8th Feb 2021 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=194 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

The Independent Senam Agbesi has been trying to make the best of lockdown in London. Ive done lots of Zooms lots of walks he said. The 34yearold NHS manager believes he could get the vaccine this month as he is starting a new job that would mean visiting hospitals regularly. Despite the good news about his own vaccine he worries about his father Yao who lives in Accra Ghana. Yao is 65 and has sickle cell trait a condition that puts him at higher risk of suffering severe illness if he catches Covid19. A close family friend recently died of the virus and Senam wishes his father would be more careful. He thinks hes invincible. He drinks his little tea of lime juice and ginger in the mornings and thinks he has an invisible fortress around him he told The Bureau of Investigative Journalism for this report. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-crisis-vaccine-apartheid-b1798326.html 6th Feb 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Access to loans on favourable terms will be crucial to Africas economic recovery from the COVID19 pandemic South Africas President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Saturday. Ramaphosa who is the outgoing chair of the African Union AU told the blocs summit that even though the International Monetary Fund IMF and the World Bank have deployed significant financial resources for the coronavirus outbreak response more needed to be done. Assess to concessional finance will remain crucial as countries rebuild their economies Ramaphosa told the virtual summit. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-africa-union-summit/south-africas-ramaphosa-says-access-to-concessional-loans-key-to-africas-recovery-idUSKBN2A60FF 6th Feb 2021

Lockdown Exit

Independent.ie Ireland will receive 190000 AstraZeneca shots this month with an early delivery of 21000 doses arriving this weekend Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has said. Frontline healthcare workers who have not yet received their first dose will be first in the queue for these shots Minister Donnelly confirmed. Now there arent 190000 people in this category so the rest of these will be scheduled accordingly and we will begin looking at cohorts 456 and 7 Minister Donnelly said on RT News at One. https://www.independent.ie/news/first-doses-of-astrazeneca-to-be-given-next-week-as-190000-shots-to-arrive-this-month-40057126.html 6th Feb 2021

Lockdown Exit

The Associated Press When a Halloween party sparked a COVID19 outbreak at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University school officials conducted rapid screening on more than 1000 students in a week including many who didnt have symptoms. Although such asymptomatic screening isnt approved by regulators and the 15minute tests arent as sensitive as the genetic one that can take days to yield results the testing director at the historically Black college credits the approach with quickly containing the infections and allowing the campus to remain open. Within the span of a week we had crushed the spread. If we had had to stick with the PCR test we would have been dead in the water said Dr. Robert Doolittle referring to the polymerase chain reaction test that is considered the gold standard by many doctors and Food and Drug Administration regulators. https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-b72e56902c9a682201dc7e2e95530551 6th Feb 2021

Lockdown Exit

Financial Times This account of a turbulent period for the AngloSwedish company is based on interviews with more than 30 executives scientists and government officials in the UK US and EU. Even before selecting their partner in April the university scientists had made a head start but took a route that would cause trouble later. The scientists decided not to test the vaccine among large groups of over65s until they had plenty of evidence that it was safe in younger people. Andrew Pollard director of the Oxford Vaccine Group told the FT the decision was cautious and at the time that was right. https://www.ft.com/content/d0fd6c4c-939a-43c7-a9b9-47c8d3cab253 5th Feb 2021

Lockdown Exit

The Associated Press Sri Lankan health officials said on Saturday that more than half of the health workers and frontline military and police officers have so far been vaccinated against COVID19. Sri Lanka last week began inoculating its frontline health workers military troops and police officers against COVID19 amid warnings that the sector faces a collapse with a number of health staff being infected with the new coronavirus. The ministry had planned to first vaccinate 150000 health workers and selected 115000 military and police personnel. By Saturday 156310 had been given with COVISHIELD vaccine. India had donated 500000 does of OxfordAstraZenica vaccine also known as the COVISHIELD which is the only vaccine approved by the regulatory body in Sri Lanka. Health ministry says Sri Lanka has ordered 18 millions doses of COVISHIELD vaccines and also had asked to allocate 2 million doses of PfizerBioNtech. Besides China has promised to provide 300000 shots of Sinopharm vaccine this month. https://apnews.com/article/germany-india-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-00f4ee7af09143a881a09a44418929d5 5th Feb 2021

Lockdown Exit

MarketWatch A few European Union countries have taken steps to distribute special passes to allow citizens inoculated against the coronavirus that causes COVID19 to travel freely. Others countries including the U.K. are considering such a measure. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/europe-moves-toward-covid-19-vaccine-passports-but-not-every-country-is-on-board-11612532528 5th Feb 2021

Lockdown Exit

ny.gov Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today released the list of comorbidities and underlying conditions that New York State will use to determine eligibility for the COVID19 vaccine. New Yorkers who have one of the comorbidities on the list will be eligible for the vaccine beginning February 15. New Yorkers with comorbidities and underlying conditions exist throughout the states populationtheyre our teachers lawyers and carpenters in addition to the doctors who keep us safe every day and they are a highly affected population Governor Cuomo said. Were committed to vaccinating vulnerable populations that have suffered the most as we distribute a strictly limited supply of vaccines and people with comorbidities are 94 percent of the states COVID deaths. Thats why well open eligibility to people with comorbidities starting February 15 and give hospitals the ability to use extra doses they have to address that population. Local governments have a week to prepare for the new changethey need to get ready now. https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-list-comorbidities-and-underlying-conditions-eligible-covid-19-vaccine 5th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

Wall Street Journal Eugenio Del Rio a 77yearold writer leaves his Madrid apartment only to shop for food and take an occasional stroll as he awaits his turn to get the coronavirus vaccine. The wait is getting longer and longer. So long in fact that he has come to realize a book he is writing about the cultural factors that pushed some youth to oppose the Franco regime might be published before the country is through the pandemic. I hope to be vaccinated in April but even if that happens it will be ages before we return to normal life because so many people will still need to be vaccinated said Mr. Del Rio. https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-vaccine-promises-fall-short-for-many-doctors-elderly-in-europe-11612713600 7th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters A COVID19 booster in the autumn and then annual vaccinations are very probable Britains vaccine deployment minister said on Sunday as countries race to administer injections in the face of new variants. Britain has already injected over 12 million first doses of COVID19 vaccines and is on track to meet a target to vaccinate everyone in the top most vulnerable groups by midFebruary. Among coronavirus variants currently most concerning for scientists and public health experts are the socalled British South African and Brazilian variants which appear to spread more swiftly than others. https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-britain-vaccine-bo-idUSKBN2A70A9 7th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

