29th Jun 2020 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=40 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Ireland will maintain a 14day quarantine for travellers from the British mainland in July even as it plans to ease travel restrictions with some countries the Sunday Times newspaper reported citing a memo. The memo with the Irish cabinet committee said it was highly unlikely that Britain would be included in Irelands safe travel list the report added. Ireland plans to lift from July 9 a 14day quarantine for people arriving from countries that have also suppressed the coronavirus the Irish government said on Thursday. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-ireland-britain/ireland-to-keep-its-14-day-quarantine-on-british-travellers-sunday-times-idUSKBN23Z02L 28th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

MSN.com Australias Victoria state will implement mandatory coronavirus tests for returning travellers after a sharp spike in infections over the past two weeks the states premier said on Sunday. The countrys secondmost populous state had 49 new cases on Sunday its highest in more than two months and the 12th consecutive day of doubledigit rises. The rest of Australia has seen almost no infections. Much like a bushfire putting this out is challenging Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews told a press conference alluding to wildfires at the end of last year that burnt through vast swaths of the country. Containing it though is something that we can do and test and trace is the most effective thing to do. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/australias-victoria-state-mandates-coronavirus-testing-for-travellers/ar-BB1638vB 28th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

BBC If Id been almost anywhere else on the planet Id be dead. They would have flicked the switch after 30 days says Stephen Cameron from his hospital bed. The 43yearold Scottish pilot spent 68 days on a ventilator thought to be a longer stretch of time than any patient in the UK. He did so not in a hospital in his hometown of Motherwell but in Vietnams sprawling and hectic Ho Chi Minh City with no close friends or family for thousands of miles. Cameron the last Covid19 patient in an intensive care unit in Vietnam has been the sickest doctors have had to deal with during the outbreak. The country home to 95 million people has seen only a few hundred confirmed cases singledigit ICU admissions and not a single recorded death. So rare was a case of Camerons severity in Vietnam every minute detail of his recovery was reported in national newspapers and on TV news bulletins. Hes now known nationwide as Patient 91 the moniker given to him by public health officials when he fell ill in March. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-53196009 27th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

Asahi Shimbun China has reported an uptick in new coronavirus cases a day after the nations CDC said it expects an outbreak in Beijing to be brought under control soon. The National Health Commission said Saturday that 21 cases had been confirmed nationwide in the latest 24hour period including 17 in the nations capital. City officials have temporarily shut a huge wholesale food market where the virus spread widely reclosed schools and locked down some neighborhoods. A report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that testing has found only a few infected people without a link to the market and that the steps taken mean the risk of further spread is low the official Xinhua News Agency said. Anyone leaving Beijing is required to have a negative result from a nucleic acid test within the previous seven days. Many Chinese are traveling during a fourday holiday weekend that ends Sunday. http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13495011 27th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Mexicos economy posted a record contraction in April official data showed on Friday as the effects of the coronavirus lockdown devastated economic activity particularly in manufacturing. Adjusted for seasonal swings Latin Americas secondbiggest economy contracted 17.3 from March the biggest fall since modern data began being published in early 1993 according to figures put out by national statistics agency INEGI. The decline however was not as sharp as the 19.4 drop forecast by a Reuters poll of economists. In unadjusted terms the economy shrank 19.9 in April compared with a year earlier the figures showed. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-economy-gdp/mexican-economy-shrinks-record-17-3-in-april-as-industry-swoons-idUSKBN23X1M6 26th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

