21st Apr 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=645 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Brazils ABPA a lobby group representing large pork and chicken processors like JBS SA and BRF SA said on Wednesday its member companies are facing difficulties shipping products through the Port of Shanghai. The statement sent in response to a question from Reuters about the effects of the COVID lockdown in the Chinese city said cargoes are being redirected to other ports such as Yantian. There are no reports of suspension of sales the statement said referring to rumors about potential contract cancellations. https://www.reuters.com/business/brazil-meat-exporters-face-hurdles-shipping-product-via-covid-hit-shanghai-lobby-2022-04-20/ 21st Apr 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Washington Post The abrupt end of the federal mask mandate for public transportation and an uptick in coronavirus cases across the country have left some Americans wondering Should I still wear a mask in certain situations or places The confusion comes after a federal judge struck down the transportation mandate prompting airlines and transportation agencies to lift their mask rules just as cases are starting to tick up again. Most states and cities that still had indoor mask mandates lifted them weeks ago. President Biden said Tuesday that people should decide for themselves if they want to wear masks or not. Heres what we know about the science of masking to help you make decisions about if when and where to cover your face. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/04/20/when-to-still-mask-planes/ 20th Apr 2022

Lockdown Exit

Sky News Social distancing rules in the NHS have been scrapped according to new guidance issued by the health service. Patients in England will no longer need to be distanced from one another in GP and hospital waiting rooms. NHS organisations have been told to return to prepandemic physical distancing in all areas but people will still be encouraged to wear face coverings. The new guidance covers all areas including emergency departments and other hospital settings ambulances patient transport services and GP surgeries. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-social-distancing-requirement-scrapped-in-hospital-and-gp-waiting-rooms-in-england-12593789 20th Apr 2022

Lockdown Exit

ABC.Net.au The NSW government has scrapped the requirement for close contacts of COVID19 cases to isolate at home for seven days. Those deemed a close contact of a positive case will have to undertake a daily rapid antigen test and wear a face mask in indoor settings. Close contacts are urged to work from home where possible and will have to notify their employer that they are a close contact and stay away from hospitals and aged care settings. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-20/close-covid-19-close-contact-isolation-rules-lifted-nsw/101000980 20th Apr 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Independent The proportion of people who fully selfisolate after testing positive for Covid19 has fallen sharply since the rules were scrapped in England at the end of February a new survey suggests. Just over half 53 of people questioned said they had followed the full advice for selfisolating down from four in five 80 in February when isolation was a legal requirement. The survey was carried out by the Office for National Statistics ONS between March 17 and 26 nearly a month since the Government removed all rules for selfisolation in England on February 24. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/office-for-national-statistics-covid-england-government-sharp-b2061387.html 20th Apr 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters.com A U.S. judges ruling this week that the Biden administrations mask mandate for public transportation was unlawful dealt another blow to an industry that built dozens of small U.S. mask factories during the darkest days of the COVID19 pandemic. Just a year ago 26 of these upstart producers signed a letter to the administration urging a crackdown on an influx of lowpriced Chinese masks that was undermining their new operations all of which were opened in response to a health crisis that highlighted U.S. dependence on foreign producers of all types of medical safety gear. https://www.reuters.com/business/americas-mask-manufacturers-take-it-chin-2022-04-20/ 20th Apr 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Israel told its citizens on Wednesday they could stop wearing COVID19 masks indoors its second such revision after the measure was briefly dropped and then restored last year in response to a rise in cases. The scrapping of mandatory masks in closed public venues will go into force on Saturday subject to approval by a parliament oversight committee a government statement said. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-scraps-indoor-covid-19-mask-order-second-time-2022-04-20/ 20th Apr 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters.com Uber and Lyft have scrapped face mask mandates for their riders and drivers in the United States the ridehailing companies said on Tuesday as COVID cases have fallen sharply from their January peak. Walt Disney also said that wearing masks would be optional for fully vaccinated visitors at its indoor and outdoor locations and transport facilities. It recommended guests who are not fully vaccinated to continue wearing face coverings at all indoor locations and enclosed transportation https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/uber-scraps-mask-requirement-riders-drivers-covid-cases-fall-2022-04-19/ 20th Apr 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Wednesday that China should use fiscal space to stimulate consumption as it faces an economic slowdown prompted by renewed COVID19 lockdowns. Georgieva said that China had ample fiscal and monetary policy space to counteract this but it would be better to stimulate consumption. What we see in China is that consumption is falling short it is not recovering as strongly as necessary Georgieva told a news conference at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings. https://www.reuters.com/business/imfs-georgieva-says-china-should-stimulate-consumption-lockdowns-mount-2022-04-20/ 20th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

