8th Dec 2021 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=557 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Norway is tightening restrictions again to try to regain control of the spread of the omicron variant and prevent an overloading of an hospital system already struggling with other types of illness as winter sets in. Social distancing and limiting the number of guests in private homes to 10 is recommended again while bars and restaurants must stop selling alcohol at midnight and face masks are now mandatory where a meters distance cant be maintained Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told reporters on Tuesday. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-07/norway-advises-guest-limits-social-distancing-to-fight-omicron 7th Dec 2021

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg To Bill Gates 2021 did not bring as much improvement to the pandemic as he had hoped. With more Covid19 deaths this year than in 2020 the delta variant and challenges with vaccine uptake progress has been underwhelming the billionaire indicated in a year in review post on his blog Tuesday. I underestimated how tough it would be to convince people to take the vaccine and continue to use masks Gates said. But the Microsoft Corp. cofounder is optimistic about 2022. I think the acute phase of the pandemic will come to a close some time in 2022 Gates said. His prediction comes as the world deals with a new variant and in the U.S. cases are are approaching 50 million. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-07/bill-gates-thinks-acute-phase-of-pandemic-will-end-in-2022 7th Dec 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the last of the Biden administrations COVID19 vaccine mandates for businesses saying the government exceeded it authority with a requirement that millions of employees of federal contractors be inoculated. The ruling was the latest setback for President Joe Biden a Democrat who announced a series of measures in September aimed at increasing vaccination rates to fight the pandemic that continues to kill more than 1000 Americans daily. Abuse of power by the Biden administration has been stopped cold again Republican South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson who joined the lawsuit said in a statement. U.S. District Judge Stan Baker in Savannah Georgia said Congress did not clearly authorize the president to use procurement to impose a vaccine requirement on contractors that will have vast economic and political significance. https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-judge-blocks-last-remaining-biden-admin-covid-19-vaccine-rule-2021-12-07/ 7th Dec 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Africa needs to make its own vaccines to avoid a repeat of its supply problems in the COVID19 pandemic but faces big obstacles in turning itself from a pharmaceutical testing ground into a place where vaccines are created experts said on Tuesday. The Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing PAVM has set as a target that 60 of the continents routine vaccine needs or between 1.4 and 1.7 billion doses yearly should be met by local manufacturing by 2040 up from about 1 now. Experts meeting at a PAVM conference in Rwanda said the pandemic had shown Africa urgently needed to tackle its dependence on imported vaccines. But they outlined daunting obstacles from brain drain to power shortages. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/africa-needs-make-own-vaccines-hurdles-are-high-experts-say-2021-12-07/ 7th Dec 2021

Lockdown Exit

CNN The Covid19 pandemic will not last forever. It will likely continue to fizzle and fade as it heads towards its third year resurging with new variants and then waning in the face of vaccines mitigation measures and human behavior. But even if the virus is never stamped out immunity will improve and the world will eventually be able to live with Covid. On that experts generally agree. The large majority of infectious disease specialists think and have thought for many months that SARSCoV2 is here to stay said Paul Hunter professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia in the UK. Our grandchildrens grandchildren will still be catching the virus he said. But Covid the disease will become part of our history as the infection morphs into just another cause of the common cold. https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/05/health/covid-pandemic-global-solutions-toolkit-cmd-intl/index.html 7th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Step into the lobby of its east tower though and its a different world. The only formal greeting guests receive is from Softbank Corp.s robot Pepper. Theyre given written instructions on their rooms and stay. Thats because the new arrivals all have one thing in common theyre infected with coronavirus. In Japan some Covid patients get a hotel booking and can enroll in clinical trials during their stay with their positive test results. The approach offers a respite for a dysfunctional health care system where individual hospitals are able to optout of caring for Covid patients resulting in a situation where patients are being turned away despite available resources. Its also aimed at reducing the risk of transmission among intergenerational households when space is at a premium in one of the most densely populated countries in the world. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-07/japan-s-health-care-dysfunction-forces-hotels-into-covid-duty 7th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg The Bank of Japan is likely to narrow the scope of its Covid aid but keep it in place for longer in an attempt to focus the measures on businesses that still need help says a former top official. A partial extension is possible said Eiji Maeda who led the central banks pandemic crisis response before stepping down from his post as executive director in May last year. Funding is becoming an issue thats focused on some businesses and some sectors. Its no longer an issue for monetary policy which addresses the overall economy. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-07/boj-likely-to-scale-down-longer-covid-aid-former-executive-says 7th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters New travel restrictions prompted by the Omicron coronavirus variant have set back the nascent recovery in international flights creating delays and headaches in some regions according to airline and airport officials. The flurry of new testing rules and border closings has raised concerns ahead of the important Christmas travel season but some airline bosses said they hope any backward moves will be shortlived. Global airlines have blamed a patchwork of shifting rules for depressed demand for international travel which is critical for their return to profit following steep COVID19 pandemicrelated losses in 2020. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/asia-airlines-hope-omicron-setback-will-be-short-lived-2021-12-07/ 7th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

