24th Feb 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=607 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Finlands government has been working arduously to stem the countrys rapid population decline. Since the 2019 elections a cabinet run by a millennial woman has produced eight offspring with two more on the way. Regular Finns have joined in the baby making The number of live births jumped 6.7 last year the most in nearly five decades. Other nations on Europes northern rim have experienced their own pandemic baby bumps making the region of 28 million people an outlier among advanced economies several of which have seen fertility rates drop to historic lows. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-23/northern-european-pandemic-baby-bump-shows-benefits-of-social-welfare-model 23rd Feb 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Article reports that Britain is in the midst of its most challenging period for monetary policy since it started to target inflation 30 years ago Bank of England Deputy Governor Ben Broadbent said. In an annual report to parliament Broadbent said there was no guarantee that the inflationary impact of rising import prices would fade quickly adding that ratesetters would monitor domestic cost pressures carefully. He said it remained to be seen what that meant for policy decisions. This is the most challenging period for monetary policy since inflation targeting began in 1992 he wrote. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-most-challenging-time-monetary-policy-since-1992-boes-broadbent-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review. Coronavirus infection raises risk of mental health issues Psychological stress from the pandemic may be widespread but those who have had COVID19 are at much higher risk for new mental health problems than individuals who have managed to avoid the virus according to a new study. Researchers compared nearly 154000 people who survived at least a month after a SARSCoV2 diagnosis to more than 5.6 million peers without prior COVID infections. Over the course of one year infection survivors were at 35 higher risk of new anxiety disorders 39 higher risk for new depressive disorders 55 higher risk for new use of antidepressants 34 higher risk for a new opioid use disorder and 20 higher risk for a new nonopioid substance use disorder https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/covid-raises-risk-mental-health-problems-new-omicron-version-not-making-people-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Lockdown Exit

iNews Wearing a face mask in shops on public transport and in other shared indoor spaces in Scotland will no longer be a legal requirement after 21 March. All other legal restrictions designed to protect the public from Covid will also be scrapped from that date with a greater emphasis placed on individual responsibility. Scotlands vaccine passport scheme which was previously used to gain entry to nightclubs and big sporting events will also be scrapped from Monday 28 February. https://inews.co.uk/news/scotland/scotland-covid-restrictions-face-mask-rules-vaccine-passports-tests-free-nicola-sturgeon-announcement-1475682 23rd Feb 2022

