6th Apr 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=634 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian Article reports that a rise in Covid infections in the over55s could see an increased number of hospitalisations and deaths in the coming weeks experts have warned. Imperial College Londons latest React1 study found that while infections appeared to be slowing down or plateauing in most younger age groups in England they were rising in over55s with no clear sign of when they will peak. According to their latest data the average prevalence of Covid19 across England stood at 6.4 based on swabs collected between 9 and 31 March from a random sample of nearly 100000 people. Thats by far the highest weve seen at any time since the study began in May 2020 said Prof Paul Elliott who led the research. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/06/covid-deaths-in-england-may-rise-as-cases-in-over-55s-increase 6th Apr 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Associated Press With declining cases of COVID19 South Africa on Tuesday ended its national state of disaster the legal framework used for two years to impose restrictions to combat the pandemic. South African sports fans can now return to stadiums in large numbers to watch soccer rugby and cricket matches. Sports venues can take up to 50 of capacity with people who show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test done within 72 hours. Most restrictions will be lifted but people will be required to wear masks in indoor public spaces. International travelers must provide proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test done within 72 hours. While the pandemic is not over and while the virus remains among us these conditions no longer require that we remain in a national state of disaster President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a nationally televised speech Monday night. Going forward the pandemic will be managed in terms of the national health act. https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-sports-cyril-ramaphosa-cricket-66d3d0fab99253df3e094798cb96e6d0 6th Apr 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Three Covid19 vaccinations offer protection against severe symptoms even after four months according to a study from Denmark one of the countries first hit by the fastspreading omicron variant. More than 121 days after being administered third doses of vaccine still offered as much as 77.3 protection against symptoms that require hospitalization the study found. Denmark estimates that about 70 of its adult population contracted omicron from November to March. The Nordic country ended all virus restrictions on Feb. 1 because a high vaccination rate prevented omicron from overburdening its hospitals. The study published by Denmarks Statens Serum Institut for infectious diseases isnt yet peerreviewed. It also showed that the third dose offered as much as 90.2 protection against hospitalization immediately after it was taken and that three shots reduces the risk of getting omicron by almost 50. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-05/third-covid-shot-protects-against-omicron-for-months-study-says 5th Apr 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Thousands of holidaymakers have seen their Easter getaways disrupted or cancelled because airlines and airports do not have enough staff to meet the recovery in demand as pandemic restrictions are eased in Europe. High rates of COVID19 in Britain have caused staff absences for airlines and airports that were already struggling to recruit after workers deserted the industry during the pandemic. Lowcost carrier easyJet was one of the worst affected saying it cancelled around 60 UK flights on Tuesday and expected to pull a similar number in the coming days. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hit-by-staff-shortages-airlines-airports-struggle-with-travel-recovery-2022-04-05/ 5th Apr 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters It will take 15 billion in grants this year and another 10 billion annually after that to establish and maintain an adequate toolkit to respond to COVID19 and address future pandemic threats according to four organizations focused on global health and the economy. The estimate is laid out in A Global Strategy to Manage the Longterm Risks of COVID19 a working paper published on Tuesday by the International Monetary Fund in partnership with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations CEPI the Global Fund and Wellcome Trust. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/global-groups-propose-pandemic-plan-cost-10-bln-year-2022-04-05/ 5th Apr 2022

