were cancelled and GPs closed their doors to all but the most urgent cases. The Ministry of Health has published a report examining the impact of Covid19 on hospital and general practice activity which was reduced to all but the most essential services during lockdown to contain the virus and how any changes effected patient health. As expected it showed a drastic reduction in people in hospital with 40000 fewer people discharged from hospital in April alone the peak of the lockdown. Planned care in hospitals halved in April and the data shows this reduction as well as a reduction in emergency care disproportionately effected Mori and Pasific people. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/123615601/covid-19-300-fewer-people-died-during-lockdown-despite-less-access-to-healthcare--ministry-of-health 7th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

PBS.org While much attention has been given to approving a COVID19 vaccine theres been little paid to the facilities where many vaccines are manufactured. A recent investigation in Vanity Fair features a former FDA inspector turned whistleblower who says that the FDA is not doing its job. Vanity Fair Contributing Editor Katherine Eban the author of the piece joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/a-whistleblower-says-the-fda-isnt-properly-regulating-vaccine-facilities?utm_source=facebook&amputm_medium=pbsofficial&amputm_campaign=newshour&amputm_content=1607296882&ampfbclid=IwAR1sSyPomKiXpED3saklJ-VS4hFayQjFrGRCNCiViCZOGPpl9x5UeHyq9Zw 7th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Washington Post The truth about the origin of the coronavirus in China a year ago remains shrouded in mystery. It is not known where the virus came from nor how it infected humans. But after people started getting sick it is evident that the scope of the outbreak was hidden from the Chinese people and from the rest of the world. A report by Nick Paton Walsh of CNN on Dec. 1 adds to evidence of a coverup an authoritarian system in action. CNN obtained 117 pages of internal records from the Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention containing tallies of cases and deaths far greater than those provided to the public and the world by the Chinese government. Wuhan is the capital and largest city of Hubei province. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/a-new-report-adds-to-the-evidence-of-a-coronavirus-coverup-in-china/2020/12/06/81d880f2-366e-11eb-8d38-6aea1adb3839_story.html 6th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

CIDRAP A Lancet Healthy Longevity study yesterday found that metformina common generic type 2 diabetes medication used to manage blood sugar levelsis associated with significantly lower COVID19 death risk in women but not in men. Severe COVID19 outcomes for people with diabetes have been widely observed including greater risk of intensive care unit admission intubation for mechanical ventilation and death possibly related to less effective glycemic or blood sugar control in these patients. This retrospective cohort study of 6256 people with type 2 diabetes or obesity hospitalized for COVID19 from Jan 1 to Jun 7 was a collaboration between the University of Minnesota Medical School and UnitedHealth Group UHGa forprofit managed healthcare company based in Minnesota. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/12/diabetes-drug-linked-lower-covid-19-death-rate-women 4th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

CIDRAP At a media briefing today WHO DirectorGeneral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus PhD said decisions by country leaders in the coming days will set the course for the virus in the short term and influence when the pandemic will eventually end. He said though vaccine progress brings hope the WHO is worried about a growing perception that the pandemic is over. The truth is that at present many places are witnessing very high transmission of the virus which is putting enormous pressure on hospitals intensive care units and health workers he said. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/12/who-hails-covid-vaccine-progress-urges-nations-double-down-mitigation 4th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Business Insider COVID19 data shows that the US daily death toll for 5 of 7 days last week topped the 2403 lives lost in the attack that plunged the US into WWII. https://www.businessinsider.com/recent-daily-us-coronavirus-death-tolls-similar-to-pearl-harbor-2020-12 7th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Los Angeles Times The coronavirus wave engulfing California over the last week seems to confirm that the worst of the surge is far from over. But how bad will it get The numbers which have reached record proportions still dont reflect anyone who may have gotten sick during Thanksgiving. Generally it takes two weeks after an event to determine whether coronavirus transmission occurred and two additional weeks for hospitalization numbers to increase as a result. It also will take several weeks for the effects of the latest stayathome order which began in Los Angeles County last week and in much of California just before midnight Monday. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-07/la-faces-devastation-covid-19-surge 7th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Guardian Another lockdown may be needed in Wales to stop the NHS being overwhelmed as the number of Covid19 patients in hospital soared to a record high. There are now more than 1800 people in Welsh hospitals with confirmed or suspected coronavirus the highest number recorded and 400 more than the previous peak in April. Describing the situation as incredibly serious the Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething accepted more restrictions might be needed possibly even before Christmas. The figures come just a month after the end of a 17day firebreak lockdown which was believed at the time to have been successful and was expected to give the country a clear run up to the new year. But the Welsh government has since conceded that it might have been better to bring in other curbs when the firebreak was lifted. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/07/wales-considers-new-covid-lockdown-amid-rapid-rise-in-infections 7th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Daily Mail The UKs daily infection curve began to flatten roughly a week before the draconian restrictions were lifted. In contrast 12330 positive tests were added to the tally last Monday meaning todays figure is a 19.4 rise. Deaths are still continuing to fall however as a result of the national lockdown according to official figures https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9027041/Are-Covid-cases-beginning-creep-UP.html 7th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Daily Mail Swedens infection rate is higher than in Britain France Spain Italy or Germany Average daily deaths are once again above those in Denmark Norway or Finland Gatherings have been limited to eight people compared to 50 in the spring https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9025989/Swedens-Covid-infection-rate-soars-Britain-Germany-Spain.html 7th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

