29th Jul 2021 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=425 lockdown_exit

New US mask guidance prompted by evidence vaccinated can spread Delta

The Guardian The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Protection spoke on Wednesday about evidence that vaccinated people can spread the Covid19 Delta variant to others after the nations top health agency expanded on its new guidance that fully vaccinated Americans wear masks indoors in certain places. Rochelle Walensky said new science observed in recent days demonstrated that new variants of the coronavirus were transmissible by people who have been fully vaccinated in some cases. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/28/cdc-director-new-mask-guidance-vaccinated-spreading-delta-variant 28th Jul 2021

The AP Interview: Japan minister urges vaccines for young

Associated Press As Olympics host Tokyo saw another record number of coronavirus cases Wednesday Japans vaccination minister said the speed of the countrys inoculation campaign is less urgent than getting shots to young adults whom some health experts are blaming for the current surge in infections. Taro Kono told The Associated Press that Japan is overshooting its goal of a million shots a day so speed doesnt matter anymore. He said Japan is averaging about 10 million shots a week after a late start that critics have blamed on extra red tape. https://apnews.com/article/2020-tokyo-olympics-sports-government-and-politics-japan-olympic-team-japan-c4296e91adb664dfd2504a1b8aeee9b7 29th Jul 2021

Google delays return to office, mandates vaccines

Associated Press Google is postponing a return to the office for most workers until midOctober and rolling out a policy that will eventually require everyone to be vaccinated once its sprawling campuses are fully reopened. The more highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus is driving a dramatic spike in COVID19 cases and hospitalizations. Googles Wednesday announcement was shortly followed by Facebook which also said it will make vaccines mandatory for U.S. employees who work in offices. Exceptions will be made for medical and other reasons. https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-technology-business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-3d1445717752d238d379af8c565b4283 28th Jul 2021

Youth focus of COVID-19 infections in Mexico’s 3rd wave

Associated Press Hours after Mexico City authorities raised the capitals COVID19 alert level in the face of surging infections especially among young people residents packed a plaza on a pleasant evening in the charming Coyoacan borough. https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-health-mexico-caribbean-e0a98064a61153bbe2f9aa55fd17299c 28th Jul 2021

CDC mask guidance met with hostility by leading Republicans

The Associated Press As he rallied conservatives on Wednesday one of the Republican Partys most prominent rising stars mocked new government recommendations calling for more widespread use of masks to blunt a coronavirus surge. Did you not get the CDCs memo Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joked before an almost entirely unmasked audience of activists and lawmakers crammed into an indoor hotel ballroom in Salt Lake City. I dont see you guys complying. From Texas to South Dakota Republican leaders responded with hostility and defiance to updated masking guidance from public health officials who advise that even fully vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors if they live in areas with high rates of virus transmission. https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-4a04e568985b99b35da44653175d419a 28th Jul 2021

COVID-19 still has a ‘devastating toll’ on the Americas: PAHO

Al Jazeera English The COVID19 pandemic continues to have a devastating toll on the Americas the Pan American Health Organization PAHO said on Wednesday with Argentina Colombia Cuba Ecuador and Paraguay among the countries with the worlds highest weekly death rates. PAHO Director Carissa Etienne said coronavirus cases are increasing in Guatemala and infection and death rates in Cuba are at their highest point ever in the pandemic adding that across the past week more than 7000 children and nearly 400 pregnant women have tested positive for the virus. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/28/covid-19-still-has-a-devastating-toll-on-the-americas-paho 28th Jul 2021

India contests Cambodia's claim of buffalo meat infected with COVID-19

Reuters India India on Wednesday contested Cambodias claims that Indian buffalo meat was infected with COVID19 saying it exports the meat only after getting COVIDfree certification. Cambodia earlier this week said three out of five containers of frozen buffalo meat imported from India tested positive for coronavirus. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-contests-cambodias-claim-buffalo-meat-infected-with-covid-19-2021-07-28/ 28th Jul 2021

Covid-19: Travellers fear vaccine passports will come too late

BBC News Wouldbe travellers due to fly out in the coming days fear their Covid passports will come too late for their trip. The CovidCert NI app for people travelling outside of the UK went live last week. The Department of Health DoH said the system went offline on Tuesday evening due to a technical problem. But applicants have said their calls and emails have gone unanswered for days. Some due to fly within days or even hours are weighing up whether to rebook their flights or to go at all https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-57998569 28th Jul 2021

