8th Jun 2021 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=353 lockdown_exit

Brazil COVID inquiry staffers urge postponing Copa America

Al Jazeera English Staff members of a Brazilian Senate inquiry into the countrys handling of the COVID19 pandemic have called for the upcoming Copa America football tournament to be postponed citing low vaccination rates and the risks of spreading the virus. In a letter to the countrys football team on Sunday the Senate commission staffers said only 10.77 percent of the population had received first doses of coronavirus vaccines as of Friday across Brazil. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/6/brazil-covid-inquiry-staffers-urge-postponing-copa-america 7th Jun 2021

Hundreds of former leaders urge G7 to vaccinate poor against Covid-19

CNN One hundred former presidents prime ministers and foreign ministers have urged the Group of Seven G7 rich nations to pay for global coronavirus vaccinations to help stop the virus mutating and returning as a worldwide threat. The leaders made their appeal ahead of a G7 summit in England which begins on Friday when US President Joe Biden will meet the leaders of Britain France Germany Italy Canada and Japan. Its the first time the G7 leaders have met since the start of the pandemic. The threeday summit will cover a range of issues with a particular focus on how the group can lead the global recovery from coronavirus. In their letter to the G7 the former world leaders said global cooperation had failed in 2020 but that 2021 could usher in a new era. https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/07/world/world-leaders-g7-covid-vaccine-intl-hnk/index.html 7th Jun 2021

WHO's Tedros hopes African COVID vaccine sites to near production by end-2021

Reuters World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday he hopes African COVID19 vaccine manufacturing sites will be identified and some even close to producing by the end of 2021 in the race to deliver more shots to the continent. While Tedros did not provide specifics on which country Reuters has reported that Senegal could begin producing COVID19 vaccines next year under an agreement with Belgian biotech group Univercells aimed at boosting Africas drugmanufacturing ambitions. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/whos-tedros-hopes-african-covid-vaccine-sites-near-production-by-end-2021-2021-06-07/ 7th Jun 2021

WHO: High vaccination rates can help reduce risk of variants

Associated Press A top World Health Organization official estimated Monday that COVID19 vaccination coverage of at least 80 is needed to significantly lower the risk that imported coronavirus cases like those linked to new variants could spawn a cluster or a wider outbreak. Dr. Michael Ryan WHOs emergencies chief told a news conference that ultimately high levels of vaccination coverage are the way out of this pandemic. Many rich countries have been moving to vaccinate teenagers and children who have lower risk of more dangerous cases of COVID19 than the elderly or people with comorbidities even as those same countries face pressure to share vaccines with poorer ones that lack them. Britain which has vastly reduced case counts thanks to an aggressive vaccination campaign has seen a recent uptick in cases attributed largely to the socalled delta variant that originally appeared in India a former British colony. https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-europe-coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-ea8b55bed6e97e269cbd55a73703d08a 7th Jun 2021

To the beach! Spain opens borders to tourists, cruise ships

The Associated Press Spain jumpstarted its summer tourism season on Monday by welcoming vaccinated visitors from most countries as well as European tourists who can prove they are not infected with coronavirus. It also reopened its ports to cruise ships. The move opened borders for the first tourists from the United States and other countries outside of the European Union since those travelers were banned in March last year when the pandemic hit global travel. Matthew Eisenberg a 22yearold student excitedly stepped out of Madrid airport ready to enjoy the Spanish capital along with two more American friends. https://apnews.com/article/spain-europe-lifestyle-travel-coronavirus-pandemic-758380187671ffa4d6762b3959d9c9c7 7th Jun 2021

Afghanistan faces vaccine delay as it battles COVID surge

Al Jazeera English Afghanistan is battling a brutal surge in COVID19 infections as health officials plead for vaccines only to be told by the World Health Organization that the three million doses the country expected to receive by April will not be delivered until August. We are in the middle of a crisis health ministry spokesman Ghulam Dastagir Nazari said this week expressing deep frustration at the global vaccine distribution that has left poor countries scrambling to find supplies for their people. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/5/amid-brutal-case-surge-afghanistan-hit-by-a-vaccine-delay 7th Jun 2021

Portugal minister says Spain requiring COVID-19 test at border 'a mistake'

