29th Dec 2020 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=167 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

The Washington Post In the days after a man on their flight stopped breathing fellow passengers wondered if he was infected with coronavirus and whether they might be at risk. The airline said it didnt know and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wouldnt say publicly. An answer didnt come until a local coroner released a report a week later confirming that covid19 was a cause of the 69yearold mans death on Dec. 14 along with acute respiratory failure. By Wednesday three different passengers said they still hadnt gotten official word from any public health authorities. The tale of United Flight 591 illustrates the challenges of keeping the novel coronavirus off planes and informing travelers about possible exposure in a timely manner so they can take their own precautions. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2020/12/28/passenger-covid-flight-airlines-positive/ 28th Dec 2020

Lockdown Exit

Mirror Online Britain must vaccinate two million people a week to avoid a third wave of the coronavirus outbreak a new study claims. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine LSHTM paper has issued ministers with the stark warning coming as hospital admissions surpassed the peak of the first wave of the pandemic. Around 200000 people are being inoculated each week which is expected to raise to one million by the middle of January according to the Daily Telegraph. The most stringent intervention scenario with tier 4 Englandwide and schools closed during January and 2 million individuals vaccinated per week is the only scenario we considered which reduces peak ICU burden below the levels seen during the first wave the study said. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/uk-faces-covid-third-wave-23232448 29th Dec 2020

Lockdown Exit

Daily Mail The number of patients in hospital with the virus is likely to exceed the peak in the spring with21286 coronavirus patients being treated on December 22. In comparison the figure on April 12 was 21 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9090939/Millions-Britons-face-plunged-Tier-4-lockdown-week.html 29th Dec 2020

Lockdown Exit

Reuters UK Lives that had been focussed on school university sports or even going to Kpop concerts vanished overnight for members of Gen Z as the global pandemic struck. While a lot was heard about older people at risk from COVID19 this younger generation born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s also saw their worlds turned upside down in 2020. Reuters profiled 10 young people around the world to learn how their lives had been affected by the coronavirus. Shut up in bedrooms many forced to live with their parents some went from being students athletes and workers to caring for sick relatives and doing whatever they could to earn money to support families. One teen even became a mother https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-gen-z-widerimage-idUKKBN28Y0NH 27th Dec 2020

Lockdown Exit

Sky News Russia has admitted its coronavirus death toll is more than three times higher than previously reported. New figures show that more than 186000 Russians have died from the virus up from the 55265 the country officially reported. This means that Russia has the thirdhighest number of fatalities moving ahead of India and sitting behind only the US and Brazil. Russia has reported more than three million infections since the beginning of the pandemic but its comparatively low fatality rate had raised eyebrows. https://news.sky.com/story/russia-admits-covid-death-toll-is-three-times-higher-than-reported-12174575 29th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Many high schools are struggling with whether to allow students to learn in the classroom as Covid19 infections surge across the U.S. But not the nations boarding schools. These schools have been mostly able to offer inperson learning with relatively few incidents using a variety of intensive virusmitigation strategies according to Peter Upham executive director of The Association of Boarding Schools. About a third of the nations more than 260 academic boarding schools have had Covid19 cases Upham said but very few schools have seen outbreaks of more than just a couple students. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-28/elite-boarding-schools-offer-students-a-unique-covid-19-bubble 28th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters Some Philippine soldiers and cabinet ministers have already received COVID19 vaccine injections officials said on Monday despite an absence of regulatory approval that the countrys health ministry said was vital to ensure safety. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-philippines-vaccin-idUSKBN2920QM 28th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Evening Standard Donald Trump has signed off a US900 billion 664bn coronavirus relief package to end days of standoff over the the bipartisan deal that will deliver longsought cash to businesses and individuals and avert a federal government shutdown. The massive bill includes US1.4 trillion 1.03 trillion to fund government agencies through to September and contains other endofsession priorities such as money for cashstarved transit systems and an increase in food stamp benefits. Mr Trump announced the signing in a statement that spoke of his frustrations with the Covid19 relief for including only 600 443 cheques to most Americans instead of the 2000 1476 that his fellow Republicans rejected. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/donald-trump-coronavirus-relief-package-b533413.html 28th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

The Guardian Until 8 November terminal C of Tegel airport used to be where Berliners took off for weekend breaks across the Schengen area. From Sunday the disused runway hopes to see the start of a journey towards a more permanent destination herd immunity to Covid19 by mass vaccination. Departure delayed. Arrival time unclear. From 8.30am Tegel will serve as a control centre for 60 minivans filled with fourperson mobile vaccination teams who will pick up Berlins first 18000 doses of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine from a secret location then administer them to vulnerable people in care homes across the city initially prioritising dementia sufferers who struggle to adhere to social distancing. The starting gun will be fired in several European countries at the same time the 12.5 million doses of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine that will arrive in EU countries before the end of this year are part of a 300million dose bulk order signed by the European Commission. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/27/vaccination-rolls-out-across-europe-but-anger-remains-over-late-start 28th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

BBC News Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has said he is confident the staggered return to secondary schools in England can go ahead as planned. But Mr Gove said the issue was still being reviewed amid concern over the spread of the new coronavirus variant. Wales and Scotland have delayed or revised the start of the new term. Northern Ireland schools are due back next week. Ministers have said exam year pupils in England would return as normal. But the majority of secondary school pupils in England are due to begin the term studying remotely to give head teachers time to implement a coronavirus testing programme for students and staff. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-55466147 28th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters Europe launches a crossborder vaccination programme of unprecedented scale on Sunday as part of efforts to end a COVID19 pandemic that has crippled economies and claimed more than 1.7 million lives around the world. The region of 450 million people has secured contracts with a range of suppliers for over two billion vaccine doses and has set a goal for all adults to be inoculated during 2021. https://fr.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N2J607J 28th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

