10th Mar 2021 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=227 lockdown_exit

‘More jabs, more jobs’: OECD boosts forecast for global growth

Al Jazeera English The OECD is feeling a whole lot better about the global economys prospects this year but warns that prospects for sustainable growth vary widely between countries and sectors. In its latest Economic Outlook released on Tuesday the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD boosted its forecast for global economic growth this year to 5.6 percent more than a full percentage point higher than its December estimate. https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/3/9/more-jabs-more-jobs-oecd-boosts-forecast-for-global-growth 9th Mar 2021

‘More jabs, more jobs’: OECD boosts forecast for global growth

The Guardian The wests leading economic thinktank has sharply upgraded its forecasts for global growth this year as a result of successful vaccine programmes and fresh stimulus packages to combat Covid19. In an interim outlook the Parisbased Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said it expected the world economy to expand by 5.6 this year up from 4.2 three months ago and to recover the ground lost since the start of the pandemic by the middle of the year. Laurence Boone the OECD chief economist said The world economy is doing a bit better. Firms have adjusted and some countries have accelerated vaccinations and so are reopening their economies. I dont want to sound overoptimistic because a lot of the predictions are based on the assumption that vaccination will accelerate and that the race between vaccines and the virus will be won by the vaccines. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/09/covid-19-vaccines-stimulus-global-growth-oecd 9th Mar 2021

Vaccine manufacturing supply becoming key

FiercePharma Johnson Johnson execs have assured investors and officials that the company is comfortable hitting its vaccine delivery targets. But with its U.S. rollout underway the pharma giant has run into some supply problems in Europe Reuters reports. JJs shot isnt yet authorized in Europe but the company has been gearing up to supply a promised 55 million doses during the second quarterand now its hitting some snags an official involved in supply talks told the news service. The shot is expected to win an EU authorization in the coming days Reuters reports and vaccinations in the bloc could start next month.The company notified European officials last week that it was under stress to meet the goal because of shortfalls in the supply of production materials the source told Reuters. JJ might still be able to meet its target the official added. https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/johnson-johnson-runs-into-vaccine-supply-issues-europe-threatening-second-quarter-delivery 9th Mar 2021

Vaccine manufacturing supply becoming key

The Irish Times Ireland is set to receive less than half the deliveries of Covid19 vaccines it originally expected in the first three months of the year as supply issues continue to impede the States Covid19 vaccination programme. The shortfall is due to slowerthanexpected delivery of doses by the three companies with authorised vaccines PfizerBioNTech Moderna and AstraZeneca. Delivery dates for shipments of the vaccines have changed on more than 20 occasions in the past two months. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/covid-19-less-than-half-of-expected-vaccines-to-be-delivered-in-first-quarter-1.4504737 9th Mar 2021

Vaccine manufacturing supply becoming key

AlJazeera Bosnia and Herzegovinas foreign minister has voiced anger over the fact that her country has yet to receive any of the promised vaccines from the European Unionbacked COVAX scheme saying Bosnians are justifiably unhappy. We expect COVAX to fulfil its contractual obligations Bosnian foreign minister Bisera Turkovic told a news conference during a visit to the German capital Berlin on Tuesday. he said Bosnia had met its obligations and paid for more than 1.2 million doses through the international COVAX scheme a global vaccinesharing effort but not a single dose has arrived to date. Our citizens are justifiably unhappy Turkovic told reporters speaking alongside German foreign minister Heiko Maas. Every day counts. Were talking about peoples lives she said in remarks translated to German. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/9/justifiably-unhappy-bosnia-fm-slams-lack-of-covax-vaccines 9th Mar 2021

Vaccine manufacturing supply becoming key

Financial Times KuehneNagel says production capacity is main limitation to supply of Covid19 shots. KuehneNagel is also distributing jabs for Covax a programme backed by the World Health Organization that is providing vaccines free to dozens of developing countries. KuehneNagel shipped the first batch of Covax vaccines 600000 doses of the AstraZeneca shot to Ghana in recent weeks. I dont want to talk about hearsay or the feedback we get but I would not expect it to be realistic that more than 3050 per cent of people would be vaccinated in the western world before summer next year Trefzger said. Two or three years was an ambitious timeframe to distribute doses to vaccinate a majority of those in poorer countries globally he said. https://www.ft.com/content/8b19baf2-77bc-4022-89cb-ce8ad932402a 7th Mar 2021