U.S. to ship 4 mln COVID-19 vaccine doses to Nigeria, 5.66 mln to South Africa

Reuters The U.S. government on Wednesday will ship nearly 10 million doses of COVID19 vaccines to two of the most populous African countries Nigeria and South Africa as the continent battles a third wave of infections White House officials said. Four million doses of the Moderna COVID19 vaccine will go to Nigeria and 5.66 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to South Africa the officials said https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/us-ship-4-mln-covid-19-vaccine-doses-nigeria-566-mln-south-africa-2021-07-28/ 28th Jul 2021

Tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan vaccinates 90% of its population, becoming a beacon of hope for a region struggling with Covid

CNN Bhutan has fully vaccinated 90 of its eligible adult population in a week with Covid19 shots a feat that has been described as a success story and a beacon of hope for other countries in the region the UN Childrens Fund UNICEF said Tuesday. The tiny South Asian kingdom of 77000 people is nestled in high in the Himalayas between India and China and its high altitude remote mountain villages nomadic herders and extreme weather posed unique challenges to health workers delivering the vaccines safely across the country. https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/28/asia/bhutan-covid-vaccine-rollout-intl-hnk/index.html 28th Jul 2021

COVID-19: Fully vaccinated travellers from amber list EU and US countries won't have to quarantine on arrival in England from Monday

Sky News Fully vaccinated travellers from the EU and the US will not have to quarantine when arriving in England Scotland and Wales from an amber list country. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the change regarding US and EU arrivals will come into force from 4am on 2 August. Applicable passengers must have received two jabs with vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency EMA or in the US with vaccines authorised by the Food and Drug Administration FDA. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-fully-vaccinated-travellers-from-amber-list-eu-and-us-countries-wont-have-to-quarantine-on-arrival-in-england-from-monday-12366355 28th Jul 2021

COVID-19: UK to give Kenya more than 800,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine

Sky News The UK will give Kenya 817000 doses of the OxfordAstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine the government has announced. Ministers said the offer would help the nation which has a population of around 52 million to combat the COVID pandemic with the first 400000 doses due to be sent this week. There have been growing concerns that supply shortages in some African countries have held back the continuing rollout of their vaccination programmes. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-uk-to-give-kenya-more-than-800-000-doses-of-oxford-astrazeneca-coronavirus-vaccine-12366110 28th Jul 2021

Kazakhstan donates 25000 doses of its QazVac coronavirus vaccine to Kyrgyzstan

AKIpress The batch of 25000 doses of QazVac coronavirus vaccine today has arrived in Kyrgyzstan. This vaccine was donated by Kazakhstan. The handover ceremony was held in the Ministry of Health in presence of Health Minister Alymkadyr Beishenaliev Ambassador of Kazakhstan Rapil Joshybaev representatives of the Biological Safety Research Institute developer of the vaccine. https://akipress.com/news:660994:Kazakhstan_donates_25,000_doses_of_its_QazVac_coronavirus_vaccine_to_Kyrgyzstan/ 28th Jul 2021

Canada has coronavirus vaccine for all who eligible, earlier than promised -Trudeau

Reuters Canada has enough coronavirus vaccine to inoculate everyone who is eligible nearly two months earlier than had been promised Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday ahead of a likely election in which his record on fighting the pandemic will be center stage. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canada-has-enough-covid-19-vaccines-inoculate-everyone-eligible-trudeau-2021-07-27/ 28th Jul 2021

Kuwait bans unvaccinated citizens from travelling abroad

Reuters Kuwait on Tuesday said only citizens who have been vaccinated for the coronavirus will be allowed to travel abroad starting on Aug. 1. A government statement said the rule excepted children under age of 16 those with a health ministry certificate saying they cannot be vaccinated and pregnant women who have a pregnancy proof certificate from authorities. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/kuwait-bans-unvaccinated-citizens-traveling-abroad-2021-07-27/?taid=6100a88fafcfee00019ad0f9&amputm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&amputm_medium=trueAnthem&amputm_source=twitter 27th Jul 2021