9News.com.au A grandmother is facing possible deportation after her entry into Western Australia was denied over her COVID19 vaccination status. Claire Henderson travelled to Perth from the UK to see her family after not seeing them for almost three years because of the pandemic. The 64yearolds son Michael said her visa G2G pass and vaccination exemption were all approved in November last year. https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-updates-australia-covid-vaccine-exemption-granted-to-uk-grandmother-now-facing-deportation/35784399-5a0e-4dfb-af7a-9a6c10b697f7 20th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Romania is struggling to find storage for millions of Covid vaccine doses it hasnt used even as more are slated to arrive this year. More than two years into the pandemic the country remains one of the European Unions least vaccinated. Now the government is asking the EU for help and trying to sell or donate doses from Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. to resolve a storage headache thats set to worsen while avoiding wasting the shots. About 6.5 million doses delivered in January and February have been sold to Germany and Hungary but another 39 million are scheduled to arrive this year and next according to Health Minister Alexandru Rafila. One country was offered 1.1 million doses for free and has yet to show interest in picking them up. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-20/awash-in-covid-vaccines-romania-faces-storage-headache 20th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

Kyodo News Plus Japan is considering making the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions eligible for fourth coronavirus vaccine shots in line with recommendations by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party government sources said Tuesday. The Ministry of Health Labor and Welfare will also consider whether to make medical staff eligible for the shots after some experts voiced support for the move the sources said. The ministry will finalize the plan after hearing views from experts in a vaccine panel meeting slated for April 27 the sources said. https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/04/9788d2b9a6c5-japan-mulls-4th-vaccine-shots-for-elderly-chronically-ill-patients.html 20th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