The Star Three first volunteers received the first shot of a dose of 50mcg of Nanocovax Covid19 vaccine on Saturday Dec 26. Developed by the Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC and the Viet Nam Military Medical University Nanocovax is Vietnams first Covid19 candidate vaccine to reach the human trial stage. A total of 60 volunteers aged 1850 were selected for the first phase of the clinical trials. They are divided into three groups for receiving three doses of 25 mcg 50 mcg and 75 mcg respectively. The vaccination consists of two injections 28 days apart. https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2020/12/27/three-volunteers-receive-first-shots-of-vietnam039s-very-own-covid-19-vaccine 27th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Associated Press Doctors nurses and the elderly rolled up their sleeves across the European Union to receive the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine Sunday in a symbolic show of unity and moment of hope for a continent confronting its worst health care crisis in a century. Weeks after the U.S. Canada and Britain began inoculations with the same vaccine the 27nation bloc staged a coordinated rollout aimed at projecting a unified message that the shot was safe and Europes best chance to emerge from the pandemic. For health care workers who have been battling the virus with only masks and shields to protect themselves the vaccines represented an emotional relief as the virus continues to kill. But it was also a public chance for them to urge Europes 450 million people to get the shots amid continued vaccine and virus skepticism. https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-public-health-europe-immunizations-nursing-homes-2e41320c0535bfcec58f3b1066620458/gallery/38e5cc224b2c426aa25fb7447b3bb833 27th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters UK Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis became the first person in the country to be given a vaccine against the new coronavirus on Sunday as European Union member states begin a pushback against the pandemic which is surging across the continent. Hungary and Slovakia stole a march on their fellow EU nations as they began vaccinating people against COVID19 on Saturday. Germany officially launches its inoculation campaign on Sunday along with coutries such as France and Italy. Babis received the PfizerBioNTech vaccine at the Central Military Hospital in Prague just before other hospitals in the capital and secondlargest city Brno started to distribute the 9750 doses the country has received so far. https://uk.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-czech-vaccination/czech-republic-starts-coronavirus-vaccine-rollout-idUKKBN29106V 27th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters New York State Health officials said on Saturday they are investigating a Brooklynbased healthcare provider on suspicion it violated state guidelines for distribution of COVID19 vaccine. ParCare Community Health Network may have fraudulently obtained COVID19 vaccine transferred it to facilities in other parts of the state in violation of state guidelines and diverted it to members of the public contrary to the states plan to administer it first to frontline healthcare workers as well as nursing home residents and staffers state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said in a statement. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-new-york-parcare-c-idUKKBN291030 27th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters on MSN.com An expert committee convened by Singapores health ministry has recommended all residents medically eligible for COVID19 vaccination to take shots as they become available although it said vaccination should remain a voluntary option. The recommendation comes as Singapores success in controlling the virus makes some question whether they should take the jabs. The citystate has been reporting almost zero new local cases daily over the last few weeks. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/singapore-panel-recommends-maximum-level-of-covid-19-vaccine-coverage/ar-BB1cgdrP 27th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters A private Thai hospital was ordered on Sunday to stop advertising COVID19 vaccinations for sale in advance on the grounds that no vaccine is yet approved in Thailand. Vibhavadi Hospital told Reuters its online offer for 1000 initial reservations for the twodose Moderna vaccine had been the result of a misunderstanding. With reservations priced at 4000 baht the total cost of getting vaccinated would have been 10000 baht 330. As the first governments begin vaccine rollouts around the world questions have been raised over how the limited supplies are prioritised and whether people will be able to pay to jump the queue. https://uk.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-thailand-vaccine/thai-hospital-banned-from-offer-to-sell-covid-19-vaccine-idINKBN2910CC 27th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

USA TODAY Jo Marie Hernandez doesnt know how she and her 4yearold daughter will survive after her unemployment aid lapsed this weekend. Hernandez who lives in Olean New York is on the brink of losing her home in days after she lost her job as a customer service associate at a gas station in the spring. Enduring prolonged unemployment shes struggled to make ends meet and has nothing left in savings to keep her afloat. I only have 100 left to my name. My whole world is shattered says Hernandez 32 who was forced to put her car up for sale. We cant wait a few weeks for help. Were starving and will be out on the street soon. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/12/27/stimulus-checks-unemployment-benefits-trump-covid-relief-package/4050133001/ 27th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters UK Slovakia on Saturday started to vaccinate its population against the coronavirus as the country joined a coordinated push by the European Union against the global pandemic. Vladimir Krcmery a member of the governments Pandemic Commission was the first person in the country inoculated by the vaccine produced by Pfizer and BionTech. Hungary also began vaccinating its people on Saturday a day ahead of rollouts in several other countries including France Germany and Spain. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-slovakia-vaccine/slovakia-starts-vaccinations-against-covid-19-idUKKBN2900K7 27th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