Reuters UK Costa Rica will will open its international airports on Aug. 1 to tourists from countries that have controlled transmission of coronavirus Health Minister Daniel Salas said on Friday. Starting this weekend Costa Rica will also open more public spaces such as movie theaters shopping centers and beaches in most of the country Salas said. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-costarica/costa-rica-to-accept-tourists-from-countries-with-virus-under-control-idUKKBN23X2PT 26th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian The Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo DRC has ended. Thursday marked 42 days since the last person with Ebola was discharged from care double the maximum length of time it takes for symptoms to appear. Nearly two years of hard work and leadership by the communities in DRC has paid off with the end of the first Ebola outbreak in a conflict zone. Its a time for celebration but not complacency. Viruses do not take breaks. DRCs 10th Ebola outbreak may have come to a close but an 11th in the northwest part of the country was detected on 1 June. Cases are appearing 240km away from Mbandaka the centre of this latest outbreak. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jun/25/viruses-do-not-take-breaks-heres-what-the-world-can-learn-from-how-the-drc-beat-ebola 25th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

Reuters UK Tourism is an important revenueearner and three months of lockdown has left many businesses fighting for survival. We are continuing with the effort to reactivate the tourism sector so that we can save businesses and jobs in the sector Tourism Minister Mmamoloko KubayiNgubane said in a televised briefing after warning last month that up to 600000 jobs were at risk if the sector remained shut until September. Business travel has been allowed from June 1 but overnight leisure stays are still forbidden to try to contain the spread of the virus. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-safrica/south-africa-to-reopen-casinos-and-cinemas-despite-covid-19-spread-idUKKBN23X2K2 26th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

Channel NewsAsia France reported more than 1500 new confirmed novel coronavirus cases on Friday Jun 26 a spike unseen since May 30 while the number of additional fatalities linked to the virus rose by the highest amount in three days. French health authorities said in a statement the total of newly confirmed infections rose by 1588 way above both the daily average of 498 seen over the last seven days and the 430 daily average since the beginning of June. The number of people who died from the disease increased by 26 to 29778 compared to 21 on Thursday and 11 on Wednesday and an average of 19 over the past seven days. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/covid-19-coronavirus-france-1500-new-cases-12875140 26th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

The Southern Times Melinda Gates speaking on CNN predicted that the pandemic would devastate the developing world and that she would imagine bodies lying on the streets of African countries. This was when refrigerated trucks were carrying off the corpses of COVID19 victims from US hospitals and sports arenas were being repurposed as intensive care units in the US. It seemed inevitable that Africa which has felt the brunt of virtually all epidemics to hit the world over the last 50 years would become the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. If even the highly advanced medical teams and stateoftheart equipment in Europe and the US could not halt its relentless march what hope had Africa Well the hammer did not fall or rather it fell rather lightly causing very little damage relatively speaking. Lets look at some comparative figures as at May 20 https://southerntimesafrica.com/site/news/corona-and-the-age-of-ubuntu 26th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

Medical Xpress Beijing has partially lifted a weekslong lockdown imposed in the Chinese capital to head off a feared second wave of coronavirus infections after three million samples were taken in two weeks officials said. Dozens of residential compounds across the city were shut down with authorities rolling out a mass testing campaign to root out any remaining cases. A vast majority of them are linked to the sprawling Xinfadi market in the citys south that supplies about 80 percent of Beijings fresh produce and meat. The lockdown was eased on Tuesday for seven apartment blocks after residents tested negative for the virus officials said at a Friday briefing. The remaining blocks are still in lockdown. Eleven new virus cases across Beijing were announced on Friday bringing the total number of infections in the capital since the June 11 outbreak to 280. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-beijing-eases-lockdown-mass-pace.html 26th Jun 2020

Lockdown Exit

aa.com.tr Number of cases in Latin America and Caribbean have risen from nearly 690000 in late May to more than 2 million says PAHO https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/covid-19-cases-triple-in-latin-america-in-only-a-month/1889096 25th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

BBC The UK remains on a knife edge and must act sensibly over the summer months to stop a second wave of coronavirus a scientist has warned. Sir Jeremy Farrar said he is worried about a surge in cases ahead of pubs and restaurants reopening next month. Home Secretary Priti Patel said people have to be conscientious about the risk of a second wave. She said the city of Leicester could face a localised lockdown after a rise in cases. Sir Jeremy a member of the governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies Sage and director of the Wellcome Trust has warned there could be a very nasty rebound of the virus in the winter. He told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show Were on a knife edge its very precarious the situation particularly in England at the moment and I would anticipate we would see an increase in new cases over the coming weeks. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53212435 29th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

