30th Mar 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=631 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Reuters British police said on Tuesday that 20 fines would be issued over gatherings in Boris Johnsons offices and residence that broke coronavirus lockdown rules sparking fresh calls for the prime minister to resign. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-police-issue-first-20-fines-over-lockdown-gatherings-downing-street-2022-03-29/ 29th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters U.S. health officials on Tuesday authorized a second COVID19 booster dose of the two most commonly used COVID19 vaccines for people age 50 and older citing data showing waning immunity and the risks posed by Omicron variants of the virus. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration agency said the new boosters a fourth round of shots for most vaccine recipients of the Pfizer IncBioNTech SE and Moderna Inc vaccines are to be administered at least four months after the previous dose. They are intended to offer more protection against severe disease and hospitalization. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fda-green-lights-second-booster-pfizerbiontech-moderna-covid-shot-older-2022-03-29/ 29th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg After racing to build capacity and meet once seemingly insatiable orders for Covid19 shots the global vaccine industry is facing waning demand as many latetomarket producers fight over a slowing market. The trend is poised to rein in the blockbuster sales that global pharmaceutical giants from Pfizer Inc. to AstraZeneca Plc saw at the peak of the pandemic. It also stands to create new problems for local manufacturers from India to Indonesia that built mammoth capacity to make shots but are now grappling with excess supply. Even as boosters are likely to keep demand alive for Covid inoculations worldwide the desperate shortages that existed for much of last year have waned. Instead in a dramatic reversal the possibility of a global glut is now looking more likely. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-28/world-moves-from-shortages-to-possible-glut-of-covid-19-vaccines 29th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian Despite the dedication of a team of volunteers who continue to touch up the red hearts and the messages in black pen the Covid memorial wall is yet to be granted a permanent status and could still be removed. On Tuesday bereaved families and supporters will be handing a petition with more than 106000 signatures and counting to 10 Downing Street calling for the memorial wall to be made permanent. The day will include a silent procession along the length of the wall as well as a candlelit vigil in the evening. Boris Johnson promised a commission on Covid commemoration in May last year but nothing further has been done and the prime minister has refused to commit to making the wall permanent. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/29/national-covid-memorial-wall-future-one-year-on 29th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC and State Department eased government COVID19 travel ratings for India and some other countries on Monday. The CDC said had changed its COVID19 travel recommendation for India to Level 1 Low from Level 3 High which urges unvaccinated Americans to avoid travel to those locations. The CDC also lowered Chad Guinea and Namibia to Level 1. The State Department on Monday lowered its travel advisory for India to Level 2 Exercise Increased Caution reflecting the lower COVID19 risk but also cited the risk of crime and terrorism. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-eases-covid-19-travel-advisory-india-2022-03-28/ 29th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

MSN.com The Biden administration will offer Covid19 vaccines to migrants taken into custody at the USMexico border according to two sources familiar with the planning and confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security as officials prepare for an influx of migrants. The plan which had earlier been a source of tension at the White House could extend to thousands of migrants encountered at the US southern border. The Department of Homeland Security will be able to initially provide up to 2700 vaccines per day it said in a notice to Congress obtained by CNN increasing to 6000 daily by the end of May. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/biden-administration-to-offer-covid-19-vaccines-to-migrants/ar-AAVBiSG 29th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Moderna Inc.s coronavirus vaccine will be offered as a booster to some South African health workers who received either one or two shots of Johnson Johnsons inoculation as part of a vaccine trial involving almost half a million people. The Moderna shot will be offered to 10000 health workers in a trial known as Sherpa that is likely to start in the second half of April Glenda Gray the colead of JJs vaccine trials in South Africa and president of the South African Medical Research Council. The aim of the study which will target participants in the earlier Sisonke trial is to compare how well the Moderna shot works in comparison to Pfizer Inc.s shot as a boost Gray said in an interview on Monday. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-28/moderna-booster-shot-to-be-offered-to-south-african-health-staff 29th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Financial Times Chinas patchy vaccination campaign has left half of its elderly population exposed to a higher risk of severe Covid19 just as the country tackles surging outbreaks of the infectious Omicron variant in Shanghai and other regions. Shanghai on Monday began a twophase lockdown of all 26mn of its residents to combat a wave of largely asymptomatic cases that have been rapidly multiplying in the community. https://www.ft.com/content/a0dd80f7-3dda-4ea2-bfc2-480c5f10ef06 29th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