BBC News The EU has begun a coordinated vaccine rollout to fight Covid19 in what the blocs top official says is a touching moment of unity. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Saturday the PfizerBioNTech vaccine had been delivered to all 27 member states. Some countries started administering the jabs on Saturday saying they were not prepared to wait another day. The EU has so far reported more than 335000 Covidrelated deaths. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55456795 27th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters UK Europe launched a mass COVID19 vaccination drive on Sunday with pensioners and medics lining up to get the first shots to see off a pandemic that has crippled economies and claimed more than 1.7 million lives worldwide. Thank God 96yearold Araceli Hidalgo said as she became the first person in Spain to have a vaccine at her care home in Guadalajara near the capital Madrid. Lets see if we can make this virus go away. In Italy the first country in Europe to record significant numbers of infections 29yearold nurse Claudia Alivernini was one of three medical staff at the head of the queue for the shot developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. https://uk.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-europe-vaccines/the-beginning-of-the-end-europe-rolls-out-vaccines-to-see-off-pandemic-idUKKBN2910BQ 27th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Daily Mail Concerns are growing that some older and vulnerable people are not taking up the Pfizer vaccine. At one health centre in South London The Mail on Sunday has learned that 75 doses of the vaccine were left over as uptake had been so low. Managers were left scrambling to find other patients to vaccinate and even offered a jab to healthy volunteers working there. Experts suggested that elderly people may be struggling with transport or are nervous about venturing outdoors. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9089715/Old-vulnerable-people-ARENT-getting-Covid-jabs.html?ito=social-twitter_dailymailUK 26th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Daily Mail Rich people are offering huge sums of money to skip the queue for the coronavirus vaccines. The jabs can currently only be obtained through the NHS but several private British doctors say they have been bombarded with requests from wealthy individuals offering to pay to have theirs ahead of time. Dr Roshan Ravindran owner of Klnik a private clinic in Wilmslow Cheshire claimed some clients had offered 2000 for injections. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9089595/Wealthy-Britons-offering-private-doctors-2-000-jump-Covid-vaccine-queue-jabs-early.html 26th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Al Jazeera English President Hassan Rouhani has defended his administrations efforts to purchase a COVID19 vaccine reassuring Iranians that the country will succeed despite United States pressure. Iran has reported more than one million coronavirus cases including at least 54000 deaths since February. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/26/rouhani-defends-covid-vaccine-efforts-amid-us-pressure 26th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Belfast Telegraph The Taoiseach has hailed a day of great hope as the first coronavirus vaccine arrived in Ireland on St Stephens Day. The PfizerBioNTech vaccine is the first to be approved for use in Ireland by the European Medicines Agency. The initial batch of 10000 doses will begin to be administered on Wednesday. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/taoiseach-hails-day-of-great-hope-as-first-coronavirus-vaccines-arrive-in-ireland-39901352.html 26th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Turkey signed an agreement with Pfizer Inc. partner BioNTech SE for 4.5 million of doses their coronavirus vaccine with an option to raise it to 30 million. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Friday that an initial 550000 doses will arrive by the year end or in early January state news agency Anadolu reported. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-26/turkey-signs-accord-with-biontech-for-coronavirus-vaccine 26th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters Pope Francis in his Christmas message on Friday said political and business leaders must not allow market forces and patent laws to take priority over making Covid 19 vaccines available to all condemning nationalism and the virus of radical individualism. https://in.reuters.com/article/us-christmas-season-pope/in-christmas-message-curbed-by-covid-pope-calls-on-nations-to-share-vaccines-idUSKBN28Z0MV 25th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters UK The U.S. government will require all airline passengers arriving from the United Kingdom to test negative for COVID19 within 72 hours of departure starting Monday amid concerns about a new coronavirus variant that may be more transmissible. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC said in a statement on Thursday that all airline passengers arriving from the UK must test negative in order to fly to the United States. The decision was a turnaround after the Trump administration told U.S. airlines on Tuesday it was not planning to require any testing for arriving UK passengers. The CDC said an order would be signed on Friday and is effective Monday. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-usa-airlines/u-s-will-require-negative-covid-19-tests-for-all-uk-passengers-cdc-idUKKBN28Z091?il=0 25th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Sky News The Pope has used his Christmas message to urge countries to share COVID19 vaccines saying nationalism should not be a factor in granting access to the new treatments. His traditional Urbi et Orbi message was dominated by the social and economic impacts of the crisis. At this moment in history marked by the ecological crisis and grave economic and social imbalances only worsened by the coronavirus pandemic it is all the more important for us to acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters he said. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-pope-francis-urges-nations-to-share-coronavirus-vaccine-in-christmas-message-12172464 25th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

The New York Times Just one week after the first doses of a coronavirus vaccine were administered in the United States a new batch of vaccines fanned out across the country on Monday an urgently needed expansion of a vaccination effort that is expected to reach vulnerable populations and rural areas where hospitals are strained as soon as this week. The vaccine from Moderna comes as the virus continues to spread virtually unabated hospitalizations are over 115000 for the first time according to the Covid Tracking Project. Parts of California are down to their last I.C.U. beds and almost onefifth of U.S. hospitals with intensive care units reported that at least 95 percent of their I.C.U. beds were full in the week ending Dec. 17. Nationwide 78 percent of I.C.U. beds were full on average. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/12/21/world/covid-19-coronavirus 25th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

Sky News The UKs biggest testing lab has been hit by an outbreak of coronavirus after what one worker claimed were repeated breaches of COVID safety rules Sky News has learned. Positive cases have been reported in three of the four scientific teams at the Milton Keynes Lighthouse Laboratory as well as among administrative and warehouse staff at the site. It is not known how many people have been affected by the outbreak but around 20 people in one 70person lab team are currently isolating according to a worker at the laboratory who asked to remain anonymous. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-major-uk-testing-lab-suffers-coronavirus-outbreak-after-claims-of-safety-breaches-12172290 24th Dec 2020

Exit Strategies

The Hill Latin America received its first shipment of formally approved COVID19 vaccines Wednesday as Mexicos foreign secretary called the arrival the beginning of the end of that pandemic. The vaccine was brought in by a DHL flight at Mexico Citys international airport. Crews began to unload batches of the same PfizerBioNTech vaccine that had begun to be administered to Americans last week The Associated Press reported. Officials did not disclose how many batches were part of the relatively small shipment which is slated to be used to test vaccine logistics procedures once Mexico and other Latin American countries begin receiving larger quantities. https://thehill.com/policy/international/americas/531541-first-batch-of-covid-19-vaccine-arrives-in-mexico-latin-america 23rd Dec 2020