Reuters Portugals foreign minister said Spains decision to require a negative COVID19 test for people crossing the border must have been an error Lusa news agency reported on Monday. Portugal had asked Spanish authorities for clarification on what could only have been a mistake Portugals foreign minister Augusto Santos Silva said. We have asked Spanish authorities for clarification and await it being granted as quickly as possible because if not we will need to adopt equivalent reciprocal measures Santos Silva said adding that the epidemiological situation in Spain is at the moment worse than what we are living in Portugal. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/portugal-minister-says-spain-requiring-covid-19-test-border-a-mistake-2021-06-07/ 7th Jun 2021

UK minister says Delta variant 40 percent more transmissible

Al Jazeera English The Delta variant of the coronavirus is estimated to be 40 percent more transmissible than the Alpha variant that caused the previous wave of infections in the United Kingdom Britains health minister has said. People who have received two doses of a coronavirus vaccine should be equally protected against either variant he added. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/6/uk-health-minister-says-delta-variant-40-more-transmissible 7th Jun 2021

As India's surge wanes, families deal with the devastation 9 hours ago

The Associated Press Two months ago Radha Gobindo Pramanik and his wife threw a party to celebrate their daughters pregnancy and the upcoming birth of their longawaited grandchild. They were so happy that they paid little attention to his wifes cough. Its an oversight that may forever haunt him. Within days his wife his daughter and his unborn grandchild were all dead among the tens of thousands killed as the coronavirus ravaged India in April and May. Everyone whom I loved the most has left me the 71yearold said on a recent night as a Hindu priest chanted mantras and performed a ritual for the dead at his home in the northern city of Lucknow. I am left alone in this world now. As India emerges from its darkest days of the pandemic families across the country are grieving all that theyve lost and are left wondering if more could have been done to avoid this tragedy. https://apnews.com/article/india-coronavirus-pandemic-health-d905379bec2a1793154e809979e50021 7th Jun 2021

Coronavirus vaccine passports can free public, claims Tony Blair

The Times Ministers need to start rolling out vaccine passports to allow the UK to sustainably reopen the economy Tony Blair said yesterday. The former prime minister said it was vital the UK had an alternative to the blunt tool of lockdowns to enable people to live freely and safely in the face of further outbreaks. Blair said the EU was preparing to welcome those who had been given both jabs signalling that a twotier system of rights is going to come into force internationally anyway. Asked on the BBCs The Andrew Marr Show whether that would create a discriminatory twotier society he said it was impossible to avoid. The word discrimination has a very loaded meaning now but really when it comes to riskmanagement it is all about discrimination he said https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/vaccine-passports-can-free-public-claims-blair-jssmxz62s 7th Jun 2021

Norway shortens interval between COVID-19 vaccine doses

Reuters Norway will shorten the interval between COVID19 vaccine doses to nine weeks from the current 12 weeks thus speeding up the inoculation process the health ministry said on Monday. Well have ample supply of vaccines in the time ahead Health Minister Bent Hoeie said in a statement. Norway uses vaccines made by Moderna Inc MRNA.O as well as the PfizerBioNTech PFE.N partnership each requiring two injections. Reducing the dose interval is part of the Institute of Public Healths strategy to ensure that the population is fully vaccinated as quickly as possible the ministry said https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/norway-shortens-interval-between-covid-19-vaccine-doses-2021-06-07/ 7th Jun 2021

First Slovaks get Sputnik V shots after months of wrangling

Reuters Slovakia became the European Unions second country to start inoculating people with the Russianmade Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine on Monday after months of rows over the shot that has yet to be approved by European regulators. ThenPrime Minister Igor Matovic bought Sputnik V in March saying it would speed up vaccination efforts. The country of 5.5 million bought 200000 doses and intended to buy 2 million. The launch of vaccinations was delayed however amid a political crisis that erupted because Matovic had done the deal without consulting his coalition partners who opposed using the vaccine before it had EU approval https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/first-slovaks-get-sputnik-v-shots-after-months-wrangling-2021-06-07/?taid=60be1858693b6200016d71e6&amputm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&amputm_medium=trueAnthem&amputm_source=twitter 7th Jun 2021

