29th Apr 2021 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=299 lockdown_exit

How Your Brain Might Trick You Into Thinking Covid Vaccines Are Riskier Than They Really Are

Forbes Dr. Joshua Liao explores how omission bias affects the way your mind naturally thinks about the risk of measures like vaccination and how you can rationally overcome it. https://www.forbes.com/sites/coronavirusfrontlines/2021/04/27/how-your-brain-might-trick-you-into-thinking-covid-vaccines-are-riskier-than-they-really-are/?sh=2502d4277629 27th Apr 2021

Helping India

Reuters The United States is sending supplies worth more than 100 million to India to help it fight a surge of COVID19 cases the White House said in a statement on Wednesday. The supplies which will begin arriving on Thursday and continue into next week include 1000 oxygen cylinders 15 million N95 masks and 1 million rapid diagnostic tests the statement said. The United States also has redirected its own order of AstraZeneca AZN.L manufacturing supplies to India which will allow it to make over 20 million doses of COVID19 vaccine according to the White House. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-sending-more-than-100-million-covid-supplies-india-white-house-2021-04-28/ 29th Apr 2021

Helping India

Reuters India Britain will send three containersized oxygen factories to India to help hospitals cope with soaring cases of COVID19 Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Wednesday. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/britain-send-three-container-sized-oxygen-factories-india-2021-04-28/ 28th Apr 2021

Helping India

Time As the numbers of COVID19 cases and deaths in India continue to mount public health officials are carefully watching yet another looming threat the appearance of mutations that could be making the virus circulating there more infectious or more capable of causing severe disease. Scientists believe that the variants of SARSCoV2 responsible for this second wave of cases in India already include at least two mutations that make them more dangerous. These mutations are already familiar to COVID19 experts. One is found in a variant first identified in South Africa while the other is part of a variant believed to have emerged from California. Researchers believe that these two mutations may respectively make it easier for the virus to infect human cells and to evade the protection provided by immune cells like antibodies. According to the latest data from the public genome database GISAID 38 of genetically sequenced samples from India collected in March contain the two mutationsscientists have labelled this the B.1.617 variant. https://time.com/5959057/india-covid-19-variants/ 28th Apr 2021

Helping India

CIDRAP COVID19 cases in India last week made up 38 of the global total and circulation of different variantsnot just the B1617 variant that was first detected in the countryappears to be partly fueling the nations massive surge the World Health Organization WHO said yesterday in its weekly pandemic snapshot. India today reported more than 300000 cases for the eighth day in a row reaching a new singleday high of 379459 with 3647 more deaths putting its fatality count over the 200000 mark according to the countrys health ministry. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/04/indias-surge-leads-further-global-covid-rise-role-variants-probed 28th Apr 2021

Helping India

The Associated Press Three days after his coronavirus symptoms appeared Rajendra Karan struggled to breathe. Instead of waiting for an ambulance his son drove him to a government hospital in Lucknow the capital of Indias largest state. But the hospital wouldnt let him in without a registration slip from the districts chief medical officer. By the time the son got it his father had died in the car just outside the hospital doors. My father would have been alive today if the hospital had just admitted him instead of waiting for a piece of paper Rohitas Karan said. Stories of deaths tangled in bureaucracy and breakdowns have become dismally common in India where deaths on Wednesday officially surged past 200000. But the true death toll is believed to be far higher. In India mortality data was poor even before the pandemic with most people dying at home and their deaths often going unregistered. The practice is particularly prevalent in rural areas where the virus is now spreading fast. https://apnews.com/article/health-science-india-new-delhi-coronavirus-ce2940e7aa5cb869e76370b0414ec36b 28th Apr 2021

Helping India

Reuters Amid Indias COVID19 crisis migrant workers are abandoning cities and heading for their villages in droves in a repeat of last years exodus when the lockdown shut industries and left them jobless but this time they are worried about safety. Indias toll from the coronavirus surged past 200000 on Wednesday with nearly 18 million people infected according to government data with the cities of Delhi Mumbai Pune Surat and Bangalore under lockdown. Healthcare facilities have been overwhelmed with hospitals overrun and shortages of oxygen medical supplies and hospital staff. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-coronavirus-migrants-idUSKBN2CF17N 28th Apr 2021

Helping India

Reuters India Indians struggled to register online for a mass vaccination drive set to begin at the weekend as the countrys toll from the coronavirus surged past 200000 on Wednesday worsened by shortages of hospital beds and medical oxygen. The second wave of infections has seen at least 300000 people test positive each day for the past week overwhelming health facilities and crematoriums and prompting an increasingly urgent response from allies overseas sending equipment. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-total-deaths-covid-19-passes-200000-mark-2021-04-28/ 28th Apr 2021