Partisan Exits

The Financial Times The PRCs success in largely suppressing the disease stands in marked contrast with the terrible toll that Covid19 has taken on the west. But politics moves in unexpected ways. Paradoxically there is a strong case to be made that both the US and the EU may also end up being politically strengthened by Covid19. https://www.ft.com/content/af3258af-651d-4ad8-9d11-21ff3498ae7f 28th Dec 2020

Partisan Exits

Reuters The European Unions top diplomat said on Monday that Russian public media had spread false information on European and American COVID19 vaccines in countries where it wants to sell its own shot against the coronavirus. Western vaccine developers are openly mocked on multilingual Russian statecontrolled media which has in some cases led to absurd claims that vaccines will turn people into monkeys Josep Borrell said in a blog post. Such narratives are apparently directed at countries where Russia wants to sell its own vaccine Sputnik V Borrell added noting that these moves threatened public health amid the COVID19 pandemic. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-eu-russia-idUSKBN2921EI 28th Dec 2020

Partisan Exits

POLITICO.eu Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn has spent months boasting that Hungary was working harder than other EU countries to secure vaccines against the coronavirus even jumping the gun to start vaccinating a day earlier than other member states. That move disregarding the European Commissions plan for a coordinated blocwide rollout of the jab on December 27 will likely be seen as an attempt to undermine the EUs vaccination strategy. It comes after Orbn complained that European regulators were taking too long to approve the vaccine and claimed that Hungary would be the first country in Europe to use Russian and Chinese shots. But months later Hungary has no Russian or Chinese vaccine and Orbns critics say he might have undermined confidence in getting vaccinated at all. https://www.politico.eu/article/in-hungary-politicizing-of-vaccine-hangs-over-immunization-efforts/ 27th Dec 2020

Continued Lockdown

Reuters UK Panama will extend lockdowns in two provinces including the capital from Jan. 4 14 in an effort to contain a jump in coronavirus cases in the heavily populated areas the health minister said on Sunday. With 231357 registered COVID19 cases and 3840 deaths Panama is the Central American nation that has accumulated the highest number of infections. Under the lockdown measures which authorities last week said would go into effect nationwide from Dec. 31 Jan. 4 residents may only leave their homes for essential services such as medical appointments and grocery shopping Health Minister Luis Sucre said. https://uk.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-panama/panama-to-extend-lockdowns-in-effort-to-curb-coronavirus-idUKL1N2J800Y 28th Dec 2020

Continued Lockdown

Mirror Elizabeth is just one of the two million older people who will be spending Christmas alone this year. The pensioner has been housebound because of the pandemic but a new phone service set up by Age UK is helping to spread some festive cheer. The charity estimates that more than half of elderly people wont see their friends or family this Christmas. So with that in mind I joined their team of trained volunteers for a day to see how the phone service is helping to combat loneliness among the over60s. Elizabeth was first on their list of people to call and it was easy to imagine her face lighting up at the sound of a friendly voice. In a chat with volunteer Clare she says Its been a difficult week but I feel so much better today. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/two-million-elderly-facing-christmas-23213922 22nd Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Medical News Today A new study in the journal Occupational Environmental Medicine examines the risks that essential and nonessential British workers will develop severe COVID19. It suggests that healthcare workers are seven times more likely to develop severe cases of COVID19 than people with nonessential roles. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/healthcare-workers-7-times-as-likely-to-have-severe-covid-19-as-other-workers 28th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian It remains one of the most dramatically successful outcomes in the battle against Covid19. A cheap treatment for inflammation was found to save lives of seriously ill patients while a trio of muchtouted therapies were shown to have no effect. It is now estimated that the discovery of the effectiveness of the drug dexamethasone has saved around 650000 lives across the world according to Professor Martin Landray a founder of the Recovery programme the worlds largest randomised Covid19 drugs trial which revealed the medicines antiCovid properties last summer https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/27/the-breakthough-medicines-that-could-change-the-course-of-covid 28th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail Teachers and key workers will be added to the vaccine priority list when the Oxford UniversityAstraZeneca jab is finally approved as the government bids to accelerate its rollout plans reports say. With approval for the Oxford Covid vaccine set to come as early as today ministers are believed to be planning to overhaul the current order which currently focuses on the elderly vulnerable and care home employees as well as NHS staff. But Sir Jeremy Farrar the director of the Wellcome Trust who advises Number 10s advisory panel SAGE warned even if Britain hits one million coronavirus vaccinations a week it will not curb the pandemic by February. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9092123/SAGE-expert-warns-hitting-one-million-vaccines-week-wont-curb-Covid-crisis-months.html?ito=social-twitter_dailymailUK 28th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

