2nd Jun 2021 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=345 lockdown_exit

Mass vaccination creates healthy oasis in Brazilian city

Reuters Serrana a city in southeastern Brazilian state of Sao Paulo has seen a 95 drop in COVID19 deaths after it concluded vaccination of almost all adults TV Globo reported on Sunday. With 45000 inhabitants Serrana is a healthy oasis in Brazil which has the worlds second deadliest outbreak with more than 461000 deaths so far and a very slow immunization pace due to the lack of vaccines. Serrana was the subject of a study by Instituto Butantan which produces the Coronavac vaccine developed by Chinas Sinovac Biotech SVA.O in Brazil. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mass-vaccination-creates-healthy-oasis-brazilian-city-2021-05-31/ 1st Jun 2021

Mass vaccination creates healthy oasis in Brazilian city

The Irish Times The vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech was effective in controlling Covid19 in a massinoculation study in a small Brazilian town after 75 per cent of adults were covered with a second shot preliminary numbers show. The study carried out by the Sao Paulo state government in the small town of Serrana population 45000 may offer clues for other developing nations on how much of the public needs to be vaccinated in order to begin moving past the pandemic that continues to wreak havoc in Latin America and beyond. While infection rates improved after first doses were administered Covid19 wasnt properly controlled in the town until after a second shot was given. A complete study will be published soon. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/health-pharma/sinovac-biotech-vaccine-effective-in-controlling-covid-19-new-study-shows-1.4580406 31st May 2021

Mass vaccination creates healthy oasis in Brazilian city

The Associated Press Just one COVID19 patient is in critical condition at the Dr. Geraldo Cesar Reis clinic in Serrana a city of almost 46000 in Sao Paulo states countryside. The 63yearold woman rejected the vaccine that was offered to every adult resident of Serrana as part of a trial. Doctors say the woman was awaiting one of Pfizers shots which remain scarce in Brazil. But she is an outlier here. Most adults rolled up their sleeves when offered the vaccine made by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac and the experiment has transformed the community into an oasis of near normalcy in a country where many communities continue to suffer. Doctors who treated COVID19 in Serrana have seen their patient loads evaporate. They now help colleagues with other diseases and recently started eating lunch at home. Life has returned to the streets Neighbors chat and families have weekend barbecues. Outsiders who previously had no reason to set foot in Serrana are arriving for haircuts and restaurant outings. https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-brazil-coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-20bd94d28ac7b373d7a8f3f9c557e5b6 1st Jun 2021

Peru doubles its official COVID-19 death count; now worst in world

CP24 Peru has more than doubled its official death toll from the Covid19 pandemic following a government review of the figures leaving the country with the highest coronavirusrelated death rate per capita in the world. https://www.cp24.com/mobile/world/peru-doubles-its-official-covid-19-death-count-now-worst-in-world-1.5451587?cache=yes 2nd Jun 2021

Brazilian court demands Bolsonaro provide info on Copa America

Al Jazeera English A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has given President Jair Bolsonaro five days to submit information regarding the governments lastminute decision to host the Copa America football tournament despite the nations ongoing struggles with COVID19. The demand by Ricardo Lewandowski came in response to a suit filed by the opposition Workers Party which objected to hosting the tournament given the current public health situation in Brazil and plunged the fate of Latin Americas biggest sporting event into uncertainty once more. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/1/brazilian-court-demands-bolsonaro-provide-info-on-copa-america 1st Jun 2021

Covid-19 Australia: Qantas offers unlimited travel as incentive to get coronavirus vaccine

Daily Mail Qantas offering added incentive for Australians to roll up sleeves for Covid jab 10 lucky families will win unlimited travel for year plus free accommodation Called on other companies to follow airlines lead to bolster vaccination efforts https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9635241/Covid-19-Australia-Qantas-offers-unlimited-travel-incentive-coronavirus-vaccine.html 1st Jun 2021

Moderna partners with Thermo Fisher to scale up COVID-19 vaccine production

Reuters Moderna Inc said on Tuesday it had entered into an agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific for manufacturing and packaging its COVID19 vaccine as the U.S. vaccine maker looks to scale up production. Under the terms Moderna said Thermo Fishers commercial manufacturing site in Greenville North Carolina will be used to provide fillfinish manufacturing services and supply packaging for hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine. The addition of Thermo Fisher to our network will support our efforts to scale up our manufacturing ability Modernas chief technical operations and quality officer Juan Andres said in a statement. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/moderna-partners-with-thermo-fisher-scale-up-covid-19-vaccine-production-2021-06-01/ 1st Jun 2021