Helping India

BBC News Scenes of people in India begging for oxygen during the nations record Covid surge have shocked and moved the world. And noone has been more moved than the global Indian diaspora. So how are those in the UK responding to the crisis In a Hindu temple in Wembley northwest London the small congregation is chanting a special prayer for people thousands of miles away. The Hanuman Chalisa is a devotional hymn believed to have immense power for helping those in need. But for many people in Britains Indian communities their minds are on very practical ways to help as well. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56909285 28th Apr 2021

Helping India

AlJazeera Concerned by a spike in COVID19 infections in her gated community in Noida a city bordering New Delhi Plaksha Aggarwal wanted to help and started cooking for the patients and their families. After catering to a few families within her apartment complex earlier this month she started getting calls from around the city. I could not refuse people. They wouldnt be calling unless they needed help. Some orders were for people who had just lost family members she told Al Jazeera. Within a week Aggarwal was preparing 120 meals a day. While in home isolation having someone take care of your food or your kids meals because you cannot cook for them is just one less thing to stress about she says. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/28/indians-step-up-to-the-plate-to-cook-for-covid-patients-families 28th Apr 2021

Helping India

The Guardian Fijian health officials are bracing for a tsunami of Covid19 cases after the Indian variant was detected in the Pacific nation this week with lockdowns announced in an attempt to stem the outbreak. The Pacific country had largely managed to avoid community transmission over the course of the pandemic before a cluster emerged this month linked to a quarantine facility and exacerbated after a woman with the virus attended a funeral with 500 people. The permanent secretary for health and medical services James Fong said six new cases had emerged in quarantine facilities on Tuesday and events in India showed the threat posed by the strain could not be underestimated. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/28/fears-of-covid-tsunami-in-fiji-after-outbreak-found-to-be-indian-variant?utm_term=Autofeed&ampCMP=twt_gu&amputm_medium&amputm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1619579780 28th Apr 2021

Helping India

BBC News Three cases of the Indian variant of coronavirus have been found in Leicester health officials have confirmed. Ivan Browne the citys public health director said Public Health England PHE had notified him of the cases. He said they were linked to travel from India and further testing was being carried out at a city school. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-56908995 28th Apr 2021

Syngene targets delivering 500000 vials of remdesivir in India as COVID-19 surges

Reuters India Indias Syngene International Ltd SYNN.NS aims to supply halfamillion vials of COVID19 drug remdesivir through its local distribution partners next month its top executive said as the country faces shortages of the medicine amid a second wave. At the moment we are operating at near maximum capacity to produce remdesivir Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Hunt told Reuters on Wednesday. Id expect the volume of drug that we are supplying into the Indian market to step up as we get into May he added. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/syngene-targets-delivering-500000-vials-remdesivir-india-may-executive-2021-04-28/ 28th Apr 2021

BioNTech boss strikes upbeat note on Europe's vaccine drive

The Associated Press More than half of Europes population should have received the coronavirus vaccine in the next two months allowing governments to consider easing lockdown rules for those whove been immunized the head of German pharmaceutical company BioNTech said Wednesday. The European Union has lagged behind Britain and the United States in the race to get shots into arms but in recent weeks the pace of vaccinations has picked up significantly. Ugur Sahin whose company developed the first widely approved shot against COVID19 with U.S. partner Pfizer predicted that 5060 of the population will have received the vaccine by the end of June at which point any easing of pandemic restrictions would affect a broad swath of the population. https://apnews.com/article/europe-north-america-immunizations-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-f1eca91561f3a1be9550b79534b17741 29th Apr 2021

Gates aids fundraising drive for global vaccine distribution

The Associated Press A new mass fundraising campaign aims to inspire 50 million people around the world to make small donations to Covax the international effort to push for equitable global distribution of COVID19 vaccinations. Called Go Give One the campaign was launched Wednesday by the WHO Foundation and corporate religious and world leaders. Seed money for the effort was provided by the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation. The campaign will contribute to the 3 billion in Covax funding needed to vaccinate almost 30 percent of people in 92 lowincome countries sometime next year. That support will come from donors like those who contribute to the Go Give One campaign as well as costsharing agreements. Meanwhile the 6.3 billion thats so far been committed to Covax has come primarily from global governments in addition to the World Health Organization Unicef the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and Gavi the Vaccine Alliance. https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-coronavirus-health-business-8206b30e78b6011dc81a2a241d984537 28th Apr 2021