CNN Philippines A health expert warns the public to stay away from unauthorized COVID19 vaccines amid the supposed presence of a Chinesedeveloped product in the country. To take an unapproved unregulated vaccine is very very dangerous Dr. Edsel Salvana of the Department of Health Technical Advisory Group said in a media forum on Sunday. I urge everyone to stay away from those kasi because you are literally putting your life at risk if you take unregulated medicine especially COVID vaccine. During Saturdays meeting with the InterAgency Task Force and other health experts President Rodrigo Duterte claimed that many citizens in the country have already been injected with Chinas Sinopharm vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration said raids have been conducted in Makati and Binondo adding that no arrests have been made so far. https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/12/27/DOH-China-Sinopharm-COVID-vaccine-Duterte.html?_=1609060645051 27th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail The groundbreaking Oxford vaccine is expected to be approved for use within days giving Britain a massive New Year boost in the fight against coronavirus. There is growing optimism within the Government that the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency MHRA will give the green light to roll out the vaccine before the end of this week. Britain has preordered 100 million doses of the drug which has been developed by Oxford University with the help of the pharma giant AstraZeneca. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9089697/100million-doses-Oxford-coronavirus-vaccine-approved-week.html 27th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Business Insider We all have to be honest and humble nobody really knows for sure but I think 7085 for herd immunity for COVID19 is a reasonable estimate he said on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday. Fauci had previously told The New York Times it could take up to 90 of the US population to get vaccinated to reach herd immunity against the coronavirus. He clarified that the range he states are a guesstimate and that the goal was for 70 to 85 percent of the population to be vaccinated. This month the US Food and Drug Administration authorized both Moderna and Pfizer and BioNTechs coronavirus vaccine for emergency use which have been rolled out across the country. https://www.businessinsider.com/fauci-up-to-90-population-needs-vaccine-for-herd-immunity-2020-12 27th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian The head of the firm behind the Oxford Covid vaccine has said researchers believe the jab will be effective against the variant strain of the virus that was first found in the UK. AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot told the Sunday Times more tests were needed to be sure but hailed the discovery of what he called a winning formula to improve the vaccines efficacy. As Spain Sweden and Canada joined the growing list of countries to have reported cases of the more contagious variant Soirot said So far we think the vaccine should remain effective. But we cant be sure so were going to test that. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/27/global-report-astrazeneca-chief-believes-vaccine-will-work-on-variant-strain 27th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian Long before the Covid19 crisis there was an awareness that a pandemic of some sort was likely in the coming years and plans had already been made to tackle it. Governments international agencies and foundations had been pooling resources. The international Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations CEPI was launched in 2017 and when Covid19 arrived they were ready. In addition several companies and academic institutions notably including BioNTech Moderna and the University of Oxford had also been working on new technologies capable of generating vaccines from the genetic codes of infectious pathogens and cancers and testing them for several years https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/26/ten-reasons-we-got-covid-19-vaccines-so-quickly-without-cutting-corners 27th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters on MSN.com Chinas Walvax Biotechnology Co has started work on a plant to manufacture an earlystage coronavirus vaccine candidate similar to AstraZeneca PLCs product statebacked media said on Sunday. Mass production for the proposed vaccine could begin in mid2021 with an estimated capacity of 200 million doses a year said Health Times a paper run by the Peoples Daily. The treatment is based on a chimpanzee adenovirus to deliver materials that can trigger an immune response against the virus that causes COVID19 a technique adopted in the candidate from AstraZeneca and Oxford University. The Chinese candidate jointly developed by Chinas Tsinghua University and Tianjin Medical University has not been tested on humans. The AstraZenecaOxford treatment is in finalstage large trials. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/chinas-walvax-to-make-covid-19-vaccine-candidate-similar-to-astrazenecas-media/ar-BB1cgpMH 27th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian Cases of the new variant Covid19 virus were confirmed in several European countries on Saturday including Spain Sweden and Switzerland. All were linked to people who had arrived from the UK. Meanwhile Japan has announced it is banning all new entries of foreign nationals from Monday following the discovery of the variant in travellers from the UK. The news came at the same time as a further six million people in east and southeast England had tier 4 conditions Englands strictest Covid level imposed on them on Boxing Day. Lockdowns were also introduced in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Around 24 million people in England more than 40 of the population are now living in tier 4 as pressure mounts for the whole country to be put in this category. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/27/scientists-call-for-nationwide-lockdown-after-rapid-spread-of-covid-19-variant 27th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Mint WHO directorgeneral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was time to learn the lessons from the Covid19 pandemic The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1.75 million people and nearly 80 million cases have been recorded. The coronavirus crisis will not be the last pandemic and attempts to improve human health are doomed without tackling climate change and animal welfare the World Health Organizations chief said. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also condemned the dangerously shortsighted cycle of throwing cash at outbreaks but doing nothing to prepare for the next one in a video message marking Sundays first International Day of Epidemic Preparedness. https://www.livemint.com/science/health/covid-19-pandemic-will-not-be-the-last-who-chief-11609027399175.html 27th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian Overcrowded housing has helped to spread Covid19 in England and may have increased the number of deaths according to research by the Health Foundation. People living in cramped conditions have been more exposed to the coronavirus and were less able to reduce their risk of infection because their homes were so small the thinktank found. Overcrowding was a key reason why poorer people and those from ethnic minority backgrounds in particular had been disproportionately affected by the pandemic it said. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/27/cramped-housing-has-helped-fuel-spread-of-covid-in-england-study 27th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Kent Online A new drug which could offer instant immunity against Covid19 is being trialled by British scientists it has been reported. The antibody therapy has been developed by University College London Hospitals UCLH and AstraZeneca the pharmaceutical company that has along with Oxford University created a vaccine that is expected to be approved for use next week. But unlike a vaccine the new drug would be given to someone who has been exposed to the virus preventing them from going on to develop it. https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/new-drug-could-offer-instant-immunity-against-covid-19-239852/ 26th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters UK A doctor in Boston with a shellfish allergy developed a severe allergic reaction after receiving Modernas coronavirus vaccine on Thursday the New York Times reported on Friday citing the doctor. Dr. Hossein Sadrzadeh a geriatric oncology fellow at Boston Medical Center said he had a severe reaction almost immediately after being vaccinated feeling dizzy and with a racing heart the NYT reported. It is the first severe reaction publicly linked to Modernas vaccine which is in its first week of a nationwide rollout. https://uk.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-vaccines-moderna/boston-doctor-has-severe-allergic-reaction-to-moderna-covid-vaccine-nyt-idUKKBN29000Y 26th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Mint The process of granting emergency use approval for Bharat Biotechs Covaxin may take time as its phase 3 trials are still underway while Pfizer is yet to make a presentation say official sources. https://www.livemint.com/news/india/oxford-covid-vaccine-may-become-the-first-to-get-indian-regulator-s-nod-for-emergency-use-11608986698515.html 26th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian British scientists are trialling a new drug that could prevent someone who has been exposed to coronavirus from going on to develop the disease Covid19 which experts say could save many lives. The antibody therapy would confer instant immunity against the disease and could be given as an emergency treatment to hospital inpatients and care home residents to help contain outbreaks. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/25/uk-scientists-trial-drug-to-prevent-coronavirus-infection-leading-to-disease?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other 25th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Nikkei Asia Brazilian researchers said on Wednesday the COVID19 vaccine developed by Chinas Sinovac Biotech is more than 50 effective based on trial data but again withheld full results at the companys request raising questions about transparency. Brazil is the first country to complete a latestage trial of the vaccine called CoronaVac but a release of the results first set for early December has now been delayed three times. The latest delay is a blow to Beijing which has been racing to catch up with Western drugmakers and will add to criticism that Chinese vaccine makers have lacked transparency. https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Brazil-says-Sinovac-vaccine-over-50-effective-but-delays-full-results 24th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Hill Africas top public health official said on Thursday that a new strain of the coronavirus has been found in Nigeria the continents most populous country. As The Associated Press reports John Nkengasong head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters the new strain had been identified based on two or three genetic sequences prompting an emergency meeting of officials this week. Its a separate lineage from the U.K. and South Africa said Nkengasong. Give us some time ... its still very early. https://thehill.com/homenews/news/531560-another-new-strain-suspected-in-nigeria-africa-cdc 24th Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Science Magazine In June Ravindra Gupta a virologist at the University of Cambridge heard about a cancer patient who had come into a local hospital the month before with COVID19 and was still shedding virus. The patient was being treated for a lymphoma that had relapsed and had been given rituximab a drug that depletes antibodyproducing B cells. That made it hard for him to shake the infection with SARSCoV2. Gupta who studies how resistance to HIV drugs arises became interested in the case and helped treat the patient who died in August 101 days after his COVID19 diagnosis despite being given the antiviral drug remdesivir and two rounds of plasma from recovered patients which contained antibodies against the virus. When Gupta studied genome sequences from the coronavirus that infected the patient he discovered that SARSCoV2 had acquired several mutations that might have allowed it to elude the antibodies. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/12/uk-variant-puts-spotlight-immunocompromised-patients-role-covid-19-pandemic 23rd Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