ABC News Cambodia on Sunday received its first shipment of COVID19 vaccine a donation of 600000 doses from China the countrys biggest ally. Prime Minister Hun Sen his senior Cabinet members and Chinese Ambassador Wang Wentian were at Phnom Penh International Airport for a reception ceremony for the Sinopharm vaccine carried by a Chinese Air Force flight. Hun Sen had announced that he would be the first person to be vaccinated but backtracked last week saying the Chinesemade Sinopharm vaccine was effective only for people aged between 18 and 59 while he is 68. He said Sunday at the airport that he would urge younger members of his family as well as top officials and generals under 60 to get vaccinated Wednesday as an example to the public. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/cambodia-covid-19-vaccine-key-ally-china-75738331 7th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

Sky News Rapid tests will be offered to workplaces with more than 50 employees in an effort to control the COVID19 pandemic. The lateral flow tests can produce results in less then 30 minutes but were previously only available to firms with more than 250 staff. Officials said the move is an effort to normalise testing in the workplace and ensure the safety of those who cannot work from home. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-rapid-testing-to-be-offered-to-workplaces-with-more-than-50-employees-12211167 7th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

Stat News Vaccines dont save lives. Vaccinations do. That is an essential lesson we have learned from working at the forefront of vaccine development and health communication. One of us S.P. helped develop vaccines for rubella rabies and rotavirus that have played an essential role in reducing preventable childhood deaths in the United States and around the world but only because of public health campaigns that built trust in vaccination and made vaccines easily accessible to people from every walk of life. Now along comes Covid19 a highly infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus SARSCoV2 that humans had never previously encountered. In an amazing feat of science and speed we now have vaccines against this virus that are proving to be highly effective. https://www.statnews.com/2021/02/07/the-u-s-needs-a-national-vaccine-day/ 7th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

The Hill South Africa has stopped the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after data emerged that showed it provided minimal protection against the South Africa coronavirus variant which is currently dominant in the country. Reuters reports that Health Minister Zweli Mkhize made the announcement on Sunday following disappointing results from a trial conducted by the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. The outlet reports that the South African government had planned to roll out doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Monday but will now offer the vaccines developed by Johnson Johnson and Pfizer instead https://thehill.com/policy/international/africa/537742-south-africa-pauses-rollout-of-astrazeneca-coronavirus-vaccine 7th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

The New York Times South Africa halted use of the AstraZenecaOxford coronavirus vaccine on Sunday after evidence emerged that the vaccine did not protect clinicaltrial participants from mild or moderate illness caused by the more contagious virus variant that was first seen there. The findings were a devastating blow to the countrys efforts to combat the pandemic. Scientists in South Africa said on Sunday that a similar problem held among people who had been infected by earlier versions of the coronavirus the immunity they acquired naturally did not appear to protect them from mild or moderate cases when reinfected by the variant known as B.1.351. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/07/world/south-africa-astrazeneca-vaccine.html 7th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

The Scotsman Covid19 restrictions will not be scrapped in Scotland once the vaccination programme is complete Deputy First Minister John Swinney has said. https://www.scotsman.com/health/coronavirus-scotland-restrictions-will-not-be-scrapped-when-vaccine-rollout-complete-says-deputy-first-minister-3126282 6th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

NPR Every NFL team will offer their stadium as a possible mass vaccination site to help fight the COVID19 pandemic NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a letter to President Biden. The move would expand an effort that currently includes seven teams. Each team will make its stadium available for mass vaccinations of the general public in coordination with local state and federal health officials Goodell wrote in the letter which was sent on Thursday. The effort would be helped he said by the experience the teams already have with transforming parts of their facilities into coronavirus testing sites. The NFL has 32 teams but the offer comprises 30 stadiums because pairs of teams share facilities in both New York and Los Angeles. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/02/05/964548535/nfl-offers-all-30-stadiums-for-use-as-coronavirus-vaccine-sites 6th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

Daily Record Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has hailed the enormous efforts of coronavirus vaccinators as the number of Scots to have been given their first injection passed three quarters of a million. Figures published by the Scottish Government showed that by Saturday morning 786427 people had now had their first jab with 10332 having received both doses of the vaccine. The figures were revealed as it was announced there had been a further 48 deaths among those who had tested positive for the virus in the past 28 days taking the total number of deaths under this measurement to 6431. In addition a further 895 cases of Covid19 have been reported in the past 24 hours 5.9 of all those tested. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scotland-hits-coronavirus-vaccine-milestone-23454843 6th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

BBC News The UK can meet the target of vaccinating all over50s by May the chairman of the vaccines taskforce has said adding he is very optimistic. Dr Clive Dix told the BBC the taskforce has met every target set. The UK would be ahead of the game in terms of anticipating variants of coronavirus and was making libraries of future vaccines he said. He added that the UK would not hoard supplies but would distribute them globally once the UK target is met. Downing Street has said everyone in the UK aged 50 and over should have been offered a coronavirus vaccine by May. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55961387 6th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

Sky News Boris Johnson says it is still too early to talk about ending coronavirus restrictions with news reports suggesting pubs might be able to reopen by May. Downing Street has confirmed that it aims to vaccinate those aged over 50 and those aged 16 to 65 who have certain health conditions by May. And some MPs have said there would be little reason to keep restrictions once those in the nine priority groups have been vaccinated. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-still-early-days-to-talk-about-ending-coronavirus-restrictions-boris-johnson-12210032 6th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

CBS News More COVID19 vaccination megasites opened this week across the country including at a casino in Missouri and at Yankee Stadium in New York where a long line formed as it opened on Friday to local residents. Legendary MLB player Mariano Rivera was there encouraging people to get their shots. Now its time to support you and let you know that its okay to be vaccinated Rivera said. More sites are on the way. In California Levis Stadium in Santa Clara County will become the states biggest vaccination site when it opens early next week according to the county and the San Francisco 49ers. The goal is to be able to vaccinate as many as 15000 people there a day. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-19-vaccine-megasites-open-nationwide-yankee-stadium/ 6th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