Lockdown Exit

Sky News Face coverings will no longer be required on Transport of London TfL services including the Underground from tomorrow. They had been a condition of carriage but now they will only be strongly recommended for customers and staff according to TfL. TfL said it considered a variety of factors including the shift in the governments approach towards living with the virus and decreasing infection rates in London. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-face-masks-scrapped-on-london-underground-from-tomorrow-12549431 23rd Feb 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Slovakia will lift most COVID19 restrictions over the next month beginning with loosening measures for the unvaccinated before cancelling crowd limits in a later phase according to plans approved by the government on Wednesday. The first phase of the loosening will begin on Feb. 26 material on the governments website showed. A second phase will follow on March 26 to end limits on crowds and opening hours. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/slovakia-lift-most-covid-restrictions-over-coming-month-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Poland will remove most COVID19 restrictions from March 1 while keeping the obligation to wear face masks in enclosed public spaces Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday. After medical consultations and watching whats happening in other countries we can introduce farreaching changes in our restrictions policy. We can remove restrictions that have been with us for many months Morawiecki told reporters. While face masks will remain compulsory in public spaces including shops and transportation limits on the number of people visiting stores restaurants and cultural venues will be removed. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/polish-prime-minister-says-poland-will-remove-most-covid-curbs-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Iceland will lift all remaining COVID19 restrictions on Friday including a 200person indoor gathering limit and restricted opening hours for bars the Ministry of Health said on Wednesday. Widespread societal resistance to COVID19 is the main route out of the epidemic the ministry said in a statement citing infectious disease authorities. To achieve this as many people as possible need to be infected with the virus as the vaccines are not enough even though they provide good protection against serious illness it added. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/iceland-lift-all-covid-19-restrictions-friday-media-reports-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters European Union countries agreed on Tuesday to open their borders to travellers from outside the bloc who have had shots against COVID19 authorised by the World Health Organization easing restrictions on those who received Indian and Chinese vaccines. The EU has so far authorised vaccines produced by PfizerBionTech Moderna AstraZeneca when produced in Europe Johnson Johnson and Novavax. In addition to these shots the WHO has also approved the vaccines produced by Chinese makers Sinopharm and Sinovac and by Indian company Bharat Biotech https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/eu-countries-agree-admit-travellers-vaccinated-with-who-approved-shots-2022-02-22/ 23rd Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Hong Kong will offer tax breaks handouts and subsidies to small businesses and residents to mitigate the impact of the most stringent social restrictions imposed in the city to curb the spread of COVID19 Finance Secretary Paul Chan said. The 202223 budget proposals were announced as hundreds of bars restaurants and small retailers warned they were months away from closure and shopping malls were deserted while the city endured its worst COVID19 outbreak so far. Hong Kong is currently experiencing its hardest time in the fight against the epidemic and we are facing enormous challenges Chan told legislators via videoconference on Wednesday. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/hong-kong-budget-proposals-offer-covid-relief-with-tax-breaks-handouts-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Poland will remove most COVID19 restrictions from March 1 while keeping the obligation to wear face masks in enclosed public spaces Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/polish-prime-minister-says-poland-will-remove-most-covid-curbs-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

The Washington Post A World Health Organization official on Tuesday expressed concern about reduced testing and surveillance of the coronavirus in countries around the world saying monitoring remains critical. We need to be strategic about this but we cannot abandon it said WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove during an online questionandanswer session. And what we do not want to see is the dismantling of these surveillance systems that have been put in place for covid19. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/02/22/covid-omicron-variant-live-updates/ 23rd Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

The Independent North Korea should be provided at least 60 million doses of Covid19 vaccines and the international community should come together to chart out a strategy for this an independent UN human rights investigator has said. It is imperative that the population of North Korea start to be vaccinated so that the government will have no excuse to maintain the closing of the borders Tomas Ojea Quintana a UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea said on Wednesday. https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/east-asia/north-korea-covid-vaccines-unhrc-b2021245.html 23rd Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The delivery process for the Novavax COVID19 vaccine is underway and the first contingents will arrive in individual Germany states later this week a health ministry spokesperson told a regular news conference on Wednesday. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/germany-expects-deliveries-novavax-covid-vaccine-later-this-week-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Hong Kong will offer tax breaks handouts and subsidies to small businesses and residents to mitigate the impact of the most stringent social restrictions imposed in the city to curb the spread of COVID19 Finance Secretary Paul Chan said. The 202223 budget proposals were announced as hundreds of bars restaurants and small retailers warned they were months away from closure and shopping malls were deserted while the city endured its worst COVID19 outbreak so far. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/hong-kong-budget-proposals-offer-covid-relief-with-tax-breaks-handouts-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Cambodia started vaccinating children as young as three against COVID19 on Wednesday becoming one of the first countries to cover the age group of those below five. The Southeast Asian nation has vaccinated more than 90 of its population of 16 million for one of the highest rates in the region official data show. In January it started rolling out a fourth dose for highrisk groups. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/cambodia-vaccinates-children-aged-three-five-against-covid-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Romania will donate 1.1 million AstraZeneca COVID19 vaccines to Pakistan Bangladesh Algeria and Libya the health ministry said on Wednesday. Romania is the European Unions secondleast vaccinated country after Bulgaria with roughly 42 of the population fully inoculated reflecting mistrust in state institutions and poor vaccine education. With supplies far outstripping demand for COVID19 shots the Bucharest government has sold or donated excess shots before their expiry date. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/romania-donate-11-million-astrazeneca-covid-vaccines-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Hong Kongs biggest property developer offered to make land and commercial properties available to the government to help contain the citys Covid19 outbreak. Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. will provide two land plots in the New Territories for use as temporary isolation and treatment facilities the company said in an emailed statement late Tuesday. One of the sites is coowned by Henderson Land Development Co. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-23/hong-kong-s-biggest-developer-offers-land-for-covid-isolation 23rd Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