States send mixed signals on COVID-19 mask recommendations

CIDRAP After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC announced yesterday new guidance suggesting mask use for vaccinated Americans in areas with high COVID19 transmission several states have signaled they will either follow or ignore the agencys recommendationsthe latest sign the pandemic has become a political issue in the United States. The CDCs guidelines make it clear it is up to state and local officials to determine when and if mask use is appropriate based on a series of metrics which take into account case rates and vaccine coverage. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/07/states-send-mixed-signals-covid-19-mask-recommendations 28th Jul 2021

Here Are The Republicans Most Likely To Refuse The Covid-19 Vaccine, Poll Finds

Forbes Nearly 40 of Republicans are still hesitant about getting the Covid19 vaccine or refuse to get it a new Public Religion Research Institute PRRIInterfaith Youth Core IFYC poll finds though certain subsets of the GOP appear notably more likely to accept or refuse the shot based on their religion media consumption and whether or not they believe in the QAnon conspiracy theory. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/07/28/here-are-the-republicans-most-likely-to-refuse-the-covid-19-vaccine-poll-finds/ 28th Jul 2021

Tanzania's President gets coronavirus vaccine live on TV, reversing country's year-long policy of Covid denial

CNN Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Wednesday launched the countrys Covid19 vaccination campaign after receiving just over a million Johnson Johnson shots donated by the United States through the COVAX scheme. President Hassan was the first to receive the vaccine on live television and reassured the country that the shots are safe. Im a mother of four a grandmother of several grandchildren and a wife but most of all Im the President and Commander in Chief. I wouldnt put myself in danger knowing that I have all these responsibilities as the shepherd of the nation she said during a ceremony at State House in the city of Dar es Salaam. https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/28/africa/tanzania-covid-vaccines-intl/index.html 28th Jul 2021

Johnson rejects Gove remark that Covid vaccine refusers are ‘selfish’

The Guardian Boris Johnson has rejected Michael Goves assertion that people who refuse to be vaccinated are selfish as he and another minister argued that it was better to encourage people to see the positive benefits of receiving the jab. In an interview with LBC radio the prime minister was asked about comments by Gove the Cabinet Office minister on Tuesday where he said If you can be vaccinated and you refuse to thats a selfish act. Johnson said I would put it the other way round. If you get one youre doing something massively positive for yourself for your family. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/28/johnson-rejects-claim-gove-covid-vaccine-refusers-are-selfish 28th Jul 2021

Coronavirus outbreaks have 'significantly reduced' vaccine hesitancy

9News Coronavirus outbreaks have helped reduce vaccine hesitancy across Australia with more people willing to get the jab amid surges in case numbers. The outbreaks in New South Wales and Victoria had significantly reduced the rate of vaccine hesitancy a report by the Melbourne Institute found. The 2021 Vaccine Hesitancy Report Card showed Australias vaccine hesitancy plummeted from 33 per cent at the end of May to 21.5 per cent of the adult population as of July 23. https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-vaccine-australia-outbreaks-help-to-reduce-jab-hesitancy-report-finds/0b5b2dd3-e1aa-4e39-9454-5b0db789a387 28th Jul 2021

Nearly one-quarter of white evangelicals refuse COVID-19 vaccine: study

The Hill Almost one quarter of white evangelicals were refusing to take the coronavirus vaccine as of June according to data released this week by the Public Religion Research Institute and Interfaith Youth Core. The two organizations have tracked vaccine hesitancy in different religious groups since March and saw doubledigit increases among all faith groups from March to June. White evangelical Protestants remain the most likely to refuse to get the vaccine at 24 percent. White evangelical Protestants and Hispanic Protestants hit the bottom of the pack for agreeing to get vaccinated with both at 56 percent a more than 10 point increase for both groups since March. The rate of vaccination has slowed in the U.S. as health officials struggle to overcome vaccine hesitancy. https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/565242-nearly-one-quarter-of-white-evangelicals-refuse-covid-19-vaccine-study 28th Jul 2021