BBC News Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron have discussed cooperation in the global fight against Covid19 in their first conversation since a vaccine row. No 10 said the two leaders agreed that collaboration between governments was vital in defeating coronavirus. They also discussed crosschannel relations amid continuing tensions over the UKs postBrexit arrangements. The EU withdrew its threat last week to restrict vaccine exports to Northern Ireland after an outcry in the UK. But the dispute prompted by concerns on the continent over the slow rollout of vaccinations intensified calls for the postBrexit rules governing trade between Britain and Northern Ireland to be reviewed. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55957628 6th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

Metro Easing lockdown slowly and ramped up vaccinations would still lead to over 130000 deaths between now and next June scientists have warned. A report to the Governments advisers claims vaccines are insufficient to allow the UK to go back to normality within the year. Academics who authored the paper including Professor Neil Ferguson whose modelling led to the original lockdown said 3 million doses a week were considered critical to avoid exceeding national hospital capacity after the current wave. But even if this target was met and restrictions were lifted gradually the dossier predicts 130800 people could die between now and June 2022. https://metro.co.uk/2021/02/06/uk-lockdown-lifting-restrictions-and-vaccinations-could-still-lead-to-130k-deaths-14031932/ 6th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Slovenia will reopen ski resorts and some shops and has eased restrictions on people entering the country imposed to help reduce the rate of COVID19 infections after coming under pressure over its handling of the pandemic. From Saturday daily migrant workers and academics entering Slovenia from European Union countries that have lower 14day incidences of COVID19 will not have to present negative coronavirus tests or be quarantined the government said. Also ski resorts as well as shops and service businesses not larger that 400 square meters will be allowed to reopen next week with weekly mandatory testing of employees Economy Minister Zdravko Pocivalsek said. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-slovenia/slovenia-eases-anti-coronavirus-restrictions-after-criticism-idUSL1N2KC08U 6th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

The BMJ Prefilled syringes are the safest and standard recommended delivery device for most modern vaccinesso why are covid19 vaccines being packaged in glass vials in the middle of a global glass shortage Jane Feinmann reports By 24 January 2021 more than 5.8 million people in the UK had been given their first dose of covid19 vaccine. The achievement is all the more remarkable given the tough and time consuming safety precautions that must be taken. For the AstraZeneca injection healthcare professionals working alone or in pairs take full responsibility for following a lengthy itemised standard operating procedure which was published for NHS use only by the Specialist Pharmacy Service on 7 January 2021. https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n263 6th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

BBC News All adults aged 50 and over should have been offered a coronavirus vaccine by May Downing Street has confirmed. Previously ministers had said it was their ambition to vaccinate the first nine priority groups by the spring. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55953848 5th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

Haaretz Senior Israeli official warns that an uncontrolled rapid exit from the lockdown could bring another spike in an already high rate of COVID19 illness particularly among young people https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israeli-health-officials-fear-worse-outbreak-if-schools-reopen-too-quickly-1.9513430 5th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Britain on Friday said it had agreed on a deal with German biotech firm CureVac to work to develop vaccines against coronavirus variants placing an initial order for 50 million doses in case they are needed. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has cited the possibility of new variants of the coronavirus as one of the biggest risks to the vaccine rollout and hopes that the economy can start to be reopened from lockdown in the spring. The government said both the PfizerBioNTech and OxfordAstraZeneca vaccines being currently rolled out appear to work well against variants currently dominant in Britain. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain-curevac-idUSKBN2A51JT 5th Feb 2021

Exit Strategies

Stat News For months U.S. public health experts have called on the federal government to approve and fund cheap and fast athome Covid19 tests to help bring the spread of infection under control. But when the Biden administration this week announced a 231.8 million deal to ramp up production of the first fully athome test the experts response was to say the least unenthusiastic. One dismissed it as a spit in the ocean. Its not that home testing with a 15minute turnaround time isnt a good idea they said its just that the rollout of this initial kit is too little and too late and the test too expensive and complicated to help extinguish the raging pandemic fire. A number of experts called on the Biden administration to subsidize the home test for consumers and said the Food and Drug Administration needs to do more to make such tests widely available. https://www.statnews.com/2021/02/05/a-waste-of-money-the-home-covid-19-test-funded-by-the-biden-administration-is-too-costly-and-complex-critics-say/ 5th Feb 2021

Partisan Exits

Reuters Some 500 protesters marched through the Swiss tax haven of Zug on Saturday wearing white protective suits and chanting dystopian slogans to voice displeasure with rules aimed at limiting the spread of the COVID19 pandemic. The demonstration was reminiscent of a rally a week ago in Vienna where thousands opposed to that countrys evenstricter lockdown faced off against police. Though Switzerlands restrictions have been less severe than those in Germany Austria or Italy restaurants and nonessential shops are closed but ski areas are open there is still a steady buzz of opposition. In Zug police watched but did not intervene as a group of protesters filed from the train station to the centre of the lakeside city known for shell companies with letterbox addresses and attractive tax rates. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-swiss-protests/swiss-march-in-lakeside-tax-haven-to-protest-covid-19-lockdown-idUSL8N2KC0D5 7th Feb 2021

Partisan Exits

Reuters It is too soon for Germany to lift its lockdown without risking a third wave of COVID19 infections Bavarian premier Markus Soeder said on Sunday ahead of a crunch meeting to review the restrictions aimed at stemming the pandemic. Chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of Germanys 16 federal states are due to meet virtually on Wednesday to discuss whether to ease the restrictions from Feb. 15 or extend a lockdown that began in midDecember. I think basically the lockdown will have to be extended for the time being Soeder told broadcaster ARD. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-germany-lockdown/too-soon-to-end-german-lockdown-says-bavarian-leader-soeder-idUSKBN2A70TZ 7th Feb 2021