The Washington Post Even highly informed consumers of pandemic news may struggle to sift through the latest US government guidance and newest scientific studies. And even at this stage in the crisis they may be unclear on what additional boosters can and cant do. Public health officials who authorized a second booster shot last month for people 50 and older and for immunocompromised people 12 and older have insisted its a stopgap aimed primarily at keeping the most vulnerable people out of the hospital or the cemetery. A second booster appears to add to protection against severe illness in people 60 and older but offers only a modest temporary shield against infection. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/04/20/when-to-get-second-covid-booster/ 20th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters.com Certain groups of people in Mexico may be able to receive a fourth COVID19 vaccine shot a senior government official said on Tuesday. Deputy Health Minister Hugo LopezGatell told reporters at a regular news conference that while the government does not currently have plans to roll out a second booster shot nationally certain people may be eligible to receive one. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/fourth-covid-19-vaccine-shot-possible-some-mexico-official-says-2022-04-19/ 20th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Norway will offer a fourth COVID19 vaccine dose to those aged 80 and over the countrys Institute of Public Health said on Wednesday. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/norway-offers-4th-covid-vaccine-dose-those-aged-80-over-2022-04-20/ 20th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters.com Taiwan firms making chip and electronic components reported a mixed picture on Wednesday on work resumption in the eastern Chinese city of Kunshan after COVID19 curbs with some warning deliveries would be postponed until next month. China has put Shanghai under a tight lockdown since late March and neighbouring Kunshan has also tightened curbs to control the countrys biggest COVID19 outbreak since the coronavirus was discovered in late 2019 in the city of Wuhan https://www.reuters.com/technology/taiwans-unimicron-says-kunshan-plant-gradually-resuming-production-2022-04-20/ 20th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Chinas commercial capital of Shanghai reported no new COVID19 infections outside quarantine areas in two districts on Wednesday fanning hopes that the tide is turning in its pandemic battle as some factories began to return to work. State media trumpeted the resumption of production by electric car company Tesla Inc at its Shanghai plant on Tuesday after a halt of more than three weeks. The U.S. carmaker was on a list of 666 firms the Chinese government said last week would get priority to reopen or keep operations running in Shanghai. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/shanghai-hopes-covid-tide-turning-cases-dwindle-outside-quarantined-areas-2022-04-20/ 20th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Prolonged lockdowns in Shanghai as China doubles down on its zeroCOVID policy have become the predominant risk to its economy and markets forcing money managers to cut holdings or turn defensive on stocks. Global fund managers such as Pictet Wealth Management and Principal Global Investors and Chinafocused managers such as MegaTrust Investment and Water Wisdom Asset Management point to the worrying toll that weeks of tough antivirus measures in many major cities have taken on people and businesses. The citywide lockdown in Shanghai is a big deal said Qi Wang chief executive officer of MegaTrust Investment HK. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-investors-covid-lockdowns-are-clear-present-danger-2022-04-20/ 20th Apr 2022

Exit Strategies

The Wall Street Journal Federal prosecutors have charged about 20 people in the past two weeks with allegedly engaging in various fraud schemes related to the Covid19 pandemic that amounted to about 150 million in improper government claims around 20 million of which have been paid officials said. The Justice Department has stepped up efforts to uncover theft from programs that were pumping billions of dollars into the healthcare system after the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020. The new cases are filed in districts around the country and provide a sweeping look at how some healthcare providers allegedly sought to cheat Medicare and other programs by bundling charges for unnecessary servicesor those that werent ever providedwith the delivery of relatively inexpensive Covid19 tests. https://www.wsj.com/articles/alleged-covid-19-fraud-schemes-totaling-150-million-draw-criminal-charges-11650468618 20th Apr 2022

Partisan Exits

The Guardian The supreme court has allowed the US Department of Defense to take disciplinary action against an air force lieutenant colonel who refuses to get a Covid19 vaccine. In a brief twosentence ruling on Monday a majority of the court sided with the Pentagon. Three justices in the conservative majority Clarence Thomas Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented. The ruling was merely the courts latest on challenges to Covid19 vaccine mandates. In January the court blocked a Biden administration requirement that employees of large businesses be vaccinated and wear masks on the job. https://www.theguardian.com/law/2022/apr/19/us-supreme-court-air-force-officer-covid-vaccine 20th Apr 2022

Partisan Exits

News-Medical.Net The study findings highlight that hesitancy to COVID19 vaccination can significantly increase the rate of COVID19related hospitalizations and deaths in England. Importantly the study predicts that the observed severity of COVID19 could be reduced significantly if the majority of unvaccinated people who are resistant to COVID19 vaccination agree to receive full vaccination. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220420/The-impact-of-COVID-19-vaccine-hesitancy-and-resistance-on-the-population-of-England.aspx 20th Apr 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters U.S. President Joe Bidens administration said on Tuesday it would appeal a judges ruling ending a mask mandate on airplanes if public health officials deem it necessary to stem the spread of COVID19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to whom the administration was deferring said that it would continue to study whether the mandates were still needed. The mandates apply to planes trains and other public transportation and prior to Mondays ruling had been due to expire on May 3. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-administration-may-appeal-ruling-mask-mandates-white-house-says-2022-04-19/ 20th Apr 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday appealed a judges ruling ending a mask mandate on public transportation and airplanes a spokesman said after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC said the measure was still needed. A U.S. district judge ruled on Monday that the mandates which apply to planes trains and other public transportation were unlawful. The Justice Department said it would appeal the ruling if the CDC determined the 14monthold mandate was still needed. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/cdc-wants-justice-department-appeal-transportation-mask-ruling-2022-04-20/ 20th Apr 2022