The Irish News The Covid19 spring booster vaccination is to begin in Northern Ireland in the coming days. People aged 75 years and over residents in care homes for older people and those aged 12 years and over with weakened immune systems will be offered a booster dose of the Covid19 vaccine. The Public Health Agency PHA said the spring booster should be offered around six months after an individual received their first booster dose. The agency is now urging those eligible to book an appointment https://www.irishnews.com/coronavirus/2022/03/30/news/covid-19-spring-booster-vaccination-to-begin-in-ni-in-coming-days-2627957/ 29th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

The BMJ Two years into the pandemic 34.7 of the worlds population have not had a single dose of vaccine. For vulnerable groups such as refugees and internally displaced persons85 of whom are hosted in low and middle income countriesthe disparity in comparison with the citizens of the countries they live in is stark. India for example has 500 million unvaccinated people one of the worlds highest numbers. Many of these unvaccinated people are the nations most marginalised 57 of the eligible population are fully vaccinated. https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj.o703 29th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Germanys health minister said on Tuesday he would urge the European Union to back a fourth COVID19 shot for people over the age of 60 years to boost immunity in the absence of vaccines that specifically protect against the Omicron variant. Pointing to data from Israel minister Karl Lauterbach said a recommendation was urgently necessary to reduce the risk of death from an infection and that he would raise the issue at a meeting of health ministers in Brussels. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/german-health-minister-wants-eu-recommend-fourth-covid-shot-2022-03-29/ 29th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Canada Brazilian health regulator Anvisa recommended that COVID19 travel restrictions be eased due to a drop in cases and deaths requiring only full vaccination and doing away with quarantine for unvaccinated travelers. People entering the country who have not been vaccinated will still need to show proof of a negative COVID19 test result but quarantining will be eliminated immediately. Travelers health declarations used for tracing COVID cases will no longer be required with immediate effect while testing for vaccinated travelers will be suspended from May 1 Anvisa said. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazil-health-regulator-says-time-ease-covid-travel-restrictions-2022-03-29/ 29th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he did not agree with a planned intellectual property waiver for COVID19 vaccines as patents are a crucial way of encouraging companies to continue pushing ahead with new research. The waiver drafted by the United States European Union India and South Africa earlier in March would need formal approval from the WTOs 164 member countries including Germany before being adopted https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-speaks-out-against-covid-19-vaccine-patent-waiver-2022-03-28/ 29th Mar 2022

Partisan Exits

Kathimerini English Edition A professor of clinical pharmacology and a vocal critic of coronavirus containment measures went on trial in the northern port city of Thessaloniki on Tuesday for disseminating misinformation regarding the Covid19 vaccine. Aristotle Universitys Dimitris Kouvelas was put under investigation and indicted last year after making claims online indicating that a prominent government officials health problems were a result of his being vaccinated against SARSCoV2. In these claims Kouvelas said that former deputy civil protection minister and one of the top government officials in the fight against the pandemic Nikos Hardalias should take the National Organization for Medicines EOF to task for approving the coronavirus vaccine which he indicated contributed to the heart attack he suffered in August 2021. The academic who has gained widespread popularity among antivaxxers for his outspoken and often vulgar criticism of Covid restrictions and vaccine mandates was indicted under new legislation aimed at stemming the dissemination of fake news. https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1180898/academic-on-trial-for-spreading-misinformation-on-covid-vaccines/ 29th Mar 2022

