15th Oct 2021 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=518 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

City A.M. Scientists were left stunned after they discovered a natural Covid antibody that seems to neutralise multiple Coronavirus variants. The potent antibody was reportedly found in a 45year old man who recovered from Covid19 more than three months ago. One of the antibodies labelled as 540424 seemed to be able to halt multiple mutations including the Delta and Alpha variants. The researchers wrote in Cell Reports that the antibodies have uncommon genetic and structural characteristics thereby setting themselves apart from others. They are now looking into developing the antibody with the aim of protecting more people against a range of viruses. https://www.cityam.com/coronavirus-breakthrough-stunned-scientists-discover-uncommon-antibody-in-45-year-old-man-that-halts-multiple-covid-variants/ 14th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

BBC News The much anticipated reopening of Indonesias famed tourist island Bali has seen a slow start with no international flights scheduled. As of Thursday fully vaccinated travellers from 19 countries including China India and France can enter Bali. The UK is not on the list. But visitors must first serve a fiveday quarantine in a hotel. Officials had closed the international airport in April last year to stop the coronavirus from spreading. In July Indonesia became the epicentre of Covid in Asia but daily cases have since reduced significantly. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-58907525 14th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

Daily Mail Rapid antigen tests have been used extensively in countries around the world They have finally been approved for use at home in Australia from November 1 States and territories will decide how residents can use the tests https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10090793/Australians-test-Covid-19-home-two-weeks.html 14th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

BBC News The NHS faces an exceptionally difficult winter whether there is a Covid surge or not Englands chief medial officer Prof Chris Whitty says. GPs in England are being told to see more patients facetoface as ministers unveil a 250m winter rescue package. But the doctors union says the package shows a government out of touch with the scale of the crisis. The British Medical Association adds doctors will be horrified by the idea the plan will save them when it could sink the ship altogether https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-58908381 14th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

BBC News More relaxations to Northern Irelands Covid19 restrictions have taken effect. The decision by Stormont last week allows up to 30 people from an unlimited number of households to meet indoors at a private home. Audiences at indoor venues will also no longer have to stay seated during performances. Nightclubs are due to reopen on 31 October with the end of indoor social distancing rules for hospitality. From then the need to be socially distanced will also move to guidance with people asked to minimise facetoface contact. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-58902318 14th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Bayer AG has terminated a vaccine manufacturing partnership under which it would have helped produce CureVacs COVID19 shot a spokesperson for Bayer told a German newspaper. The news comes after CureVac earlier this week said it will give up on its firstgeneration COVID19 vaccine candidate and instead focus on collaborating with GSK GSK.L to develop improved mRNA vaccine technology. Jointly with CureVac we have decided by mutual agreement to not continue the cooperation the Bayer spokesperson told Rheinische Post. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/bayer-curevac-terminate-covid-19-shot-production-partnership-2021-10-15/ 14th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

AlJazeera When Duccio Armenise an Italian decided to get vaccinated against COVID19 in Russia the only jab he could receive was Sputnik. We were in the middle of an outbreak and I had seen what COVID had done to a few friends so I was really scared he told Al Jazeera. I didnt want to face COVID without antibodies so I got the shots. He expected some problems once he returned to Italy since Sputnik was not in use in the European Union but I was confident that by the time I came back they would be solved. But months later Sputnik is yet to receive approval from the World Health Organization WHO it is still being evaluated by the European Union and Italy will not hand out a Green Pass to anyone who got the Russian shot. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/14/italys-covid-green-pass-leaves-some-stuck-in-vaccine-limbo 14th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