Partisan Exits

Sky News As 2020 drew to close after a tumultuous year Boris Johnson was in celebratory mood as the OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine was approved for use in the UK. It is truly fantastic news and a triumph for British science the prime minister tweeted on 30 December. Health Secretary Matt Hancock was also keen to emphasise the UKs role in the newlyapproved coronavirus vaccine hailing it as a huge British success story. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-ill-wait-for-the-english-vaccine-how-nationalism-is-affecting-the-fight-against-coronavirus-12207629 6th Feb 2021

Partisan Exits

The Times Any day now a folder will land on Boris Johnsons desk. Inside will be longedfor data that will determine the nature of the next six months and very possibly his entire political legacy. Public Health Englands best assessment of the effectiveness of the vaccination programme so far will in effect set the parameters for the nations exit from lockdown. The assessment shows the jabs are working as expected in protecting people from infection. It may also show encouraging signs on transmission as well as early realworld data on reduced mortality and hospital admissions. If so the prime minister can plot a spring unlocking and promise a glorious summer. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/fretful-boris-johnson-plays-it-safe-on-lifting-covid-19-lockdown-88lgg8qhq 6th Feb 2021

Partisan Exits

Vogue Theres no doubt that Walensky 51 has the scientific and intellectual chops for her new job. Besides her nowformer position at Mass General the teaching hospital of Harvard she is a prolific author of papers on the epidemiology of HIV and at 43 was among the youngest women ever promoted to full professor at Harvard Medical School. As Julie Gerberding M.D.who led the CDC from 2002 to 2009says Her credentials and reputation are impeccable. Its clear that the Biden administration played an ace in this decision. https://www.vogue.com/article/dr-rochelle-walensky-on-saving-the-cdc 5th Feb 2021

Partisan Exits

The Times People who have not accepted vaccination offers could get knocks on the door from council staff in an attempt to convince sceptics home by home the vaccines minister has suggested. Nadhim Zahawi said the NHS was already trying to identify to individual level the people that we need to reach to ensure that all over70s had a chance to get a jab by February 15. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/nadhim-zahawi-coronavirus-vaccine-refuseniks-face-visit-from-the-persuaders-p3stfkfh0 5th Feb 2021

Partisan Exits

The Independent On the intensive care ward of Northwick Park Hospital in north London physiotherapist Mirko Vracar stands among dozens of coronavirus patients surrounded by a cacophony of beeping alarms and hissing machinery. The patients lie comatose ventilators breathing for them while doctors and nurses speak in urgent hushed tones their voices muffled behind masks. For Mirko redeployed to help the overstretched staff the work is difficult and the stakes could not be higher. Since Christmas he has spent five days a week on these wards working in a team that prones these patients moving them on to their fronts so their Covidravaged lungs can breathe a little easier. They do this as many as 25 times a shift. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/covid-hospital-nhs-intensive-care-icu-b1793511.html 5th Feb 2021

Partisan Exits

Associated Press As the Trump administration was nearing the end of an unprecedented string of executions 70 of death row inmates were sick with COVID19. Guards were ill. Traveling prisons staff on the execution team had the virus. So did media witnesses who may have unknowingly infected others when they returned home because they were never told about the spreading cases. Records obtained by The Associated Press show employees at the Indiana prison complex where the 13 executions were carried out over six months had contact with inmates and other people infected with the coronavirus but were able to refuse testing and declined to participate in contact tracing efforts and were still permitted to return to their work assignments. https://apnews.com/article/public-health-prisons-health-coronavirus-pandemic-executions-956da680790108d8b7e2d8f1567f3803 5th Feb 2021

Partisan Exits

Associated Press Abdullah Metseydi a Uighur in Turkey was readying for bed last month when he heard commotion then pounding on the door. Police Open the door A dozen or more officers poured in many bearing guns and wearing the camouflage of Turkeys antiterror force. They asked if Metseydi had participated in any movements against China and threatened to deport him and his wife. They took him to a deportation facility where he now sits at the center of a brewing political controversy. Opposition legislators in Turkey are accusing Ankaras leaders of secretly selling out Uighurs to China in exchange for coronavirus vaccines. Tens of millions of vials of promised Chinese vaccines have not yet been delivered. Meanwhile in recent months Turkish police have raided and detained around 50 Uighurs in deportation centers lawyers say a sharp uptick from last year. https://apnews.com/article/turkey-beijing-coronavirus-pandemic-ankara-china-c8b714974552c484c501a5784efc117a 5th Feb 2021

Partisan Exits

Associated Press Burundi has become at least the second African country to say it doesnt need COVID19 vaccines even as doses finally begin to arrive on the continent thats seeing a deadly resurgence in cases. The health minister of the East African nation Thaddee Ndikumana told reporters on Thursday evening that prevention is more important and since more than 95 of patients are recovering we estimate that the vaccines are not yet necessary. The minister spoke while announcing new measures against the pandemic. The country closed its land and water borders last month. It now has well over 1600 confirmed coronavirus cases. https://apnews.com/article/tanzania-coronavirus-pandemic-east-africa-africa-burundi-c4c90750e93dcdefadd24658ed36580d 5th Feb 2021

Partisan Exits

BBC News For months Tanzanias government has insisted the country was free from Covid19 so there are no plans for vaccination. The BBCs Dickens Olewe has spoken to one family mourning the death of a husband and father suspected of having had the disease. The fear is that amid the denial there are many more unacknowledged victims of this highly contagious virus. A week after Peter not his real name arrived home from work with a dry cough and loss of taste he was taken to hospital where he died within hours. He had not been tested for Covid. But then according to Tanzanias government which has not published data on the coronavirus for months the country is Covid19free. There is little testing and no plans for a vaccination programme in the East African country. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-55900680 5th Feb 2021

Partisan Exits

GP Online London has delivered a first dose of COVID19 vaccine to nearly twice the proportion of patients aged 7074 as the rest of England but remains well behind other regions on vaccinating over80s. https://www.gponline.com/london-covid-19-jabs-skewed-younger-patients-amid-vaccine-hesitancy-fears/article/1706529 5th Feb 2021

Partisan Exits

Daily Mail Monmouth University polled 809 Americans about their attitudes toward the pandemic and the US response. More than half of respondents said they will get a COVID19 vaccine as soon as possible. But nearly a quarter said they would likely never get a shot if they didnt have to. Republicans were 10times more likely than Democrats to refuse vaccination. Mistrust is among the issues holding up the US vaccine rollout which has seen just 8.2 of the population get one or more doses Both vaccines by Moderna and Pfizer are safe and at least 94 effective https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9221721/One-four-Americans-say-NEVER-COVID-19-vaccine.html 5th Feb 2021