The Wall Street Journal Sanofi SA and GlaxoSmithKline GSK PLC said they would seek authorization for their Covid19 vaccine a sign that pharmaceutical companies still see an opportunity for new shots despite ebbing demand in the West. While vaccine uptake across the West has slowed significantly after a big push by governments to inoculate their populations some companies say new vaccines could be used as boosters or in low and middleincome countries. Novavax Inc. another latecomer recently sought emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its shot which has already been authorized in the European Union. Sanofi and Glaxo said Wednesday that their shot was 100 effective at preventing severe disease and 75 effective against moderatetosevere illness. The shot was 57.9 effective at preventing any symptomatic disease a result the companies said was in line with expected vaccine effectiveness in the current environment where variants have blunted the protection afforded by shots. In a separate trial the shot was shown to increase antibody levels by 18 to 30 times when given as a booster following a primary series of the alreadyauthorized mRNA and adenovirus vaccines. https://www.wsj.com/articles/sanofi-glaxo-seek-covid-19-vaccine-approval-in-crowded-market-11645627003 23rd Feb 2022

Partisan Exits

Bloomberg Thousands of protesters took to the streets in the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica demanding early elections as they rallied against President Milo Djukanovic and denounced a plan for a minority government that would bolster his partys influence. Infighting among fractured political groups brought down Premier Zdravko Krivokapics cabinet on Feb. 4 a year after a historic power shift that ended decadeslong dominance over the Balkan state by Djukanovics Democratic Party of Socialists. The presidents party is now supporting efforts to form a minority cabinet. People have to give their say in a vote before any new government is formed said Aleksa Becic who was ousted as parliament speaker told the crowd on Wednesday state broadcaster RTCG reported. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-23/montenegro-protesters-demand-snap-ballot-plan-to-block-roads 23rd Feb 2022

Partisan Exits

Bloomberg The Pentagon is making as many as 700 National Guard troops available to Washington law enforcement to keep traffic flowing if a threatened protest convoy of trucks clogs the already congested Beltway in coming days. Social media users opposed to vaccine mandates have posted frequently about the socalled Peoples Convoy inspired by recent protests in Canada. But there is no official organization sponsoring it and the viability of an 11 day crosscountry convoy is unclear and proposals for it have varied. The most prevalent suggests it would arrive near the nations capital March 5. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-23/national-guard-to-bolster-cops-as-washington-convoy-buzz-builds 23rd Feb 2022