New York Times A team of British scientists released a worrying study on Wednesday of the new coronavirus variant sweeping the United Kingdom. They warned that the variant is so contagious that new control measures including closing down schools and universities might be necessary. Even that may not be enough they noted saying It may be necessary to greatly accelerate vaccine rollout. Nicholas Davies the lead author of the study said that the model should also serve as a warning to other countries where the variant may have already spread. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/23/health/coronavirus-uk-variant.html 23rd Dec 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail Camelids including llamas camels and alpacas create nanobodies These are smaller and easier to engineer by experts than human antibodies Researchers found an nanobody called NIHCoVnb112 which binds to viral spike They write nanoodies have therapeutic preventative and diagnostic potential https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9079137/Asthma-style-inhaler-filled-powerful-LLAMA-antibodies-treat-COVID-19.html?ito=social-twitter_mailonline 22nd Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC News A further 30501 positive tests for coronavirus were reported on Sunday as hospitals in parts of the UK warn they are at risk of being overwhelmed. Another 316 people died within 28 days of a positive test bringing the total to 70752. The true numbers are likely to be higher as some parts of the UK are not reporting data over Christmas. It comes as doctors in Scotland warned that the health system was severely stretched and a Welsh hospital made an urgent appeal for help with Covid19 patients on Saturday night. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55461140 28th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC News South Africa has become the first country on the continent to register more than one million Covid19 cases. It comes just days after authorities confirmed that a new fasterspreading coronavirus variant had been detected. Some hospitals and medical centres have reported a huge rise in admissions putting a heavy strain on resources. President Cyril Ramaphosa is widely expected to announce tougher restrictions to prevent the virus from spreading further. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-55462863 28th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC News Englands very high Covid infection level is a growing concern as the NHS struggles to cope with rising patient numbers a health official has said. On Monday a record 41385 Covid cases and 357 deaths were reported in the UK. NHS England said the number of people being treated for the virus in hospital is now 20426 which is higher than the previous peak of about 19000 in April. BBC health editor Hugh Pym said Mondays figure included some infections where reporting was delayed but that officials did not deny there had been a significant increase in infections. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55462701 28th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters UK Ukraines biggest ski resort Bukovel in the Carpathian mountains is fully booked until the end of year as Ukrainians have sped to it instead of other foreign resorts that have been shut due to coronaviruslinked restrictions across Europe. Bukovels management said the resort had already been booked at 80 capacity through January. Unlike some European countries Ukraine did not tighten restrictions on the movement of its residents within the country to curb the spread of the coronavirus over the Christmas and New Year season. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-ukraine-ski-resort-idUKKBN2920ZS 28th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters UK South Africas total coronavirus infections since the first case in March crossed a million on Sunday its Health Ministry said just days after a new faster spreading variant was confirmed to be present in the country. The grim milestone comes nine days after the country the worst hit in Africa reported 900000 cases. The country had taken two weeks to reach 900000 from the 800000 seen early in December. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-safrica/south-africas-total-covid-19-cases-cross-1-million-mark-idUKKBN2910LX 28th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters UK Sydney one of the worlds first major cities to welcome each New Year with a public countdown featuring a fireworks display over its wellknown Opera House has banned large gatherings that night amid an outbreak of the coronavirus. A midDecember resurgence of COVID19 in the citys northern beach suburbs has grown to 125 cases after five new infections were recorded on Monday. About a quarter of million of people there must stay in strict lockdown until Jan. 9. That has led to further restrictions of the already toneddown plans for the New Years Eve. New South Wales NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian banned most people from coming to Sydneys downtown that night and limited outdoor gatherings to 50 people. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-australia/sydney-told-to-watch-its-famous-new-years-eve-fireworks-from-home-idUKKBN29205M 28th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The New York Times Japan Spain France Sweden and Canada have found small numbers of infections involving a new potentially more transmissible variant of the coronavirus most linked to travel from Britain where it was first detected. The rapid spread of the variant led to the lockdown of London and southern England this week prompted a temporary French blockade of the English Channel and resulted in countries around the world barring travelers from Britain. Because few countries have the level of genomic surveillance that Britain does there is concern that the variant may have been traveling across the world undetected for weeks. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/12/26/world/covid-updates-coronavirus 27th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters on MSN.com Beijing has tightened COVID19 curbs over concerns that Chinas mass travel during the holiday period could cause cases to spike in the capital as it reported locally transmitted cases for a fourth straight day on Sunday. A meeting led by the capitals Communist party boss Cai Qi urged all districts in Beijing to enter an emergency mode sealing off residential compounds and villages where infections are found. Shunyi district where all the recent coronavirus cases have been reported has declared a wartime mode and testing for all its 800000 people. All the cases reported on Saturday were close contacts of previous cases. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/beijing-tightens-covid-19-curbs-as-cases-detected-across-capital/ar-BB1cg6it 27th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Independent Within 10 months since the onset of a public health crisis that has upended the lives of millions of Americans the nations death toll has surpassed 330000 during what has become the years deadliest month with nearly 60000 lives lost within the final weeks of 2020. The overwhelming scale of death means that one in 1000 Americans have died from Covid19. Nearly 19 million confirmed infections have been reported in 2020 with an average number of daily new cases remaining above 200000 within the years final days according to Johns Hopkins University more than three times higher than the outbreaks summer peak in July. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-death-toll-coronavirus-b1779173.html 27th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Sky News South Korean officials have warned of a third wave of coronavirus as a resurgence in cases continues over the Christmas period. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency KDCA recorded 1132 new COVID19 cases on Saturday which was the countrys secondhighest daily increase after 1241 on Christmas Day. South Korea has been seen as one of the countries to have responded best to the pandemic since it began but has seen significant coronavirus outbreaks in prisons nursing homes and churches recently leading to officials asking people to stop endofyear gatherings. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-south-korea-braced-for-third-wave-as-daily-cases-hit-new-highs-12172650 27th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Sky News The new variant of coronavirus that is spreading through Britain has been detected in Norway and on the Portuguese island of Madeira. It follows several countries in reporting cases of the mutation listed as VUI20201201 first spotted in the UK and thought to be up to 70 more transmissible meaning it can spread much faster. Authorities in Madeira have not said how many people are infected but confirmed it had been detected in travellers who arrived there from the United Kingdom. Norway also discovered the mutation in two people who had arrived there from the UK. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-france-discovers-its-first-case-of-the-new-coronavirus-variant-after-frenchman-travelled-from-london-12172620 27th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters South Korea plans to discuss whether it needs to further tighten distancing rules this weekend as the current curbs failed to reverse a resurgence in outbreaks with the daily coronavirus count hitting another high on Friday officials said. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency KDCA reported 1241 new coronavirus cases as of midnight Thursday the highest daily count recorded. Daily numbers have been hovering at record levels over the past few weeks around 1000 but the government resisted calls for imposing the toughest Level 3 at least for the greater Seoul area due to economic concerns calling it a last resort. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-southkorea/s-korea-pm-says-highest-daily-coronavirus-count-recorded-at-1241-yonhap-idUSKBN28Z00L 27th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Health officials in Ontario said on Saturday that two confirmed cases of the new coronavirus variant first detected in the United Kingdom have appeared in the Canadian province. Scientists say the variant is about 4070 more transmissible than the original strain. Several other countries including Australia Italy and the Netherlands say they detected cases of the new strain. The Canadian cases identified in a couple in southern Ontario with no known travel history exposure or highrisk contact came as the province went into a lockdown on Saturday. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-canada/canadas-ontario-finds-two-cases-of-virus-variant-first-seen-in-uk-idUSKBN2900JX 27th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Australia Sydneys COVID19 outbreak continued on Sunday with more than a quarter million people in lockdown as Australias largest city awaited word on whether any public New Years Eve celebrations will be allowed. Seven cases of the new coronavirus were reported in New South Wales state six linked directly to the outbreak in Sydneys northern beach suburbs which are under a stayathome order until Wednesday. Infections stand at 122. I appreciate frustration levels are increasing as we get closer to New Years Eve and days we stay at home increase state Premier Gladys Berejiklian told a news conference. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-australia/sydney-awaits-verdict-on-new-years-eve-festivities-as-covid-19-outbreak-grows-idUSKBN29102M 27th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters UK The Philippines approved measures on Saturday to slow the spread of new more infectious coronavirus variants as President Rodrigo Duterte warned of a second lockdown should cases spike before the country gets its first vaccines in May. Countries around the world have in recent days closed their borders to flights from Britain and South Africa where more infectious variants have been detected. Duterte extended an existing a ban on flights from Britain by two weeks to midJanuary and said the Philippines would impose travel curbs on countries with local community transmission of the UK variant. https://uk.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-philippines/update-1-philippines-eyes-more-covid-curbs-to-halt-new-variants-idUKL1N2J606H 27th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters UK Germany reported a record daily coronavirus death toll of 962 on Wednesday a week after the start of a hard lockdown that has forced most stores as well as hair salons and other services to close. The total death toll now stands at 27968 data from the Robert Koch Institute RKI for infectious diseases showed. The previous daily death toll record was 952 reported on Dec. 16 the day the lockdown came into effect. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-germany-cases/german-daily-covid-death-toll-nears-1000-a-week-into-lockdown-idUKKBN28X0EZ 27th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