Continued Lockdown

Schools Week A clinical commissioning group has apologised for the confusion it created after cancelling Covid19 vaccine appointments for special school staff before reinstating them. Schools Week revealed last week that thousands of special school staff had been offered the vaccine. But the approaches nationwide vary with some local authorities including staff in the priority rollout as frontline care workers or offering them leftover supplies. However there was confusion in Berkshire after the local allocations bureau cancelled jab appointments for special education needs SEN staff last week. https://schoolsweek.co.uk/covid-19-vaccine-denied-for-special-school-staff-and-then-reinstated/ 6th Feb 2021

Continued Lockdown

BBC News A mum has described how it was horrendous to watch as her son and daughter suffered the debilitating effects of socalled long Covid. Nichola Careless from Ashington said her daughter Eleni 11 tested positive last year and was mildly ill at first. But her symptoms became severe and she continues to have shortness of breath stomach ache joint pain and dizziness. Her 12yearold son Immanuel became even more ill and the oncekeen sportsman now has to use a wheelchair. Although Eleni had a positive test for Covid in September Immanuels result was negative. But what at first seemed a common cold for him developed into a fortnightlong cough before both children became severely ill. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-55938399 5th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Independent AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford have said their vaccine has been found to provide only limited protection against mild and moderate disease caused by the South African variant of Covid19 in early data from a small trial. However Oxford vaccine researchers say a version ofthe jab that works against news variants should be available by the autumn. The study which has not been peerreviewed was conducted by South Africas University of the Witwatersrand and Oxford University. It analysed the E484K mutation in more than 2000 people with most of the participants considered young and healthy. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/covid-vaccine-oxford-south-africa-variant-b1798794.html 8th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

USA TODAY on MSN.com Pfizer expects to nearly cut in half the amount of time it takes to produce a batch of COVID19 vaccine from 110 days to an average of 60 as it makes the process more efficient and production is built out the company told USA TODAY. As the nation revs up its vaccination programs the increase could help relieve bottlenecks caused by vaccine shortages. We call this Project Light Speed and its called that for a reason said Chaz Calitri Pfizers vice president for operations for sterile injectables who runs the companys plant in Kalamazoo Michigan. Just in the last month weve doubled output. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/pfizer-expects-to-cut-covid-19-vaccine-production-time-by-close-to-50-as-production-ramps-up-efficiencies-increase/ar-BB1dsMWG?fbclid=IwAR2prGoxDdKZlVL_Y868_DUFbpZ8qhB0hy3SvETUV0eFE5pvlmRT2-S_OQI 7th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian Leading vaccine scientists are calling for a rethink of the goals of vaccination programmes saying that herd immunity through vaccination is unlikely to be possible because of the emergence of variants like that in South Africa. The comments came as the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca acknowledged that their vaccine will not protect people against mild to moderate Covid illness caused by the South African variant. The Oxford vaccine is the mainstay of the UKs immunisation programme and vitally important around the world because of its low cost and ease of use. The findings came from a study involving more than 2000 people in South Africa. They followed results from two vaccines from Novavax and Janssen which were trialled there in recent months and were found to have much reduced protection against the variant at about 60. PfizerBioNTech and Moderna have also said the variant affects the efficacy of their vaccines although on the basis of lab studies only. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/feb/07/scientists-call-for-rethink-as-doubts-grow-about-achieving-herd-immunity 7th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

HuffPost UK While most of the nation pins its hope on the coronavirus vaccine as a route out of the pandemic Michelle Turner has mixed emotions. As a science teacher in a secondary school Turner knows she has a rational brain. But put her in the same room as someone holding a needle and she admits all logic goes out the window as she has a total meltdown. The moment a needle comes anywhere near me I just flip my lid and start screaming flinching swearing and kicking out. It is like an outofbody experience she tells HuffPost UK. Her needle phobia has only got worse with time. When I was pregnant with my daughter it got to the point where the midwife said it was completely unethical to try and take blood from someone who got so distressed says Turner 35 who lives in BarrowinFurness Cumbria. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/coronavirus-vaccine-nasal-spray-alternative-lancaster-university_uk_601ac2edc5b6f41348c5e003 6th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg Sinovac Biotech Ltd. received regulatory approval from Chinese authorities for its coronavirus vaccine to be used by the general public in the countrys second such authorization. The conditional approval was announced by the National Medical Products Administration on Saturday. Sinovac earlier said the protective efficacy of its vaccine CoronaVac met World Health Organization and China regulatory standards 14 days after the completion of two shots. With the approval the vaccine can be administered to the general population following one developed by stateowned China National Biotec Group Co. which got permission in December. The Chinese regulator had endorsed CoronaVac for emergency use in July. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-06/china-gives-conditional-approval-for-sinovac-vaccine 6th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Independent Scientists have identified a possible role for the climate crisis in the origins of the Covid19 pandemic. Covid19 was first recorded in the Chinese city of Wuhan. However it is not yet clear exactly how the virus emerged. Researchers suspect that the virus initially spilled over from bats to humans through an unknown intermediary animal possibly a pangolin. A study published today finds that changing climate conditions could be linked to a greater diversity of bat species in Yunnan a province of southwestern China and its surrounding regions. Early research suggests that the virus causing Covid19 which is called SARSCoV2 could have arisen in this area. https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/covid-climate-china-wuhan-bats-b1798036.html 6th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Wales Online Scientists are helping to second guess future mutations of coronavirus in order to create new potential vaccines the chairman of the UK Vaccine Taskforce has said. Asked whether it was possible to produce a vaccine that was comprehensive at tackling new mutations Clive Dix told BBC Radio 4s Today Yes absolutely. The UK is properly at the forefront of surveying all of these variants. We have actually sequenced nearly 50 of all the virus that has been sequenced in this pandemic at the Sanger centre in Cambridge. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/scientists-helpingto-second-guess-future-19784195 6th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Nature The news is sobering but complicated. Scientists have released the data behind a British government warning last week that the fastspreading SARSCoV2 variant B.1.1.7 increases the risk of dying from COVID19 compared with previous variants. But some scientists caution that the latest study like the government warning is preliminary and still does not indicate whether the variant is more deadly or is just spreading faster and so reaching greater numbers of vulnerable people. The latest findings are concerning but to draw conclusions more work needs to be done says Muge Cevik a publichealth researcher at the University of St Andrews who is based in Edinburgh UK. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00299-2 6th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Sinovac Biotech said on Saturday that its units COVID19 vaccine has been approved for use by the general public by Chinas medical products regulator. It marks the second vaccine approved for public use in China after one developed by a Beijing institute affiliated with stateowned China National Pharmaceutical Group Sinopharm was approved in December. Both vaccines as well as a third candidate from Sinopharm have already been used in Chinas vaccination program which has administered over 31 million doses mainly targeting groups at higher infection risk. A fourth candidate from CanSino Biologics is being used among military personnel. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-vaccine-sinovac/china-approves-sinovac-biotech-covid-19-vaccine-for-general-public-use-idUSKBN2A60AY 6th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Sky News Vaccines specifically designed to tackle new variants of coronavirus should be ready to be rolled out by October according to the team behind the Oxford UniversityAstraZeneca jab. Professor Andrew Pollard director of the Oxford vaccine group said work on designing a new jab could be a quick process. Studies have shown that variants of COVID19 that have the E484K mutation could reduce the efficacy of vaccines but they are still expected to provide good protection against illness and severe disease. The mutation is present in the variant first identified in South Africa with more than 100 cases of that variant detected in the UK so far. E484K has also been found in Bristol in the variant first recorded in Kent and in Liverpool in a new variant on the original strain of coronavirus that first came to the UK. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-vaccines-against-new-variants-should-be-ready-by-october-12207572 6th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