The Guardian A booster dose could be necessary to keep your green Covid19 vaccination tick in the future the health department secretary Brendan Murphy says. Booster shots are being rolled out across Australia amid warnings that immunisation from the initial vaccinations wanes with time. The federal government distinguishes these booster doses from the third vaccine dose some immunocompromised people need to get a standard level of protection. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/dec/07/booster-shots-may-be-needed-to-keep-fully-vaccinated-status-in-australia-in-future 7th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

Sky News The World Health Organisations top official in Europe has said mandatory coronavirus vaccinations are an absolute last resort as several EU countries consider introducing them. Mandates around vaccination are an absolute last resort and only applicable when all feasible options to improve vaccination uptake have been exhausted WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said. Several European countries are debating whether to make COVID19 vaccines mandatory. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-mandatory-jabs-are-absolute-last-resort-says-who-europe-chief-as-several-eu-countries-consider-introducing-them-12489021 7th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters The World Bank on Monday said its funding had helped deliver 100 million doses of COVID19 vaccines around the world and it would reach the 150million mark by the end of the month if doses arrive as expected. World Bank President David Malpass said the multilateral development bank had contracted for nearly 300 million doses with some 7.5 billion in vaccine financing operations for 69 countries to be committed by the end of December. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/world-bank-says-its-funding-helped-deliver-100-mln-covid-19-vaccine-doses-2021-12-07/ 7th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters New York City expanded its array of COVID19 mandates on Monday setting vaccine requirements for children as young as 5 years old and for workers at all privatesector companies as the highly transmissible Omicron variant pushes into more U.S. states. The mostpopulous U.S. city set a Dec. 27 deadline for all 184000 businesses within its limits to make their employees show proof they have been vaccinated Mayor Bill de Blasio said. In addition children 5 to 11 years old must get at least one dose by Dec. 14 and those 12 and older need to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 27 to enter restaurants and participate in extracurricular school activities such as sports band and dances https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/new-york-city-mandates-vaccines-all-private-businesses-omicron-spreads-2021-12-06/ 7th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Mexico City officials will begin offering a third COVID19 vaccine dose to residents over the age of 60 on Tuesday officials said part of a government plan to roll out booster shots. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said last week the third doses would be made available as soon as possible beginning with elderly people who are more vulnerable to the coronavirus. The first booster shots in the massive capital of nearly 10 million people will be AstraZeneca doses given to residents of the southern Tlalpan neighborhood officials told a news conference on Monday. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/mexico-reports-110-more-covid-19-deaths-752-new-cases-2021-12-07/ 7th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Poland will introduce compulsory vaccinations for doctors teachers and security service personnel and will require staff in places like restaurants to check customers COVID19 vaccination certificates the health minister said on Tuesday. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/poland-introduce-mandatory-covid-jabs-some-workers-says-health-minister-2021-12-07/ 7th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Britain will not require stricter domestic COVID restrictions in the runup to Christmas because vaccines had put the country into a more resilient position than a year ago Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said on Tuesday. We dont think Plan B is required he told BBC radio. Why Because of the success of the vaccine programme. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/we-dont-think-covid-plan-b-is-required-uks-raab-2021-12-07/ 7th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters The unvaccinated will stay in lockdown when Austria lifts its wider general lockdown on Sunday Chancellor Karl Nehammer confirmed on Tuesday a day after he took office. Austria went intolockdowntwo weeks ago to counter a surge in daily COVID19 infections to record levels with restaurants bars theatres and nonessential shops shut to all but takeaway business. Hotels are closed to tourists. Infections have plunged since but intensivecare bed occupancy is still rising. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/austrias-unvaccinated-will-remain-lockdown-next-week-chancellor-says-2021-12-07/ 7th Dec 2021