CNN With Christmas in the rear view mirror public health experts are bracing for yet another surge in Covid19 cases similar to those seen after other US holidays in recent months. Weve just seen these amplification events and thats whats happened at the end of this year in the US said Erin Bromage an associate professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. We had Thanksgiving we had Labor Day we had Halloween and each one of these events brought lots of people together and just gave the virus more fuel to move through the population Bromage said. Christmas is going to do a similar thing. https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/26/health/us-coronavirus-saturday/index.html 26th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters UK The United Kingdom recorded 210 COVID19 deaths on Saturday down from 570 the day before while cases rose 1968 to 34693 the government said citing partial data. The latest R number is estimated at 1.1 to 1.3 the government said. The United Kingdom has recorded a death toll of 70405 defined as those dying within 28 days of a positive test. Under that measure it has the worlds sixth largest toll after the United States Brazil India Mexico and Italy. https://uk.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-britain/uk-records-210-more-covid-19-deaths-cases-rise-to-34693-idUKKBN2900EY 26th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC News Health officials in Northern Ireland are concerned that the spread of a variant form of coronavirus could have substantial consequences according to NIs chief scientific adviser. Prof Ian Young said the reproduction rate of the virus could rise by between 0.4 and 0.6 as a result. On Wednesday the health minister confirmed a positive case of the new strain had been detected in NI. However Prof Young said detecting new variants is not unexpected. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55435518 25th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters UK France recorded its first case of the new variant of coronavirus as the number of cases and deaths from COVID19 mounted in the country increasing concerns of a new wave of the virus hitting the euro zones secondbiggest economy. The French health ministry said a Frenchman who recently arrived back in France from London had tested positive for the new variant of the coronavirus. The ministry said the case the first in France had been found in the city of Tours. The man in question arrived from London on Dec. 19. He was currently selfisolating and felt alright the ministry added. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-france-variant-idUKKBN28Z0YJ?taid=5fe6a865047c5c0001cbfba2&amputm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&amputm_medium=trueAnthem&amputm_source=twitter 25th Dec 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Sky News One of the biggest potential casualties of the new variant of COVID19 may be the possibility of a normal return to school in England in January. Scientists are currently studying the evidence that children might be more affected. It could mean a return to home schooling for thousands of children. Secondary schools across England are already staggering their start of term to allow a testing programme to get under way. Recent figures show theres been a sharp rise in cases of COVID among schoolaged children. This might be driven by the new variant of the virus which could spread more easily in young people. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-fears-new-variant-could-prevent-schools-returning-in-january-12170593?dcmp=snt-sf-twitter 22nd Dec 2020