Partisan Exits

News-Medical.Net Vaccine hesitancy can be affected by several factors such as lack of confidence in health authorities and experts who have developed the vaccine constraints complacency the degree to which the personal costs and benefits of the vaccine are weighted lack of compliance lack of collective responsibility and fake news regarding vaccines. However informing people about community immunity has occasionally been shown to increase intentions for vaccination. Thus using novel technologies that can help people understand the benefit of vaccination as well as the impact of vaccination on other vulnerable individuals can assist in reducing vaccine hesitancy. A new Scientific Reports study investigates whether intention for vaccination is increased by a gamified immersive virtual reality VR experience that shows how community immunity works. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220328/Virtual-reality-helps-reduce-COVID-19-vaccine-hesitancy.aspx 29th Mar 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has not been issued with a fine for COVID regulation breaches at this time his spokesman told reporters after police said they had recommended an initial 20 fines be issued over gatherings held in Downing Street. Asked whether Johnson had received a fine or been told he would be fined the spokesman told reporters No. Weve said we will update if that were to occur but our position has not changed. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-has-not-been-notified-any-covid-19-lockdown-breach-fine-spokesman-2022-03-29/ 29th Mar 2022

Continued Lockdown

Business Insider General Motors is asking workers to sleep on the floors of its Shanghai factories to keep production going during the citys new COVID19 lockdown Reuters reported citing two people familiar with the matter. China which has pursued a zeroCOVID strategy throughout the pandemic is battling several new outbreaks of COVID19. The city of Shanghai said Sunday it was locking down half of the city from Monday to Friday while it launched a mass COVID19 testing drive. The other half of the city is to be locked down for the same period starting April 1. While the lockdowns last China has told companies based in the zone to enforce a closedloop arrangements whereby workers live and work in a bubble away from the public Reuters said. https://www.businessinsider.com/gm-told-workers-sleep-on-factory-floors-shanghai-lockdown-report-2022-3 29th Mar 2022

Continued Lockdown

Reuters The Chinese city of Changchun capital of the COVIDhit northeastern province of Jilin on Tuesday apologised to its 8.5 million residents for food shortages related to shutdowns and disruption caused by COVID containment measures. Due to COVID19 two major wholesale food markets in Changchun have shuttered leading to a shortfall in food supply said the citys deputy Communist Party secretary Liu Renyuan a problem aggravated by a shortage of workers that has delayed deliveries to homes. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/capital-chinas-jilin-province-apologises-food-shortages-due-covid-curbs-2022-03-29/ 29th Mar 2022

Continued Lockdown

Reuters Chinas most populous city tightened the first phase of a twostage COVID19 lockdown on Tuesday asking some residents to stay indoors unless they are getting tested as the number of new daily cases exceeded 4400. The financial hub of Shanghai home to 26 million people is in its second day of a lockdown authorities are imposing by dividing the city roughly along the Huangpu River splitting the historic centre from the eastern financial and industrial district of Pudong to allow for staggered testing. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/shanghai-tightens-covid-lockdown-screws-again-curbs-enter-day-2-2022-03-29/ 29th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Wall Street Journal The Omicron BA.2 variant represents more than half of new Covid19 cases in the U.S. the latest federal estimates show as signs suggest infections are edging higher again in parts of the Northeast. The region has the highest BA.2 concentrations including more than 70 in an area including New York and New Jersey according to estimates the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Tuesday. BA.2 has been moving steadily higher for more than a month and represents an estimated 55 of national cases in the week ended March 26 the CDC said. Publichealth authorities and experts are watching BA.2 closely in part because it appears to spread more easily than the version that caused record levels of Covid19 cases and hospitalizations in the U.S. this winter. BA.2 has fueled new surges in European countries including the U.K. where pandemic trends have often presaged events in the U.S. Parts of Asia including Hong Kong and Shanghai are also confronting serious Omicron surges. https://www.wsj.com/articles/omicron-ba-2-variant-is-dominant-in-u-s-cdc-estimates-11648570107?mod=hp_lead_pos2 30th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Washington Post If Sputnik V once looked like a vital tool for the Kremlins geopolitical ambition it now looks like another victim of it. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 both RDIF and Dmitriev are now under Western sanctions. The U.S. Treasury said the sovereign wealth fund is widely considered a slush fund for Russian President Vladimir Putin and emblematic of Russias broader kleptocracy while the chief executive was dubbed a close associate of the Kremlin leader. In a letter received after the initial publication of this article the RDIF described the Treasurys accusation as defamatory. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/29/sputnik-v-vaccine-/ 29th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