Continued Lockdown

Reuters To prepare the 3000plus orders of vegetables meat and essentials her Carrefour supermarket sends out every day to lockedin Shanghai residents manager Zhang Wei wakes at 5 a.m. after a night in a sleeping bag on her office floor. Zhang and 43 colleagues have been hunkered down inside the store in Shanghais western Xujing suburb since April 1 isolated from the outside world while working long days to fill online orders from neighbouring housing compounds. Her Carrefour branch is one of more than 1000 grocery stores open during Shanghais lockdown albeit under stringent requirements to prevent the spread of COVID19. The city government is trying to increase the number of stores open. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/shanghai-lockdown-carrefour-staff-sleeps-store-keep-residents-supplied-2022-04-20/ 20th Apr 2022

Continued Lockdown

Reuters Prolonged lockdowns in Shanghai as China doubles down on its zeroCOVID policy have become the predominant risk to its economy and markets forcing money managers to cut holdings or turn defensive on stocks. Global fund managers such as Pictet Wealth Management and Principal Global Investors and Chinafocused managers such as MegaTrust Investment and Water Wisdom Asset Management point to the worrying toll that weeks of tough antivirus measures in many major cities have taken on people and businesses. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-investors-covid-lockdowns-are-clear-present-danger-2022-04-20/ 20th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Financial Times Pressure is mounting on Moderna and Pfizer to share vaccine technology with the developing world after the two biggest proxy advisers lent support to shareholder resolutions. Institutional Shareholder Services has recommended that investors vote in favour of proposals by Oxfam America that would compel Moderna and Pfizer to commission thirdparty reports about transferring their vaccine technology. The drive to expand access to the wellperforming mRNA vaccines comes as Moderna unveiled strong trial results for a new bivalent vaccine. Oxfam is lobbying to create a more equal distribution of Covid19 vaccines arguing that not sharing the IP and technical knowhow creates reputational risks and could slow the end of the pandemic. https://www.ft.com/content/2017ca6d-406c-4b1f-bc9d-1cfa919b24eb 20th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

News-Medical.Net This was an observational longitudinal prospective directtoparticipant appbased study titled Digital Engagement and Tracking for Early Control and Treatment DETECT study. Daily data were collected from smart wearable devices. The data collection period included the two weeks before and after each vaccination dose. Data was collected from 7298 participants who reported receiving at least one dose of the vaccine. A total of 6803 participants received both doses of an mRNA vaccine. Only 437 participants received the Johnson Johnson singledose adenovirusbased vaccine and therefore were excluded from this study. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220420/Studying-the-immune-response-after-COVID-19-vaccination-using-smartwatches-and-fitness-bands.aspx 20th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

STAT News 1. How will the virus evolve next 2. What will future waves look like 3. If youve never had Covid how worried should you be right now 4. How exactly does the virus transmit from person to person 5. Will we get a new better generation of vaccines therapeutics and tests 6. How long before we understand long Covid https://www.statnews.com/2022/04/19/six-covid-mysteries-including-how-it-will-evolve/ 20th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