Sydney adds four weeks to lockdown as Australia COVID-19 cases grow

Reuters Australias biggest city Sydney extended a lockdown by four weeks on Wednesday after an already protracted stayathome order failed to douse a COVID19 outbreak with authorities warning of tougher policing to stamp out noncompliance. Far from a planned exit from lockdown in three days the city of 5 million people and neighbouring regional centres spanning 200 km 120 miles of coastline were told to stay home until Aug. 28 following persistently high case numbers since a flareup of the virulent Delta variant began last month. The state of New South Wales of which Sydney is the capital reported 177 new cases for Tuesday from 172 on Monday https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sydney-braces-extended-covid-19-lockdown-rest-australia-opens-2021-07-27/ 28th Jul 2021

Norway again postpones end to COVID lockdown

Reuters Norway postponed for a second time on Wednesday a planned final step in the reopening of its economy from pandemic lockdown due to the continued spread of the Delta variant of COVID19 the government said. A new assessment will be made in midAugust Health Minister Bent Hoeie told a news conference. Measures that will be kept in place to halt the spread of COVID19 include bars and restaurants being limited to table service and limits of 20 people on gatherings in private homes. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-norway/update-1-norway-again-postpones-end-to-covid-lockdown-idUSL1N2P40Q4 28th Jul 2021

Bulgaria extends COVID-19 emergency until end of August

Xinhua The Bulgarian government on Wednesday extended the nationwide epidemic emergency until Aug. 31 the cabinet said in a statement. It is necessary to maintain the decline in the spread of COVID19 achieved in the country as well as to prepare the healthcare system to respond to a possible new pandemic wave the statement noted. The epidemic emergency was initially declared on May 14 last year with a duration of one month replacing the state of emergency implemented on March 13. It has already been extended several times with the last extension to the end of July. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-07/28/c_1310092778.htm 28th Jul 2021

Italian regulator endorses Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for teens

Reuters Italian regulators approved the use of Modernas COVID19 vaccine for children 1217 years old making it the second shot endorsed for adolescents alongside that of Pfizer. Italian drug agency AIFA said it had endorsed the vaccine Spikevax for teens fully accepting the recommendation made by the European Medicines Agency EMA on July 23. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italian-regulator-endorses-moderna-covid-19-vaccine-teens-2021-07-28/ 28th Jul 2021

Relaxing Covid-19 restrictions could pave way for vaccine resistance – experts

Evening Standard Relaxing coronavirus restrictions could pave the way for new virus mutations that are resistant to vaccines researchers have suggested. A new article warns against relaxing measures prematurely and describes an arms race against Covid19. Experts at the University of East Anglia and the Earlham Institute argue that rising cases could provide opportunities for the virus to evolve into even more transmissible variants. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/experts-nhs-delta-b947948.html 28th Jul 2021

Majority in India's big states with COVID-19 antibodies- survey

Reuters India More than 70 of people in eight of Indias large states are estimated to have COVID19 antibodies a government survey showed on Wednesday suggesting that a second surge in infections affected many more people than the reported figures. The survey which tested a sample of the population for the presence of COVID19 antibodies was conducted in June and July and showed that twothirds of Indias 1.3 billion people were likely to have been exposed to the virus https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-reports-43654-new-covid-19-cases-last-24-hours-2021-07-28/ 28th Jul 2021

Single Covid-19 vaccine dose as effective for clinically vulnerable, study finds

Evening Standard A single dose of the coronavirus vaccine offers as much protection against severe Covid19 to people who were shielding during the pandemic as it does for the rest of the population a study has found. Researchers from Public Health Scotland and the University of Edinburgh said there had been concerns that a weakened immune system may reduce the effectiveness of the coronavirus vaccines. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/single-university-of-edinburgh-cancer-b948052.html 28th Jul 2021

Health care workers who worked in COVID-19 wards more likely to contract virus, but from each other

Daily Mail Health care workers who worked in COVID19 wards were more likely to contract the virus than their peers a new study finds. Researchers from Amsterdam University and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam analyzed data from each of their university hospitals. They found that frontline workers interacting with COVID19 patients were four times more likely to be infected than those in other areas of the medical center. However instead of primarily contracting the virus from patients the workers were spreading the virus among each other https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9835351/Health-care-workers-worked-COVID-19-wards-likely-contract-virus-other.html 28th Jul 2021