Exit Strategies

The Associated Press As the emergence of the omicron variant underscores the importance of inoculating more people to prevent new mutations of the coronavirus Nigeria also is facing a difficult path Only 3.78 million are fully vaccinated. Going directly to the villagers is one way to overcome any hesitancy they might have in getting the shots said Bawa. When you meet them in their home there is no problem he added. Everybody will take the vaccine. On Dec. 1 Nigeria began requiring government employees to be vaccinated or show a negative test for the virus in the past 72 hours. Although authorities emphasize the country is capable of getting the Westernmanufactured vaccines to everyone health care workers in rural areas are struggling mostly because of delayed government funding. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-religion-africa-coronavirus-vaccine-42fee2eeeb1848988a9b74a4e77a1045 7th Dec 2021

Partisan Exits

Bloomberg Slovakias ruling parties agreed on a lowerthanplanned payment worth 300 euros 337 to people aged 60 and over for getting fully inoculated against Covid19 to increase one of the European Unions lowest vaccination rates. The government is expected to give final approval on Wednesday but that should be a formality given the cabinets makeup daily newspaper Sme reported. The coalition also agreed to relax some coronavirus measures for the vaccinated such as access to all shops from Friday. Children attending sixth grade and higher will switch to online learning from Monday. We have a good agreement Prime Minister Eduard Heger said after the coalition meeting on Tuesday. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-07/slovak-parties-agree-on-337-bonus-for-vaccinated-seniors 7th Dec 2021

Partisan Exits

The Guardian The Omicron variant has refocused attention on vaccination rates as data shows disparities in uptake across age region and ethnicity. Hundreds of cases of the new Omicron Covid19 variant have now been confirmed in the UK and experts have called for a renewed focus on vaccination rates. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/07/as-many-as-6-million-eligible-britons-may-not-have-had-a-covid-jab-who-are-they 7th Dec 2021

Partisan Exits

Reuters UK British Prime Minister Boris Johnsons staff appeared to joke about holding a Christmas party last year while much of the country faced tough COVID19 restrictions in a leaked video released by broadcaster ITV on Tuesday. Johnson has faced questions and criticism since the Mirror newspaper reported last week there were many social gatherings at Johnsons 10 Downing Street office over the Christmas period. In the video from Dec. 22 2020 Johnsons staff hold a mock press conference and appear to joke about holding a Christmas party. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/covid-rules-were-not-broken-downing-street-party-uks-johnson-says-2021-12-07/ 7th Dec 2021

