18th Mar 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=623 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

The Wall Street Journal As other countries have moved away from lockdowns and social distancing Beijing has touted the success of its draconian measures in keeping the number of cases low despite a mounting toll on its people and economy. However Chinese officials have scrambled to boost confidence in the Chinese economy as the more contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus has prompted a surge in cases. The costs of fighting outbreaks add to recent headwinds as Mr. Xis campaign of regulatory tightening last year has slowed economic momentum more than expected. The geopolitical crisis over the war in Ukraine and the potential costs to China of its recent alignment with Russia have also rattled investors nerves. In a Thursday meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee the Communist Partys top decisionmaking body Mr. Xi asked officials to minimize the impact on the Chinese economy and peoples lives from Covid19 control measures according to the official Xinhua News Agency. https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-president-vows-to-control-covid-outbreak-with-smallest-cost-11647523895 18th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is making a play for Australian tourists as she prepares to open the border to foreigners for the first time in more than two years. Appearing on Australian breakfast shows on Friday Ardern said New Zealanders will welcome back Australians with open arms when the border opens to them on April 13 despite the friendly rivalry between the two nations. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-17/ardern-woos-australians-as-new-zealand-welcomes-tourists-back 18th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Moderna Inc. has filed for U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance of a second Covid19 booster shot for all adults covering significantly more people than Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SEs earlier request for emergency authorization for those over 65. The application comes amid heated debate over how long vaccinations protect from infection and whether repeated shots are necessary to prevent severe disease and death. Several countries including Israel have started administering a fourth dose to adults with data showing a fivefold increase in the production of infectionfighting antibodies. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-18/moderna-requests-fda-approval-for-fourth-covid-shot-for-adults 18th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg The U.S. could soon see Covid19 cases rise again and vulnerable people are likely to need a fourth vaccine dose one of President Joe Bidens top health advisers warned as the White House calls for more money to fight the pandemic. Anthony Fauci the longtime head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a Biden adviser said U.K. officials are already warning him of an increase there driven by the BA.2 subvariant easing restrictions and waning protection from vaccines and that the U.S. tends to be a few weeks behind case curves in the U.K. We have all three of those factors right now in this country Fauci said in an interview Thursday. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-17/fauci-says-u-s-covid-cases-could-soon-rise-as-funding-runs-dry 18th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Thailand reported 27071 new Covid19 cases on Friday a record daily count ahead of a key government panel meeting to consider further easing of entry rules for vaccinated foreign visitors and lifting of some curbs on local businesses. Prime Minister Prayuth ChanOcha will chair a meeting of the Center for Covid19 Situation Administrations later Friday and is set to consider a set of recommendations from the Health Ministry to loosen Covid restrictions. The panel is also set to discuss a roadmap to classify the pandemic as endemic from July according to officials. The Southeast Asian nation battling an omicronfueled Covid wave also reported 80 new deaths the highest daily fatalities since Nov. 5 official data showed. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-18/thailand-s-covid-cases-jump-to-record-ahead-of-review-of-curbs 18th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday named public health expert Dr. Ashish Jha to replace White House COVID19 coordinator Jeff Zients who will leave his post next month as the administration prepares for new COVID19 variants and infection surges that could hit the country. Jha a highly respected internist who leads the Brown University School of Public Health takes on the role as the United States shifts to a new phase of the pandemic two years after the coronavirus upended the nation the White House said. Americans are safely moving back to more normal routines using the effective new tools we have to enable us to reduce severe COVID cases and make workplaces and schools safer Biden said in a statement. But our work in combating COVID is far from done https://www.reuters.com/world/us/white-house-covid-chief-zients-exit-be-replaced-by-jha-2022-03-17/ 18th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Germany will lift most restrictions to contain the coronavirus despite infections hitting a record in the country on Thursday. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after talks with leaders of Germanys 16 states that a record of almost 300000 infections in one day was not good news but the easing of restrictions was justified given intensive care units were not overwhelemed. As of March 20 requirements to wear a mask will be dropped in indoor places like schools and at supermarkets but will remain mandatory in medical clinics and care homes. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-lift-most-covid-restrictions-2022-03-17/ 18th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Wall Street Journal After 18 months of fierce debate a group of countries including the U.S. has reached an agreement to waive patent protections on Covid19 vaccines. Now they are racing to get other countries to support the deal at the World Trade Organization officials involved in the discussions said. The U.S. and the European Union have reached a compromise with South Africa and India that would allow developing countries to manufacture Covid19 vaccines without the permission of the holder of the intellectualproperty rights. It also would set a precedent for future pandemics. https://www.wsj.com/articles/countries-try-to-win-support-for-deal-to-waive-patent-protections-on-covid-19-vaccines-11647530740 17th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Independent More than 130 leading NHS clinicians and several medical bodies have called on the government to step up funding for the global Covid vaccine drive saying Britains failure to do so is condemning poorer nations to an ongoing pandemic. In a letter to Boris Johnson shared with The Independent they say government must play a bigger role in achieving the World Health Organisations WHO 70 per cent global vaccination target by July 2022. Key signatories include the presidents of the Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal College of GPs. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/doctors-boris-johnson-vaccines-world-countries-b2037074.html 17th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Cambodia on Thursday dispensed with a requirement for visitors from overseas to take COVID19 tests as the country moved ahead of most neighbours by relaxing most restrictions to spur more investment and tourism officials said. The Southeast Asian country has vaccinated 92.31 of its population of 16 million against the coronavirus one of the highest vaccination rates in the region official data shows https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/cambodia-drops-covid-testing-requirements-overseas-visitors-2022-03-17/ 17th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters New Zealands gross domestic product GDP returned to growth in the final quarter of 2021 as the economy emerged from COVID19 lockdowns and economists said the data supported expectations the central bank would raise interest rates further. Economic growth improved as New Zealands largest city Auckland moved out of a lengthy lockdown that had hit retail manufacturing construction and recreational activities in the prior quarter. https://www.reuters.com/business/new-zealand-returns-growth-q4-covid-restrictions-ease-2022-03-17/ 17th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters In just under two months Hong Kong went from being one of the best places in the world at controlling COVID19 to one of the worst. Deaths have skyrocketed the health system is swamped morgues are overflowing and public confidence in the city government is at an alltime low. While the government sticks to a zeroCOVID policy similar to that of mainland China city leader Carrie Lam hinted on Thursday she could ease restrictions amid concerns over the citys status as a global financial hub. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/clear-roadmap-needed-hong-kongs-revival-covid-sweeps-through-city-experts-2022-03-17/ 17th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc on Thursday filed lawsuits in Delaware federal court against Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc claiming their multibilliondollar mRNA COVID19 vaccines infringe one its patents. Alnylam said it was seeking damages over the use of lipid nanoparticle LNP technology used in the PfizerBioNTech and Moderna vaccines to carry and deliver genetic material into the body. Representatives for Pfizer and Moderna did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuits. https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/alnylam-files-patent-infringement-lawsuits-against-pfizer-moderna-2022-03-17/ 17th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday named public health expert Dr. Ashish Jha to replace White House COVID19 coordinator Jeff Zients who will leave his post next month as the administration prepares for new COVID19 variants and infection surges that could hit the country. Jha a highly respected internist who leads the Brown University School of Public Health takes on the role as the United States shifts to a new phase of the pandemic two years after the coronavirus upended the nation the White House said. Americans are safely moving back to more normal routines using the effective new tools we have to enable us to reduce severe COVID cases and make workplaces and schools safer Biden said in a statement. But our work in combating COVID is far from done https://www.reuters.com/world/us/white-house-covid-chief-zients-exit-be-replaced-by-jha-2022-03-17/ 18th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Pharmaceutical Technology Moderna has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare of Japan for delivering an additional 70 million doses of its Covid19 booster vaccine or an updated booster vaccine candidate. The modified booster vaccine candidate will be supplied on obtaining authorisation in the region. The company intends to supply the vaccine doses to Japan in the second half of this year. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/moderna-booster-vaccine-japan/ 17th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Hungary Today Hungary is donating 156000 doses of AstraZenecas coronavirus vaccine to Vietnam according to its Foreign Minister. Hungary is grateful for the medical equipment it received from Vietnam during the first wave of the pandemic he added and in the spirit of partnership Hungary freed up and sold 400000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Vietnam before donating another 100000 doses to the country. https://hungarytoday.hu/coronavirus-hungary-sending-156000-vaccines-astrazeneca-vietnam/ 17th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