Lockdown Exit

ABC.Net.au A mandate preventing people unvaccinated against COVID19 from visiting many public venues in Queensland will be eased from next Thursday. People will no longer need to prove they have had two doses of a vaccine before heading into cafes pubs and clubs from 100am on April 14. This also includes theme parks casinos cinemas weddings showgrounds stadiums galleries libraries and museums. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-05/qld-coronavirus-covid19-vaccination-mandate-eased-april-14/100958850 5th Apr 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian Two weeks ago marked the twoyear anniversary of New Zealands adoption of the elimination strategy and a lockdown that successfully stamped out the first wave of Covid19. By chance it was also the week that the government announced a major relaxation of Covid19 control measures in response to the Omicron variant wave sweeping the country. By most metrics the New Zealand Covid19 response the initial elimination strategy which has now transitioned to a mitigation strategy has been one of the most successful in the world. It got the country through the first 18 months of the pandemic until vaccines became widely available giving it very low Covid19 mortality rates. Life expectancy actually increased during this period. Protecting public health has also been good for protecting the economy resulting in relatively good economic growth and low unemployment https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2022/apr/05/new-zealands-covid-strategy-was-one-of-the-worlds-most-successful-what-can-it-learn-from-it 5th Apr 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Countries around the world should provide 15 billion in grants this year and 10 billion a year thereafter to manage the longterm risks of COVID19 the International Monetary Fund said in a new staff paper released on Tuesday. The paper prepared with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations CEPI the Global Fund and charitable group Wellcome said a new more comprehensive approach was needed immediately to strengthen global health systems and limit the already staggering 13.8 trillion cost of the pandemic. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/imf-calls-15-bln-this-year-manage-long-term-risks-covid-2022-04-05/ 5th Apr 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters South Africas national state of disaster in place for more than two years in response to COVID19 will end from midnight local time on Monday President Cyril Ramaphosa said. The national state of disaster has been the governments main mechanism for managing the pandemic. Removing it will do away with the vast majority of remaining COVID19 restrictions aside from a few that will remain in place on a transitional basis Ramaphosa said. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/safricas-covid-state-disaster-end-midnight-president-ramaphosa-2022-04-04/ 5th Apr 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Associated Press GlaxoSmithKlines IV drug for COVID19 should no longer be used because it is likely ineffective against the omicron subvariant that now accounts for most U.S. cases federal health regulators said Tuesday. The Food and Drug Administration announced that the companys antibody drug sotrovimab is no longer authorized to treat patients in any U.S. state or territory. The decision was expected because the FDA had repeatedly restricted the drugs use in the Northeast and other regions as the BA.2 version of omicron became dominant. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that BA.2 accounts for 72 of the COVID19 cases sequenced by health authorities. Some experts have warned of a BA.2driven surge similar to those that have hit European countries though U.S. case counts have yet to rise. https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-glaxosmithkline-medication-d3d3c46bae3b5a433bbd49f09cf0bbcf 5th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters An official Canadian panel has provided initial recommendations on the use of a second COVID19 vaccine booster dose for some Canadians as infections rise in many parts of the country Health Canada said. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization NACI recommended Canadian jurisdictions to prepare for the deployment of a second vaccine booster dose program over the coming weeks prioritizing people 80 years old and over and residents of longterm care. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/canada-panel-makes-initial-recommendations-second-covid-booster-shot-2022-04-05/ 5th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Two buyers of Covid19 vaccines for low and middleincome countries have declined options to purchase hundreds of millions of additional doses from Moderna Inc. a sign of waning demand as the pandemic eases. The African Union and Covax the World Health Organizationbacked group decided not to obtain more of the vaccine as developing nations struggle to turn supplies into inoculations. Lowerincome countries left behind in the global rollout are now grappling with a lack of funds hesitancy supplychain obstacles and other factors that are hampering distribution. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-05/buyers-turn-down-moderna-covid-vaccine-as-pandemic-demand-wanes 5th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

Financial Times The Biden administration will soon start donating childrens doses of Pfizers Covid19 vaccine to poorer countries for the first time although officials warn some might not reach their intended recipients because of a fight in Congress over pandemic funding. The donation of more than 100mn doses for five to 11yearolds which is set to be announced on Tuesday is part of the administrations pledge to give a total of 1.2bn doses of the Covid19 vaccine to low and middleincome countries. But Biden administration officials say a congressional dispute over billions of dollars worth of extra Covid funding could mean the jabs do not get to where they are needed. https://www.ft.com/content/3e5f9359-67a5-4f24-971e-51761119899b 5th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