Ecuador launches 100-day vaccine plan, president recognizes challenges

Reuters Ecuador this week launched a plan to vaccinate 9 million people against the novel coronavirus in 100 days part of recently installed President Guillermo Lassos plan to revive the economy by battling the pandemic. Lasso recognized that the country needed to acquire further doses from overseas in order to reach that goal and said the government was in talks with Russia over the purchase of some 18 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. All of our logistical effort will be successful once we have vaccines Lasso said while presenting the plan. It is urgent and we depend on the provision of vaccines from abroad. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/ecuador-launches-100-day-vaccine-plan-president-recognizes-challenges-2021-06-01/ 1st Jun 2021

Consider global shortages before giving COVID-19 shots to teens, EU body says

Reuters European Union countries should take account of global shortages of COVID19 vaccines before rolling out shots for adolescents the European Centre for Disease prevention and Control ECDC said on Tuesday. Last week the EU drugs regulator authorised Pfizer and partner BioNTechs COVID19 vaccine for children as young as 12. Its previous guidance was for adults aged 16 and above. The ECDC echoing World Health Organization WHO calls to delay inoculations of young adults in rich nations said in a report that vaccinating adolescents should be a priority only when they are at high risk of developing serious coronavirus symptoms https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/consider-global-shortages-before-giving-covid-19-shots-teens-eu-body-says-2021-06-01/ 1st Jun 2021

Alaska offers vaccinations for airport arrivals

The Associated Press Alaska has begun offering coronavirus vaccinations at airports in a move that had been expected for the start of the summer travel season. The state health department said that as of Tuesday vaccine eligibility has been expanded to include anyone in Alaska who is at least 12 years old including visitors from other states or countries. Prior eligibility was for those who live or work in Alaska. Vaccines will be offered outside the areas secured by the federal Transportation Security Administration at airports in Anchorage Fairbanks and Juneau. The health department says plans call for the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to have available all three vaccines authorized for emergency use in the U.S. including the onedose Johnson Johnson vaccine. https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-europe-lifestyle-travel-coronavirus-pandemic-c2bbbc253107c231d161267cfeb62594 1st Jun 2021

Long lines and confusion as Venezuela begins COVID-19 vaccination

Reuters Hundreds of senior citizens and health workers stood in long lines on Monday to get vaccinated against the coronavirus as part of Venezuelas inoculation campaign which has been held up by payment problems and political disputes. The government of President Nicolas Maduro for months said it was unable to pay for vaccines due to U.S. sanctions but last month announced it had come up with the funds to enter the global COVAX program. The campaign that officially began over the weekend is using vaccines provided by Russia and China. Reuters data shows that only 1.1 of the population has received at least one vaccine shot so far. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/long-lines-confusion-venezuela-begins-covid-19-vaccination-2021-05-31/ 1st Jun 2021

UK must vaccinate the world to save lives at home - MPs

BBC News Boris Johnson has a moral duty to share some of the UKs coronavirus vaccines with developing nations to prevent a humanitarian disaster say MPs and peers. In a letter they urge the PM to show global leadership ahead of the G7 summit by pledging to donate one dose abroad for each one given in the UK. There is concern new variants could prolong the UKs lockdown restrictions. Ministers say the UK was one of the earliest vaccination donors. Vaccines are being administered across the world under an international scheme known as Covax to try and stop the coronavirus pandemic but the global situation remains vastly uneven. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-57314537 1st Jun 2021

Japan’s vaccine push ahead of Olympics looks to be too late

Associated Press It may be too little too late. Thats the realization sinking in as Japan scrambles to catch up on a frustratingly slow vaccination drive less than two months before the Summer Olympics delayed by a year because of the coronavirus pandemic are scheduled to start. The Olympics risk becoming an incubator for a Tokyo variant as 15000 foreign athletes and tens of thousands officials sponsors and journalists from about 200 countries descend on and potentially mix with a largely unvaccinated Japanese population said Dr. Naoto Ueyama a physician head of the Japan Doctors Union. With infections in Tokyo and other heavily populated areas currently at high levels and hospitals already under strain treating serious cases despite a state of emergency experts have warned there is little slack in the system. https://apnews.com/article/japan-coronavirus-pandemic-olympic-games-2020-tokyo-olympics-government-and-politics-863710a22b76b4ce08eaef50358554c1 1st Jun 2021