STV News A stateoftheart vaccine manufacturing facility in West Lothian could play a key role if the UK needs annual vaccines against coronavirus. The chief executive of Valneva which is commissioning the site in Livingston said he still hopes to supply the immunisation despite a UK Government contract for one hundred million doses being terminated last year. Thomas Lingelbach says it is one of only a handful worldwide able to make what are called inactivated whole virus vaccines. The CEO is now keeping a close eye on developments at the plant and told STV News this could be vital as covid evolves into the post pandemic era. https://news.stv.tv/scotland/west-lothians-valneva-factory-could-provide-uk-with-covid-vaccines-for-years-to-come 29th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

News-Medical.Net The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 SARSCoV2 Omicron variant was largely responsible for a resurgence of coronavirus disease 2019 COVID19 cases in late 2021. In Israel a campaign to implement a fourth vaccine or second booster was introduced by the Ministry of Health for those at high risk of infection from this variant who had already received three doses of vaccine. To this end Israel approved a second booster dose on January 2 2022 for people aged 60 and older highrisk groups and healthcare personnel who had received a first booster dose at least four months prior. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220328/Fourth-COVID-19-vaccine-dose-substantially-reduces-mortality-in-the-elderly.aspx 29th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Associated Press The European Unions drug regulator said Tuesday it has begun an accelerated review process for an experimental coronavirus vaccine booster made by the Spanish company Hipra. The European Medicines Agency said in a statement that its evaluation is based on preliminary data from laboratory studies and research in adults that compared Hipras booster shot to the vaccine made by PfizerBioNTech. It said early results suggest the immune response achieved with Hipra may be effective against COVID19 including the hugely infectious omicron variant. https://apnews.com/article/covid-business-health-europe-coronavirus-vaccine-e41cfdd7bf9a59248027a18a0c173fa0 29th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Healio Citing a lack of available data and time EULAR has taken a precautionary position in support of third and booster COVID19 vaccine doses for patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. There are concerns that individuals on certain immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory drugs may not mount an adequate protective response to COVID19 vaccination Robert B.M. Landew MD PhD of Amsterdam UMC and colleagues wrote in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. Data are not currently available to reliably identify who might or might not benefit from a third primary dose of a SARSCoV2 vaccine. Taking a precautionary position third primary doses are being recommended by some authorities in selected groups of individuals and EULAR supports this approach. https://www.healio.com/news/rheumatology/20220328/eular-takes-precautionary-position-in-support-of-third-booster-covid19-vaccine-doses 29th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Pharmaceutical Technology The European Commission EC has granted marketing authorisation to AstraZenecas Evusheld AZD7442 for Covid19 preexposure prophylaxis or prevention in adults and adolescents age 12 years and above. Evusheld is a cocktail of two longacting antibodies LAAB tixagevimab AZD8895 and cilgavimab AZD1061. The LAABs are obtained from Bcells of convalescent patients following Covid19 and attach to particular sites on the spike protein of the SARSCoV2 virus. The treatment dose approved for use in the region is 150mg intramuscular doses of tixagevimab and cilgavimab each given sequentially. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/ec-astrazeneca-evusheld-covid/ 29th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Nursing Times A hospital in London has become one of the first in the UK to appoint a dedicated nurse for a rare inflammatory condition in children linked to Covid19. Evelina London Childrens Hospital has recruited Michael Bell into the role of clinical nurse specialist for paediatric cases https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/children/specialist-nurse-appointed-for-rare-covid-19-condition-affecting-children-29-03-2022/ 29th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The BMJ Two years into the covid19 pandemic access to oxygen is still a major problem in low and middle income countries health leaders have warned. The shortages have highlighted the abject failure of the global community to develop and build up primary healthcare and universal health coverage over the past 20 years said Michael Ryan the World Health Organizations health emergencies programme executive director. Covid didnt cause this covid uncovered this. Covid laid bare tore away the bandages from some very very old wounds Ryan told an Access to Covid19 Tools ACT Accelerator briefing. No one was interested in oxygen he said despite it being vital for the treatment of patients with covid19 in the early stages of the pandemic. I went to meeting after meeting and I spoke about oxygen and nobody was listening because oxygen wasnt sexy. It wasnt new. It wasnt some technological advance that could be delivered to the world. Oxygen was boring oxygen was old Ryan said. https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj.o829 29th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