The Times English holidaymakers crossing the border into Scotland could be told to go into quarantine for two weeks or face a fine if cases of coronavirus rise again. On Friday Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland was edging towards total elimination of Covid19 after no new deaths were recorded on a weekday for the first time since March. However Scottish government sources say there is a fear that the progress in suppressing the virus could be undone when the tourism season begins next month with an expected influx of visitors from England. Confirmed cases of Covid19 continued to rise in England last week. The first minister warned of devastating consequences after the hot weather prompted thousands of people in England to flout lockdown rules to visit the south of Scotland. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/scotland/english-tourists-may-face-quarantine-in-scotland-if-cases-rise-south-of-the-border-l0k6th37c 28th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

LBC The Labour MP for Leicester feels that there needs to be a lockdown in the city to quell the coronavirus spread. Through the weekend Claudia Webbe Labour MP for Leicester East called for the government to impose a local lockdown on her constituency. She branded the situation there a perfect storm and wanted the government to act. https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/ian-payne/leicester-local-lockdown-labour-mp-demands-government-impose-lockdown/ 28th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

BBC NHS England is asking doctors and midwives to provide more checks and support to black Asian and ethnicminority BAME pregnant women because of their greater risk from coronavirus. Black mumstobe are eight times more likely to be admitted to hospital with Covid19 than white pregnant women. Pregnant Asian women are four times as likely to end up in hospital. Maternity services remain open and mumstobe are urged to keep in touch with their midwives to stay safe. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53191235 27th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

NBC News Manual archaic technology and peoples mistrust of government agencies are blunting contact tracing efforts even as the persistent rise in coronavirus cases forces several Western and Southern states to dial back their reopening plans. Dr. Anthony Fauci the nations top infectious diseases expert raised a question Friday as to whether contact tracing is even worth the endeavor. And in Texas a health official in Austin revealed this week that information about hundreds of new cases is pouring in daily across the state via an archaic form of technology the fax machine. That has made the confirmation of positive cases extremely timeconsuming the official said which in turn has hindered contact tracing a laborintensive commitment that involves calling people who are confirmed ill with COVID19 asking for their recent contacts and reaching out to those people to determine if they need testing and if they should selfisolate all in the hopes of breaking the chains of infection. The cases we receive come in by fax machine Dr. Mark Escott the interim medical director and health authority for Austin Public Health told Travis County commissioners. And sometimes those faxes are positives and sometimes theyre negatives. Sometimes they have information like the persons phone number that was tested and sometimes they dont. So we have a whole team of people who have to sort through more than a thousand faxes a day to sort out the positives versus the negatives. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/amid-coronavirus-surge-texas-has-contact-tracing-problem-reporting-cases-n1232212 26th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Friday that the global economic crisis spurred by the coronavirus could ultimately test the Funds 1 trillion in resources but we are not there yet. Georgieva told a Reuters Newsmaker webcast event that it was now clear that recovery from global business and travel lockdowns would have to get underway amid the widespread presence of the virus and that IMF member countries were standing by to provide more support to the Fund if necessary. https://www.reuters.com/article/imf-georgieva/imfs-georgieva-says-virus-crisis-could-ultimately-test-imf-resources-idUSW1N27102G 26th Jun 2020