The Wall Street Journal Stateimposed bans on Covid19 vaccine mandates have set up a potential legal clash with the federal government as the Biden administration rolls out a requirement that large companies make sure their employees get inoculated. In Texas and Montana employers are scrambling to understand the consequences of state orders restricting employers from requiring their workers to be vaccinated against Covid19. At the same time they are awaiting rules from the federal government that will mandate shots for millions of American workersan order from President Biden that is also likely to face lawsuits casting more uncertainty over the final outcome. https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-vaccine-mandate-bans-tread-on-uncertain-legal-ground-11634219328 14th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Verizon Communications said on Thursday the majority of its U.S. workforce must show proof of vaccination against COVID19 under President Joe Bidens federal contractor executive order. Verizon said thousands of nonunion U.S. employees must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8 under the executive order. Verizon a federal contractor said it was in discussions with its unions about vaccination requirements for 30000 U.S. unionized employees. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/verizon-says-30000-us-employees-must-meet-dec-8-vaccination-deadline-2021-10-14/ 14th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters President Joe Biden told visiting Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday that the United States will make a onetime donation of more than 17 million doses of the Johnson Johnson vaccine to the African Union the White House said. The meeting with Kenyatta at the White House marked Bidens first as president with an African leader. Kenya holds the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council this month. The United States and Kenya have long cooperated on economic and security initiatives including counterterrorism. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/us-donates-17-million-jj-doses-african-union-2021-10-14/ 14th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Nigeria has received 501600 doses of AstraZenecas COVID19 vaccine from the French government through the COVAX vaccinesharing facility a senior health official said on Thursday. Faisal Shuaib head of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency said the country also received 434400 doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccine from the African Union. Both supplies were received last week Shuaib said adding that more were expected through the COVAX facility and the African Union. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/france-donates-covid-19-vaccine-nigeria-under-covax-scheme-2021-10-14/ 14th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters The U.S. government will ship 2.4 million doses of COVID19 vaccine to Pakistan on Thursday bringing the total number of doses sent to the South Asian country to about 18.3 million more than any other country a White House official said. The latest shipments of the vaccine lots made by Pfizer and Germanys BioNTech are due to arrive on Saturday via the COVAX distribution program said the official who asked to remain unidentified. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-ship-24-million-doses-covid-19-vaccine-pakistan-2021-10-14/ 14th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Evening Standard An outlier in Africas slow rollout Rwanda has raced ahead and vaccinated more than 90 per cent of adults in its capital. Minister of Health Dr Daniel Ngamije tells the Evening Standards Vaccine for the World project how Rwanda did it https://www.standard.co.uk/optimist/vaccine-world/how-did-rwanda-vaccinate-quickly-rwanda-daniel-ngamije-covid-b960485.html 14th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

USA TODAY The recent uproar over a hospital requiring a Colorado woman to get a coronavirus vaccine before being considered for an organ transplant reveals the kind of decisions transplant centers make every day. Hospitals that transplant hearts livers lungs or other organs have strict requirements and prioritize patients based on a range of factors including medical need suitability and likelihood of success. Organs are a scarce resource said Deepali Kumar presidentelect of the American Society of Transplantation. We have a duty to make sure that gift is protected and also that our patients have the best possible outcomes. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/10/14/some-patients-need-covid-shot-get-lifesaving-organ-transplants/8435298002/ 14th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Daily Mail Queensland Police have been told by their commissioner to get Covid vaccine But 50 furious staff members are taking the fight to court and refuse to get vax Dozens of officers have already been suspended after not getting vaccinated Mandatory vaccination is becoming an increasingly controversial issue In NSW people must be doublejabbed just to go to shops or the pub https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10091293/Queensland-cops-police-court-Covid-vaccine-mandates.html 14th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

The Guardian Covid vaccines for children aged five to 11 are inching closer to authorization in the US with possible availability as soon as early November and experts are already looking to the next hurdle actually getting the shots in those young arms. Only onethird of parents plan to vaccinate their children as soon as the vaccines are ready the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation has found. Another third of those surveyed want to wait and see how the rollout goes. Whats going to be actually more challenging beyond having the infrastructure to be able to administer the Covid19 vaccines is ensuring that parents feel comfortable vaccinating their children Syra Madad an infectious disease epidemiologist and senior director of the Systemwide Special Pathogens Program at NYC Health Hospitals told the Guardian. About half of children 12 and older have been vaccinated in the months since the vaccines were given the green light for those ages. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/14/covid-vaccines-children-persuading-parents 14th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