Partisan Exits

Bloomberg Finlands government has been working arduously to stem the countrys rapid population decline. Since the 2019 elections a cabinet run by a millennial woman has produced eight offspring with two more on the way. Regular Finns have joined in the baby making The number of live births jumped 6.7 last year the most in nearly five decades. Other nations on Europes northern rim have experienced their own pandemic baby bumps making the region of 28 million people an outlier among advanced economies several of which have seen fertility rates drop to historic lows. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-23/northern-european-pandemic-baby-bump-shows-benefits-of-social-welfare-model 23rd Feb 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters A group of American truckers began a crosscountry drive from California to Washington on Wednesday to protest coronavirus restrictions taking a cue from demonstrations that paralyzed Canadas capital city Ottawa for weeks. More than two dozen 18wheeler trucks along with some 50 pickups and recreational vehicles left Adelanto California about 80 miles 130 km northeast of Los Angeles. The selfstyled Peoples Convoy is beginning an 11day trek to the Beltway a major highway encircling the U.S. capital to demand an end to COVID19 vaccine and mask requirements. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-truckers-plan-pandemic-protest-inspired-by-canadian-counterparts-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters Taking a cue from demonstrations that paralyzed Canadas capital city Ottawa for weeks U.S. truckers on Wednesday plan to embark on a 2500mile 4000km crosscountry drive toward Washington to protest coronavirus restrictions. Organizers of the Peoples Convoy say they want to jumpstart the economy and reopen the country. Their 11day trek will approach the Beltway around the U.S. capital on March 5 but will not be going into D.C. proper according to a statement. The Pentagon said on Tuesday it had approved 400 National Guard troops from the District of Columbia who would not carry weapons to help at traffic posts from Saturday through March 7. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-truckers-plan-pandemic-protest-inspired-by-canadian-counterparts-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters About 1000 Bulgarian demonstrators gathered in downtown Sofia on Wednesday to protest against curbs imposed to combat COVID19 and rampant inflation at a rally organised by the opposition ultranationalist Revival party. Holding banners reading I want a normal life and COVID is a tyranny not a pandemic the demonstrators booed as Prime Minister Kiril Petkov addressed them. Bulgaria where scepticism about vaccines and entrenched distrust of government institutions has meant fewer than one in three adults are inoculated against the coronavirus has seen infections drop in recent weeks after they peaked at the end of January prompting the government to start easing restrictions. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/weary-promises-bulgarians-protest-against-covid-curbs-inflation-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Extending the interval between the first two doses of the most widely used COVID19 vaccines in the country to eight weeks for young men can reduce the rare risk of heart inflammation U.S. health officials said. The side effect which has been linked to both Pfizer and Modernas COVID19 vaccines is higher in 12 to 39yearold men and therefore the eightweek interval could be optimal for some people aged 12 years and older the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday. The recommended interval between the first two shots will remain three weeks for Pfizers vaccine and four weeks for Modernas vaccine in other population groups the CDC said. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/covid-19-shot-interval-can-be-extended-8-weeks-some-us-cdc-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Washington Post While coronavirus shots still provided protection during the omicron wave the shield of coverage they offered was weaker than during other surges according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The change resulted in much higher rates of infection hospitalization and death for fully vaccinated adults and even for people who had received boosters. The decline in protection continued a pattern driven by coronavirus vaccines reduced effectiveness over time combined with the increasing contagiousness of the delta and omicron waves. Before delta struck the United States in July there were five to 10 cases of covid19 for every 100000 fully vaccinated adults each week while the rate for unvaccinated people was 50 to 90 cases. In the delta wave unvaccinated people were five times as likely to get infected as vaccinated people. With omicron that difference dropped to less than three times as likely. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/interactive/2022/vaccine-protection-was-much-weaker-against-omicron-cdc-data-shows/ 23rd Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Wall Street Journal Sanofi SA and GlaxoSmithKline PLC said they would seek authorization for their Covid19 vaccine a sign that pharmaceutical companies still see an opportunity for new shots despite ebbing demand in the West. While vaccine uptake across the West has slowed significantly after a big push by governments to inoculate their populations some companies say new vaccines could be used as boosters or in low and middleincome countries. Novavax Inc. another latecomer recently sought emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its shot which has already been authorized in the European Union. Sanofi and Glaxo said Wednesday that their shot was 100 effective at preventing severe disease and 75 effective against moderatetosevere illness. The shot was 57.9 effective at preventing any symptomatic disease a result the companies said was in line with expected vaccine effectiveness in the current environment where variants have blunted the protection afforded by shots. https://www.wsj.com/articles/sanofi-glaxo-seek-covid-19-vaccine-approval-in-crowded-market-11645627003 23rd Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