Scientists call on UK to speed up second Covid jabs as India variant spreads

The Guardian Scientists are urging the government to speed up second doses of Covid vaccines and delay a decision on easing lockdown restrictions in England on 21 June in an effort to tackle the creeping spread of new cases. Data has shown the coronavirus variant first detected in India known as B.1.617.2 is continuing to spread across England and is thought to be driving a rise in cases. It is believed to be both more transmissible than the variant first detected in Kent which previously dominated and somewhat more resistant to Covid vaccines particularly after one dose. The situation has led some scientists to warn the country is in the early stages of a third wave of coronavirus which despite the vaccination programme modelling suggests could lead to a rise in hospitalisations and deaths and that full easing of restrictions in England in three weeks time should be reconsidered. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/31/scientists-call-uk-speed-up-second-covid-jabs-india-variant-spreads 1st Jun 2021

Government faces legal challenge over ‘unlawful’ suppression of Covid data in schools

The Independent Public Health England PHE has been accused of acting unlawfully by withholding data on the spread of the Indian variant in schools. In a preaction letter sent to the government body advocacy group the Citizens and AWO a data rights firm claim that PHE surrendered its independent judgement to Boris Johnson. The allegation comes following reports that PHE had been preparing to publish the data on 13 May but faced pressure not to from the prime ministers office. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/covid-schools-government-legal-challenge-b1856670.html 1st Jun 2021

Roma mistrust in governments is an obstacle to COVID-19 recovery

AlJazeera As countries across Europe race each other to vaccinate their populations against COVID19 in the hopes of controlling the spread of the deadly virus and restoring some sense of normality there is a danger that our already vulnerable and marginalised Roma communities will fall through the cracks. There are more than 12 million Roma in Europe making up the continents largest minority. In some European countries such as Slovakia Hungary and Bulgaria Roma comprise almost 10 percent of the population. Therefore if Europe is to defeat COVID19 it is essential for Roma communities to take up the vaccine. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/6/1/roma-mistrust-in-governments-is-an-obstacle-to-covid-19-recovery 1st Jun 2021

Philippines extends COVID-19 curbs in capital, ban on inbound travel from several countries

Reuters Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday prolonged partial coronavirus curbs in the capital and nearby provinces until midJune to contain infections that have been decreasing since hitting a peak in April. Religious gathering remain capped at 30 of venue capacity while dining in restaurants can operate at 20 in the capital region an urban sprawl of 16 cities that is home to at least 13 million people and nearby provinces. Nonessential travels will remain prohibited. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/philippines-extends-covid-19-curbs-capital-ban-inbound-travel-several-countries-2021-05-31/ 1st Jun 2021

Canada panel says COVID-19 shots can be mixed, move could hit AstraZeneca

Reuters An official Canadian panel on Tuesday said people who received a first shot of AstraZeneca PLCs AZN.L COVID19 vaccine can choose to receive a different shot for their second dose dealing another potential blow to the pharmaceutical giant. Theresa Tam Canadas chief public health officer said one reason for the recommendation by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization NACI was concern about rare and potentially fatal blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine. If it werent for that then probably one would progress with giving the same vaccine as a second dose she said. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/canada-panel-says-covid-19-vaccines-can-be-mixed-move-could-hit-astrazeneca-2021-06-01/ 1st Jun 2021

Israel sees probable link between Pfizer vaccine and small number of myocarditis cases

Reuters Israels Health Ministry said on Tuesday it found the small number of heart inflammation cases observed mainly in young men who received Pfizers COVID19 vaccine in Israel were likely linked to their vaccination. Pfizer has said it has not observed a higher rate of the condition known as myocarditis than would normally be expected in the general population. On Tuesday it did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In Israel 275 cases of myocarditis were reported between December 2020 and May 2021 among more than 5 million vaccinated people the ministry said in disclosing the findings of a study it commissioned to examine the matter https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-sees-probable-link-between-pfizer-vaccine-small-number-myocarditis-cases-2021-06-01/ 1st Jun 2021

WHO approves Sinovac COVID shot in second Chinese milestone

Reutes The World Health Organization WHO said on Tuesday it has approved a COVID19 vaccine made by Sinovac Biotech SVA.O for emergency use listing paving the way for a second Chinese shot to be used in poor countries. A WHO emergency listing is a signal to national regulators of a products safety and efficacy and will allow the Sinovac shot to be included in COVAX the global programme providing vaccines mainly for poor countries which faces major supply problems due to curbs on Indian exports. The WHOs independent panel of experts said in a statement it recommended Sinovacs vaccine for adults over 18. There was no upper age limit as data suggested it is likely to have a protective effect in older people. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-approves-sinovac-covid-19-vaccine-2nd-chinese-made-dose-listed-2021-06-01/ 1st Jun 2021