Vaccine manufacturing supply becoming key

Business Standard The Russian Direct Investment Fund is set to cooperate with Swissbased Adienne Pharma Biotech for Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine production in Italy chief executive of RDIF Kirill Dmitriev said. https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/swiss-company-to-produce-russian-sputnik-coronavirus-vaccine-in-italy-121030900163_1.html 9th Mar 2021

Vaccination successes and failures

CTV News Israels leaders Monday celebrated the countrys 5 millionth coronavirus vaccination on the same day the government began vaccinating Palestinian labourers who work in the country. The time lag has drawn international criticism and highlighted global disparities. There was no indication the two events were coordinated but their splitscreen quality offered a stark contrast between Israels worldleading vaccination blitz and the plight of 5 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Progress in places like Israel the United States and Britain has heightened concerns among human rights advocates of driving a wider gap between wealthy countries and those that cant afford pricey vaccination programs. https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/israel-celebrates-5-millionth-coronavirus-vaccination-1.5337844 9th Mar 2021

Vaccination successes and failures

Associated Press The compact highdensity geography that is blamed together with new virus variants for the surge of infections has also been key to Gibraltars successful vaccination campaign with wordofmouth facilitating the rollout. The recent easing of restrictions what Gibraltar authorities have dubbed Operation Freedom also owes much to the steady delivery of jabs from the U.K. By the end of March Gibraltar is on track to have completely vaccinated all residents over 16 and its vast imported workforce Health Minister Samantha Sacramento told The Associated Press. Thats over 40000 people. Only 3.5 have so far rejected the vaccine. But Gibraltars struggle to regain normality is only just starting. It still faces the many challenges of reopening in a globalized world with unequal access to vaccines and new virus variants emerging. Sacramento has been working on contingency plans including topping up vaccinations with a booster. https://apnews.com/article/international-soccer-world-cup-coronavirus-pandemic-mediterranean-sea-gibraltar-9566ec9f599ccc2c292215a1e73d8c6a 9th Mar 2021

Vaccination successes and failures

The Irish Times The head of the Health Service Executive has said 1.1 million Covid19 vaccines will be delivered to Ireland in the first three months of the year the fourth time the forecast has been reduced. Up to 17 changes have been made to the vaccine rollout thereby impacting on the number of doses administered HSE chief executive Paul Reid told the Oireachtas health committee. Between changes to the operating plan deliveries prioritisation of groups and sequencing of patients there have been 15 to 17 alterations to the plan he said. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/hse-lowers-covid-19-vaccine-delivery-forecast-for-fourth-time-1.4505297 9th Mar 2021

Vaccination successes and failures

Reuters The United States has administered 92089852 doses of COVID19 vaccines as of Monday morning and delivered 116378615 doses the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The tally of vaccine doses are for both Moderna and PfizerBioNTech PFE.N vaccines as of 600 a.m. ET on Monday the agency said. According to the tally posted on March 7 the agency had administered 90351750 doses of the vaccines and delivered 116363405 doses. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-cdc-idUSKBN2B02A3 9th Mar 2021

Vaccination successes and failures

South Wales Argus One million people across Wales have had at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine the Welsh Government has said. This means almost 40 per cent of the adult population now have a level of protection from Covid19. Data released today shows 1007391 people or four in 10 adults have received at least their first dose. The data also shows 192030 have also had their second dose equating to 1199421 doses administered altogether within the first 13 weeks of Wales vaccination programme. https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/19146630.coronavirus-vaccine-rollout-wales-reaches-one-million-dose-milestone/ 9th Mar 2021

Vaccination successes and failures

Reuters Brazils government on Monday pressed Pfizer Inc for earlier delivery of COVID19 vaccines and sought to buy more AstraZeneca shots from other countries as a deadly second wave of cases adds urgency to a lethargic vaccine rollout. President Jair Bolsonaro who has played down the gravity of the novel coronavirus and questioned the rush for vaccines took part personally in a video call with executives at Pfizer reaching a spoken agreement to buy their vaccine. The government is also seeking out more doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from other countries a state governor told journalists after Brazils health minister said that India had halted a shipment of 8 million doses. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-brazil/brazil-presses-for-pfizer-astrazeneca-shots-to-bolster-slow-vaccine-rollout-idUSKBN2B01OD 9th Mar 2021