iNews One in three young people said their mental health and wellbeing improved during lockdown measures. Getting more sleep and exercise and avoiding bullying were among the reasons. More than 17000 UK school students took part in a study during the last two months of the first national lockdown answering questions about their experiences of the pandemic school home life and relationships among others. https://inews.co.uk/news/health/mental-health-improved-1-in-3-children-during-covid-19-lockdown-1476103 23rd Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CNN As the Covid19 pandemic enters its third year scientists are finding that the coronavirus has farreaching effects on health beyond the acute phase of illness. One recent study has found that people with Covid19 are at an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases for at least a year after recovery. The study published this month in the journal Nature Medicine used data from US Department of Veterans Affairs national health care databases to follow over 153000 veterans with a history of Covid19 infection for up to a year after their recovery. Compared with those who were never infected people who had a coronavirus infection were more likely to have symptoms including inflammatory heart disease heart failure dysrhythmia heart attacks strokes and clotting in the long term. https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/22/health/covid-cardiovascular-complications/index.html 23rd Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Medical News Today A study tracking COVID19 survivors found them more likely to develop mental health issues than other people over the year following diagnosis. The researchers saw an increased risk even for those whose COVID19 was mild enough that they did not require hospitalization. Conditions the researchers investigated included anxiety depression opioid use and cognitive decline. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/covid-19-survivors-increased-risk-of-mental-health-issues 23rd Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Independent COVID19 vaccines are unlikely to trigger a rare inflammatory condition linked to coronavirus infection in children according to an analysis of U.S. government data published Tuesday. The condition formally known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children involves fever plus symptoms affecting at least two organs and often includes stomach pain skin rash or bloodshot eyes. Its a rare complication in kids who have had COVID19 and very rarely affects adults. The condition often leads to hospitalization but most patients recover. First reported in the United Kingdom in early 2020 it is sometimes mistaken for Kawasaki disease which can cause swelling and heart problems. Since February 2020 more than 6800 cases have been reported in the U.S. according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/covid-vaccine-moderna-united-kingdom-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-b2021028.html 23rd Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The World Health Organization said on Wednesday it has set up a hub in South Korea to train low and middleincome countries to produce their own vaccines and therapies and is expanding its COVID19 vaccine project to a further five nations. The new training hub comes after the U.N. agency set up a technology transfer hub in Cape Town South Africa last year to give companies from poor and middleincome countries the knowhow to produce COVID19 vaccines based on mRNA technology. The new hub outside Seoul will provide workforce training to all countries wishing to produce products such as vaccines insulin monoclonal antibodies WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press briefing. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-plans-second-hub-training-countries-make-covid-vaccines-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Moderna Inc has entered into a longterm agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific for the manufacturing of its COVID19 vaccine and other experimental medicines based on mRNA technology the companies said on Wednesday. Thermo Fisher had already partnered with Moderna last year to help scale up production of its COVID vaccine branded as Spikevax. As a part of the 15year expanded deal Thermo Fisher would provide dedicated manufacturing capacity in the United States for fillfinish services as well as labeling and packaging services for Spikevax and other mRNA drugs in Modernas pipeline. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/moderna-thermo-fisher-partner-manufacture-covid-vaccine-other-drugs-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters French drugmaker Sanofi and its British partner GlaxoSmithKline are seeking regulatory approval for their COVID19 vaccine to be used as a booster as well as a standalone twodose shot after several setbacks. The companies said on Wednesday they intended to submit data to regulators from a latestage trial of the vaccine and another testing it as a booster with full results for both studies expected to be published later this year. Sanofi is hoping for a comeback after falling behind in the race for COVID19 shots while GSK the worlds biggest vaccine maker by sales has not developed its own candidate and is instead supplying its adjuvant technology to developers. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/sanofi-gsk-seek-covid-19-vaccine-candidate-approval-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The global project to share COVID19 vaccines is struggling to place more than 300 million doses in the latest sign the problem with vaccinating the world is now more about demand than supply. Last year wealthy nations snapped most of the available shots to inoculate their own citizens first meaning less than a third of people in lowincome countries have been vaccinated so far compared with more than 70 in richer nations. As supply and donations have ramped up however poorer nations are facing hurdles such as gaps in coldchain shortage vaccine hesitancy and a lack of money to support distribution networks public health officials told Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/covax-vaccine-supply-outstrips-demand-first-time-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The World Health Organization has signed a contract with Deutsche Telekom subsidiary TSystems to build a software solution for global electronic verification of coronavirus vaccination certificates the telecoms company said. The QR codebased software solution will be used for other vaccinations as well such as polio or yellow fever TSystems said in a statement on Wednesday adding that the WHO would support its 194 member states in building national and regional verification technology. The financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Health is a strategic growth area for TSystems said TSystems Chief Executive Officer Adel AlSaleh. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/deutsche-telekom-build-global-covid-vaccine-verification-app-who-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters A large study into rare blood clots linked with AstraZenecas COVID19 vaccine found between just one and three cases per million and only after the first dose shedding fresh light on the sideeffects from the shot. Researchers have sought to analyse any link between COVID19 vaccines and rare blood clots in the brain arteries or veins sometimes accompanied by low platelets reports of which led many nations last year to pause use of the AstraZeneca shot which was developed with Oxford University. A study published in the PLOS Medicine journal on Tuesday looked at health records of 46 million adults in England between December 2020 and March 2021 to assess the risk of clots in the month after vaccination with either the PfizerBioNTech vaccine or AstraZenecaOxford shot compared with the unvaccinated. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/very-small-blood-clot-risk-after-first-astrazeneca-covid-shot-uk-studies-2022-02-22/ 23rd Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Associated Press Is omicron leading us closer to herd immunity against COVID19 Experts say its not likely that the highly transmissible variant or any other variant will lead to herd immunity. Herd immunity is an elusive concept and doesnt apply to coronavirus says Dr. Don Milton at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. Herd immunity is when enough of a population is immune to a virus that its hard for the germ to spread to those who arent protected by vaccination or a prior infection. For example herd immunity against measles requires about 95 of a community to be immune. Early hopes of herd immunity against the coronavirus faded for several reasons. One is that antibodies developed from available vaccines or previous infection dwindle with time. While vaccines offer strong protection against severe illness waning antibodies mean its still possible to get infected even for those who are boosted. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-lifestyle-public-health-c64f8ba0e7885e4686e13a4d76ff49b9 23rd Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CIDRAP Three doses of the Moderna mRNA COVID19 vaccine were more effective against infection with the SARSCoV2 Delta variant than against Omicron but were highly protective against hospitalization with either subtype according to a study yesterday in Nature Medicine. A team led by Kaiser Permanente Southern California researchers conducted a testnegative casecontrol study among 26683 COVID19 cases caused by the Delta or Omicron variants in December 2021. Of all cases 16 were Delta and 84 were Omicron. The incidence of Omicron infections in Southern California increased from 1.2 to 94.1 from Dec 6 to 31. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/02/3-covid-vaccine-doses-99-effective-against-omicron-delta-hospitalization 23rd Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechs COVID19 antibody treatment should not be used in places with circulation of variants that are not susceptible to the drug. Vir has said the drug sotrovimab retains neutralizing activity against the emerging BA.2 form of the Omicron coronavirus variant. However other recent research suggests that the variant showed resistance to nearly all of the monoclonal antibodies they tested including sotrovimab. The GSKVir drug is one of the few COVID19 treatments shown to have worked against the original Omicron variant spurring demand. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-fda-limits-use-glaxosmithkline-vir-covid-19-drug-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Independent There have been more than 6200 Covid19 related deaths in Ireland over the last two years new figures show. Based on mortality data reported to the Department of Health more than 1000 of those deaths occurred in the first four weeks of 2021 according to the Central Statistics Office CSO. The CSO published a series of figures showing the impact of coronavirus on Ireland from the date of the first confirmed case on February 29 2020. The CSO said Covid has affected every aspect of life in Ireland and the ripple effect of the virus is still being felt and measured two years on. A spokeswoman said the impact of the pandemic on Irelands society will be felt for years to come. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/department-of-health-people-men-government-covid-b2021423.html 23rd Feb 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Wall Street Journal A more infectious type of the Omicron variant has surged to account for more than a third of global Covid19 cases sequenced recently adding to the debate about whether countries are ready for full reopening. Health authorities are examining whether the subvariant of Omicron known as BA.2 could extend the length of Covid19 waves that have peaked recently in Europe Japan and some other places. Were looking not only at how quickly those peaks go up but how they come down World Health Organization epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove said. And as the decline in cases occurswe also need to look at Is there a slowing of that decline Or will we start to see an increase again https://www.wsj.com/articles/fast-spreading-covid-19-omicron-type-revives-questions-about-opening-up-11645616471 23rd Feb 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Hong Kong reported a record 8674 new COVID19 infections on Wednesday as authorities announced the toughest social restrictions since the pandemic began to combat the surge and as the city prepares for compulsory testing of residents. From Thursday residents will have to show their vaccine record to access venues including supermarkets malls and restaurants wear masks for all outdoor exercise and they will not be allowed to remove masks to eat or drink on public transport. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/hong-kong-covid-cases-hit-record-compulsory-testing-looms-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Singapores health ministry reported a record 26032 COVID19 infections on Tuesday and said it may take a few weeks before the current transmission wave peaks and subsides. While the number of patients needing oxygen supplementation and intensive care unit ICU care is not high there is a surge in demand for hospital beds mostly for patients with underlying chronic illnesses to recover the health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday evening. It reiterated that people with mild or no symptoms who had tested positive should consider selfrecovery at home to reduce the pressure on healthcare workers. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/singapores-daily-covid-19-cases-hit-record-more-than-26000-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Beijing reported on Wednesday the highest number of daily local COVID19 cases since late January less than two weeks before the opening of Chinas annual parliamentary meeting in the capital on March 5. The city of Beijing detected 10 domestically transmitted COVID19 cases with confirmed symptoms for Tuesday data from the National Health Commission NHC showed on Wednesday. That marks the highest daily count for Beijing since Jan. 29. Despite the tiny case load by global standard the city in line with Chinas dynamiczero strategy against the virus has sealed up some buildings where cases and their close contacts lived https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinese-capital-beijing-finds-most-daily-local-covid-cases-nearly-month-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters South Koreas prime minister on Wednesday called on people not to panic about a major increase in coronavirus infections as new daily cases surged past 170000 for the first time. Serious cases and deaths are at manageable levels despite record cases caused by the highly infectious Omicron variant Prime Minister Kim Bookyum told a pandemic response meeting. Although our awareness and implementation of antiCOVID rules should not be loosened there is no reason at all to fear or panic about the numbers of new cases as in the past he said according to a transcript. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/skorea-prime-minister-calls-calm-covid-cases-hit-new-record-2022-02-23/ 23rd Feb 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg Omicron is ripping through cargo ships raising concerns that a surge in cases coupled with Chinas tightened quarantine requirements for vessels could delay supply chain stabilization for the shipping industry. Covid outbreaks are hitting ships globally with cases increasing exponentially said Francesco Gargiulo CEO of the International Maritime Employers Council Ltd. which represents shipping companies. AngloEastern Univan Group which has an active crew of about 16000 is seeing infections on five to seven vessels a month compared with only one or two a month last year the company said. Meanwhile Wilhelmsen Ship Management Ltd. has had infections on four of its ships since January after less than a dozen vessels were struck with Covid in all of 2021 said Carl Schou chief executive officer at the ship manager. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-23/omicron-ripping-through-cargo-ships-may-exacerbate-shipping-woes?srnd=premium-europe 23rd Feb 2022