Thais debut locally made AstraZeneca but supplies are tight

Associated Press Health authorities in Thailand began their muchanticipated mass rollout of locally produced AstraZeneca vaccines on Monday but it appeared that supplies were falling short of demand from patients who had scheduled vaccinations for this week. Hospitals in various parts of the country have been posting notices for several days that some scheduled appointments would be delayed adding to existing public skepticism about how many doses Siam Bioscience would be able to produce each month. The government has said it will produce 6 million doses in June then 10 million doses each month from July to November and 5 million doses in December. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-business-health-d6969b6fa0a710df7b943d0e9e04a008 7th Jun 2021

Under-30s queueing up in hope of leftover Covid-19 vaccines

The Times Impatient worried their friends are likely to infect them and not keen on quarantine after holidays this summer GenerationZ are hunting for leftover vaccines. The young people are incredible said a vaccination centre administrator at the Francis Crick Institute in central London. Some are so keen they not only give their telephone number and name but also are like have my Instagram details and my Facebook details. The NHS in England is vaccinating only over30s health or social care workers or the clinically vulnerable as standard. However after a mass centre in Twickenham on Monday offered doses to any adult if they arrived that evening there have been reports the government is considering offering the jab to all over18s straight away. Department of Health sources have told The Times this is not being considered. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/under-30s-queueing-up-in-hope-of-leftover-covid-19-vaccines-8hkxzx6j6 7th Jun 2021

Cupid’s needle? UK under-30s wooed with dating app vaccine bonus

The Guardian First came the idea of making Covid vaccinations mandatory to go to the pub while Israel offered free pizza and beer with a shot. Now UK officials have hit on what they hope is an even more persuasive reason for young people to get their jab more chance of getting a date. In an eyecatching policy coinciding with the rollout of vaccinations for the under30s beginning this week the Department of Health and Social Care DHSC has teamed up with popular dating apps to encourage takeup of the programme. Users of Tinder Match Hinge Bumble Badoo Plenty of Fish OurTime and Muzmatch will enjoy a series of benefits if they add their vaccination status to their profile including virtual badges and stickers. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/07/cupid-needle-uk-under-30s-courted-dating-app-vaccine-bonus 7th Jun 2021

American expats push for access to coronavirus vaccines, raising questions about international equity

The Washington Post The United States is one of the small number of countries where coronavirus vaccinations are widely available. All over the world people are desperate to get a shot that every American can get at their neighborhood drugstore President Biden said on Wednesday. But one group of Americans feels left behind expatriates. We pay taxes we vote why shouldnt we have a vaccine asked Loran Davidson an American living in Thailand. So far the request has been denied. We have not historically provided private health care for Americans living overseas so that remains our policy White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters last month. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/06/06/americans-abroad-vaccines/ 7th Jun 2021

78 percent of unvaccinated Americans unlikely to change their minds: Gallup

The Hill More than 3 in 4 Americans who have yet to receive a coronavirus vaccine say it is unlikely they ever will according to a new poll. Among U.S. adults who do not plan to be vaccinated 78 percent said in a Gallup poll released Monday they are unlikely to reconsider their plans. Roughly half 51 percent indicated they are not likely at all to change their mind and get vaccinated. Overall just 1 in 5 vaccinereluctant adults said they are open to reconsidering with 2 percent saying they are very likely and 19 percent saying they are somewhat likely to ever get inoculated. https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/public-global-health/557097-half-of-unvaccinated-americans-not-likely-at-all-to 7th Jun 2021

WHO says can’t force China to give more info on COVID origins

Al Jazeera English A top World Health Organization official has said the WHO cannot compel China to divulge more data on the origins of COVID19 while adding it will propose studies needed to take understanding of where the virus emerged to the next level. Asked by a reporter how the WHO will compel China to be more open Mike Ryan director of the agencys emergencies programme said at a news conference that the WHO doesnt have the power to compel anyone in this regard. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/7/who-says-cant-force-china-to-give-more-info-on-covid-19-outbreak 8th Jun 2021