BBC News Pregnant women have been an afterthought during the coronavirus pandemic and some of their deaths were preventable a leading scientist has told Newsnight. Data shows there have been at least 40 maternal deaths from Covid in the UK. Almost all were unvaccinated and more than half happened after pregnant women were advised to takeup the vaccine. The regulator says vaccines during pregnancy are safe. Professor Marian Knight who investigates every maternal death in the UK said lifesaving messaging is still struggling to reach https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61157121 20th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Financial Times Scientists are urging China to look for alternatives to its two homegrown Covid19 vaccines to tackle its Omicron outbreak amid mounting concerns about the jabs efficacy against the variant. The country is struggling with two problems as it faces its worst Covid19 surge since the start of the pandemic the sluggish takeup of booster doses authorities said this week that only 57 per cent of people over 60 have been fully vaccinated with three jabs and homegrown vaccines that are much less effective than foreignproduced jabs. https://www.ft.com/content/729f1dc0-32d1-42c9-bb62-63a41f1e8de2 20th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

FiercePharma After a winding path to a coronavirus vaccine launch that still hasnt reached the U.S. Novavaxs program could be destined to reap billions of dollars in sales this year one group of analysts predicts. Chalk it up to whats looking like a strong firstquarter revenue haul for the Gaithersburg Marylandbased biotech Jefferies analysts wrote in a note to clients Tuesday following a chat with Novavaxs chief financial officer Jim Kelly. The companys only marketed product is its proteinbased coronavirus vaccine Nuvaxovid which is slowly racking up green lights in places like the EU the U.K. Australia and South Korea. https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/novavax-fashionably-late-covid-19-vaccine-party-could-still-hit-5b-sales-forecast-2022 20th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Pharmaceutical Technology MSD Merck in North America has obtained interim authorisation under the Pandemic Special Access Route PSAR from Singapore Health Sciences Authority HSA for its antiviral medicine Lagevrio molnupiravir to treat Covid19. Lagevrio is the second oral antiviral therapy to obtain authorisation in the region to treat mild to moderate Covid19 in people of the age 18 years and above. It is intended for patients who are at risk of disease progression to severe Covid19 andor hospital admission and for those with no clinically appropriate substitute Covid19 treatment options available. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/msd-singapore-hsa-antiviral/ 20th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Time Out From April 19 people whove recovered from Covid19 can now download a QR code issued by the government via the Covid19 Electronic Vaccination and Testing Record System and use the electronic record when entering designated premises like restaurants shopping malls and supermarkets instead of the vaccine pass. The QR code is valid within six months from the date of recovery. Downloading the recovery record QR code will require recovered Covid19 patients to provide the number and date of issue of their Hong Kong identity card discharge date from the hospital or positive test result for identification. The recovery QR code may also be downloaded using the iAM Smart app and the latest version of the eHealth app. Those who received isolation orders issued by the Department of Health DH will instantly get the recovery record QR code. The QR code may be saved in the LeaveHomeSafe mobile application to facilitate scanning when entering a Vaccine Pass premises. https://www.timeout.com/hong-kong/news/hong-kong-launches-new-platform-for-recovered-covid-19-patients-042022 20th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Evening Standard The chief executive of Oxford Biomedica has hailed an exceptional year as a deal to manufacture Britains Covid19 vaccine boosted revenues and led to a string of deals. Revenues jumped 63 last year to 142 million as a partnership with AstraZeneca led to surging business. Operating profits rose from 7.3 million to 35.9 million in 2021. Chair and interim CEO Dr Roch Doliveux said I am delighted with our performance in 2021 which was a true testament to the hard work of all our employees. 2021 financial performance was exceptional due to largescale manufacture of the adenovirusbased Oxford AstraZeneca COVID19 vaccine and we have successfully manufactured over 100 million doses since the partnership began. https://www.standard.co.uk/business/oxford-biomedica-2021-results-profits-sales-astrazeneca-vaccine-covid19-b995213.html 20th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

North Wales Chronicle A pharmaceutical company that has helped in the production of the Covid19 vaccine will right size business as the widescale rollout comes to an end. Wockhardt based on the Wrexham Industrial Estate is a global pharmaceutical and biotechnology organisation that had a contract with the UK Government to help produce Covid 19 vaccines during the mass rollout. Now the rollout is coming to an end and the company will be scaling back the work leading to job losses. A spokesperson for the company said Wockhardt is incredibly proud to have played a vital role in mitigating the global impact of COVID19. https://www.northwaleschronicle.co.uk/news/20079729.wrexham-company-stop-producing-covid-19-vaccine/ 20th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