Exit Strategies

The Jakarta Post Australias supermarket chains on Friday reintroduced purchase limits on toilet paper and other household items as a spike in coronavirus cases in the state of Victoria set off a fresh round of panicbuying over fears of a new stayathome order. Woolworths Group Ltd and Coles Group Ltd which together account for twothirds of Australian grocery sales said they were once again limiting purchases of toilet paper and paper towels to one or two packs per person after photos circulated on social media showing empty shelves in stores. The buying restrictions and images of stripped shelves are a reminder of Australias initial response to the arrival of COVID19 when shoppers stockpiled household goods in anticipation of a protracted shutdown. https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/06/26/australia-gets-second-wave-of-toilet-paper-hoarding.html 26th Jun 2020

Partisan Exits

BBC US infectious disease chief Dr Anthony Fauci says the nation has a serious problem as 16 states reel from a spike in Covid19 cases. At the first White House task force briefing in two months Dr Fauci said The only way were going to end it is by ending it together. As health experts said more must be done to slow the spread VicePresident Mike Pence praised US progress. More than 40000 new cases were recorded across the US on Friday. The total of 40173 given by Johns Hopkins University was the highest daily total so far exceeding the record set only the previous day. There are over 2.4 million confirmed infections and more than 125000 deaths nationwide more than any other country. During Fridays briefing the White House task force also urged millennials to get tested even if they are asymptomatic. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53200834 27th Jun 2020

Partisan Exits

The Texas Tribune If I could go back and redo anything it probably would have been to slow down the opening of bars Abbott said in a TV interview Friday evening. https://www.texastribune.org/2020/06/26/greg-abbott-texas-bars-regret/ 26th Jun 2020

Partisan Exits

Huffington Post The Trump administration filed a brief Thursday night calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act which allows millions of Americans to get health insurance coverage just as the nation smashed a record for new COVID19 cases in a single day. Solicitor General Noel Francisco argued in a brief that because Congress in 2017 invalidated the laws individual coverage mandate by dropping a tax penalty for those without health insurance the entire ACA thus must fall. The court is scheduled to hear arguments later this year but a decision might not come until 2021. The move threatens health care coverage for more than 20 million Americans. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/obamacare-supreme-court-brief-trump-coronavirus_n_5ef57235c5b612083c4b567a?ncid=other_twitter_cooo9wqtham&amputm_campaign=share_twitter 26th Jun 2020

Continued Lockdown

Reuters UK Mexicos health ministry on Saturday reported 4410 new confirmed coronavirus infections and 602 additional fatalities bringing the total in the country to 212802 cases and 26381 deaths. The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-health-coronavirus-mexico/mexican-health-ministry-confirms-4410-new-coronavirus-cases-602-deaths-idUKKBN23Z005 28th Jun 2020

Continued Lockdown

ABC News The acting health minister of Indias capital said that New Delhi is facing a shortage of trained and experienced health care workers providing a major challenge in a city that is the epicenter of the countrys coronavirus outbreak. With over 77000 cases New Delhi has been hit harder than any other Indian city. Infections had been projected to rise to half a million by the end of July in Delhi the territory that includes the capital. With the rate of infections slowing down the number has been revised to 400000 and Acting Health Minister Manish Sisodia said he was hopeful that it could be less. But we cant be under any illusions he told The Associated Press in an interview on Saturday when Indias total caseload passed half a million. The availability of medical staff is a big challenge that other states need to address as well. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/ap-interview-delhi-minister-city-faces-virus-challenge-71492935 28th Jun 2020

Continued Lockdown

NBC News The governors of Florida and Texas closed down the bars Friday to slow down the spread of the coronavirus that has been rampaging at record levels through their states. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered the bar shutdown as the state health department reported 8942 new COVID19 cases shattering the previous record of 5508 set just two days ago. But DeSantis who has been resisting calls to slow down the reopening of his state left it to Halsey Beshears the Secretary of Department of Business and Professional Regulation to convey his message in a tweet https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-close-bars-limit-restaurant-dining-due-explosion-covid-19-n1232233 26th Jun 2020