BBC News A global coalition of more than 350 trade unions is renewing calls for politicians to waive the patents on Covid vaccines. They say that failing to do so would compound supply chain crises and inflict economic selfharm. It comes as the World Trade Organization WTO tries to broker a compromise at a meeting in Geneva. Critics argue that accelerating the rollout of vaccines is more complex than just the waiving of patents. The dilemma being discussed at the WTO meeting centres on finding the best way to ensure the most widespread and equitable way of vaccinating the whole world from coronavirus and ending the pandemic. Successfully doing so would allow the removal of restrictions that have impaired economic growth. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58906765 14th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Daily Mail Westpac and Commonwealth Bank to require 75000 workers to get Covid19 jab Employees need to be doublejabbed from December to return to the workplace Westpac boss said the mandate is necessary to protect both staff and customers It comes after PwC told 8000 staff they need to get vaccinated against Covid19 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10090337/Covid-19-Australia-Two-Australias-biggest-banks-require-75-000-staff-jab.html 14th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Nigeria will require civil servants to show proof of vaccination against COVID19 or a negative test for the disease to gain access to their offices from the beginning of December a presidential committee said on Wednesday. The presidential committee said unvaccinated government workers will need to present a negative test result done within 72hours before they are granted access to their offices across the country and its embassies abroad. An appropriate service wide advisorycircular will be issued to guide the process Boss Mustapha chairman of the presidential steering committee on COVID19 said in a statement. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigeria-orders-civil-servants-show-covid-19-vaccination-or-negative-test-dec-1-2021-10-13/ 14th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Ireland raised doubts over its plans to drop almost all COVID19 restrictions next week due to a rise in cases with Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe saying a full return of office workers was now unlikely. Ireland has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world with 92 of adults fully protected but also one of the highest infection rates in Europe with around 400 cases per 100000 people in the past 14 days. With hospitalisations ticking up though still far below peaks this year and last ministers will discuss at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday whether this will push up critical care needs ahead of the busy winter period. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ireland-may-not-drop-all-covid-19-restrictions-next-week-ministers-say-2021-10-14/ 14th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Melbourne will exit months of COVID19 lockdown next week helped by a fasterthanexpected vaccine uptake Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said on Thursday ahead of schedule even though daily infections hit a record the same day. In the worst day of an outbreak of the Delta variant coronavirus that began in early August Victoria logged 2297 new cases on Thursday up from 1571 the day before and the highest for any Australian state or territory since the pandemic began. Eleven people died bringing the total toll in the latest outbreak to 125. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/covid-19-cases-australias-victoria-hit-record-daily-high-2021-10-13/ 14th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

NPR The coleader of New Zealands Maori Party Debbie NgarewaPacker says the countrys new COVID19 strategy amounts to a death warrant for Indigenous communities. Earlier in October the country announced it is easing coronavirus restrictions in the largest city of Auckland. The decision was widely seen as moving away from a zerotolerance approach to the pandemic where a single coronavirus infection could trigger severe restrictions on public life. To date only 28 New Zealanders are confirmed to have died of COVID19. https://www.npr.org/2021/10/13/1045320600/maori-leader-calls-new-zealands-covid-19-strategy-a-death-warrant-for-her-people 13th Oct 2021

Partisan Exits

Daily Mail More than a dozen accounts selling fake vaccine passports set up on Telegram One website is offering counterfeit Australian government documents for 500 Sources have told Daily Mail Australia they are aware of them working in Sydney A woman said her colleague was using one to successfully enter businesses The reports comes as Victoria and ACT prepare to reopen as they hit jab targets https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10089749/Anti-vaxxers-paying-500-fake-Australian-Covid-vaccine-passports-work-enter-venues.html 14th Oct 2021

Partisan Exits

Reuters From the outside First Harvest Ministries in Waveland Mississippi could almost be mistaken for a storage shed were it not for the steeple. From the modest building however Shane Vaughn the Pentecostal churchs pastor has helped spearhead an online movement promoting personal faith as a way around workplace COVID19 vaccine mandates. He posts form letters for U.S. workers seeking religious exemptions that have been downloaded from his website around 40000 times according to a screen shot of web traffic he shared with Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-pastors-advocacy-groups-mobilize-against-covid-19-vaccine-mandates-2021-10-14/ 14th Oct 2021