BioPharma-Reporter.com Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. has reported topline data from an ongoing Phase 123 trial evaluating ARCT154 its selfamplifying mRNA COVID19 vaccine candidate. https://www.biopharma-reporter.com/Article/2022/04/20/Arcturus-s-self-amplifying-COVID-19-mRNA-vaccine-meets-Phase-3-primary-efficacy-endpoint 20th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

STV News Nearly every adult in Scotland would have tested positive for Covid19 antibodies official estimates have found. At the end of March 99 of those over 15 years old are estimated to have developed the infectionfighting molecules the Office for National Statistics said. This is higher than in both England and Wales. The measurement shows the impact of coronavirus infections and the vaccine programme. https://news.stv.tv/scotland/nearly-every-adult-in-scotland-has-covid-19-antibodies-office-for-national-statistics-estimates-say 20th Apr 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Johnson Johnson rescinded its forecast for sales of its COVID19 vaccine as hesitancy in low income countries has led to a glut of supply of a shot once hoped to be the inoculation of choice for the developing world. The company had previously predicted as much as 3.5 billion in 2022 sales from the singledose vaccine but demand has withered. Still the company reported strong results for its medical devices business and raised its dividend driving shares up around 3. https://www.reuters.com/business/johnson-johnson-suspends-sales-forecast-covid-19-vaccine-2022-04-19/ 20th Apr 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters New Delhi authorities on Wednesday made the wearing of masks compulsory again after COVID19 infections rose in the Indian capital in recent days. In view of the rise in COVID positive cases recently and as advised by the experts it was decided to enhance testing focus on vaccination coverage of targeted population and ensure strict enforcement of COVID appropriate behaviour Delhis Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal said on Twitter. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/delhi-makes-masks-mandatory-again-after-covid-cases-rise-2022-04-20/ 20th Apr 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Taiwan may see domestic COVID19 infections top 10000 a day by the end of the month Health Minister Chen Shihchung said on Wednesday calling on people to exercise caution and stick to wearing face masks. The island of 23 million people moved early to control the pandemic adopting measures such as largely closing its borders and tracing contacts of those infected but it has seen a rise in infections since the beginning of the year. The 13164 domestic cases since Jan. 1 have been driven by the more infectious Omicron variant though more than 99 have shown only mild symptoms or none at all. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taiwan-may-see-10000-daily-covid-cases-by-month-end-2022-04-20/ 20th Apr 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Chinas commercial capital of Shanghai reported no new COVID19 infections outside quarantine areas in two districts on Wednesday fanning hopes that the tide is turning in its pandemic battle as some factories began to return to work. State media trumpeted the resumption of production by electric car company Tesla Inc at its Shanghai plant after a halt of more than three weeks. The U.S. carmaker was on a list of 666 firms the Chinese government said last week would get priority to reopen or keep operations running in Shanghai. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/shanghai-hopes-covid-tide-turning-cases-dwindle-outside-quarantined-areas-2022-04-20/ 20th Apr 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters The BA.2 subvariant of Omicron and its sublineage BA.2.12.1 is estimated to make up more than 90 of the coronavirus variants in the United States as of April 16 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC said on Tuesday. Overall cases have dropped sharply nationally since hitting record levels in January but COVID19 infections have been on the rise during the last few weeks particularly in Northeast states like New York and Connecticut. A resurgence in COVID19 cases in parts of Asia and Europe has raised concerns that another wave could follow in the U.S as has been the case with previous surges during the pandemic https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/omicron-sub-variant-ba2-makes-up-nearly-75-covid-variants-us-cdc-2022-04-19/ 19th Apr 2022