New Lockdown

Reuters UK Sydney residents were urged not to head to the shops for Boxing Day bargains while those in some northern beach suburbs prepared to reenter a strict lockdown for three days from Sunday as the city seeks to stamp out a coronavirus outbreak. The state of New South Wales recorded nine new coronavirus cases eight of them directly linked to the northern beaches outbreak which now stands at 116 confirmed cases. Lockdown measures for some suburbs were first imposed on Dec. 19 but were eased slightly for the Christmas break. Our strategy is to make sure we nip this in the bud as soon as we can the states premier Gladys Berejiklian said https://uk.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-australia-idUKKBN29002X 27th Dec 2020

New Lockdown

Reuters The British government said huge swathes of England would be placed under its strictest COVID19 restrictions as a highly infectious virus variant sweeps the country pushing the number of cases to a record level. Britain reported almost 40000 new infections as the mutated variant of the coronavirus which could be up to 70 more transmissible than the original causes the number of cases and hospital admissions to soar. https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-britain-christmas-idUSKBN28X0V7 27th Dec 2020

New Lockdown

Reuters Israel will impose a third national lockdown to fight surging COVID19 infections Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday as the country pursues a vaccination campaign. The restrictions will come into effect on Sunday evening and last for 14 days pending final cabinet approval a statement from Netanyahus office said. They include the closure of shops limited public transport a partial shutdown of schools and a onekilometre twothirds of a mile restriction on travel from home except for commuting to workplaces that remain open and to purchase essential goods. Such measures will cost Israels economy about three billion shekels 932.6 million a week the Finance Ministry said. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-israel/israel-imposing-third-national-covid-19-lockdown-idUSKBN28Y10O 27th Dec 2020

New Lockdown

Reuters UK Israel will enter what officials hope will be its last coronavirus lockdown on Sunday as they ramp up vaccinations to a pace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said may allow an emergence from the pandemic by March. If realised that could help Netanyahus reelection hopes after missteps that include lifting a first lockdown with a premature declaration of victory in May inconsistent enforcement of curbs and sluggish economic relief. After beginning vaccinations a week before the European Unions rollout on Sunday Israels centralised health system is now administering around 70000 shots daily. Netanyahu wants that raised to 150000 by next weekend with the opening of 247 vaccination stations among proposals. https://uk.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-israel/israel-speeds-vaccines-locks-down-in-hope-of-march-exit-from-pandemic-idUKL8N2J704Q 27th Dec 2020

New Lockdown

Yahoo Finance Millions more people will be under the toughest coronavirus restrictions from Boxing Day as the UK implemented a travel ban on South Africa amid concerns over another new strain of Covid19. Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned the highly concerning new variant is believed to be more transmissible than the mutant strain that resulted in the creation of the new Tier 4 restrictions. It is believed to be behind an increase in cases in South Africa and has been discovered in two people in the UK thought to be contacts of those who travelled between the two countries in the last few weeks. https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/widespread-boxing-day-lockdown-looms-002912281.html 24th Dec 2020