RepublicWorld South Korea government announced cancellation as Seoul recorded confirmed 631 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours with a noticeable spike. https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/rest-of-the-world-news/south-korea-cancels-annual-new-year-bell-ringing-ceremony-amid-surge-in-covid-19-cases.html 7th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Channel NewsAsia South Korean President Moon Jaein called on Monday Dec 7 for expanded COVID19 testing and more thorough tracing as the country struggled to control its latest and largest wave of infections. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 615 new COVID19 cases as of midnight Sunday capping a month of tripledigit daily increases that have led to 8311 confirmed patients in quarantine the most ever. Moon ordered the government to mobilise every available resource to track infections and to expand testing by deploying the military and more people from the public service presidential Blue House spokesman Chung Manho told a briefing. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/covid-19-south-korea-third-wave-more-testing-moon-jae-in-13715936 7th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters The emergence of Japans coldest city as a COVID19 hotspot has raised fears among health experts that it could be a sign of what the rest of the nation may face as winter sets in and more people stay indoors raising airborne transmission risks. The city of Asahikawa about 140 km 87 miles north of Sapporo on the northern island of Hokkaido is reeling from infection clusters at two hospitals and a care home. By Sunday the number of cases recorded on the island was more than 10000 and Asahikawa had accounted for 16 of the 256 deaths. It prompted the government to announce a plan on Monday to send nurses from Self Defense Forces to the region and western metropolis of Osaka to help fight the outbreak. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-japan-hokkaido-idUSKBN28H0D3 7th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

AlJazeera South Korea and Japan are deploying their militaries to assist healthcare workers in combatting COVID19 with South Korean soldiers called in to expand coronavirus testing and tracing and Japanese military nurses tapped to fill a shortage of staff at hospitals in the hardhit regions of Hokkaido and Osaka. Moon Jaein the president of South Korea on Monday ordered the government to mobilise every available resource to track infections and to expand testing by deploying the military and more people from the public service presidential Blue House spokesman Chung Manho told a briefing. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/7/south-korea-japan-to-deploy-military-to-combat-covid-19 7th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters The Kremlin said on Monday there was no need to impose lockdown restrictions to curb the sharp rise in coronavirus cases since September and that the current set of measures in place were widely seen by authorities as enough. Infections have surged to record highs in recent weeks. Earlier on Monday authorities confirmed 28142 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours including 7279 in Moscow. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-russia-kremlin/kremlin-sees-no-need-to-impose-broad-lockdown-idUSR4N2IJ00L 7th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters UK French BFM TV reported on Monday that Health Minister Olivier Veran has told members of parliament that it is unlikely that the number of daily new coronavirus cases will fall to 5000 by Dec. 15. French President Emmanuel Macron has said that threshold is one of the conditions for ending a nationwide lockdown on Dec. 15. Another condition was for the number of people in intensive care to fall below 3000. On Sunday France registered 11022 new cases down from a high of over 86000 per day a month ago. The number of people in ICUs fell by 10 to 3220 on Sunday. https://uk.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-france-veran/french-coronavirus-infection-rate-unlikely-to-fall-to-lockdown-threshold-minister-idUKKBN28H1IC 7th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Evening Standard The Government said a further 189 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid19 with vaccines expected to be rolled out to public tomorrow. The latest data shows as of Monday the UK total has suffered 61434 deaths. The Government said that as of 9am on Monday there had been a further 14718 labconfirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 1737960. Separate figures published by the UKs statistics agencies for deaths where Covid19 has been mentioned on the death certificate together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days show there have now been 77000 deaths involving Covid19 in the UK. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/covid19-cases-rise-by-14-718-as-uk-records-another-189-deaths-b207975.html 7th Dec 2020