Partisan Exits

The Independent Oyster harvesting in Gambia is considered womens work. Its a grueling task they paddle rickety boats then get into water up to their necks to lay nets. Many of the women are the sole family breadwinners and that burden has only intensified with the pandemics economic hardships. Oysters bring income just two months a year the rest of year the nets catch crabs and small fish. The TRY Oyster Womens Association represents more than 500 women many of whom are reluctant to get vaccinated against COVID19. These women fish under darkness of night without fear but are anxious about the vaccine. They say they cant miss a day of work if it means being sidelined even briefly because of side effects from the jab. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people-africa-melinda-gates-foundation-b1938168.html 14th Oct 2021

Partisan Exits

BBC News A Brazilian healthcare provider is accused of giving unproven drugs to Covid19 patients and conducting experiments on elderly people without their relatives consent. The allegations have been linked to deaths that families say could have been prevented. Katia Castilhos grief keeps her awake at night. In March Norberto her father was admitted to a public hospital in So Paulo with Covid19. Brazil which has been hit hard by the pandemic was then at the height of its second wave with daily deaths numbering 4000. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-58891004 14th Oct 2021

Partisan Exits

The Associated Press The health outreach workers who drove past Lama Mballows village with a megaphone handed out Tshirts emblazoned with the words I GOT MY COVID19 VACCINE By then the women in Sare Gibel already had heard the rumors on social media The vaccines could make your blood stop or cause you to miscarry. Women who took it wouldnt get pregnant again. Lama Mballow and her sisterinlaw Fatoumata Mballow never made the 3.4mile trip 5.5 kilometers to town for their vaccines but the family kept the free shirt. Its lettering is now wellworn from washing but the womens resolve has not softened. They share much meal preparation duties child care trips to the well with plastic jugs and their outlook on the vaccine. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-lifestyle-europe-philanthropy-31fd688936caec29ff082412ef23e30a 14th Oct 2021

Partisan Exits

Bloomberg So at a holiday gathering plan a collaborative activity like a puzzle or Legos or prepping dinner. Then get people telling storiesabout how they made big life decisions about lessons from loved ones they never forgot. Personal stories personal truthsthats how you coax out their values. You allow people to build bridges to their better selves. Youll return to those values to find common ground and make your case. You persuade them by reminding them of the trust youve built and the values you share. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-14/how-to-talk-to-anti-vax-family-members-this-holiday?srnd=premium-europe 14th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Wall Street Journal Vaccine experts advising the Food and Drug Administration voted 19 to 0 Thursday to recommend authorization of an extra dose of Moderna Inc.s MRNA 3.23 Covid19 shot a key step in making booster doses available to millions more people. A vaccineadvisory panel voted in favor of giving a Moderna booster shot at least six months after the second dose to adults 65 years and older as well as adults under 65 who are at high risk of severe Covid19 or serious complications because of their jobs living conditions or underlying medical conditions. https://www.wsj.com/articles/fda-advisors-to-consider-moderna-covid-19-booster-shot-11634211532 14th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg Booster shots of Moderna Inc.s Covid19 vaccine should be given to older people and those at high risk of the disease advisers to U.S. regulators said. Additional doses of the twoshot messenger RNA vaccine should be offered to people 65 and older along with adults 18 and older who are at high risk for medical or occupational reasons the Food and Drug Administrations vaccine advisory panel said Thursday in a unanimous 190 vote. The booster which is half the original dose should be given at least six months after the initial inoculation the panel said. Moderna shares gained as much as 4.9 in Thursday afternoon trading in New York. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-14/fda-panel-backs-moderna-booster-for-older-high-risk-people 14th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters A panel of expert advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration unanimously voted on Thursday to recommend booster shots of Modernas COVID19 vaccine for Americans aged 65 and older and those at high risk of severe illness or occupational exposure to the virus. If the FDA signs off on Modernas booster the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make specific recommendations on who should get the shots. CDC advisers are scheduled to meet next week. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-advisers-weigh-case-covid-19-vaccine-booster-shots-2021-10-14/ 14th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