Continued Lockdown

FRANCE 24 Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered bars to close on Friday amid a surge in coronavirus cases in the second most populous state in the country. As Abbott outlined a series of measures aimed at stemming the spread of COVID19 in Texas the chief executive of Harris County the states largest issued a stayathome advisory and raised the threat level to Level 1 or severe. Under Abbotts executive order bars are required to close but may continue to provide delivery and takeout service. https://www.france24.com/en/20200626-texas-governor-orders-bars-to-close-amid-surge-in-virus-cases 26th Jun 2020

Continued Lockdown

The Associated Press India neared half a million confirmed coronavirus cases Friday with its biggest 24hour spike of 17296 new infections prompting a delay in resumption of regular train services of more than a month. The new cases took Indias total to 490401. The Health Ministry also reported 407 more deaths in the previous 24 hours taking its total fatalities to 15301. The ministry said the recovery rate was continuing to improve at 57.43. Also deaths per 100000 stood at 1.86 against the world average of 6.24 per 100000 it said. The actual numbers of infections and deaths from COVID19 like elsewhere in the world are thought to be far higher due to a number of reasons including limited testing. https://apnews.com/521e48581b2cd58e217f7ee6f02fe6da 26th Jun 2020

Continued Lockdown

Medical Xpress Ukraine on Friday reported a record daily increase in coronavirus cases as authorities warned lockdowns may have to be reimposed if people continued to flout restrictions. Health authorities recorded 1109 new coronavirus infections in the previous 24 hours bringing Ukraines total to more than 41000. People have ceased to comply with restrictions Prime Minister Denys Shmygal wrote on his Telegram channel late Thursday. If we want to preserve the economy and not quarantine the country the only way is to adhere to restrictions together. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly complained that people are ignoring social distancing and other safety rules after antivirus restrictions were eased last month. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-virus-cases-ukraine.html 26th Jun 2020

Continued Lockdown

Haaretz Millions of children could be pushed to the brink of starvation as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps across wartorn Yemen amid a huge drop in humanitarian aid funding the UN childrens agency warned Friday. The stark prediction comes in a new UNICEF report Yemen five years on Children conflict and COVID19. It said the number of malnourished Yemeni children could reach 2.4 million by the end of the year a 20 per cent increase in the current figure. https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/millions-of-yemeni-children-may-starve-amid-pandemic-unicef-warns-1.8950206 26th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

NBC News She was diagnosed with COVID19 in April about a month after her symptoms cough congestion and extreme fatigue began. Now those symptoms have evolved into weeks of lowgrade fever and a burning sensation under her skin. Watsons illness was never severe enough to warrant hospitalization. Instead her symptoms have lurked in the background never fully resolving. Doctors have had few answers for her. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/some-covid-19-patients-aren-t-getting-better-major-medical-n1231281 28th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Forbes In anticipation of these upcoming challenges researchers from the University of Texas at Austin are developing a sensor which can differentiate between Covid19 and the flu by testing a person for both simultaneously. The research is being funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation as a means to urgently roll out the project to benefit public health by the time flu season hits. The sensor made of graphene is tiny about the dimensions of a microSD card. The researchers developed the sensor at this size so the results could be read out via laptop or cellphone. https://www.forbes.com/sites/allisongasparini/2020/06/27/coronavirus-or-flu-scientists-are-developing-a-sensor-which-tests-for-both-simultaneously/ 28th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