CNN The Senate has reached a bipartisan deal to provide an additional 10 billion in Covid19 assistance less than half of what the White House originally had requested. It would allow the Biden administration to purchase more vaccines and therapeutics as well as maintain testing capacity and research. But it does not include 5 billion in funding for global Covid19 aid nor would it replenish the program that pays for testing treating and vaccinating the uninsured. The deal would be paid for using unspent funds from the Democrats 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package which was enacted in March 2021. https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/04/politics/covid-19-aid-bill-whats-in-it/index.html 5th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters A U.S. appeals court on Monday sounded skeptical of claims by a group of unions that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA can be forced to adopt a permanent rule to protect healthcare workers from COVID19. Judges on a U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit panel pressed the unions lawyer on how the court could have the power to require OSHA to adopt a rule particularly after the agency said it needed more time to review the issue. https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/court-leery-forcing-osha-adopt-covid-healthcare-worker-rule-2022-04-04/ 5th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Canada Any World Trade Organization WTO agreement on COVID19 vaccines should include more than just a waiver on intellectual property Mexicos representative to the trade body said in a sign that consensus is proving tough to forge. The United States the European Union India and South Africa reached a provisional consensus on elements of a longsought IP waiver for the vaccines according to a document that circulated among governments last month https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-says-wto-covid-vaccine-deal-should-go-beyond-ip-waiver-2022-04-04/ 5th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Negotiators in Congress have agreed to an additional 10 billion in COVID19 funding to address U.S. needs but have dropped international aid from the package Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Monday. The compromise if passed would be less than half of the 22.5 billion initially sought by U.S. President Joe Biden to combat COVID prepare for future variants and shore up the nations pandemic infrastructure. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/lawmakers-back-10-bln-us-covid-funds-report-2022-04-04/ 5th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

The Wall Street Journal Senators unveiled a 10 billion deal to further fund the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic with money repurposed from earlier aid rounds well below what the White House originally requested for vaccines and therapeutics. The package will allow the U.S. to purchase supplies including more tests and vaccines that the Biden administration said would be needed to continue to fight the virus. The 10 billion pulls from unused money in earlier bills passed by Congress rather than representing new spending. https://www.wsj.com/articles/congressional-negotiators-settle-on-10-billion-for-covid-tests-treatments-11649092836 5th Apr 2022

Partisan Exits

The Associated Press A federal judge has certified a classaction lawsuit in Oregon over state leaders response to the COVID19 pandemic inside its prisons. A group of adults in custody who contracted COVID19 first sued the state in April 2020 alleging culpability by Gov. Kate Brown Corrections Department Director Colette Peters and Health Authority Director Patrick Allen among other state officials. The lawsuit acknowledges Corrections has taken some measures but argues they have not been enough. This really is quite a groundbreaking order and decision and it could potentially be a model for advocates in other parts of the country where theyre having similar problems Corene Kendrick deputy director of the American Civil Liberty Unions National Prison Project told Oregon Public Broadcasting this week. https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-patrick-allen-kate-brown-oregon-3e16c296b69de52c70a1100e6a1d28ef 6th Apr 2022

Partisan Exits

The Associated Press Confronting the pandemics lasting shadow President Joe Biden on Tuesday ordered a new national research push on long COVID while also directing federal agencies to support patients dealing with the mysterious and debilitating condition. Biden assigned the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate an urgent new initiative across federal agencies building on research already under way at the National Institutes of Health. He also directed federal agencies to support patients and doctors by providing sciencebased best practices for treating long COVID maintaining access to insurance coverage and protecting the rights of workers coping with the uncertainties of the malaise. Of particular concern are effects on mental health. https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-science-health-lifestyle-0b07271ad444318fe7a531ed080440e6 6th Apr 2022