The Independent Lawmakers in Germany are debating a possible COVID19 vaccine mandate as the country hit a new record for the number of newly confirmed cases Thursday. Still some government officials are championing an easing of restrictions. The countrys disease control agency reported 294931 new cases in the past 24 hours. The Robert Koch Institute said there have been a further 278 COVIDrelated deaths taking the toll since the start of the pandemic to 126420. A final decision on an initial proposal to make vaccinations compulsory for all adults in Germany isnt expected for several weeks. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/germany-ap-covid-berlin-robert-koch-institute-b2037922.html 17th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The Italian government was set to announce a twostep plan on Thursday scrapping most of its coronavirus restrictions as the country nears the end of its state of emergency. Prime Minister Mario Draghis government was to meet to approve a plan to soften the curbs a cabinet statement said. Draghi and Health Minister Roberto Speranza will hold a news conference afterwards to detail the decisions. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italy-announce-plan-scrap-covid-restrictions-2022-03-17/ 17th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters In just under two months Hong Kong went from being one of the best places in the world at controlling COVID19 to one of the worst. Deaths have skyrocketed the health system is swamped morgues are overflowing and public confidence in the city government is at an alltime low. While the government sticks to a zeroCOVID policy similar to that of mainland China city leader Carrie Lam hinted on Thursday she could ease restrictions amid concerns over the citys status as a global financial hub. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/clear-roadmap-needed-hong-kongs-revival-covid-sweeps-through-city-experts-2022-03-17/ 17th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Chinas technology hub of Shenzhen will allow firms to resume work in an orderly manner after the restriction of nonessential businesses in an effort to contain an outbreak of COVID19 a city official said Thursday. Shenzhen close to Hong Kong reported 71 new local confirmed transmissions on Wednesday up from 55 the previous day. While the outbreak is small by international standards authorities are leaving nothing to chance. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-local-covid-cases-decline-2nd-day-jilin-outbreak-grows-slower-pace-2022-03-17/ 17th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters South Korea recorded a record 621328 new daily COVID19 cases and a daily record 429 deaths authorities said on Thursday as the country which once took an aggressive antipandemic approach is set to end COVID restrictions. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency KDCA said the highly infectious Omicron variant was driving the record wave of infections and while a public survey revealed many expected to catch the virus few feared serious health consequences. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/skorea-reports-record-new-daily-covid-cases-deaths-kdca-2022-03-17/ 17th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the country to take more effective COVID19 measures and minimise the impact of the epidemic on economic development state television said on Thursday as the country battles a new wave of infections. China is fighting its biggest wave of locally transmitted COVID cases since it contained the initial outbreak centred on Wuhan in 2020. Even as much of the world has relaxed or ended coronavirus restrictions millions of people in northeastern China are under lockdown and authorities have imposed restrictions on business activities and cargo transport in major cities such as Shenzhen. https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/china-should-take-more-effective-covid-measures-minimise-economic-social-impact-2022-03-17/ 17th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Rising frustration from the public and financial institutions is driving a review of pandemic control measures in Hong Kong where a suite of stark containment measures have been in place since January to fight the citys worstever Covid19 outbreak. Chief Executive Carrie Lam pointed to the strain on residents and damage to the reputation of the once vibrant Asian financial hub for the review asking for a few more days before she unveils what could be sweeping changes to the citys approach next week. I have a very strong feeling that peoples tolerance is fading Lam told reporters at a briefing on Thursday. I have a very good feeling that some of our financial institutions are losing patience about this isolated status of Hong Kong she said. Nobody attaches as much importance as myself to Hong Kongs international status. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-17/as-banks-get-fed-up-lam-reviews-hong-kong-s-covid-policies 17th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Associated Press Companies in Shenzhen a major Chinese business center will be allowed to reopen while efforts to contain coronavirus outbreaks progress the government said Thursday following a citywide shutdown that rattled financial markets. Testing of everyone in the city of 17.5 million people is progressing smoothly said a deputy mayor Huang Qiang at a news conference. He said 71 new cases were found in the 24 hours through midnight Wednesday. Chinas case numbers in its latest wave of outbreaks in areas throughout the country are relatively low. But authorities are enforcing a zero tolerance strategy that has temporarily shut down major cities to find isolate every infected person. https://apnews.com/article/covid-business-health-china-4e726ea9334ba2a920afc2d18259f9c9 17th Mar 2022

Partisan Exits

The Wall Street Journal Jeff Zients who has led the White Houses Covid19 response for more than a year will be leaving the job in April and be replaced by Dr. Ashish Jha as the Biden administration navigates a new strategy for the next phase of the pandemic. The change in leadership underscores that the administration sees its Covid19 response as less a reaction to the virus and more of a continuing publichealth situation. Dr. Jha the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and a wellknown publichealth leader has championed many of the measures the administration has used to combat Covid19. Mr. Zients an investor and former Obama administration economic adviser was brought in to lead the White Houses pandemic response in part because of his reputation for fixing or taking on challenging situation https://www.wsj.com/articles/white-house-covid-19-response-chief-to-leave-administration-11647519695 18th Mar 2022

Partisan Exits

Evening Standard If medical teams carrying Covid19 vaccines were ever to make it to her village high in the Himalayas in Indianadministered Kashmir Safeera Begum had a plan. She would hide. The 35yearold was expecting her seventh child when Indias vaccination campaign began early last year. Misinformation and conspiracy theories echoing around the jab had made her fearful. I never wanted to get vaccinated says Begum who with no mobile connectivity or internet in her village of Dudran was cut off from reliable sources of information during the pandemic. All I had heard was that the vaccine is unsafe for young women and unmarried men she says although there is no evidence linking infertility to the Covid19 vaccine. https://www.standard.co.uk/optimist/vaccine-world/kashmir-border-frontline-healthworkers-fight-covid-vaccination-battles-b988661.html 17th Mar 2022

Continued Lockdown

Reuters Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Thursday she would review COVID restrictions in the coming days as she understands people are increasingly impatient with rules that have isolated the international financial centre and hurt business. Restrictions including a ban on flights from nine countries such as Britain and the United States a quarantine of up to 14 days for people arriving in Hong Kong a ban on facetoface classes and the closings of gyms and most public venues have frustrated many residents in the city of 7.4 million. Speaking at a regular COVID19 media briefing Lam said she would provide an update around March 2021 rather than wait for the restrictions to expire on April 20. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/hong-kong-leader-review-covid-restrictions-coming-days-2022-03-17/ 17th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

STAT Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has filed separate lawsuits alleging that Pfizer and Moderna infringed on its patents in developing their Covid19 vaccines the latest dispute over valuable intellectual property stemming from the pandemic. In each suit Alnylam claims the companies used its lipid nanoparticles technology that carries and delivers RNAbased therapies or vaccines in the body. RNA plays a key role in turning the instructions held in the DNA of a persons genome into functional proteins in cells. Both Pfizer and Moderna developed and now market mRNAbased vaccines and mRNA is a type of RNA. However mRNA is easily degraded and the lipid technology provides protection for delivery. https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2022/03/17/covid19-vaccine-patents-alnylam-pfizer-moderna/ 17th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Technology Networks In a new paper the researchers report that the vaccine which comprises fragments of the SARSCoV2 spike protein arrayed on a viruslike particle elicited a strong immune response and protected animals against viral challenge. The vaccine was designed so that it can be produced by yeast using fermentation facilities that already exist around the world. The Serum Institute of India the worlds largest manufacturer of vaccines is now producing large quantities of the vaccine and plans to run a clinical trial in Africa. Theres still a very large population that does not have access to Covid vaccines. Proteinbased subunit vaccines are a lowcost wellestablished technology that can provide a consistent supply and is accepted in many parts of the world says J. Christopher Love the Raymond A. and Helen E. St. Laurent Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT and a member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and the Ragon Institute of MGH MIT and Harvard. https://www.technologynetworks.com/vaccines/news/covid-19-vaccine-produced-in-yeast-could-increase-accessibility-359656 17th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CBC News The World Health Organization said Wednesday its evaluation of Russias Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine has been postponed for the time being due to the uneven situation. WHO vaccines expert Dr. Mariangela Simao said at a press briefing that the UN health agencys officials had originally been scheduled to visit Russia on March 7 just weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine to assess the facilities where Sputnik V is produced. These inspections were postponed for a later date Simao said. The assessment along with inspections have been affected because of the situation. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/who-russia-sputnik-covid-vaccine-evaluation-1.6386874 17th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The European Medicines Agencys EMA leading vaccine expert on Thursday said that data on COVID19 vaccines tailored for the Omicron variant should be available between April and the start of July potentially paving the way for approval this summer. Vaccine makers such as Moderna and Pfizer have begun testing COVID19 vaccines designed to target Omicron after data showing that two initial COVID19 vaccine doses provide only partial protection against the variant. Based on data for Omicronspecific vaccines the agency will decide on a timeline for the potential granting of approval. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/ema-expects-data-omicron-specific-vaccine-early-april-2022-03-17/ 17th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Jerusalem Post The fourth coronavirus vaccine has shown to offer little protection against the coronavirus a new study released by Sheba Medical Center has shown. The study published by The New England Journal of Medicine examines the efficacy of the fourth coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna. The interim results released show that the vaccine offers little to no protection against contracting the virus when compared to young and healthy individuals vaccinated with three doses. However the vaccine did prove to provide moderate protection against symptomatic infection among young and healthy individuals in comparison to those inoculated three times. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/coronavirus/article-701520 17th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

PharmaTimes The new subvariant named Deltacron combines mutations from both Omicron and Delta. The variant has been detected in multiple areas of France and cases have doubled in China and tripled in parts of Australia. In England there has been a surge in COVID19 infections with case numbers rising by 49.2 in a week. There has also been a rise of 20.9 in patients admitted to hospital for COVID19related illness in the past week. However there has also been a decrease in fatality rates of 4.4. Currently only a small number of cases of the new variant have been identified and it is not yet known what level of protection vaccines will provide against this subvariant. https://www.pharmatimes.com/news/omicron_ba.2_variant_triggers_covid-19_surge_in_england_1389089 17th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Nursing in Practice A study has found abnormal immune cells in the lungs of patients with persistent breathlessness months after a Covid19 infection. The altered immune cells in the airways are thought to cause ongoing lung damage. The research was undertaken by scientists at Imperial College London and involved people who had been previously hospitalised with Covid19. The findings published in Immunity suggest that recovery from Covid19 infection might be accelerated by treatments that dampen the immune system and reduce inflammation. Professor Pallav Shah a joint senior author of the study from Imperial College said These findings suggest that persistent breathlessness in our group of Covid19 patients is being caused by failure to turn off the immune response which leads to airway inflammation and injury. https://www.nursinginpractice.com/clinical/respiratory/altered-immune-cells-in-lungs-may-cause-breathlessness-after-covid-19/ 17th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Pharmaphorum Alnylam claims it is owed a slice of the massive revenues booked by Pfizer and Moderna for their mRNAbased COVID19 vaccines because they are both infringing patents its holds on a delivery technology. The US biotech has filed a pair of lawsuits in Delaware alleging infringement of US Patent No 11246933 which covers lipid nanoparticles LNPs made from cationic and PEG lipids that can be used to deliver active agents such as a nucleic acid. In an SEC filing Alnylam said it is seeking a judgment that Pfizer and Moderna have infringed the patent along with compensation at last equal to a reasonable royalty for the unlicensed uses made of Alnylams patented lipids by Pfizer and Moderna together with interest and costs as may be awarded by the court. https://pharmaphorum.com/news/alnylam-sues-pfizer-moderna-over-covid-19-vaccines/ 17th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The BMJ Pfizer and BioNTech have applied to the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorisation for a fourth dose of its mRNA vaccine against covid19 for adults aged 65 and older. The companies said that the additional dose reduced the rates of infection and severe illness in older adults. In a press release they said that they were seeking the new approval for adults over 65 who had received an initial booster of any of the authorised or approved covid19 vaccines. PfizerBioNTech said