CBC.ca A closer look at people who tested positive for COVID19 but never developed symptoms has found that such asymptomatic carriers have few to no detectable antibodies just weeks after infection suggesting they may not develop lasting immunity. Theres growing evidence that a significant proportion of people who test positive for COVID19 never show symptoms although its not clear what percentage of people that is and what role they play in spreading the disease. A Chinese study published this week in Nature followed 37 people in Wanzhou District in China who did not show any outward signs of the disease despite testing positive when their respiratory tracts were swabbed and being kept in hospital for observation. https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/asymptomatic-covid-19-1.5629172 28th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Independent Investigation A fatally slow start. An opaque decision to build a new lab network. A High Court battle over flawed software. And when the Health Secretary declared success in hitting his testing target lab staff simply felt upset at the blatant boost from home tests. Now this system is being expanded at a cost of billions. Insiders tell Shaun Lintern how failures have already cost lives and why urgent improvements are needed before a second wave https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-testing-lighthouse-labs-nhs-deaths-delay-a9589381.html 28th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg Josiah Zanyer is in a rush. As Covid19 continues its march around the globe scientists have embarked on an unprecedented campaign to develop a vaccine against the disease. There are more than 125 potential vaccines undergoing tests with 20 in human trials. And the U.S. program Operation Warp Speed has set the ambitious goal of a vaccine for early 2021. But that unheardof pace in vaccine development isnt fast enough for Zayner a onetime NASA scientist who left mainstream science to proselytize the value of doityourself home experiments. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-25/one-biohacker-s-improbable-bid-to-make-a-diy-covid-19-vaccine 28th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Premium Times In this interview with Chiamaka Okafor Mr Happi a molecular biologist and Director of the World Bankfunded African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases ACEGID at the Redeemers University Ede in Nigerias Osun State discusses the findings of a recent study from an advanced sequencing of the SARSCOV2 which shows that there are 3 lineages or strains of COVID19 existing in Nigeria. This interview also explored the implications of these findings in containing the virus as well as other speculations around the mutation of the virus. Excerpts https://www.premiumtimesng.com/coronavirus/399853-interview-what-to-know-about-covid-19-strains-in-nigeria-molecular-biologist.html 27th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

This is Money The Brazilian government announced on Saturday an agreement with Oxford University and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to produce a promising coronavirus vaccine that is undergoing tests. Brazilian Health Ministry authorities said at a news conference that the country will pay 127 million and receive material to produce 30.4 million doses in two batches in December and January which would allow it to quickly start inoculation efforts if the vaccine is certified to be safe and effective. They said the total deal is for 100 million vaccines for a country of about 210 million residents. It will be produced by local vaccine maker Fiocruz. https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/wires/ap/article-8466439/Brazil-signs-deal-produce-experimental-virus-vaccine.html 27th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The New York Times The group now suggests dexamethasone or an equivalent steroid such as methylprednisolone or prednisone for hospitalized COVID19 patients who require supplemental oxygen mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal mechanical oxygenation ECMO. The IDSA does not recommend steroids for COVID19 patients who do not require supplemental oxygen. In patients with severe COVID19 the immune system can overreact triggering a potentially harmful cascade. Steroids are an older class of drugs used to suppress that inflammatory response but they can also make it easier for other infections to take hold and doctors are leery of their use in a hospital setting or in patients in earlier stages of the illness when they bodys immune response needs to be on high alert. https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/06/26/us/26reuters-health-coronavirus-guidelines-steroids.html 26th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