Tony Blair urges UK to use international aid cash to boost global Covid-19 vaccination effort

Evening Standard Britain should repurpose its aid funding to countries to help them combat Covid19 Tony Blair urged today. The former prime minister stressed that the UK should be doing everything we can to boost coronavirus jab rollouts around the world. In an interview with Evening Standard editor Emily Sheffield he was asked if aid budgets should be repackaged for the next year or so to help vaccinate people. Absolutely we should be doing everything we can to help countries he said. He stressed that he was never in favour of cutting Britains aid budget from 0.7 per cent of national income to 0.5 adding We have a massive interest in the world getting vaccinated. https://www.standard.co.uk/business/london-rising/tony-blair-foreign-aid-global-covid19-vaccination-london-rising-b932181.html?itm_source=Internal&ampitm_channel=article_banner&ampitm_campaign=breaking-news-ticker&ampitm_content=4 28th Apr 2021

Pharmacists offer COVID-19 jab to the homeless in charity event

Chemist+Druggist Two pharmacists have worked alongside other healthcare professionals to vaccinate the homeless and undocumented migrants against COVID19 in central London. Sikh charity NishkamSWAT and Londonbased charity The Connection at St Martins jointly launched a vaccination initiative for the homeless in partnership with the NHS. They ran two vaccination clinics last week and one on Monday outside the Zimbabwean Embassy in central London. Volunteering alongside a dentist a GP and a clinical director were Gurinder Singh a community pharmacist and lecturer at the University of Reading and Captain Dal Singh Virdee an army pharmacist who runs the healthcare arm of NishkamSWAT. Following the success of the first clinics the charities are now receiving requests from other local homeless organisations in east and west London to run similar popup sites. https://www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk/news/pharmacists-offer-covid-19-jab-homeless-charities-event-0 28th Apr 2021

Russia, China sow disinformation to undermine trust in Western vaccines: EU

Reuters Russian and Chinese media are systematically seeking to sow mistrust in Western COVID19 vaccines in their latest disinformation campaigns aimed at dividing the West a European report said on Wednesday. From December to April the two countries state media outlets pushed fake news online in multiple languages sensationalising vaccine safety concerns making unfounded links between jabs and deaths in Europe and promoting Russian and Chinese vaccines as superior the EU study said. The Kremlin and Beijing deny all disinformation allegations by the EU which produces regular reports and seeks to work with Google Facebook Twitter and Microsoft to limit the spread of fake news https://www.reuters.com/world/china/russia-china-sow-disinformation-undermine-trust-western-vaccines-eu-report-says-2021-04-28/ 28th Apr 2021

India's Maharashtra state may extend lockdown until mid-May- minister

Reuters India Indias western state of Maharashtra home to the financial capital Mumbai may extend its lockdown by a fortnight until midMay to try to halt a rise in coronavirus cases the states health minister said on Wednesday. The state will not go through with a plan to open vaccinations to everyone aged over 18 from May 1 due to a shortage of doses Rajesh Tope told reporters. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-maharashtra-state-may-extend-lockdown-until-mid-may-minister-2021-04-28/ 28th Apr 2021

Data reveal fewer real-world COVID vaccine side effects

CIDRAP A new realworld study finds fewer side effects after vaccination with the PfizerBioNTech and the AstraZenecaOxford COVID19 vaccines than reported in phase 3 clinical trials while another paper notes some instances of facial paralysis after receipt of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine but no increased risk. In the first study Kings College London and other UK and US researchers mined data from the 627383 users of the ZOE COVID Symptom Study app who selfreported systemic and local side effects within 8 days of the receipt of one or two doses of the Pfizer vaccine or one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine from Dec 8 2020 to Mar 10 2021. The study was published yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. After the first Pfizer dose 13.5 of recipients reported side effects compared with 22.0 after the second Pfizer dose and 33.7 after the first AstraZeneca dose. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/04/data-reveal-fewer-real-world-covid-vaccine-side-effects 28th Apr 2021

Can Regeneron make 'monoclonal antibodies' a catchphrase? New COVID-19 ad campaign gives it a go

FiercePharma Whats the hottest new catchphrase on TV Monoclonal antibodies. Well maybe not yet but the phrase is the star of Regenerons new TV ad campaign. In one of four new TV ads people wearing face masks go about their day casually chatting to one another or listening to the radio repeating the phrase monoclonal antibodies. Then a doctor on a telehealth call tells an older male patient that he has COVID19 and adds lets talk about monoclonal antibodies. The first two TV commercials in the national campaign launched this week with two more set to roll out over the next few days a Regeneron spokesperson said. https://www.fiercepharma.com/marketing/can-regeneron-make-monoclonal-antibodies-happen-new-ad-campaign-for-covid-19-treatment 28th Apr 2021