BBC News The UK government should avoid setting dates for when to lift lockdown and instead react to changing circumstances a scientist has warned. Prof Graham Medley a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies said leaders should not be driven by a calendar. Meanwhile the government has said all over50s should be vaccinated by May. And a senior Conservative MP has told the BBC that Downing Street should be looking to open up society. Sir Graham Brady who leads the 1922 Committee of Conservative Party backbenchers cited the falling infection level and success of the vaccine rollout telling the BBC the situation was optimistic. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55947028 5th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg President Vladimir Putins announcement in August that Russia had cleared the worlds first Covid19 vaccine for use before it even completed safety trials sparked skepticism worldwide. Now he may reap diplomatic dividends as Russia basks in arguably its biggest scientific breakthrough since the Soviet era. Countries are lining up for supplies of Sputnik V after peerreviewed results published in The Lancet medical journal this week showed the Russian vaccine protects against the deadly virus about as well as U.S. and European shots and far more effectively than Chinese rivals. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-06/putin-s-once-scorned-vaccine-is-now-a-favorite-in-pandemic-fight 5th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Lancet The COVID19 pandemic has challenged and in many cases exceeded the capacity of hospitals and intensive care units ICUs worldwide. Healthcare workers have continued to provide care for patients despite exhaustion personal risk of infection fear of transmission to family members illness or death of friends and colleagues and the loss of many patients. Sadly healthcare workers have also faced many additionaloften avoidablesources of stress and anxiety and long shifts combined with unprecedented population restrictions including personal isolation have affected individuals ability to cope. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(21)00068-0/fulltext 5th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

FiercePharma With supply contracts for 50 million COVID19 vaccine doses in Japan and 40 million in South Korea Moderna has already made a push into the Asian market. Now its laying out plans for a factory all its own in the region. The Cambridge Massachusettsbased drugmaker is in talks with the South Korean government to invest 200 million into a vaccine production plant in the country Park Youngsun a former government minister involved in the plans told the Asia Business Daily Reuters reports. Moderna is eager to push into the region she added. https://www.fiercepharma.com/manufacturing/moderna-sets-sights-200m-vaccine-factory-seoul-report 5th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

FiercePharma New coronavirus variants have prompted COVID19 vaccine makers to start developing updates to their existing offerings. To speed their journey to a pandemicfatigued public the FDA says its developing expedited review rules for the followup shots. The FDAs working on guidance for the types of data needed to support changes to COVID19 vaccines. The new rules would provide for streamlined clinical programs that can demonstrate an immune response to new variants and can be executed quickly FDAs acting commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement Thursday. The draft plan could come in two to three weeks Politico reported citing four people familiar with the agencys internal discussions. https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/no-need-to-start-at-square-one-fda-mulls-over-speedy-path-for-covid-vaccines-drugs-against 5th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

FRANCE 24 As the EUs 27 member states scramble to contain the spread of new mutant strains of the Covid19 virus the head of the European Medicines Agency Emer Cooke tells FRANCE 24 that there are promising results from early studies into how well existing vaccines work against the new variants. The socalled UK variant otherwise known as strain B.1.1.7 transmits more easily from person to person and there are predictions that it will become the dominant strain within weeks. EMA Executive Director Emer Cooke says that ongoing preliminary studies look promising and that the EMA has asked vaccine producers to plan studies to prove their results conclusively. Meanwhile a growing list of European states are casting doubt on the efficacy in people aged over 65 of the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca one of the three authorised vaccines in the EU. https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/talking-europe/20210205-promising-signs-for-covid-19-vaccines-efficiency-against-mutant-strains-ema-head 5th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Hill Pfizer has removed its bid for emergency approval of its coronavirus vaccine in India citing additional information needed by the countrys drug regulator the pharmaceutical company confirmed to The Hill. The decision first reported by Reuters on Friday came after a Wednesday meeting with Indias Central Drugs Standard Control Organization. Based on the deliberations at the meeting and our understanding of additional information that the regulator may need the company has decided to withdraw its application at this time Pfizer said in a statement shared with The Hill. The company added that it will continue to engage with the authority and resubmit its approval request with additional information as it becomes available in the near future. https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/537494-pfizer-withdraws-covid-vaccine-emergency-use-bid-in-india 5th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Chinas Sinovac Biotech on Friday said latestage trial data of its COVID19 vaccine from Brazil and Turkey showed it prevented hospitalization and death in COVID19 patients but had a much lower efficacy rate in blocking infections. The 12396person trial found the CoronaVac vaccine was 100 effective in preventing COVID19 sufferers from being hospitalized or dying and 83.7 effective in avoiding cases that required any medical treatment but only 50.65 effective at keeping people from getting infected according to a statement. The trials evaluated the efficacy of the twoshot vaccine candidate 14 days after inoculation of participants including healthcare workers who treat COVID19 patients. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-sinovac-biotech-idUSKBN2A52Q6 5th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