New York Times South Korea has added Gileads antiviral drug remdesivir to its coronavirus treatment guidelines in its first revision of recommendations since the outbreak began and urged caution in the use of the steroid therapy dexamethasone. South Korea widely praised around the world for its handling of the pandemic without a full lockdown has reported 12602 coronavirus cases as of Thursday midnight with 282 deaths. Remdesivir is designed to hinder certain viruses including the new coronavirus from making copies of themselves and potentially overwhelming the bodys immune system. The drug previously failed trials as an Ebola treatment. South Koreas updated guidelines come after a study showed that the cheap and widely used dexamethasone reduced deaths in very sick COVID19 patients. They advised doctors to take caution until a full study is published. https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/06/26/world/asia/26reuters-health-coronavirus-southkorea.html 26th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters UK Spanish virologists have found traces of the novel coronavirus in a sample of Barcelona waste water collected in March 2019 nine months before the COVID19 disease was identified in China the University of Barcelona said on Friday. The discovery of virus genome presence so early in Spain if confirmed would imply the disease may have appeared much earlier than the scientific community thought. The University of Barcelona team who had been testing waste water since midApril this year to identify potential new outbreaks decided to also run tests on older samples. They first found the virus was present in Barcelona on Jan. 15 2020 41 days before the first case was officially reported there. Then they ran tests on samples taken between January 2018 and December 2019 and found the presence of the virus genome in one of them collected on March 12 2019. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-spain-science/coronavirus-traces-found-in-march-2019-sewage-sample-spanish-study-shows-idUKKBN23X2HQ 26th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Scientists are only starting to grasp the vast array of health problems caused by the novel coronavirus some of which may have lingering effects on patients and health systems for years to come according to doctors and infectious disease experts. Besides the respiratory issues that leave patients gasping for breath the virus that causes COVID19 attacks many organ systems in some cases causing catastrophic damage. We thought this was only a respiratory virus. Turns out it goes after the pancreas. It goes after the heart. It goes after the liver the brain the kidney and other organs. We didnt appreciate that in the beginning said Dr. Eric Topol a cardiologist and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla California. In addition to respiratory distress patients with COVID19 can experience blood clotting disorders that can lead to strokes and extreme inflammation that attacks multiple organ systems. The virus can also cause neurological complications that range from headache dizziness and loss of taste or smell to seizures and confusion. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-effects/scientists-just-beginning-to-understand-the-many-health-problems-caused-by-covid-19-idUSKBN23X1BZ 26th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Doctors in Europe will soon be able to treat COVID19 patients with Gileads antiviral drug remdesivir after the healthcare regulators endorsement put it on track to become the first therapy for the disease on the continent https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-gilead-europe-idUSKBN23W1ZH 26th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters UK We are already in advanced discussions with Italys Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute Unifesp President Soraya Smaili said in an interview on Wednesday. We expect to bring it here the accord is already moving forward and well be able to do a lot of studies with this vaccine. The Italian researchers want to conduct midstage trials and final Phase III studies involving thousands of subjects in Brazil Smaili said. Francesco Vaia the chief medical officer at Lazzaro Spallanzani said the institute had agreed to do Phase II and III trials in Sao Paulo once it completes the first phase which is expected to start in Italy in the first half of July. The candidate vaccine is produced by Italys ReiThera he said. Over the weekend Unifesp began clinical trials of a vaccine developed by Oxford University with support from AstraZeneca Plc. Brazils government is nearing an agreement to eventually produce that vaccine. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-brazil-vaccine/brazil-university-in-talks-to-test-italian-coronavirus-vaccine-idUKKBN23X1TN 26th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Thomson Reuters Foundation News Astrazenecas COVID19 vaccine candidate is probably the worlds leading candidate and most advanced in terms of development the World Health Organizations chief scientist said on Friday. Soumya Swaminathan said that Modernas COVID19 vaccine candidate was also not far behind Astrazenecas among more than 200 candidates 15 of which have entered clinical trials. The WHO is in talks with multiple Chinese manufacturers including Sinovac on potential vaccines she said. Swaminathan speaking to a news briefing called for considering collaborating on COVID19 vaccine trials similar to the WHOs ongoing Solidarity trial for drugs. https://news.trust.org/item/20200626124938-bzwyg/ 26th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg Declaring victory too close to the top of the curve appears to be an excellent way to return to new heights. The gap with Europe argues for more restraint from fastopening states going forward and in fact some governors are taking the cue. In Texas where cases are rising at a dangerous rate Republican Governor Greg Abbott has called a halt to business reopenings and ordered taverns closed. North Carolina has also frozen it reopening efforts as have Utah and Nevada. And of course there is the example of New York and New Jersey both of which waited until their steep curves were tamed before starting reopening efforts now even as activities resume in both states new cases have slowed to a trickle. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-06-26/coronavirus-a-horrifying-rise-in-u-s-covid-cases-is-explained 26th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Thomson Reuters Foundation News A preliminary study of patients hospitalised with COVID19 has found the disease can damage the brain causing complications such as stroke inflammation psychosis and dementialike symptoms in some severe cases. The findings are the first detailed look at a range of neurological complications of COVID19 the researchers said and underline a need for larger studies to find the mechanisms behind them and assist the search for treatments. This is an important snapshot of the brainrelated complications of COVID19 in hospitalised patients. It is critically important that we continue to collect this information to really understand this virus fully said Sarah Pett a University College London professor who coled the work. The study published in the Lancet Psychiatry journal on Thursday looked in detail at 125 cases from across the UK. Colead researcher Benedict Michael from Liverpool University said it was important to note that it focused on severe cases. https://news.trust.org/item/20200625214519-dg2oh/ 25th Jun 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