Vaccination successes and failures

South Wales Argus One million people across Wales have had at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine the Welsh Government has said. This means almost 40 per cent of the adult population now have a level of protection from Covid19. Data released today shows 1007391 people or four in 10 adults have received at least their first dose. The data also shows 192030 have also had their second dose equating to 1199421 doses administered altogether within the first 13 weeks of Wales vaccination programme. https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/19146630.coronavirus-vaccine-rollout-wales-reaches-one-million-dose-milestone/ 9th Mar 2021

Vaccination passports and tourism

AlJazeera China has launched a health certificate programme for Chinese citizens travelling internationally one of the first countries in the world to issue a virus passport. The digital certificate which shows a users vaccination status and virus test results is available for Chinese citizens via a programme on Chinese social media platform WeChat that was launched on Monday. The certificate is being rolled out to help promote world economic recovery and facilitate crossborder travel a foreign ministry spokesman said. The certificate which is also available in paper form is currently only for use by Chinese citizens and is not yet mandatory. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/9/china-launches-worlds-first-virus-passport 9th Mar 2021

Vaccination passports and tourism

Daily Mail Greece plan to reopen to Brits from midMay if they have negative Covid test. Greece will reopen borders on May 14 three days before Brits can travel abroad. The Greek tourism minister also said tourists will be subject to random tests https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9344431/Greece-gives-green-light-tourists-14.html?ito=social-twitter_dailymailUK 9th Mar 2021

Italian hospital overrun by cases

Associated Press The 160bed hospital in the Po River Valley town of Chiari has no more room for patients stricken with the highly contagious variant of COVID19 first identified in Britain that has put hospitals in Italys northern Brescia province on high alert. That history was repeating itself one year after Lombardy became the epicenter of Italys pandemic was a sickening realization for Dr. Gabriele Zanolini who runs the COVID19 ward in the M. Mellini Hospital in the oncewalled city that maintains its medieval circular street pattern. You know that there are patients in the emergency room and you dont know where to put them Zanolini told The Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/chiari-hospital-overrun-virus-variant-italy-76d448b4471f1cf5bfdb8458ccb7b297 9th Mar 2021

Modelling still suggests surge at end of year

LBC Englands chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty told MPs today that modelling suggests there will be a renewed Covid19 surge in 2021. Professor Whitty highlighted modelling data considered by the Sage scientific panel which suggests that even under the most optimistic set of assumptions at least a further 30000 Covid19 deaths could occur. He told MPs that the new surge will find the people who either have not been vaccinated or where the vaccine has not worked. Downing Street stressed the lockdown will be eased gradually after the warning from Professor Whitty. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said We are gradually in a very cautious way moving through the road map so that we have the time between steps to look at the impact lifting restrictions has had. https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/all-the-modelling-suggests-new-covid-19-surge-in-2021-chris-whitty-tells-mps/ 9th Mar 2021

Modelling still suggests surge at end of year

Sky News Speeding up the easing of lockdown could leave the country flying blind to the risks of another surge in cases the governments chief scientific adviser has warned. Sir Patrick Vallance told a group of MPs the fiveweek gap between each step of easing restrictions was needed to evaluate the impact on infections and transmission. He was echoed by Professor Chris Whitty Englands chief medical officer who said big blocks of risk are being taken every time measures are relaxed. https://news.sky.com/story/speeding-up-lockdown-risks-leaving-the-country-flying-blind-governments-chief-scientific-adviser-warns-12240648 9th Mar 2021

Global herd immunity some time in 2022 says Melinda Gates

Daily Mail Melinda Gates appeared on CNBC on Monday afternoon to discuss COVID She said rollout of the vaccine in poorer countries would not be until late 2021 Gates said she was optimistic about developments in pharmaceutical research So far 60 million people in the US have had their first shot 18.1 of population It means that around 40 per cent of the population are now considered immune Experts believe that herd immunity is reached at 7085 per cent of population https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9340449/Melinda-Gates-says-global-COVID-herd-immunity-reached-2022-half-way-there.html 9th Mar 2021