“Fauci Gate” and what his emails tell us about Covid-19 and American politics

Vox.com In February and early March of 2020 anything Covid19related was unclear even to health professionals and a leading line of discourse was that Americans should not wear masks because they werent thought to be effective in screening out viral particles shed by others. While that information continues to be believed accurate except in the case of hospitalgrade masks the N95 and KN95 face mask respirators which have a much higher efficacy it was eventually found that encouraging everyone to wear masks helped to prevent the actively infected from spreading the shed viral particles as easily to others. There was also an effort to keep the panicdriven public from buying all available masks and putting health care workers at risk of running out of supplies. In an interview on June 12 with The Street Fauci said the public health community and many people were saying this were concerned that it was at a time when personal protective equipment including the N95 masks and the surgical masks were in very short supply. During a June 3 CNN interview addressing the emails Fauci reiterated that if he had all the information he had today his advice from early in the pandemic would be drastically different and that masks do in fact work. But it doesnt look like Faucis explanation will ease the backlash. After a year and a half of antimask protests its being treated as an I told you so moment for conservative Americans and they are making the most of it. https://www.vox.com/2021/6/6/22521289/what-the-fauci-gate-emails-tell-us-about-covid-19-and-american-politics-trump 7th Jun 2021

COVID-19 misinformation was mainly spread online by bots in Facebook groups, study finds

Daily Mail Bot accounts used Facebook groups to quickly and massively distribute misinformation a new study claims. Researchers looked at posts about a Danish study that found inconclusive data as to whether or not wearing a mask reduced transmission of COVID19. Botcreated posts misinterpreted the findings and claimed masks were harmful to their wearer a conclusion that never appears in the research. Not all public health experts agree that Facebook and other social media platforms should censor misinformation https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9660677/COVID-19-misinformation-mainly-spread-online-bots-Facebook-groups-study-finds.html 7th Jun 2021

Underlying illness, respiratory infection raise risk for severe COVID in kids

CIDRAP Type 1 diabetes obesity heart problems In the first study published today in JAMA Network Open researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used the Premier Healthcare Database Special COVID19 Release which houses data from 872 hospitals to study 43465 patients 18 and younger who visited an emergency department or were hospitalized for severe COVID19 from March 2020 to January 2021. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/06/underlying-illness-respiratory-infection-raise-risk-severe-covid-kids 7th Jun 2021

Would you have your DNA tested to predict how hard COVID-19 would strike? Should you?

Science Magazine For people not yet vaccinated against COVID19 or still nervous about venturing into crowds the sales pitch may be alluring Drool into a tube to provide your DNA and mail it off to see how likely you are to be among the 10 to 15 of people who will end up in the hospital or die from a SARSCoV2 infection. Thats the promise of a test an Australian company launched last week in the United States. It combines genetic data with someones age sex and preexisting medical conditions to predict their risk of becoming extremely ill from COVID19. The 175 test is based on genetic markers linked to severe COVID19 along with other risk factors and the company says it developed its predictions using data on thousands of COVID19 patients in the United Kingdom. It may be a forerunner of similar risk tests An academic team has recently detailed a simpler genetic test to help determine how aggressively some people infected with SARSCoV2 should be treated. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/06/would-you-have-your-dna-tested-predict-how-hard-covid-19-would-strike-should-you 7th Jun 2021

A different kind of COVID-19 vaccine is coming, and it could be 'even more protective'

Yahoo A COVID19 vaccine different from those made by Moderna Johnson Johnson and Pfizer could be available to Americans as soon as this summer NPR reported on Sunday. The three vaccines currently authorized for use in the USA https://www.yahoo.com/news/different-kind-covid-19-vaccine-145649109.html 7th Jun 2021

Egypt to start local production of Sinovac vaccine mid-June- minister

Reuters Egypt received 500000 doses of Chinas Sinovac coronavirus vaccine on monday airport sources said as the health ministry said local production of the Chinese vaccine will start in midJune. Egypt received raw materials for the production of two million Sinovac doses in May after signing an agreement to produce the vaccine locally and distribute it in Egypt and other African countries. The first vials are due to be produced on June 15 and up to six weeks will be needed for checks before they are put to use in vaccination centres Health Minister Hala Zayed told the private MBC Masr TV channel late on Sunday. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/egypt-start-local-production-sinovac-vaccine-mid-june-minister-2021-06-07/ 7th Jun 2021