Partisan Exits

Reuters Brazil will require that unvaccinated travelers entering the country go on a fiveday quarantine followed by a COVID19 test its health minister said on Tuesday after its president said he opposed the use of a vaccine passport. President Jair Bolsonaro criticized Brazils health regulator Anvisa for proposing the vaccination passport be required for arriving travelers to help prevent the spread of new coronavirus variants. Anvisa wants to close the countrys airspace now. Not again damn it Bolsonaro a vaccine skeptic said at a business event in Brasilia. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/bolsonaro-dismisses-vaccination-requirement-entry-into-brazil-2021-12-07/ 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The Omicron variant of the coronavirus can partially evade the protection from Pfizer Inc PFE.N and partner BioNTechs COVID19 vaccine the research head of a laboratory at Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa said on Tuesday. Alex Sigal a professor at the Africa Health Research Institute said on Twitter there was a very large drop in neutralization of the Omicron variant relative to an earlier strain of COVID. The lab tested blood from 12 people who had been vaccinated with the PfizerBioNTech vaccine according to a manuscript posted on the website for his lab. The preliminary data in the manuscript has not yet been peer reviewed. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-partially-protective-against-omicron-bloomberg-news-2021-12-07/ 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian Scientists say they have identified a stealth version of Omicron which cannot be distinguished from other variants using the PCR tests that public health officials deploy to gain a quick picture of its spread around the world. It came as the number of cases of the original Omicron variant detected in the UK rose by 101 to 437 in a single day and Scotland announced a return to working from home. The stealth variant has many mutations in common with standard Omicron but it lacks a particular genetic change that allows labbased PCR tests to be used as a rough and ready means of flagging up probable cases. The variant is still detected as coronavirus by all the usual tests and can be identified as the Omicron variant through genomic testing but likely cases are not flagged up by routine PCR tests that give quicker results. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/07/scientists-find-stealth-version-of-omicron-not-identifiable-with-pcr-test-covid-variant 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

EurekAlert! Obesity and impaired metabolic health are important risk factors for severe COVID19. Novel data indicate that these risk factors might also promote vaccinebreakthrough SARSCoV2 infections in fully vaccinated people. In a Nature Reviews Endocrinology Year in Review article DZDResearcher Norbert Stefan summarizes the most important and uptodate findings about the relationships of obesity diabetes and cardiovascular diseases with the severity of COVID19 and SARSCoV2 vaccinebreakthrough infections. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/937102 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Conversation Africa Cuba has been quietly working on its own vaccines immunising its population and selling doses abroad. Cubas vaccine efforts have maintained a relatively low profile in the west to date. Politics may well be a reason. The US embargo against Cuba that began in the cold war is still in effect and tensions between the countries remain high. But for those familiar with Cuba its COVID vaccine development should come as no surprise the country has a long history of manufacturing its own vaccines and medicines. Nor should it be surprising that two of its COVID vaccines Abdala and Soberana 02 appear to have performed very well in trials. Heres how they work... https://theconversation.com/cubas-covid-vaccines-the-limited-data-available-suggests-theyre-highly-effective-172725 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Washington Post Pharmaceutical companies Medicago and GlaxoSmithKline announced on Tuesday positive efficacy and safety results from a global trial using what they say is the worlds first plantbased coronavirus vaccine. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/12/07/plant-coronavirus-vaccine-gsk-medicago-covlp/ 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian When the Covid19 pandemic began people working in the trauma field knew the psychological toll would be colossal. In the spring of 2020 I began interviewing professionals about the mental health fallout of the pandemic specifically its impact on frontline medical staff. During the first wave two in every five intensive care staff in England reported symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. That work continued for almost a year during which time a second wave hit and the initial traumas were exacerbated. But it wasnt only frontline workers who were experiencing trauma symptoms Covid has posed perhaps the biggest threat to mental health in England since the second world war. Now at the tail end of 2021 the pandemic is still not over. The NHS forecasts that nationally there will be 230000 new cases of PTSD as a result of Covid19. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/07/covid-ptsd-cases-mental-health-crisis-early-intervention-trauma-uk 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