Covid-19: Job not done despite vaccination success, scientist warns

BBC News The success of the UKs vaccination programme does not mean that the battle with Covid is over a scientist advising the government has said. Prof Adam Finn said the country remained vulnerable as there were still large numbers of unvaccinated people. There have been calls to delay ending Covid restrictions in England on 21 June amid warnings of a third wave. Downing Street reiterated that the PM had seen nothing in the data to suggest the plan would need to be postponed. A No 10 spokesman added We will continue to look at the data we will continue to look at the latest scientific evidence as we move through June. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced Scotlands next stage of lockdown easing would be paused for much of its central belt with places including Edinburgh Dundee and Stirling staying in level two. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57313399 1st Jun 2021

Covid-19: 'Very few' Covid hospital patients had two jabs, NHS boss says

BBC News The head of NHS Providers has said very very few Covid patients in hospital in England have received two coronavirus jabs showing the vaccines provide very high levels of protection. Chris Hopson said patients now tended to be younger meaning there was a lower need for critical care. But he said it was incredibly striking how busy hospitals were as they deal with nonCovid backlogs. Trusts were going full pelt he said. Meanwhile Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi has confirmed that the government is considering making coronavirus vaccines compulsory for NHS staff. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57294438 1st Jun 2021

Daily Mail A new study compared blood samples collected before the pandemic to those from people infected with COVID19. Levels of an antibody generated by immune system cells called memory B cells were higher in the samples from the COVID19 survivors. These antibodies circulate in the bloodstream for years and remember diseases and are called back into action if the threat returns. Researchers say the findings could help scientists develop a vaccine or antibody treatment that protects against all coronaviruses https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9637739/Antibody-cold-neutralize-COVID-19-lead-vaccine-against-coronaviruses.html 1st Jun 2021

People in Wales to be offered third Covid 'booster' jab as part of trial

Wales Online People in one part of Wales are set to take part in a new clinical trial to receive a third booster coronavirus vaccine. Volunteers who are over the age of 30 have already had both Covid jabs and live within a 50mile radius of Wrexham are needed for the worldfirst research study. The COVBoost study which is being run at Wrexham Maelor Hospital is taking place at 18 sites in the UK and will involve 2886 volunteers. The trial is looking at seven different Covid19 vaccines as potential boosters given at least 10 to 12 weeks after their second dose. Volunteers could receive a different brand to the one they were originally vaccinated with. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health/people-wales-offered-third-covid-20712992 1st Jun 2021

Moderna starts application for full U.S. approval of COVID-19 vaccine

Reuters Moderna Inc on Tuesday filed for full U.S. approval of its COVID19 vaccine for adults the second drugmaker to do so after Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech sought full clearance for their vaccine last month. The U.S. Food and Drug Administrations emergency use authorization EUA allowed use of the vaccines during the pandemic based on a minimum number of infections among the trial population and two months of safety data for vaccine recipients. Full approval for the vaccines based on six months of trial data could be an important step in allaying vaccine hesitancy in the United States and other nations. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/moderna-starts-application-full-us-approval-covid-19-vaccine-2021-06-01/ 1st Jun 2021

WHO renames COVID-19 variants with Greek letters to avoid stigma

AlJazeera Coronavirus variants are to be known by letters of the Greek alphabet to avoid misreporting and stigmatising nations where they were first detected the World Health Organization WHO has announced. The new system applies to variants of concern the most troubling of which four are in circulation and the secondlevel variants of interest being tracked. While they have their advantages these scientific names can be difficult to say and recall and are prone to misreporting the WHO said in a statement. As a result people often resort to calling variants by the places where they are detected which is stigmatising and discriminatory. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/31/who-renames-covid-19-variants-with-greek-letters-to-avoid-stigma 31st May 2021

Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City to enact social distancing

Reuters Vietnams business hub Ho Chi Minh City will begin social distancing measures for 15 days starting from May 31 in an effort to curb the spread of COVID19 the government said on Sunday. The city has seen a rise in cases related to a religious mission that has recorded at least 125 positive tests accounting for most of the citys infections according to a government statement. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/vietnams-business-hub-ho-chi-minh-introduces-two-weeks-social-distancing-2021-05-30/ 1st Jun 2021