BBC News The Irish government has made the right decision by not using the OxfordAstraZeneca Covid19 vaccine on people aged over 70 an immunologist has said. Prof Kingston Mills from Trinity College Dublin said data was limited on its efficacy in the older population. The Irish government said over 70s will receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. However it has warned the rollout for this age group may well be slower. On Thursday Tnaiste Irish deputy prime minister Leo Varadkar told the Dil Irish parliament the same number of vaccines will be administered with a faster rollout for healthcare workers and some other groups who will receive AstraZeneca doses. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55946669 5th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The UK coronavirus variant more infectious than the previously dominant strain has taken over as the main cause of new COVID19 cases in Slovakia Prime Minister Igor Matovic said on Friday. The central European country of 5.5 million has struggled to bring down daily cases despite lockdown measures and widespread testing which is required for people to go out including to work. Hospitals have been strained with 3560 coronavirus patients on Thursday. Matovic told a news conference the government had checked all positive samples of PCR laboratory tests taken in the country on Wednesday and results showed 74 were the UK variant a touch above the 71 in partial findings he had reported earlier on Friday. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-slovakia-idUKKBN2A52IJ 5th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

CNN Johnson Johnson officially asked the US Food and Drug Administration for an emergency use authorization of its Covid19 vaccine Thursday taking forward the possibility of a third coronavirus vaccine for the US market. Todays submission for Emergency Use Authorization of our investigational singleshot COVID19 vaccine is a pivotal step toward reducing the burden of disease for people globally and putting an end to the pandemic Dr. Paul Stoffels Chief Scientific Officer at Johnson Johnson said in a statement. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/04/health/johnson-and-johnson-ask-fda-eua/index.html 5th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Sky News The OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine remains effective against the coronavirus variant first detected in Kent and the South East researchers have found. The researchers who developed the jab say it has a similar efficacy against the variant compared to the original COVID19 strain it was tested against. Professor Andrew Pollard a chief investigator on the Oxford vaccine trial said the new data suggests the vaccine not only protects against the original pandemic virus but also protects against the novel variant B.1.1.7. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-oxford-astrazenica-vaccine-has-similar-effect-against-kent-variant-researchers-find-12209449 5th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Times Pregnant women should be included in coronavirus vaccine trials experts have urged as those in priority groups wrestle with whether or not to have the jab. Doctors are considering emerging evidence that pregnant women may face greater risks from Covid19 although they are not at present a priority group. Professor Lucy Chappell spokeswoman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists RCOG said that it was not asking for this status to change but that it would discuss any risk with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/pregnant-women-should-be-included-in-covid-19-vaccine-trials-n23ndqjv6 5th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Mirror Online The ongoing spread of mutated coronavirus strains mean restrictions cant be lifted until 2022 despite the vaccine roll out experts have warned. Researchers at Warwick University used simulations to model what could happen if Britain is unshackled in the coming months before presenting their findings to SAGE. The paper published on Friday said despite nearly 11 million people across the UK having so far been inoculated the unprecedented rollout is insufficient to allow for a return to normal before the end of the year. The scientists warn such a move could be catastrophic and leading to thousands more hospitalisations and deaths. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/covid-restrictions-need-remain-2022-23452424 5th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Washington Post Back in November Ajeet Jain felt like he was living a nightmare. The large public hospital where he works in Indias capital was full of covid19 patients hundreds of them so ill they required intensive care. About 10 people were dying every day. Three months later the situation is unrecognizable. The number of coronavirus patients at the hospital can be counted on one hand. Out of 200 ventilators only two are in use. Hospitals treating covid19 patients around the country report similar experiences. Its a big big relief Jain said. The apparent retreat of the coronavirus in India the worlds secondmost populous nation is a mystery that is crucial to the future course of the pandemic. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/india-coronavirus-cases/2021/02/04/d7f92f72-6562-11eb-bab8-707f8769d785_story.html 4th Feb 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Nature.com Researchers in the United Kingdom have launched a study that will mix and match two COVID19 vaccines in a bid to ease the daunting logistics of immunizing millions of people and potentially boost immune responses in the process. Most coronavirus vaccines are given as two injections an initial prime dose followed by a boost to stimulate the immune systems memory cells and amplify the immune response. The clinical trial will test participants immune responses to receiving one shot of a coronavirus vaccine produced by Oxford and drug firm AstraZeneca which uses a harmless virus to carry a key coronavirus gene into cells and one shot of the vaccine produced by drug company Pfizer which uses RNA instructions to trigger an immune response. The trial which is run by investigators at the University of Oxford aims to begin enrolment on 4 February. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00315-5 4th Feb 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Independent For nearly a year Ousseni Yanogo thought he was doing everything he could to protect himself from the coronavirus. The 63yearold retired gendarme diligently wore a mask washed his hands and stayed a safe distance from other adults. When he held hands with his granddaughter to sing happy birthday when she turned 6 he never imagined hed find himself fighting to survive in a coronavirus isolation ward weeks later. I didnt know contact with children was that dangerous otherwise I wouldnt have allowed the party to be organized Yanogo said while seated on his bed at the Bogodogo Medical Teaching Hospital in Ouagadougou the capital of the West African country of roughly 20 million. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/burkina-faso-hospitals-worry-as-second-covid19-wave-hits-burkina-faso-hospitals-granddaughter-coronavirus-ap-b1798771.html 7th Feb 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