CNN Vaccine advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously Thursday to recommend emergency use authorization of a booster dose of Modernas Covid19 vaccine. The FDAs Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee agreed use of a booster dose would be safe and effective in some people six months out from their primary series. But some were clearly reluctant. Moderna had asked for emergency use authorization for a half dose of its vaccine to be used as a booster for certain people. https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/14/health/fda-vaccine-advisers-moderna-thursday/index.html 14th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Hungary will receive technology this year to produce Russias Sputnik V COVID19 vaccine at a Hungarian plant currently under construction Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in Moscow on Thursday according to a foreign ministry statement. This would be the first concrete step towards making the vaccine in the European Union even though it is not yet approved in the bloc. The Sputnik V vaccine widely used in Russia and approved for use in more than 70 countries is still undergoing a review by the World Health Organization WHO and the European Medicines Agency. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hungary-will-this-year-receive-technology-produce-sputnik-v-covid-19-vaccine-2021-10-14/ 14th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters People who got Johnson Johnson Incs COVID19 vaccine as a first shot had a stronger immune response when boosted with vaccines from Pfizer IncBioNTech SE or Moderna Inc a study run by the National Institutes of Health showed on Wednesday. The study which is preliminary and hasnt been peer reviewed is the latest challenge to JJs efforts to use its COVID19 vaccine as a booster in the United States. The study which included more than 450 adults who received initial shots from Pfizer Moderna or Johnson Johnson showed that mixing and matching booster shots of different types is safe in adults. Modernas and Pfizers vaccines are based on messenger RNA while JJs uses viral vector technology. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/mixing-covid-19-booster-shots-safe-says-nih-study-2021-10-13/ 14th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Europes drug regulator said on Thursday it had started a realtime review of AstraZenecas antibodybased COVID19 therapy the first protective shot other than vaccines against coronavirus. The decision by the human medicines committee of the European Medicines Agency EMA to begin the rolling review was based on early results from clinical studies the regulator said. It did not say when a conclusion was expected. The move to start a realtime review so called because data is evaluated as it is made available came roughly a week after the AngloSwedish drugmaker sought emergency approval from U.S. authorities. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/eu-begins-real-time-review-astrazeneca-covid-19-antibody-cocktail-2021-10-14/ 14th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Sky News A newly formed World Health Organisation WHO team may be our last chance to understand the origins of coronavirus the bodys top emergency expert has said. The WHO has named 26 proposed members of its Scientific Advisory Group on the Origins of Novel Pathogens SAGO to determine the origins of coronavirus. Maria Van Kerkhove WHO technical lead on COVID19 said she hoped there would be further WHOled international missions to China to encourage the country to cooperate. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-new-who-team-may-be-last-chance-to-understand-origins-of-coronavirus-12433322 14th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Whats the latest advice on the type of mask I should wear It depends on your situation but health officials say it should cover your nose and mouth and fit snugly so there arent any gaps on the sides of your face. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also says to pick masks with two or more layers and a nose wire to prevent air from leaking out the top. It suggests holding your mask up to check if it blocks light which means the fabric will probably filter out more particles. If you want added protection experts also suggest wearing two masks or pairing them with a mask fitter to ensure they dont leave any gaps. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-health-0033db2d289338e726d80ad4e4f7d750 14th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Associated Press Chinas Foreign Ministry on Thursday warned against what it called possible political manipulation of a renewed probe by the World Health Organization into the origins of the coronavirus while saying it would support the international bodys efforts. The WHO on Wednesday released a proposed list of 25 experts to advise it on next steps in the search for the virus origins after its earlier efforts were attacked for going too easy on China where the first human cases were detected in late 2019. Beijing was accused of withholding raw data on early cases during a visit by a WHO team in February and has since resisted calls for further investigation saying the U.S. and others were politicizing the matter. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-united-nations-world-health-organization-beijing-china-8d164e8e474f99a5825ce8ed30ca5bc8 14th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