STAT News When fans of the band Phish started falling ill with Covid19 all over the country after a Halloween concert weekend in Las Vegas public health officials were largely in the dark about what appears to have been a superspreader event. In a Facebook post from midNovember with hundreds of responses concertgoers compared symptoms and positive test results many of those from tests taken at home. But those data werent added to state public health tallies of Covids spread. Its a story thats becoming commonplace in the era of rapid home Covid testing People who test positive are almost never counted by public health agencies charged with bringing the pandemic to heel. While home tests have distinct advantages theyre convenient and quickly inform people of their infection status so they can take steps to avoid spread the virus most who test positive dont come to the attention of health officials unless they are sick enough to see a doctor. https://www.statnews.com/2021/12/07/growing-use-of-home-covid19-tests-leaves-health-agencies-in-the-dark/ 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Independent A Canadian drugmaker said its plantbased COVID19 vaccine showed strong protection against the virus and will soon seek authorization at home and elsewhere. Medicago announced Tuesday that its twodose vaccine was 71 effective at preventing COVID19 infection in a large latestage study that included several variants including the delta variant. The companys results did not include the emerging omicron variant which wasnt circulating during the study period. The Quebec City company said it will seek Canadian approval imminently and has also begun the process to file with regulators in the U.S. U.K. and other countries. The company said its also preparing to send its data to the World Health Organization. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/covid-glaxosmithkline-world-health-organization-quebec-city-b1971310.html 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Sky News The early indications are that the Omicron variant of coronavirus is more transmissible than Delta the prime minister has said. Boris Johnson made the comment as he updated his team of ministers on the latest COVID19 situation at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning. Downing Street said it is still unclear how severe the disease caused by Omicron is and what impact the vaccines have on the variant. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-early-indications-omicron-is-more-transmissible-than-delta-variant-boris-johnson-says-12489029 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Sky News People who have overcome a coronavirus infection and also received a vaccine have higherquality antibodies against variants researchers have found. The new study comes amid concerns that new variants of the SARSCoV2 virus such as Omicron can still infect people who have received two vaccine doses. According to researchers at the American Society for Microbiology the study could help identify the optimal mix of antibodies to help guide future preventive efforts. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-previous-infection-and-vaccination-combine-for-best-protection-against-variants-12489031 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