Partisan Exits

Bloomberg A hardfought 10 billion emergency Covid19 compromise bill hit a lastminute snag in the Senate Tuesday as Republicans demanded a deal to propose amendments. Republicans want to force a vote on the Biden administrations repeal of Title 42 a pandemicrelated restriction on border crossings a move likely to create headaches in the Democratic caucus. Other Republicans including Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa said they have amendments they want considered as well. Utah Senator Mitt Romney the lead Republican negotiator on the pandemic funding urged his caucus to vote against a procedural motion on the bill essentially stalling it until the two parties can agree on the parameters for floor debate. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-05/covid-spending-bill-hits-senate-snag-amid-amendment-dispute 5th Apr 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters on MSN.com Bank of Nova Scotia Chief Executive Officer Brian Porter criticised the Canadian governments proposed bank tax in prepared remarks to shareholders on Tuesday calling them a kneejerk reaction that sends the wrong message to the global investment community. Porter said the proposed tax on banks profits would ultimately affect shareholders including pensioners and retail investors. Canadas thirdlargest lender emailed Porters speech to media after a positive COVID19 test kept him from attending the meeting. Chief Financial Officer Raj Viswanathan read an abridged version during the banks first inperson shareholders meeting since the pandemic. https://www.msn.com/en-ca/finance/topstories/scotiabank-ceo-criticizes-government-bank-tax-misses-agm-due-to-covid/ar-AAVTiYP 5th Apr 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters The COVID19 pandemic and the attendant economic crisis precipitated the largest increase in government spending in American history. Major stimulus legislation such as the CARES Act of 2020 the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 created and funded programs that added trillions of dollars to the U.S. economy at lightning speed. While these efforts helped millions of Americans the unprecedented flood of money also provided ample opportunity for unscrupulous actors. The Small Business Administrations Office of Inspector General estimates that the agency handed out more than 80 billion in potentially fraudulent loans during the pandemic. https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/using-false-claims-act-combat-covid-19-fraud-2022-04-05/ 5th Apr 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters The U.S. Federal Reserve on Tuesday said it had barred six former bank executives from Regions Bank and Bank of America Merrill Lynch from the industry for fraudulently obtaining COVID19 pandemic relief grants. Under the CARES Act some small businesses were eligible to receive funds to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. The six individuals obtained funds based on fraudulent representations and used the money for unauthorized personal expenses the Fed said. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-fed-bars-six-former-bankers-over-covid-grant-fraud-2022-04-05/ 5th Apr 2022

Continued Lockdown

The Guardian Jia Ruilings father has been enduring severe pain since 17 March. He has latestage stomach cancer but his hospital refused to treat him because Jias neighbourhood in Shanghai was under lockdown as a result of a handful of Covid cases. We begged the hospital to accept him again and again Jia said. At some point my father was in so much pain that he wanted to take his life. What can we do Please help us let the central government know. Chinas strict zeroCovid policy means all positive cases have to be hospitalised. But in the last few weeks as case numbers have risen sharply and 26 million people entered a harsh lockdown mainland Chinas most important financial hub has come to a standstill. The number of new daily positive cases exceeded 10000 for the first time on Monday. Although 38000 health workers have been shipped in from around China to help medical resources are overwhelmingly diverted to combat Covid leaving it difficult for nonCovid patients like Jias father to access them. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/05/this-is-inhumane-the-cost-of-zero-covid-in-shanghai 5th Apr 2022

Continued Lockdown

Reuters Chinese authorities on Tuesday extended a lockdown in Shanghai to cover all of the financial centres 26 million people despite growing anger over quarantine rules in the city where latest results show only 268 symptomatic daily COVID19 cases. In a major test of Chinas zerotolerance strategy to eliminate the novel coronavirus the government widened the lockdown to eastern parts of the city and extended until further notice restrictions in western districts which had been due to expire on Tuesday. The broader lockdown came after testing saw asymptomatic COVID19 cases surge to more than 13000. Symptomatic cases fell on Monday to 268 from 425 the previous day. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/shanghai-lockdown-deepens-after-new-surge-asymptomatic-cases-2022-04-05/ 5th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg A Covid19 antibody treatment from Vir Biotechnology Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline Plc lost its U.S. authorization as the therapy is unlikely to work against the dominant omicron BA.2 subvariant regulators said. The treatment sotrovimab is no longer authorized in any U.S. state or territory since the subvariant accounts for more than half of virus cases in all regions the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday in a statement. Last month the agency limited use of the drug only in parts of the country where the the subvariant dominated. Recent data suggested the treatment was less effective against BA.2 than other variants. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-05/covid-treatment-from-vir-glaxo-loses-u-s-authorization 5th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg An allstar panel of Covid experts will convene this week to hash out how and when vaccines should be updated to address future variants as the virus continues to rapidly mutate. The meeting of U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers should provide some of the first hints of its strategy to map out a more proactive plan for developing strainspecific boosters. Until now the process has been led by drugmakers such as Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. which have gained approval for boosters for specific populations. This is likely just the beginning. Many researchers believe the vaccines will need to be periodically updated to counteract new strains just like annual flu shots https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-05/future-of-boosters-comes-down-to-crucial-meeting-of-fda-advisers 5th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters President Joe Biden on Tuesday tasked the U.S. health department with developing a national action plan to tackle the looming health crisis of long COVID a complex multisymptom condition that leaves many of its sufferers unable to work. Long COVID which arises months after a COVID19 infection affects nearly 7 of all U.S. adults and 2.3 of the overall population and has cost an estimated 386 billion in lost wages savings and medical bills according to an analysis by the Solve Long Covid Initiative a nonprofit research and advocacy group. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/white-house-launches-national-plan-address-long-covid-2022-04-05/ 5th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