Dyadic and Rubic to develop Covid-19 vaccines for African markets

Pharmaceutical Technology Dyadic International has entered a Covid19 vaccine technology transfer and licencing agreement with South Africabased company Rubic Consortium to discover develop analyse and produce costefficient vaccines for supply mainly to the African markets. As per the agreement Dyadic will licence its C1 Platform to Rubic for conducting research development regulatory approval and marketing of Covid19 vaccines that may be produced in South Africa and marketed in various countries on the African continent. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/dyadic-rubic-vaccines-africa/ 28th Jul 2021

Pfizer data suggest third dose of Covid-19 vaccine 'strongly' boosts protection against Delta variant

CNN A third dose of the PfizerBioNTech Covid19 vaccine can strongly boost protection against the Delta variant beyond the protection afforded by the standard two doses new data released by Pfizer on Wednesday suggests. The data posted online suggest that levels of antibodies that can target the Delta variant grow fivefold in people 18 to 55 who get a third dose of the vaccine. https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/28/health/pfizer-third-dose-data-bn/index.html 28th Jul 2021

Mental illness tied to higher risk of COVID hospital care, death

CIDRAP The first study published yesterday was led by researchers from the CEReSSHealth Service Research and Quality of Life Center in Marseille France. It consisted of 16 observational studies from seven countries involving 19086 patients with COVID19 and mental illness from December 2019 to July 2020. The countries were Denmark 1 study France 2 Israel 1 South Korea 3 Spain 1 the United Kingdom 1 and the United States 7. Regardless of the primary medical risk factors for severe COVID19 patients with mental illnesses eg addiction depression were more likely to die of COVID19 than their peers in pooled crude and adjusted analysis crude odds ratio OR 1.75 adjusted OR aOR 1.38. Patients with the severe mental illnesses included in the studyschizophrenia and bipolar disorderhad the highest ORs for death with a crude OR of 2.26 and an aOR of 1.67. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/07/mental-illness-tied-higher-risk-covid-hospital-care-death 28th Jul 2021

Moderna and Novavax grapple with COVID-19 vaccine supply hiccups overseas: reports

FiercePharma Halfway through the pandemics second year vaccine rollouts have hit their stride in some countries. Still manufacturing problems can take an immediate toll on production and delivery timelines. Now two COVID19 vaccinesone authorized and the other notare grappling with delays overseas. Moderna and Novavax are facing separate struggles to supply their COVID19 shots outside the U.S. according to media reports and company representatives. For one a South Korean shipment of Modernas authorized mRNA vaccine will now arrive in August instead of late July thanks to issues with two of the biotechs European manufacturing partners Reuters reports. https://www.fiercepharma.com/manufacturing/moderna-and-novavax-grapple-covid-vaccine-delays-overseas-reports 28th Jul 2021

Efficacy of Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine slips to 84% after six months, data show

STAT News The efficacy of the Covid19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech fell from 96 to 84 over six months according to data released Wednesday a decline that could fuel Pfizers case that a third dose will eventually be required. The data released in a preprint that has not been reviewed by outside scientists suggest the vaccine was 91 effective overall at preventing Covid19 over the course of six months. In the ongoing study which enrolled more than 44000 volunteers the vaccines efficacy in preventing any Covid19 infection that causes even minor symptoms appeared to decline by an average of 6 every two months after administration. It peaked at more than 96 within two months of vaccination and slipped to 84 after six months. https://www.statnews.com/2021/07/28/efficacy-of-pfizer-biontech-covid-vaccine-slips-to-84-after-six-months-data-show/ 28th Jul 2021

Thailand reports daily record of 16533 new coronavirus cases

Reuters Thailand reported on Wednesday a daily record of 16533 new coronavirus infections bringing the countrys total accumulated cases to 543361. The countrys COVID19 task force also reported 133 new deaths taking total fatalities to 4397. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thailand-reports-daily-record-16533-new-coronavirus-cases-2021-07-28/ 28th Jul 2021

Indonesia is a new COVID-19 epicentre. The peak has yet to come.