iNews Elderly people in England and Wales had the highest rate of premature deaths to Covid19 among 20 comparable countries researchers have shown. The study by University of Manchester epidemiologists published in the Journal of Global Health reveals 5.78 per cent of the over90s were lost to the disease. In Sweden the figure was 3.82 per cent Italy 3.18 per cent Germany 2.46 per cent and France 2.08 per cent. In the Netherlands the figure for the over 95s was 3.87 per cent. The high mortality rate was largely due to the failure to stop the virus from sweeping through care homes as older patients were discharged from hospital without being tested. There was a substantial increase in deaths in care homes in England and Wales in the first three months of the pandemic estimated by other researchers at 79 per cent. https://inews.co.uk/news/health/covid-19-elderly-premature-deaths-coronavirus-england-among-worst-1545360 29th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

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. HIV drugs may curb COVID19 risk. Certain drugs used to treat HIV may have a role in preventing SARSCoV2 infections according to preliminary data that may help explain why people living with the condition have not appeared to be at higher risk for serious COVID19 despite being generally more vulnerable to infections. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/hiv-drugs-may-lower-covid-risk-covid-flu-co-infection-raises-risk-severe-illness-2022-03-28/ 29th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Europes drug regulator said on Tuesday it had started a realtime review of Spanish pharmaceutical firm Hipras COVID19 vaccine candidate. The decision by the human medicines committee of the European Medicines Agency EMA to begin the rolling review is based on early results from clinical studies which compared the immune response to the vaccine with that seen with PfizerBioNTechs Comirnaty the regulator said. The agency did not say when the review is expected to be completed. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/eu-starts-real-time-review-hipras-covid-vaccine-2022-03-29/ 29th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters A subvariant of the highly transmissible Omicron version of coronavirus known as BA.2 is now dominant worldwide prompting surges in many countries in Europe and Asia and raising concern over the potential for a new wave in the United States. Below is a summary of what is known about BA.2... https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/omicron-stealth-covid-variant-ba2-now-dominant-globally-2022-03-29/ 29th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Article reports that epidemiologists examining the biggest Chinese outbreak of COVID19 in two years are trying to ascertain why the proportion of asymptomatic cases is so high and what it could mean for Chinas future containment strategy. The number of new confirmed community transmitted cases in the major financial hub of Shanghai reached 4477 on Tuesday a record high but only 2.1 showed symptoms. The share of symptomatic cases over the previous seven days was around 1.6. Although outbreaks overseas have demonstrated that Omicron was less deadly than its predecessors with lower levels of hospitalisation the rate of symptomatic infection was relatively high compared to Chinas numbers. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/why-are-shanghais-covid-infections-nearly-all-asymptomatic-2022-03-29/ 29th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Associated Press U.S. regulators on Tuesday authorized another COVID19 booster for people age 50 and older a step to offer extra protection for the most vulnerable in case the coronavirus rebounds. The Food and Drug Administrations decision opens a fourth dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to those people at least four months after their previous booster. Until now the FDA had cleared fourth doses only for people 12 and older who have severely weakened immune systems. The agency said this especially fragile group also can get an additional booster a fifth shot. https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-business-health-coronavirus-vaccine-33e81ee1daddd9ff04c136db620aa1ae 29th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