One dose of COVID vaccine halves transmission, study shows

Al Jazeera English A single dose of the coronavirus vaccines deployed in England can cut transmission of COVID19 within households by up to 50 percent data from a new study showed on Wednesday. The Public Health England PHE research found that those who became infected three weeks after receiving their first jab of the PfizerBioNTech or AstraZeneca vaccines were between 38 and 49 percent less likely to pass the virus on to their household contacts compared to others who were unvaccinated. The shots also stop a vaccinated person developing symptomatic infection to start with reducing the risk by about 6065 percent from four weeks after one dose of either vaccine. The findings offer fresh insight on one of the big unknowns surrounding COVID19 vaccinations the extent to which they prevent transmission of the virus and could strengthen the case for British Prime Minister Boris Johnsons plan to remove all of Englands lockdown restrictions by midJune. UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock was quick to praise the results and urged people to continue coming forward for vaccines when offered a shot by health authorities. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/28/one-dose-of-covid-vaccine-halves-transmission-study-shows 28th Apr 2021

One dose of COVID vaccine halves transmission, study shows

The Times Vaccinated people are nearly 50 per cent less likely to pass on the virus even if they are unlucky enough to become infected a study has found. The findings are the most convincing demonstration so far that on top of blocking most infections in the recipient vaccines also have a strong effect on transmission raising hopes that a severe summer wave can be avoided as the country opens up. This is terrific news we already know vaccines save lives and this study is the most comprehensive realworld data showing they also cut transmission of this deadly virus Matt Hancock the health secretary said. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/vaccine-cuts-the-risk-of-passing-on-coronavirus-by-half-5c8v02gm0 28th Apr 2021

One dose of COVID vaccine halves transmission, study shows

Sky News A single dose of a COVID19 vaccine can cut transmission of the virus by up to half according to a Public Health England PHE study. The research looked at people who have had a single dose of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines the first two authorised for use in the UK. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-single-dose-of-vaccine-can-cut-transmission-by-up-to-half-study-12288998 28th Apr 2021

Vaccinating adolescents could help prevent third wave of Covid in UK – study

The Guardian Vaccinating older children and slowing down the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions are among measures that could help to prevent a third wave of Covid in the UK according to a report from an organisation set up by the former prime minister Tony Blair. The governments roadmap suggests all Covid restrictions could be lifted in England on 21 June. However scientists have warned that even with an ongoing vaccination programme the plan could lead to a resurgence of the virus and thousands if not tens of thousands of additional Covidrelated deaths by summer next year. It is a scenario the prime minister Boris Johnson himself has acknowledged saying on Monday another wave is a possibility we have got to be realistic about. However the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change TBI has released a report saying a third wave is not inevitable should three key actions be taken. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/28/vaccinating-adolescents-could-help-prevent-third-wave-of-covid-in-uk-study 28th Apr 2021

Moderna is working toward a single shot for both COVID and flu protection

Fortune Come for the COVID immunization. Stay for protection against the seasonal flu. Thats the goal that Moderna CEO Stphane Bancel has set out for his company one of the pioneering developers of effective COVID vaccines which he shared during a discussion at Fortunes 2021 virtual Brainstorm Health conference on Tuesday. Bancel said the company hopes to use its messenger RNA mRNAbased technology which can be more adaptable to changing viral strains to knock out several pathogenic birds with one stone. https://fortune.com/2021/04/27/moderna-ceo-stephen-bancel-covid-vaccine-flu-shot-variants/ 27th Apr 2021

EU lawsuit against AstraZeneca begins in Brussels court

AlJazeera The European Commissions lawsuit against AstraZeneca over the pharmaceutical giants supply of COVID19 vaccines began at a Brussels court on Wednesday with the blocs lawyers pressing for immediate deliveries of doses from all of the companys factories including those within the United Kingdom. The legal case is the latest twist in an ongoing saga between the European Union and the AngloSwedish company which has seen the pair at loggerheads over the latters alleged shortfall of deliveries to the bloc. AstraZenecas vaccine was envisaged as a central part of Europes vaccination campaign and a linchpin in the global strategy to get coronavirus vaccines to poorer countries because it is cheaper and easier to use than shots produced by PfizerBioNTech and Moderna. But cuts and delays in delivery of doses to the EU have weighed on faltering mass immunisation efforts within the bloc which trails behind former member state the UK the United States and Israel among other countries on vaccination. Brussels has argued the disruption and supply issues amount to a failure by AstraZeneca to respect its contract with the EU. It has also accused the company of not having a reliable plan to ensure timely deliveries. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/28/eu-lawsuit-against-astrazeneca-begins-in-brussels-court 28th Apr 2021