that the request was based on two realworld data sets from Israel analyzed at a time when the Omicron variant was widely circulating. These data showed evidence that an additional mRNA booster increases immunogenicity and lowers rates of confirmed infections and severe illness. The companies said that an analysis of Israeli Ministry of Health records was conducted on over 1.1 million adults aged 60 and over who had no known history of SARSCoV2 infection and were eligible for a fourth vaccine dose. They wrote These data showed rates of confirmed infections were two times lower and rates of severe illness were four times lower among individuals who received an additional booster dose of the PfizerBioNTech covid19 vaccine administered at least four months after an initial booster third dose compared to those who received only one booster dose. https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj.o711 17th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Thirty five generic drugmakers around the world will make cheap versions of Pfizer Incs highly effective COVID19 oral antiviral Paxlovid to supply the treatment in 95 poorer countries the U.N.backed Medicines Patent Pool MPP said on Thursday. Pfizer struck a deal last year with the group to allow generic drugmakers to make the pills for 95 low and middleincome countries. They have been working since then to select the drugmakers they will license. Paxlovid is expected to be an important tool in the fight against COVID19 after it reduced hospitalizations in highrisk patients by around 90 in a clinical trial. The results were significantly better than those for Merck Cos rival antiviral pill molnupiravir in its clinical trial. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/generic-drugmakers-sign-make-cheap-version-pfizer-covid-pill-2022-03-17/ 17th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Britains medicines regulator has approved AstraZenecas antibodybased COVID19 treatment for preventing infections in adults with poor immune response marking a major step in the fight against the pandemic as infections surge globally. The decision to grant approval for the treatment Evusheld was endorsed by the governments independent scientific advisory body Britains Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency MHRA said on Thursday. Figures showing a global rise in COVID19 cases could herald a much bigger problem the World Health Organization said this week warning nations to remain vigilant. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/uk-approves-astrazenecas-antibody-based-covid-treatment-2022-03-17/ 17th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Associated Press Nearly three dozen companies worldwide will soon start making generic versions of Pfizers coronavirus pill the U.N.backed Medicines Patent Pool that negotiated the deal said Thursday. The Medicines Patent Pool said in a statement that agreements signed with 35 companies should help make Pfizers antiviral nirmatrelvir or Paxlovoid available to more than half of the worlds population. Generic drugmakers across a dozen countries in Asia the Caribbean the Middle East and Eastern Europe will begin producing either the raw ingredients for the Pfizer drug or the pill itself. Among the companies offered a license was one in Ukraine which has not yet been able to confirm it can participate. This will make an enormous difference for countries. said Charles Gore executive director of the Medicines Patent Pool. He said the availability of the Pfizer drug in some of the worlds poorest countries is especially critical. They have been at the back of the queue for vaccines so having a treatment like this in the armory will be absolutely critical to prevent deaths. https://apnews.com/article/covid-business-health-europe-middle-east-dbe076d997dd5a690379ed0061d132a2 17th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CIDRAP A new observational followup study in six European countries published in The Lancet Public Health links severe COVID19 to longterm depression and anxiety. University of Iceland at Reykjavik researchers led the study which analyzed symptoms of depression anxiety COVIDrelated stress and poor sleep quality among 247249 adults 4 of whom were diagnosed as having COVID19 from Mar 27 2020 to Aug 13 2021. Participants who were followed up for as long as 16 months average 5.7 lived in Denmark Estonia Iceland Norway Sweden or the United Kingdom. Most severely ill COVID19 patients recuperated at home but some spent time in a hospital. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/03/severe-covid-19-tied-long-term-depression-anxiety 16th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

iNews Youd think now that theres a war on that weve had enough of pestilence. One horseman of the apocalypse at a time please. But inconsiderately it appears that Covid19 cases in the UK are on the rise again. Not anywhere near the levels of the Omicron peak two months ago when about 200000 new cases were being detected a day but we are seeing as many cases as we did during the second wave in January 2021 and numbers are still going up. Its reasonable to worry about it and we should definitely keep an eye on it. But we dont need to panic. https://inews.co.uk/news/science/covid-cases-uk-stay-vigilant-but-vaccines-mean-we-dont-need-to-panic-1521167 17th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The New York Times After dropping nearly all coronavirus restrictions last month Britain is now ending some of its most widespread testing and monitoring programs a move some scientists fear will complicate efforts to track the virus and