CIDRAP Confusion continues to abound over the effectiveness of masks to protect people from COVID19 and recent news stories touting imperfect studies are only compounding the situation. First there was confusion and then intransigence about the modes of transmission with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC and the World Health Organization WHO insisting for many months after SARSCoV2 emerged that the virus was transmitted only by large droplets or hand contact. Only fairly recently did those agencies finally recognize that inhalation of small infectious particles in the air aerosols is a more important mode of transmission. That was followed by substantial misinformation and misunderstanding about the role of cloth face coverings surgical masks and respirators in preventing SARSCoV2 spread. Then we had misunderstandings and poor messaging about the efficacy of different interventions the effectiveness of one intervention versus another and why interventions should be considered in a particular order or hierarchy. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/10/commentary-what-can-masks-do-part-1-science-behind-covid-19-protection 14th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

CIDRAP Body counts appear to support the common perception that Covid19 does its worst damage among the old and vulnerable. But body counts mask another reality and focusing on them is skewing policy decisions and individual choices. Theres no question that deaths were most common among old and vulnerable individuals early in the pandemic. Some politicians and academics have used death rates to conclude that the pandemics toll has been largely confined to the elderly and sick and that widespread mitigation measures such as mask and vaccine mandates are unjustified. We looked at Covidrelated deaths through a different lens years of life lost which revealed a very different picture about the burden of illness than deaths alone. https://www.statnews.com/2021/10/14/years-of-life-lost-among-the-young-hidden-cost-covid-19/ 14th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

STAT News With people who received the PfizerBioNTech Covid19 vaccine already in the process of getting booster shots attention is shifting this week to what to do with people who received one of the two other vaccines in use in the U.S. the twodose Moderna vaccine and the oneshot Johnson Johnson product. Members of the Food and Drug Administrations vaccine expert panel the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee VRBPAC are meeting today to discuss Modernas application for a booster shot for its product and again Friday to discuss the JJ application. The Biden administration has made it clear that it wants to boost all Americans who have been vaccinated suggesting they should receive an additional jab six months or later after the last dose in their original vaccine regimen. Though the World Health Organization has asked wealthy countries to hold off on using boosters to make more vaccine available to lowincome countries and some experts have argued most people dont currently need boosters the administration has been unswerving on this policy. https://www.statnews.com/2021/10/14/fda-advisory-panel-meeting-moderna-covid-vaccine-booster/ 14th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

AlJazeera The World Health Organization has said the Emergency Use Listing process for Russias Sputnik V COVID19 vaccine was on hold pending some missing data and legal procedures which the UN body hopes will be sorted out quite soon. We are working almost on a daily basis with the ministry of health in Russia to address the remaining issues to be fulfilled by the Russian Direct Investment Fund Mariangela Simao WHO assistant directorgeneral for access to medicines and health products said on Wednesday. Simao said that as soon as an agreement was reached the WHO will reopen the case and assess data that was submitted even though it was still incomplete and resume manufacturing site inspections in Russia. All submissions that we have they are addressed the same way she said and did not specify a timeline for when the listing process could be completed. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/13/who-says-approval-for-russias-sputnik-v-vaccine-still-on-hold 13th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

CIDRAP A systematic review of 57 studies involving more than 250000 COVID19 survivors reveals that 54 still had at least one symptom 6 months or more after initial diagnosis or release from the hospital. In the review published today in JAMA Network Open a team led by Hershey Pennsylvania Medical Center researchers searched the literature from December 2019 through March 2021 for studies on persistent COVID19related symptoms diagnosed using lab results radiologic findings or clinical signs or symptoms at or after 1 month. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/10/most-covid-19-survivors-have-symptoms-6-months-review-finds 13th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

FiercePharma Since it was approved 10 months ago the Moderna COVID19 vaccine has enjoyed a relatively unfettered run on its way to being considered one of the worlds two elite shots. But while COVID vaccine rival and pharmaceutical goliath Pfizer has faced a demanding spotlight biotech Moderna has skipped along under the radar avoiding scrutiny and gaining favor as a feelgood success story. But thats starting to change. With evidence mounting that other vaccine producers have made their shots more readily available to poorer countries the shine is wearing off the Bostonbased company. And with Tuesdays revelation to the Associated Press that Moderna has no intention of sharing its mRNA vaccine formula with the rest of the world the company has taken another public relations hit. https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/once-a-feel-good-story-moderna-now-facing-criticism-for-covid-19-vaccine-strategy 13th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