STAT News A searing report released Tuesday by the Black Coalition Against COVID details the immense toll the Covid19 pandemic has taken and continues to take on Black communities and calls for continued vigilance and action to prevent further losses even as the rest of the nation is eager to move on. The reports authors physicians and public health and policy experts note with alarm that even as case rates began to fall sharply across the country earlier this year the Covid19 hospitalization rate for Black people was higher than it had been at any time during the pandemic for any racial or ethnic group. For the week ending Jan. 8 2022 the hospitalization rate for Black Americans was 64 per 100000 more than twice the overall rate. Rates for all Americans have since fallen though they remain much higher for Black people. https://www.statnews.com/2022/03/29/covid-19-pandemic-isnt-over-for-black-americans-report-warns/ 29th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Scientific American The National Institutes of Health is fumbling its first efforts to study long Covid. Fifteen months ago Congress showered the agency with a massive 1.2 billion to research the mysterious cases of patients who never fully recover from Covid19 infections. But so far the NIH has brought in just 3 of the patients it plans to recruit. Critics charge that the NIHs missteps are even bigger that it is acting without urgency that it is taking on vague openended research questions rather than testing out therapies or treatments and that it is not being fully transparent with patient advocates and researchers. https://www.statnews.com/2022/03/29/nih-long-covid-sluggish-study/ 29th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Irish Times The Minister for Health has said the extra transmissibility of the BA.2 variant means quite extreme measures would be needed to contain it. Stephen Donnelly is understood to have told an online meeting of Fianna Fil members on Monday night that there are likely several hundred thousand cases of Covid every week with daily numbers several times higher than those being tracked by PCR and antigen tests. Sources indicated that Mr Donnelly told the meeting said that the current transmissibility of the variant meant that extremely restrictive measures would be needed and said that he is told by the Chief Medical Officer CMO that extra restrictions of this level are not currently advised. This is due to the fact that despite the massive pressure coming onto the hospital system arising from the enormous levels of infection associated staff absenteeism and infection prevention and control measures. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/covid-19-containing-ba-2-variant-would-need-extreme-measures-donnelly-says-1.4838091 29th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Evening Standard The UK has recorded another 215001 Covid19 cases and 217 deaths it was revealed on Monday. The number of cases in the latest update is the second highest since the pandemic began. However figures are Monday are usually much higher than any other weekday as they now include positive tests confirmed over the weekend. The figures show the number of hospital patients with the virus has risen again reaching 17685 on Friday. It means a run of daily rises in hospitalisations is continuing and has now stretched back more than three weeks to March 5 when the figure was 10867. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/latest-covid-figures-uk-daily-cases-deaths-pandemic-omicron-variant-wave-b990972.html 29th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Sky News The number of people selfisolating after testing positive for coronavirus has fallen significantly since it stopped being a legal requirement with less than two thirds of those who know they have the virus following government advice figures show. The Office for National Statistics ONS spoke to 1369 people over 18 who tested positive for coronavirus up to two days before 24 February 2022 when the legal requirement to self isolate for at least five days was removed. The respondents were interviewed between 28 February and 8 March 2022 when selfisolation was advised but not legally required. The survey found 876 respondents 64 were selfisolating after testing positive for COVID. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-less-than-two-thirds-of-people-self-isolating-after-testing-positive-for-coronavirus-figures-show-12577325 29th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters French health authorities said on Monday the number of patients hospitalised for COVID19 over the past 24 hours jumped by 467 to 21073 the highest daily rise since Feb 1. On a weekonweek basis the hospitalisations figure is up 1.8 and it has been now increasing for the fifth day running after a steady decline since early February. COVID19 infections have been rising again since early March with the sevenday moving average of new cases at a sixweek high of 127488. Generally such a trend inversion translates into hospital figures with a twoweek delay. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-sees-highest-daily-jump-covid-19-hospitalisations-since-feb-1-2022-03-28/ 29th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Hong Kong reported 7596 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday as daily infections continued a steadily decline and the government prepared to ease some of the citys stringent COVID19 measures starting in April. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/hong-kong-reports-7596-new-daily-coronavirus-infections-2022-03-29/ 29th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters China reported 1293 confirmed coronavirus cases for March 28 the national health authority said on Tuesday compared with 1275 a day earlier. Of the new cases 1228 were locally transmitted the National Health Commission said versus 1219 a day earlier. The number of new asymptomatic cases which China does not classify as confirmed cases stood at 5758 compared with 5134 a day earlier. There were no new deaths leaving the death toll at 4638. As of March 28 mainland China had confirmed 145808 cases. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-reports-1293-new-covid-cases-march-28-vs-1275-day-earlier-2022-03-29/ 29th Mar 2022