News-Medical.Net A recent study posted to the medRxiv preprint server assessed the impact of prior severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 SARSCoV2 vaccination on the human immune response against SARSCoV2 Omicron infection. Various studies have reported lower susceptibility of the SARSCoV2 Omicron B.1.1.529 variant against neutralizing antibodies. Therefore it is necessary to understand the potential of previous SARSCoV2 infections in modifying the human immune response against the novel Omicron variant. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220405/Prior-COVID-vaccination-induces-a-more-robust-antibody-response-to-Omicron.aspx 5th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Nature When Moderna joined the hunt for a coronavirus vaccine in early 2020 the company had only limited clinical experience with its technology. Scientists had tested the companys messenger RNA mRNAbased vaccines against a few viruses such as avian influenza and Zika in humans. They found that the highest dose levels upwards of 300 micrograms often triggered undesirable side effects. The lowest doses around 10g did not always elicit a sufficient immune response. There seemed to be a happy medium in a twodose vaccine for another respiratory virus with pandemic potential1 a new strain of bird flu the sweet spot was around 100g. So it made intuitive sense for Moderna based in Cambridge Massachusetts and its collaborators at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases NIAID in Bethesda Maryland to try something similar to tackle SARSCoV2. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00924-8 5th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Nature Many governments are rolling back restrictions but the pandemic will end only with a renewed focus on equitable distribution of vaccines and therapeutics responsive public health plans and policies to protect the vulnerable. More than 2 years into the COVID19 pandemic it remains unclear when and how it will end. The global outcome is dependent on multiple factors the level of cooperation between governments equitable access to vaccines testing and therapeutics local government action and the response of citizens and competing outbreaks conflicts or natural disasters. Ending the pandemic will also require a focus on the elderly and other vulnerable populations as well as those in low and middleincome countries LMICs https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-01787-2 5th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Al Jazeera English Even as COVID19 enters its third year as a pandemic the world is no closer to knowing the source of the virus that sparked it all. Just six weeks after declaring a global health emergency the World Health Organization WHO declared the spread of the new coronavirus a pandemic on March 11 2020. But while the animal hosts of the coronaviruses that caused the 20032004 SARS and 2012 MERS outbreaks were identified in a matter of months the origin of the current SARSCoV2 virus along with its myriad mutations and variants has proved more elusive. Last September a task force set up by The Lancet COVID19 Commission to search for the pandemics ultimate source was disbanded after 14 months amid rancour recriminations and concerns about conflicts of interest. And the probe by the WHO a public health agency with no investigatory powers has largely been stalled after a tightly controlled factfinding trip to China in January 2021. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/5/covid-19-source-china-animal-or-lab 5th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

New Scientist The UK is currently experiencing a surge in covid19 cases caused by the omicron variant in common with many countries. Inevitably the number of people in UK hospitals with the illness is also rising and reached 2509 people admitted on 28 March just over half the daily admissions seen at the highest peak of the pandemic in the UK in January 2021 when it reached more than 4500 per day. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2314916-we-shouldnt-dismiss-incidental-covid-19-infections-in-uk-hospitals/ 5th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The U.S. national public health agency said on Monday the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron was estimated to account for nearly three of every four coronavirus variants in the country. Overall COVID19 cases in the United States have dropped sharply after hitting record levels in January but a resurgence in cases in parts of Asia and Europe has raised concerns that another wave could follow in the United States. The countrys health experts however believe it is unlikely. The sevenday moving average of U.S. COVID cases was 26106 as of April 1 marginally lower than 26309 from a week earlier as per data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/omicron-sub-variant-ba2-makes-up-72-covid-variants-us-cdc-2022-04-04/ 5th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