New Lockdown

The Guardian Stayathome order will stay in place through Christmas after hospital intensive care beds filled almost to capacity. More than threequarters of Californias population are now living under the harshest lockdowns in the US as Covid19 cases hit record levels in the countrys most populous state. Regional stayathome restrictions went into effect for nearly 23 million residents in southern California and 4.4 million residents in a large swath of the Central Valley on Sunday night as ordered by the state governor Gavin Newsom. The orders take effect on a regionbyregion basis when hospital intensive care unit beds in the region dropped to below 15. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/06/california-covid-lockdown-us-new-cases-hospitalisations-deaths-stay-at-home-order 7th Dec 2020

New Lockdown

Bloomberg Germany is looking to impose tougher measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic after a soft shutdown failed to bring contagion rates down to manageable levels. Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday told legislators in the CDUCSU parliamentary caucus that the current partial lockdown is insufficient and needs to be revised with the heads of the countrys 16 states according to a person with knowledge of the discussions who asked not to be named because they were private. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-07/germany-eyes-tighter-curbs-as-soft-shutdown-fails-to-slow-spread 7th Dec 2020

New Lockdown

Reuters German leaders came out on Monday in favour of stricter measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus a few days after the country posted its highest oneday death toll so far. Chancellor Angela Merkel told party colleagues that existing lockdown measures with bars and restaurants closed and shops admitting limited numbers were too little to get the virus under control. The situation is getting very serious these measures will not be enough to get us through the winter participants said she had told a meeting of her conservative blocs legislators. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-germany-merkel/merkel-warns-germany-needs-tougher-lockdown-to-get-through-winter-idUSKBN28H1W1 7th Dec 2020

New Lockdown

FRANCE 24 Southern California went into a strict lockdown Monday with more than 20 million people under stayathome orders triggered after hospitals faced being overwhelmed by record Covid19 cases. Governor Gavin Newsom last week announced new statewide bans on gatherings and nonessential activities would come into effect once 85 percent of intensive care unit beds have been filled. Under the lockdown most offices will close and gatherings of people from different households are banned. Bars and personal services such as hair salons will be temporarily closed and restaurants will only be allowed to offer takeout and delivery. https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20201207-southern-california-goes-into-virus-lockdown 7th Dec 2020

New Lockdown

The Independent Mayor Eric Garcetti has said he is sorry for Angela Marsdens suffering but with the virus raging out of control he has no choice. A California restaurant owner whose tearful video complaining about her patio being closed while a film company shot scenes next door has received over 90000 in donations from wellwishers after the clip went viral. Angela Marsdens video showing the scene at the Pineapple Hill Saloon in the Sherman Oaks district of Los Angeles has been seen by 8.5 million people since she posted it on Saturday. In the clip she walks viewers around her restaurant showing off the outdoor patio with its picnic tables under an awning. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/california-lockdown-restaurant-owner-film-set-viral-b1767069.html 7th Dec 2020

New Lockdown

9News A cargo ship is in lockdown off Western Australia after a crew member experienced flulike symptoms overnight. The Matsuyama ship is docked at the Kwinana terminal in Fremantle with no one on board allowed to leave as they await the results of a coronavirus test for the unwell crew member. 9News Perth reports the unwell crew member is being isolated from the rest of the crew on board. https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-wa-update-cargo-ship-in-lockdown-off-wa-coast-after-crew-member-falls-ill/bfec247a-6bc4-4371-a194-5308a396e746 7th Dec 2020

New Lockdown

Reuters More than 23 million people in Southern California were preparing on Sunday for the harshest lockdowns in the United States as COVID19 cases spiked to record levels in the countrys most populous state. The restrictions in California ordered by Governor Gavin Newsom to take effect on a regionbyregion basis as hospital intensive care unit beds are filled almost to capacity call for bars hair and nail salons and tattoo shops to close again. As of 1159 p.m. on Sunday the affected regions were also required to shut down even outdoor restaurant dining. Newsom a firstterm Democrat has threatened to withhold funds from local governments that refuse to carry out the restrictions. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-usa/california-faces-strict-new-coronavirus-lockdowns-some-sheriffs-push-back-idUSKBN28G0NH 7th Dec 2020