India battles deadly child illness that strikes during Coronavirus recovery

The Times First it was black fungus then white fungus then yellow all rare infections which are causing havoc in adult patients recovering from coronavirus. As India grapples with the eruption of strange Covidrelated complications doctors are now alarmed at a sharp escalation in a lifethreatening condition in children recovering from the illness. Last year only three patients with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children MISC were reported but in the second wave more children have caught the virus leading to more cases. The syndrome catches parents unawares two to six weeks after the Covid infection when they are usually relieved at their childs recovery. More than 2000 cases have been recorded across the country mostly affecting children aged between 5 and 15. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/india-battles-deadly-child-illness-that-strikes-during-coronavirus-recovery-9zlmsh3wn?utm_medium=Social&amputm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1623047999 7th Jun 2021

With Covid-19, as with HIV, science and partnerships with communities lead the way

STAT News Like so many of her generation Josephine Nabukenya wasnt aware of her HIV status during her early childhood in Uganda. But when she was 8 years old she came across a letter written by her mother that revealed the devastating news Josephine and her mother and father were all living with HIV. Josephine was HIVpositive at birth. Now a 27yearold youth worker at the Makerere University Johns Hopkins University Research Collaboration in Kampala Uganda Josephine is one of the hundreds of thousands of children who belong to a generation born HIVpositive but who are alive today due to the power of antiretroviral medication and political activism. https://www.statnews.com/2021/06/07/hiv-covid-19-science-partnerships-lead-the-way/ 7th Jun 2021

J&J vaccine drive stalls out in U.S after safety pause

Reuters on MSN.com Safety concerns about Johnson Johnsons COVID19 vaccine along with overall flagging demand for vaccinations have slowed its U.S. rollout to a crawl leaving close to half of the 21 million doses produced for the United States sitting unused. JJs vaccine was supposed to be an important tool for reaching rural areas and vaccine hesitant Americans because it requires only one shot and has less stringent storage requirements than the twodose vaccines from Pfizer Inc BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/j-26j-vaccine-drive-stalls-out-in-us-after-safety-pause/ar-AAKMVJg 7th Jun 2021

EMA highlights guidance not to use heparin for COVID-19 vaccine-linked clots

Reuters The European Medicines Agency on Monday pushed guidance for doctors not to use the blood thinner heparin to treat rare blood clots and low blood platelets in people who got AstraZenecas or Johnson Johnsons COVID19 shots. Europes drugs regulator seeking to ensure proper treatment highlighted the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis interim guidance. In April the ISTH concluded management should be initiated with nonheparin anticoagulation upon suspicion of vaccinelinked clotting and low platelets. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ema-highlights-guidance-not-use-heparin-covid-19-vaccine-linked-clots-2021-06-07/ 7th Jun 2021

Swapping vaccines may be beneficial against Covid-19, German study suggests

The Times Taking the AstraZeneca jab and then having the Pfizer shot ten weeks later could result in stronger immunity than sticking with the same vaccine for both doses a German study suggests. The experiment is one of the first to indicate that swapping vaccines may be not only safe and effective but potentially beneficial. However the research is still in its early days and much remains to be learnt about how various combinations work. There has been much speculation that patients who receive two vaccines based on separate underlying technologies might acquire better protection against Covid19. This is because the vaccines elicit different forms of immune response from the body. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/swapping-vaccines-may-be-beneficial-against-covid-19-german-study-suggests-wx5fn5bdb 7th Jun 2021

Still unclear whether teenagers need a Covid-19 jab – JCVI member

Evening Standard It is not yet clear whether children aged 12 and over should get the Coivd19 vaccine a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation JCVI has said. Professor Adam Finn who is part of the body which advises the Government on vaccines said that if enough immunity was built up through the adult vaccination programme then vaccinating children may not be justified. But another public health expert argued that the UK should follow the US and Israel and begin to vaccinate children to prevent outbreaks in schools. Professor Devi Sridhar said that youngsters should be vaccinated over the summer to ensure that schools can return to normal in the autumn and prevent further periods of home learning. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/good-morning-britain-government-israel-pfizer-university-of-bristol-b939136.html 7th Jun 2021

Where nursing home staff vaccinations lag, COVID-19 outbreaks may follow, experts warn

ABC News When 28 residents in two Rochester New York nursing homes tested positive for COVID19 last month officials there saw the unexpected outbreak as a stark reminder of the potency of the coronavirus vaccine. While much of the country was lining up for shots by early May fewer than 45 of the staff across Rochester Regional Healths skilled nursing facilities was fully vaccinated. https://abcnews.go.com/US/nursing-home-staff-vaccinations-lag-covid-19-outbreaks/story?id=78085139 7th Jun 2021