New York Times A more contagious variant of the coronavirus first found in Britain is spreading rapidly in the United States doubling roughly every 10 days according to a new study. Analyzing half a million coronavirus tests and hundreds of genomes a team of researchers predicted that in a month this variant could become predominant in the United States potentially bringing a surge of new cases and increased risk of death. The new research offers the first nationwide look at the history of the variant known as B.1.1.7 since it arrived in the United States in late 2020. Last month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that B.1.1.7 could become predominant by March if it behaved the way it did in Britain. The new study confirms that projected path. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/07/health/coronavirus-variant-us-spread.html 7th Feb 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC News Additional testing to track and suppress the spread of a Covid19 variant has been rolled out in Bristol and South Gloucestershire. People who do not have symptoms but live in 24 postcode areas are strongly encouraged to get tested. Additional testing has been introduced in Worcestershire and Sefton after the South Africa variant was found. Bristol City Councils director of public health said people should follow existing health advice. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-55970229 7th Feb 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Sky News A total of 11465210 people have received a first vaccine as the UK has reported another 828 deaths associated with the virus. The number of deaths is down from the 1014 reported on Friday and comes after another 18262 cases were reported on Saturday latest government figures show. The number of daily infections is less than the 19114 cases confirmed yesterday and the 20634 reported on Thursday. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-more-than-114-million-have-now-had-first-vaccine-dose-as-uk-reports-another-828-deaths-12210203 6th Feb 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Independent The Biden administration will soon begin collecting data from thousands of U.S. schools to find out how they have been affected by the pandemic including how many have returned to inperson instruction officials said Friday. Led by the Education Department the effort will collect monthly data from 7000 schools on a range of topics related to COVID19 Its the first federal effort to gather data on the pandemics impact on education. President Joe Biden called for the data in a Jan. 21 executive order on school reopening. The Trump administration declined to collect data on the subject saying it wasnt the role of the federal government to do so. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/biden-administration-to-survey-schools-on-covid19-impact-joe-biden-education-department-schools-schools-data-b1798505.html 6th Feb 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters on MSN.com Corpses in Bolivia have begun to pile up as a fierce second wave of the coronavirus has overwhelmed funeral homes and cemeteries according to officials stoking fears the growing backlog could become yet another focal point of infection. https://www.msn.com/en-au/lifestyle/wellbeing/bolivia-funeral-homes-cemeteries-overwhelmed-as-covid-19-deaths-mount/ar-BB1drF7E 6th Feb 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC News A further seven Covid19 related deaths have been recorded by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland. The departments coronavirus death toll now stands at 1922. The latest figures released on Saturday also recorded 390 new positive cases of the virus. There are 602 people being treated for Covid19 in hospitals in Northern Ireland with 67 of those patients being treated in intensive care units ICU. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-55963481 6th Feb 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

LBC The UK has recorded a further 828 Covid19 deaths and 18262 cases in the past 24 hours the Government has said. The number of deaths 28 days after a positive test still remains high with a sevenday average of 1000 a day. But cases hospitalisations and deaths continue to fall as the lockdown pushes down the number of people mixing in the community. The figures bring the total number of cases in the UK to 3929835 and deaths to 112092 one of the highest in the world. https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/covid-19-uk-records-828-deaths-and-18-262-cases/ 6th Feb 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC News Were now into February nearly a full year since Northern Irelands first case of Covid19. And we can say that weve just exited the worst month of the pandemic to date. The death toll in January far outstripped any other month so far. There were more positive cases last month than at any other time and more people ended up in our hospitals because of the virus than ever before. But there is much cause for optimism as we face into the spring trends indicate that most of the numbers used to measure the pandemic in Northern Ireland are going in the right direction. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55936107 6th Feb 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 10485 to 2275394 data from the Robert Koch Institute RKI for infectious diseases showed on Saturday. The reported death toll rose by 689 to 61286 the tally showed. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-germany-cases-idUSKBN2A606O 6th Feb 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Guardian Up to 100 children a week are being hospitalised with a rare disease that can emerge weeks after Covid19 leaving them in intensive care doctors have said. In a phenomenon that is worrying paediatricians 75 of the children worst affected by paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome PIMS were black Asian or ethnic minority BAME. Almost four out of five children were previously healthy according to an unpublished snapshot of cases. When PIMS emerged in the first wave of the pandemic it caused confusion among doctors concern among NHS bosses and alarm among parents. It was initially thought to be Kawasaki disease a rare condition that mainly affects babies and infants. But PIMS has been recognised as a separate novel postviral syndrome that one in 5000 children get about a month after having Covid regardless of whether they had symptoms. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/05/up-to-100-uk-children-a-week-hospitalised-with-rare-post-covid-disease 5th Feb 2021

New Lockdown

Reuters Two leading French health officials called for new restrictive measures to rein in the COVID19 pandemic on Friday taking the opposite view of the government which stood by its decision to not impose a new lockdown for now. Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday that the COVID19 situation in France remained fragile but that a third lockdown was not needed at present despite demands from several leading French medics for such a measure. France is the sixth most infected country in the world in terms of COVID19 cases with a total of 3.27 million cases. Its death toll at almost 78000 is the seventhhighest globally. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-france-outlook-idUSL1N2KB0JA 6th Feb 2021

New Lockdown

Associated Press Taxicab driver Gary Nerden knows colleagues who got seriously ill from COVID19. He knows the area of east London where he lives and works has among the highest infection rates in the whole of England. But since he cant afford not to work he drives around picking up strangers for up to 12 hours a day relying on a flimsy plastic screen to keep him safe. Ive got people telling me they wont wear a mask saying theyre exempt said Nerden 57. Ive got diabetes I have to look after myself. I wipe the handles the seat belt after every customer but thats all I can do really. https://apnews.com/article/east-london-coronavirus-uk-f9064c59828b5601ba645e9ced4d10b5 5th Feb 2021

New Lockdown

Reuters Frederic Valletoux president of the French hospital federation on Friday called for a new national lockdown to deal with the COVID19 situation in the latest sign of tensions between the government and health officials on the issue. Valletoux who is also mayor of Fontainebleau just south of Paris told LCI TV that while the situation in hospitals was under control for now it remained very tense in many areas. French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday that the COVID19 situation in France remained fragile but there was no need for a new lockdown at present although several leading French medics have said a new lockdown might be necessary. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-france-outlook/french-hospital-federation-president-calls-for-new-covid-lockdown-idUSFWN2KA1M2 5th Feb 2021