CNN Covid19 deaths and hospitalizations are expected to decline over the next four weeks according to ensemble forecasts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published Wednesday. The latest forecast predicts 740000 to 762000 reported deaths by November 6. Its third consecutive week of a projected decrease in newly reported deaths. There have been more than 717000 Covid19 deaths in the US according to data from Johns Hopkins University. https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/13/health/us-coronavirus-wednesday/index.html 14th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

CNN While the rate of Covid19 infections nationwide is slowing health care systems in some parts of the country are struggling with hospital wings still packed with patients. Montana for instance is facing new highs this week in coronavirus hospitalizations with 533 Covid19 patients in hospitals as of Wednesday according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. This eclipses the high set in November before vaccines were readily available according to HHS and data from the Covid Tracking Project. The percentages of ICU beds used for Covid19 patients in Montana along with neighboring Idaho and Wyoming are among the highest in the country HHS data showed. https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/14/health/us-coronavirus-thursday/index.html 14th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Russia called on pensionage doctors who quit during the pandemic for safety reasons to return to their jobs on Thursday as the authorities reported a record oneday tally of COVID19 cases as well as a record number of deaths. The Kremlin has blamed the rising toll on Russias slow vaccination campaign and has appealed to people to get the shot. Takeup has been slow with many Russians citing distrust of the authorities and fear of new medical products. In a situation where infections are growing it is necessary to continue to explain to people that they must get vaccinated Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russias-daily-covid-19-deaths-cases-surge-record-highs-2021-10-14/ 14th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Hungary reported 1141 new COVID19 infections on Thursday with the number rising above 1000 for the first time during the fourth wave of the pandemic the government said. The virus has infected 831866 people in the country of 10 million so far and killed 30341. Nearly 5.7 million people have been fully vaccinated in Hungary and 948000 people have already received a third booster shot as well. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hungarys-daily-covid-19-cases-rise-above-1000-first-time-during-fourth-wave-2021-10-14/ 14th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Sky News Coronavirus infections among children increased in England last month after schools reopened a study has found. The surge kept overall cases high even as COVID19s prevalence among adults fell the research showed. The epidemic was estimated to be growing among those under 17 with an R number estimated at 1.18 according to the REACT1 study led by Imperial College London. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-cases-surge-among-children-after-schools-reopen-but-drop-among-adults-12433304 14th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters UK Britains defences against COVID19 are working and the pandemic situation is currently stable health minister Sajid Javid said on Thursday. Overall things feel quite stable at this point. The numbers are a bit up a bit down over the last few weeks he told Times Radio. Our primary defences against this virus are working. Britain reported 42776 new COVID19 cases on Wednesday the highest number since midJuly and 136 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test official data showed. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britains-covid-19-situation-stable-health-minister-2021-10-14/ 14th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Australia Melbourne will exit months of COVID19 lockdown next week helped by a fasterthanexpected vaccine uptake Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said on Thursday ahead of schedule even though daily infections hit a record the same day. In the worst day of an outbreak of the Delta variant coronavirus that began in early August Victoria logged 2297 new cases on Thursday up from 1571 the day before and the highest for any Australian state or territory since the pandemic began. Eleven people died bringing the total toll in the latest outbreak to 125. But the surge comes as Victoria also nears the 70 threshold for doubledose vaccination among eligible adults the level at which authorities have promised to end strict stayhome restrictions. That target was originally expected to be met on Oct. 26 and the vaccination level was 62 as of Thursday. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-australia/covid-19-cases-in-australias-victoria-hit-record-daily-high-idUSKBN2H32GM 14th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters New Zealand reported on Thursday its biggest rise in COVID19 infections in six weeks with all cases detected in Auckland raising prospects of a further extension of lockdown restrictions in the countrys largest city beyond next week. Some 1.7 million people in Auckland are under strict stayhome orders until Monday as officials look to stamp out the highly infectious Delta outbreak the first major spate of community cases in the country since early in the pandemic. Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson said the surge in case numbers in Auckland was not unexpected but they are rising more quickly and blamed illegal home gatherings for the spike. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/new-zealand-reports-biggest-rise-covid-19-cases-six-weeks-2021-10-14/ 14th Oct 2021