New Scientist From extreme fatigue to weight loss numbness breathing difficulties and chest pain some peoples covid19 symptoms are proving very hard to shake https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24632881-400-why-strange-and-debilitating-coronavirus-symptoms-can-last-for-months/ 24th Jun 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters UK The British government is considering imposing a lockdown in the city of Leicester after a surge of coronavirus cases there the Sunday Times newspaper reported citing senior government sources. Health Secretary Matt Hancock is examining a legislation required for the shutdown after it was disclosed that Leicester a city of around 350000 people in the East Midlands has had over 650 COVID19 cases in the fortnight to June 16 the newspaper reported. Hancock is considering all options including imposing a localised lockdown according to the report https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-britain-leicester/uk-considers-locking-down-leicester-after-covid-19-spike-sunday-times-idUKKBN23Z02J 28th Jun 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters UK The daily number of new coronavirus cases in the Czech Republic jumped to 260 the highest since April 8 Health Ministry data showed on Sunday. That is nearly triple that of the 93 recorded on Thursday. In total the country of 10.7 million has confirmed 11298 cases of the COVID19 illness with 347 deaths as of the end of Saturday. Chief public health officer Jarmila Razova told public Czech Radio on Saturday that the rise could be linked to intensive testing in local hotbeds of the infection. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-czech/czech-republics-daily-number-of-new-coronavirus-highest-since-april-8-idUKKBN23Z06G?il=0 28th Jun 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Mainland China reported on Saturday the highest number of new coronavirus cases in four days driven by a COVID19 resurgence in the Chinese capital of Beijing. The National Health Commission reported 21 new confirmed infections in mainland China on Friday up from 13 a day earlier and the highest since Monday. In Beijing 17 new confirmed cases were reported up from 11 a day earlier and the most since June 20. Since June 11 when Beijing reported its first case in the current outbreak stemming from a sprawling wholesale food centre in the southwest of the capital 297 people in the city of more than 20 million have contracted the virus. Mainland China reported four new socalled imported cases on Friday infections linked to travellers arriving from abroad. That compares with two cases a day earlier. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-china-cases/china-sees-uptick-in-new-covid-19-cases-including-17-in-beijing-idUSKBN23Y01M 27th Jun 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Washington Post The United States set a record for new covid19 cases for the third time in three days passing the 40000 mark for the first time according to tracking by The Washington Post. Thirteen states set their own records for the average number of new cases reported over the past seven days Arizona California Florida Georgia Mississippi Missouri Oklahoma South Carolina Tennessee Texas Idaho Washington and Utah. Six states set new singleday highs led by Florida with 8942 cases more than 60 percent higher than its previous high set on Wednesday. Georgia South Carolina Tennessee Idaho and Utah also set new singleday records. Florida announced Friday morning that bars must close immediately a move echoed by Texas a state also dealing with a surge in cases and nearing its capacity to care for those suffering. Both states are backtracking amid a crisis of rising hospitalizations and skyrocketing infection rates. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/06/26/coronavirus-live-updates-us/ 26th Jun 2020