PH approves Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use

Philippine Daily Inquirer The Philippines has approved for emergency use the COVID19 vaccine developed by China stateowned Sinopharm the Food and Drug Administration FDA said Monday. In a televised meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte FDA Director General Eric Domingo said they have already authorized the Department of Health DOH to accept Sinopharm COVID19 shots. So ito po ay tinignan na rin ng ating mga experts at ang ating pong evaluation sa FDA today we already granted an emergency use authorization EUA to the DOH to accept the donations of Sinopharm Domingo said. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1442960/ph-approves-sinopharm-covid-19-vaccine-for-emergency-use 7th Jun 2021

MHRA authorises Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds

PharmaTimes The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency MHRA has extended the authorisation of PfizerBioNTechs COVID19 vaccine for use in children aged 12 to 15 years old. On Friday the MHRA announced that it had concluded that the jab is safe and effectiveness in the younger age group http://www.pharmatimes.com/news/mhra_authorises_pfizerbiontechs_covid-19_vaccine_for_12-_to_15-year-olds_1371273 7th Jun 2021

‘Another wave appearing’ in UK, says former chief scientific adviser Sir David King

Evening Standard The current Covid figures are evidence of another wave appearing the former chief scientific adviser to the Government and chairman of the Independent Sage Group has said. Sir David King told Sky News there had been discussions about whether or not were going into a serious third wave and I dont think we can possibly wait any longer. This is the evidence of another wave appearing. He pointed to the UK reporting 5341 new Covid cases on Sunday up by around 2000 from last week. On Saturday government data showed that Covid cases were up 70 per cent in a week. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/third-wave-covid-sir-david-king-sage-warning-b939100.html?utm_medium=Social&amputm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1623054854 7th Jun 2021

Taiwan to quarantine workers to control COVID spike at tech firm

Reuters All foreign workers at a plant of major Taiwanese chip packager King Yuan Electronics in Taiwans northern city of Miaoli will be quarantined as health workers try to stop an outbreak of COVID19 there the government said on Sunday. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/taiwan-quarantine-workers-control-covid-spike-tech-firm-2021-06-06/ 7th Jun 2021

Indonesia reinforces hospitals amid worrying COVID-19 surge in some areas

Reuters Indonesian authorities have drafted in more doctors and nurses to two areas on the islands of Java and Madura after hospitals there approached full capacity amid a spike in coronavirus cases the countrys health minister said on Monday. Health experts and officials are worried about the risk of a broader spike in virus cases fuelled by variants and a jump in travel last month as many in the worlds biggest Muslimmajority country travelled back to hometowns for holidays after Ramadan. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/indonesia-reinforces-hospitals-amid-worrying-covid-19-surge-some-areas-2021-06-07/ 7th Jun 2021

Uganda re-imposes lockdown to beat back COVID-19 case surge

Reuters Ugandas President Yoweri Museveni on Sunday reimposed a strict lockdown that included the closure of schools and the suspension of interdistrict travel to help beat back a surge in COVID19 cases in the East African country. The new measures which will be effective from Monday morning include the closure of all educational institutions some bans on travel the shutdown of weekly open markets and the suspension of church services. Most of the new restrictions Museveni said would be implemented for 42 days. An assessment of their impact will then help the government decide whether to ease or prolong them he added. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/uganda-re-imposes-lockdown-beat-back-covid-19-case-surge-2021-06-06/ 7th Jun 2021

Vodka, no patents: How cheapest jab was made

Times of India We were promised vaccines cheaper than a bottle of water last year but depending on whos buying a COVID shot now costs anywhere from the price of a small pizza to a mealforfour. So the news that India has preordered 30 crore doses of a new vaccine for Rs 1500 crore is comforting. At Rs a shot Biological Es Corbevax may not be a bottle of water but it costs only half as much as a litre of petrol. And while the market price could be higher TOI reported on Saturday its unlikely to be more than Rs 250 a shot making it the cheapest vaccine by a fair margin. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/vodka-no-patents-how-cheapest-jab-was-made/articleshow/83299015.cms 7th Jun 2021