detect worrisome new variants. Officials have largely dismissed those concerns despite a recent uptick in cases across Europe insisting that high immunization rates will help dampen future waves of disease. Based on how quickly new variants have arisen some experts suggest the next one could arrive as early as May. They warn that U.K. authorities should be using the time to prepare rather than winding down their pandemic defenses. Mark Woolhouse an epidemiologist at the University of Edinburgh called it an unfortunate pattern that has been seen repeatedly throughout the outbreak. https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2022-03-16/uk-easing-coronavirus-testing-monitoring-despite-case-uptick-scientists-worried 17th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The BMJ Coronavirus infections are surging in Hong Kong as the city has reported the highest number of covid19 deaths for population size in the world. Previously a global model for covid containment transmission of SARSCoV2 has soared as Hong Kongs zero covid strategy has failed to contain the more contagious omicron variant. The citys low vaccine coverage is also aiding transmission and leading to more fatalities said epidemiologists. Hong Kongs isolation centres hospitals and morgues are overflowing and some shops have empty shelves as residents are hoarding supplies in anticipation of a potential citywide lockdown the news agency Reuters has reported.The covid death rate in Hong Kong is now above 25 per 100000 residentshigher than in the UK last December when the omicron variant first appeared. In Hong Kongs largely unvaccinated elderly population the death rate is comparable to that in the UK during the first wave of coronavirus infections before vaccines were rolled out said Julian Tang clinical virologist at the University of Leicester UK. https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj.o707 17th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters COVID19 infections and deaths are declining in most of the Americas the Pan American Health Organization PAHO said on Wednesday with the exception of the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean Islands where cases increased by 56.6 in the past week. In Central America COVID19 deaths decreased 28 it said. The regional health agency warned however transmission is not yet under control and cases are rising again in other parts of the world such as the Western Pacific and Africa while 21 countries and territories in the Americas have yet to vaccinate half of their population. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/covid-19-retreating-americas-says-regional-health-agency-2022-03-16/ 17th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Figures showing a global rise in COVID19 cases could herald a much bigger problem as some countries also report a drop in testing rates the WHO said on Tuesday warning nations to remain vigilant against the virus. After more than a month of decline COVID cases started to increase around the world last week the WHO said with lockdowns in Asia and Chinas Jilin province battling to contain an outbreak. A combination of factors was causing the increases including the highly transmissible Omicron variant and its BA.2 sublineage and the lifting of public health and social measures the WHO said. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-says-global-rise-covid-cases-is-tip-iceberg-2022-03-16/ 17th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg South Korea has reached two seemingly contradictory pandemic milestones It recorded more than 600000 new Covid19 infections on Thursday the most of anywhere in the world. At the same time the country has one of the lowest virus death rates globally. While anywhere else an infection surge of this size would signal an outofcontrol outbreak soon to be followed by a spike in fatalities in South Korea which is about the size of Indiana the picture is more complex. The skyhigh caseload reflects the nations consistent deployment of mass testing largely abandoned by many places as Covid becomes endemic but a key reason behind Koreas sliding death rate according to its virus fighters. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-17/how-south-korea-is-beating-covid-despite-600-000-new-cases-a-day 17th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Associated Press Officials in South Korea tried to calm public fears amid concerns about a faltering pandemic response as daily cases and deaths reached record highs Thursday. The 429 deaths reported in the latest 24 hours were nearly 140 more than the previous oneday record set on Tuesday. Fatalities may further rise in coming weeks considering the intervals between infections hospitalizations and deaths. The 621266 new coronavirus cases diagnosed by health workers were also a record daily jump shattering Wednesdays previous high of 400624. That pushed the national caseload to over 8.2 million with more than 7.4 million cases added since the start of February. https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-south-korea-69167a1d864ba7aec5553e3f8181a509 17th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

CIDRAP After 5 weeks of declining cases global COVID19 cases rose last week fueled by increasing cases in three regions the World Health Organization WHO said yesterday in its latest weekly update. In the United States levels of the more transmissible BA.2 subvariant showed more signs of rising as the country grapples with funding the ongoing pandemic response. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/03/global-covid-cases-rising-again 16th Mar 2022