How Covid-19 finally caught up with Taiwan

Financial Times Lockdown pets drive the group behind pet insurer Bought By Many to a valuation of more than 2bn. The surge in pet ownership during the pandemic has helped propel the group behind pet insurer Bought By Many to a valuation of more than 2bn and a director at the company behind the video game Final Fantasy says 5G could disrupt the reign of the console. Plus the FTs greater China correspondent Kathrin Hille tells us how Taiwan is dealing with the latest wave of Covid19 and how its affecting chipmakers https://www.ft.com/content/2f5d99fb-5536-4189-8206-d71ce1431856 1st Jun 2021

Vietnam's 'very dangerous' new hybrid variant may be fueling Asia's worst outbreak so far

Telegraph.co.uk Vietnam has suspended international flights from today into its capital Hanoi and commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City as it tries to control a suspected new hybrid coronavirus variant that it fears is fanning the Southeast Asian nations worst outbreak of the pandemic. China has also tightened its border security as its neighbour once considered a pandemic success story now plans to test all 13 million residents of Ho Chi Minh City and tighten social distancing measures. Vietnams plight follows a now familiar pattern of Covid19 surges across Asia most alarmingly in countries like Singapore Laos Thailand and Taiwan that were praised for beating the virus in 2020 only to be caught out by a global vaccine shortage as new variants ricocheted back from coronavirus hotspots. On Saturday the Vietnamese authorities revealed they had discovered a very dangerous new coronavirus variant that combined mutations first found in India and the UK and which spreads quickly by air. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/06/01/vietnams-new-covid-19-hybrid-variant-replicating-quickly/ 1st Jun 2021

COVID-19: France tightens restrictions on foreign travellers due to fears of Indian variant

Sky News France has tightened restrictions on foreign travellers in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus variant first identified in India. The new rules come into effect today and include Entry to France limited to EU nationals French residents and those travelling for essential purposes Permitted travellers must test negative for COVID19 before leaving their departure country They must also isolate for seven days after they arrive in France They must sign a declaration saying they do not have COVID symptoms and that they are not aware of having been in contact with someone who has the virus in the 14 days before their journey https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-france-tightens-restrictions-on-foreign-travellers-due-to-fears-of-indian-variant-12321210 1st Jun 2021

Tea garden workers in India’s Assam hit by second wave of COVID

AlJazeera Gautam Sabar had been complaining of fever and headache for a week so on May 15 his son Gaurab Sabar took him to the inhouse hospital at the Dimakuchi tea estate in northeast Indias Assam state. There was no doctor to attend to him and the health assistant present at the facility prescribed him some medicine and let him go Gaurab told Al Jazeera. The next morning as Gautams condition deteriorated the son rushed him to the health facility again. This time the assistant put him in the tea gardens ambulance and sent him to a government facility 20 kilometres 12 miles away where he tested positive for COVID19. Not equipped to tackle serious cases the doctors at this facility asked them to take Gautam to the Civil Hospital at Udalguri the district headquarters. Soon after he arrived at the hospital Gautam who had a history of diabetes died. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/1/tea-garden-workers-in-indias-assam-hit-by-second-wave-of-covid 1st Jun 2021

Empty streets, shuttered malls as Malaysia begins third nationwide COVID-19 lockdown

Channel NewsAsia Main roads in Malaysia fell silent on Tuesday Jun 1 as the country began its third nationwide lockdown amid a surging third wave of COVID19 that has hit record levels in recent weeks. Only essential businesses such as supermarkets and medical clinics are allowed to continue with business during the first phase of the lockdown from Jun 1 to Jun 14. Most schools are closed and shopping malls have also been shuttered. Only two people from each household are allowed to go out to buy essentials or for medical services with movement limited to a 10km radius. Travel between most parts of the country has been banned for months. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/covid-19-malaysia-third-lockdown-more-cases-empty-streets-malls-14927082 1st Jun 2021

Ecuador launches 100-day vaccine plan, president recognizes challenges

Reuters Ecuador this week launched a plan to vaccinate 9 million people against the novel coronavirus in 100 days part of recently installed President Guillermo Lassos plan to revive the economy by battling the pandemic. Lasso recognized that the country needed to acquire further doses from overseas in order to reach that goal and said the government was in talks with Russia over the purchase of some 18 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. All of our logistical effort will be successful once we have vaccines Lasso said while presenting the plan. It is urgent and we depend on the provision of vaccines from abroad. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/ecuador-launches-100-day-vaccine-plan-president-recognizes-challenges-2021-06-01/ 1st Jun 2021