National Geographic UK As the second wave crashes through the fourth most populated country in the world the government of Indonesia and its citizens are struggling to respond. Competing priorities and delayed vaccination campaigns and lockdowns among other issues have created a dire situation. Conditions will likely get worse for many before they can improve experts say. With more than 49000 confirmed cases a day Indonesia is now a major epicentre of the COVID19 pandemic along with Brazil and the United Kingdom which are reporting 47091 and 23811 cases a day respectively. https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/science-and-technology/2021/07/indonesia-is-a-new-covid-19-epicentre-the-peak-has-yet-to-come 28th Jul 2021

Myanmar junta seeks international cooperation over COVID-19 crisis

Reuters Myanmars military ruler is looking for greater cooperation with the international community to contain the coronavirus state media reported on Wednesday as the Southeast Asian country struggles with a surging wave of infections. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing called in a speech for more cooperation on prevention control and treatment of COVID19 including with fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN and friendly countries the Global New Light of Myanmar reported. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/myanmar-junta-seeks-international-cooperation-over-covid-19-crisis-2021-07-28/ 28th Jul 2021

S.Korea reports record daily COVID-19 cases as Moderna pledges vaccines

Reuters South Korea on Wednesday reported 1896 new COVID19 cases for Tuesday its highestever daily increase as the country struggles to subdue a fourth wave of outbreaks fanned by the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus. The daily tally broke a previous record set on July 22 as infections are spreading beyond the capital Seoul and its neighbouring regions where the toughest social distancing rules are in place. There were 1823 domestically transmitted cases on Tuesday and 33.5 or 611 of the were from areas outside the capital regions https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/skorea-reports-1896-coronavirus-cases-highest-ever-daily-increase-kdca-2021-07-28/ 28th Jul 2021

Thailand builds COVID-19 hospital in Bangkok airport amid surge in cases

Reuters Thai volunteers on Wednesday turned a cargo warehouse at Bangkoks Don Muang Airport into a 1800bed field hospital for COVID19 patients with less severe symptoms as the country deals with its biggest outbreak to date. The Southeast Asian nation reported a daily record of 16533 new cases plus 133 new deaths on Wednesday bringing the total accumulated cases to 543361 and 4397 deaths. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thailand-builds-covid-19-hospital-bangkok-airport-amid-surge-cases-2021-07-28/ 28th Jul 2021

Tokyo sets another virus record days after Olympics begin

Associated Press Tokyo reported 3177 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday setting an alltime high and exceeding 3000 for the first time days after the start of the Olympics. The new cases exceeded the earlier record of 2848 set the previous day and brought the total for the Japanese capital to 206745 since the pandemic began early last year. https://apnews.com/article/2020-tokyo-olympics-sports-health-tokyo-coronavirus-pandemic-eadc681f0b23a80ef4368f628bc318e8 28th Jul 2021

One Year Later, America’s Mask Supply Chain Is Still Vulnerable

Bloomberg Even as the delta variant fuels a new wave of the Covid19 pandemic in the U.S. some domestic manufacturers of N95s and surgical masks are struggling to stay in business. Several companies have stopped production of masks because of declining sales as people got vaccinated state mask mandates ended and the flow of cheaper foreignmade masks resumed. The American Mask Manufacturers Association AMMA a trade group that represents more than 20 smaller manufacturers estimates that 5000 workers have been laid off across its member companies. DemeTech Corp. based in Miami Lakes Fla. has alone laid off about 1500 people according to Luis Arguello Jr. the companys vice president. The mask makers plight is part of a larger problem that the U.S. government faces ensuring a reliable domestic supply of protective gear for the next crisis https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-27/covid-delta-variant-u-s-mask-makers-struggle-despite-virus-surge 27th Jul 2021

Tunisia's Saied moves on economy and COVID-19 after dismissing govt

Reuters Saied says his actions are constitutional. France demands new PM and cabinet be named quickly. Judicial probes into parties could complicate crisis https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/tunisia-investigates-parties-political-crisis-simmers-2021-07-28/ 29th Jul 2021

Kansas governor requiring masks for state workers, buildings

The Associated Press As he rallied conservatives on Wednesday one of the Republican Partys most prominent rising stars mocked new government recommendations calling for more widespread use of masks to blunt a coronavirus surge. Did you not get the CDCs memo Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joked before an almost entirely unmasked audience of activists and lawmakers crammed into an indoor hotel ballroom in Salt Lake City. I dont see you guys complying. https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-health-coronavirus-pandemic-kansas-a7cfbfbfcec0ea13152dfffc6aa4f4fb 29th Jul 2021