Swipe my phone: UK to use health service app as vaccine passport

Reuters UK Britain plans to use a National Health Service phone app as its COVID19 vaccine passport certificate that will allow its population to travel internationally this summer Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Wednesday. Countries around the world are looking at a host of options that will serve as proof of COVID19 vaccinations to allow travel though airports border agencies and airlines are worried there will be no clear global standard that will be accepted at all borders. Socalled vaccine passports could range from a digital certificate with a scannable QR code in the European Union to a National Health Service NHS phone app in the United Kingdom or a humble piece of paper in some other countries. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-plans-use-health-service-app-vaccine-proof-travel-2021-04-28/ 28th Apr 2021

Universities order students to get coronavirus vaccine to return to classes in the fall

Daily Mail In the US a growing number of state universities are following their private counterparts in requiring all students returning to classes and campuses this fall to be vaccinated against coronavirus. In a bid to return to normality after months of online learning at least 80 universities have said that all students must get a jab before they return to class. Among those making the requirements are Ivy League schools Brown Cornell and Stanford Californias two state university systems as well as several universities in New York Massachusetts Maryland and New Jersey. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9521543/Universities-order-students-coronavirus-vaccine-return-classes-fall.html 28th Apr 2021

US considering intellectual property waiver for COVID vaccines

AlJazeera The United States is considering options for maximising global production and supply of COVID19 vaccines at the lowest cost including backing a proposed waiver of intellectual property IP rights but no decision has been made according to the White House. The announcement comes as the US and other Western countries have begun providing aid and lifting export controls on medical equipment and vaccine raw materials amid pressure from countries where deaths and infections are surging notably India. On Wednesday India surpassed 200000 deaths from the virus although the actual count is expected to be much higher. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said there are a lot of different ways to maximise the global production of vaccines. Right now thats one of the ways but we have to assess what makes the most sense Psaki told reporters on Tuesday referring to the IP rights waivers. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/28/us-considering-lift-of-covid-vaccine-intellectual-property-rights 28th Apr 2021

Forget the competition. Sanofi still plans to usher its COVID-19 shot aross the finish line

FiercePharma One of the top vaccine players opted to call it quits on its COVID19 research after delays and setbacks. There are plenty of options already on the market or close to it. But not Sanofi. The French drugmaker and its partner GlaxoSmithKline two of the worlds top vaccine makers expect phase 2 data on their recombinant proteinbased shot in just a few weeks. If the data are positive they plan to launch a phase 3 study immediately Sanofi vaccine chief Thomas Triomphe said on a Wednesday conference call. And if all goes well a SanofiGSK shot could be ready to roll out late this year or early next execs said. As long as the pandemic is not solved Sanofi will be fully in on its COVID19 vaccine research Triomphe said Wednesday. The drugmaker figures booster shots will be required in 2022 and Sanofi will be there to help with its vaccine he added. https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/trailing-several-rivals-sanofi-plans-to-usher-its-covid-19-vaccine-across-finish-line 28th Apr 2021

COVID-19: Almost 70% of adults in England now have coronavirus antibodies, latest figures suggest

Sky News Almost 70 of the adult population in England now have COVID antibodies latest figures suggest. An estimated seven in 10 adults 68.3 in private households were likely to have tested positive for coronavirus antibodies in the week to 11 April according to the Office for National Statistics ONS. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-almost-70-of-adults-in-england-now-have-coronavirus-antibodies-latest-figures-suggest-12289249 28th Apr 2021

Plant-derived COVID-19 vaccine candidate starts rolling review with Health Canada

Biopharma Reporter.com Medicago has started a rolling submission with Health Canada for its plantderived adjuvanated COVID19 vaccine candidate championing a unique and versatile platform that can also be scaled up easily. The tech which the company has honed over years with its influenza vaccine candidate uses plants to produce protein particles for the vaccine. If authorized the COVID19 vaccine will become the companys first commercial product. https://www.biopharma-reporter.com/Article/2021/04/27/Medicago-s-plant-based-COVID-19-vaccine-starts-Health-Canada-rolling-review?utm_source=copyright&amputm_medium=OnSite&amputm_campaign=copyright 27th Apr 2021