News.com.au The first controlled investigation of Covid19 has been carried out and it has allowed researchers to dispel a widespread myth about the way people become infected. The human challenge study involved people being deliberately infected with a virus in this case it was SARSCoV2 the virus that causes Covid19. The study published last week in the journal Nature Medicine found that only the most minuscule amount of the virus is needed to infect a person as much as a single airborne droplet from a person sneezing coughing or talking. It also found that despite what most people have been told viral shedding and transmissibility occur at high levels when a person is infected regardless of whether they have severe or mild symptoms. https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/covid19-firstofitskind-study-saw-volunteers-infected-for-science/news-story/770261dddb58d36048136a78e4c961b1 5th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg The disclosure of new Covid variants emerging in China and the rise of a potentially more transmissible strain in the U.K. has recast the spotlight on the ongoing risk of the virus even as health experts say theres no reason to panic. The World Health Organization said a hybrid of two omicron strains BA.1 and BA.2 that was first detected in the U.K. and dubbed XE could be the most transmissible variant yet. It is estimated to spread 10 more easily than BA.2 which itself was more transmissible than the original omicron famous for its ease of penetration. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-04/china-variants-and-omicron-xe-put-fresh-focus-on-covid-mutations 4th Apr 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Hong Kong health authorities reported 3254 new COVID19 infections on Tuesday up from 3138 on Monday and 87 deaths as cases in the global financial centre continue a broader downward trend. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/hong-kong-reports-3254-new-covid-19-cases-2022-04-05/ 5th Apr 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Quebec will require masks to be worn in indoor public spaces for all of April delaying a plan to relax the measure by the middle of the month as it and other Canadian provinces face a new COVID19 wave a top public health official said on Tuesday. The province the second most populous in Canada will become one of the last parts of North America to continue a mask mandate in public indoor places like stores with health officials projecting a rise in cases and hospitalizations. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/quebec-extends-mask-mandate-end-april-covid-hospitalizations-rise-2022-04-05/ 5th Apr 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

ABC News NSW public health physicians believe the states daily COVID19 figures are at least 50 per cent higher than the reported number due to unreported positive results. Between 15000 and 20000 positive results are being recorded each day which Health Minister Brad Hazzard described as a big underestimate. Many people are not it would appear not actually reporting the positive cases he said. We understand that they may have symptoms that are very mild and they just dont think its necessary. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-05/doctors-say-thousands-of-covid19-cases-in-nsw-not-being-reported/100967202 5th Apr 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

ABC News New modelling from SA Health shows the state will reach a peak of 5500 new COVID19 cases per day a level already reached last week with a similar number of new cases possible tomorrow. The state reported four COVIDlinked deaths and 5068 new cases today. Almost 5500 new cases were reported last Wednesday and a similar number could be recorded this Wednesday typically the peak day of the week. Previous modelling had predicted a peak of 8000 cases per day in midApril. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-05/sa-records-four-covid-19-deaths-as-modelling-peak-approaches/100967024 5th Apr 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Guardian Covidrelated deaths in England have jumped to their highest level since midFebruary according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics ONS. There were 780 deaths where Covid19 was mentioned on the death certificate in the seven days leading up to 25 March up 14 on the previous week. This increase follows several weeks where deaths appeared to have levelled off. Coronavirus infections have been rising across the UK since early March driven by the Omicron BA.2 variant. Prevalence of the virus is currently at a record high with ONS figures suggesting approximately 4.9 million had Covid in the week to 26 March. This increase may now be having an impact on the number of deaths which typically lag behind infections by several weeks. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/05/covid-related-deaths-rise-england-infections-record-high 5th Apr 2022

New Lockdown

Reuters Chinese authorities on Tuesday extended a lockdown in Shanghai to cover all of the financial centres 26 million people despite growing anger over quarantine rules in the city where latest results show only 268 symptomatic daily COVID19 cases. In a major test of Chinas zerotolerance strategy to eliminate the novel coronavirus the government widened the lockdown to eastern parts of the city and extended until further notice restrictions in western districts which had been due to expire on Tuesday. The broader lockdown came after testing saw asymptomatic COVID19 cases surge to more than 13000. Symptomatic cases fell on Monday to 268 from 425 the previous day. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/shanghai-lockdown-deepens-after-new-surge-asymptomatic-cases-2022-04-05/ 5th Apr 2022