PharmaTimes Results show support in favour of heterologous dosing which may help to advance vaccination programmes in poorer countries. A British study mixing COVID19 vaccines has found that people had a better immune response when they received their first dose of AstraZeneca or PfizerBioNTech shots followed by Moderna nine weeks later according to Reuters. These results support mixandmatch dosing otherwise known as heterologous dosing. This is expected to boost vaccine drives in poor and middle income countries which may need to combine different brands between first and second shots if supplies are running low. Matthew Snape the Oxford professor behind the study dubbed ComCOV2 said We found a really good immune response across the board in fact higher than the threshold set by OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine two doses https://www.pharmatimes.com/news/uk_study_shows_mixing_pfizer_and_astrazeneca_covid-19_vaccines_with_moderna_elicits_better_immune_response_1384945 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Drugmaker Merck Co on Monday announced a deal with Thermo Fisher Scientific to manufacture its experimental COVID19 pill at the medical device makers site in Whitby Ontario. The site will manufacture the pill molnupiravir for distribution in Canada and the United Kingdom as well as markets in the European Union Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Ontario site is one of three manufacturing sites in the world for the pill which is being developed with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/merck-ties-up-with-thermo-fisher-make-its-covid-19-pill-canada-2021-12-06/ 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The European Unions drug regulator on Monday recommended extending the use of Roches RoActemra arthritis drug for adult COVID19 patients on systemic treatment with steroids and those who need oxygen support or mechanical ventilation. The European Medicines Agency EMA said its human medicines committee evaluated data from a main study involving over 4000 hospitalised adults and concluded that the medicines benefits outweigh the risks for these patients. The EMAs endorsement comes after Europe crossed at least 75 million coronavirus cases as the world braces for the new Omicron variant. Formal approval is up to the European Commission which typically follows EMA recommendations. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-regulator-backs-extending-roactemra-use-adults-with-severe-covid-19-2021-12-06/ 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters British drugmaker GSK said on Tuesday its antibodybased COVID19 therapy with U.S. partner Vir Biotechnology is effective against all mutations of the new Omicron coronavirus variant citing new data from earlystage studies The data yet to be published in a peerreviewed medical journal shows that the companies treatment sotrovimab is effective against all 37 identified mutations to date in the spike protein GSK said in a statement. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/new-data-shows-gsk-vir-drug-works-against-all-omicron-mutations-2021-12-07/ 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The head of the European Medicines Agency EMA on Tuesday said that it could soon approve the COVID19 vaccine developed by U.S. biotech company Novavax NVAX.O. The vaccine from Novavax could be authorised in the very near future Emma Cooke told EU health ministers during a public session of a meeting in Brussels. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/novavax-covid-19-vaccine-could-be-approved-very-soon-says-ema-chief-2021-12-07/ 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters EU health agencieshave recommended that COVID19 vaccines be mixed and matched for both initial courses and booster doses as the region battles rising cases ahead of Christmas. Evidence suggests that the combination of viral vector vaccines and mRNA vaccines produces good levels of antibodies against the coronavirus causing COVID19 the European Medicines Agency EMA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control ECDC said in a joint statementon Tuesday. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/eu-health-bodies-recommend-mix-and-match-covid-19-vaccines-2021-12-07/ 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Associate Press As the omicron coronavirus variant spreads in southern Africa and pops up in countries all around the world scientists are anxiously watching a battle play out that could determine the future of the pandemic. Can the latest competitor to the worlddominating delta overthrow it Some scientists poring over data from South Africa and the United Kingdom suggest omicron could emerge the victor. Its still early days but increasingly data is starting to trickle in suggesting that omicron is likely to outcompete delta in many if not all places said Dr. Jacob Lemieux who monitors variants for a research collaboration led by Harvard Medical School. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-southern-africa-pandemics-2a445501cff8d0354fabcf493418365e 7th Dec 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters British drugmaker GSK GSK.L said on Tuesday its antibodybased COVID19 therapy with U.S. partner Vir Biotechnology VIR.O is effective against all mutations of the new Omicron coronavirus variant citing new data from earlystage studies. The data yet to be published in a peerreviewed medical journal shows that the companies treatment sotrovimab is effective against all 37 identified mutations to date in the spike protein GSK said in a statement. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/new-data-shows-gsk-vir-drug-works-against-all-omicron-mutations-2021-12-07/ 7th Dec 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg The daily number of people admitted to hospital in South Africa with Covid19 more than doubled on Tuesday from a day earlier. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases 383 people have been admitted to hospital with the disease in the last 24 hours compared with 175 in the preceding period. Of the 13147 new cases recorded 64 were in Gauteng the province that includes Johannesburg and Pretoria compared with 70 of the 6381 cases the day earlier according to a statement from the NICD. The positivity rate of tests was 24.9 on Tuesday down from 26.4 the day earlier. Over the 24 hours 27 deaths due to Covid19 were recorded taking the total confirmed death toll in the country since the pandemic began to 90002. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-07/s-africa-daily-covid-hospital-admissions-more-than-double 7th Dec 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Sky News Another 101 Omicron COVID variant cases have been recorded in the UK taking the total across the country to 437. This compares with 90 new cases reported on Monday. The latest daily data from the UK Health Security Agency shows 72 cases were in England 28 in Scotland and one in Wales. So far no confirmed Omicron cases have been recorded in Northern Ireland. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-uk-records-101-new-omicron-variant-cases-in-past-24-hours-taking-total-to-437-12489139 7th Dec 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Sky News Another 101 Omicron COVID variant cases have been recorded in the UK taking the total across the country to 437. This compares with 90 new cases reported on Monday. The latest daily data from the UK Health Security Agency shows 72 cases were in England 28 in Scotland and one in Wales. So far no confirmed Omicron cases have been recorded in Northern Ireland. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-uk-records-101-new-omicron-variant-cases-in-past-24-hours-taking-total-to-437-12489139 7th Dec 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters France now has identified 25 positive cases of the Omicron COVID19 virus variant of which 21 were imported from people returning from Southern Africa and four who were the result of local infection Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Monday. Veran said the Omicron variant seems much more contagious than the Delta variant. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-now-has-25-omicron-covid-variant-cases-minister-2021-12-06/ 7th Dec 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Denmarks Health Minister Magnus Heunicke on Tuesday tested positive for COVID19 and is now selfisolating in a hotel in Brussels the ministry said in a statement. Heunicke had stayed in his hotel room and not been in contact with other ministers Denmarks permanent representation in the EU told Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/danish-health-minister-isolates-brussels-hotel-after-testing-covid-19-positive-2021-12-07/ 7th Dec 2021