1st Jun 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=673 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Cuba on Tuesday lifted a mask mandate in place for two years following a successful vaccination drive that health officials say has contributed to a sharp drop in cases and nearly three weeks without a single death from COVID19. The island whose communist government has long sought to stand out by providing a free healthcare system that focuses on preventative treatment such as vaccinations developed its own COVID vaccines and became the first country in the world to begin the mass vaccination of kids as young as age 2. rge Luis BanosPool via REUTERS HAVANA May 31 Reuters Cuba on Tuesday lifted a mask mandate in place for two years following a successful vaccination drive that health officials say has contributed to a sharp drop in cases and nearly three weeks without a single death from COVID19. The island whose communist government has long sought to stand out by providing a free healthcare system that focuses on preventative treatment such as vaccinations developed its own COVID vaccines and became the first country in the world to begin the mass vaccination of kids as young as age 2. Cuba has since vaccinated 94 of its population with at least one dose of its homegrown vaccines according to a Reuters tally. Health minister Jos ngel Portal said the wideranging vaccination program had led to a radical change in contagion and health risks and prompted the decision to do away with masks in most scenarios. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/cuba-lifts-mask-mandate-vaccination-rate-soars-deaths-plummet-2022-05-31/ 1st Jun 2022

Lockdown Exit

Regulation Asia Banks will be asked to renew SME loans asset managers are asked to set up global or regional investment management centres in Shanghai. Shanghai has unveiled a comprehensive 50point plan to reopen the city and its economy in stages with the goal of restoring normalcy to business and daily life following the twomonthlong lockdown. Last week Premier Li Keqiang called for efforts to be made to stabilise the economy and restore investor confidence. New Covid19 cases in Shanghai have also fallen fell to their lowest levels since midMarch. The 50point plan to reopen the city covers measures to help enterprises reduce their operating costs incentives to prevent job losses and broader reopening measures. Companies will no longer need to be on a whitelist to resume production starting from 1 June. Under the existing whitelist system about 6000 companies are allowed to resume production provided they adhere to certain pandemic prevention guidelines. https://www.regulationasia.com/shanghai-unveils-50-point-plan-to-return-to-normalcy/ 31st May 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Conversation Three years into the pandemic its clear that Canadas provinces have been hampered by a lack of a comparative crossCanada analysis of school closures and the effects on students. What we do know about the disruptive impact of school closures on Ontario and other provinces comes largely from a June 2021 Ontario Science Table study documenting the extent of school closures from provincetoprovince. https://theconversation.com/after-ontarios-covid-19-school-closures-a-responsive-recovery-plan-is-critical-177514 31st May 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian After enduring recordbreaking levels of Covid in the past six months Britain has seen cases fall to their lowest for a year. But as the country eases back into a life more normal will the disease remain in the background or is another resurgence on its way Science editor Ian Sample explains how the virus is changing and why one expert thinks infection rates are not going to get down to very low numbers again in our lifetimes. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/31/as-uk-covid-cases-fall-to-lowest-level-for-a-year-what-could-the-future-look-like 31st May 2022

Lockdown Exit

Arutz Sheva Professor Salman Zarka Israels coronavirus czar estimates that quarantine for coronaviruspositive individuals will be canceled. Speaking to reporters Prof. Zarka estimated that in the middle of June those testing positive for COVID19 will no longer need to quarantine. Though both the infection coefficient and the percent positive have held relatively steady since midApril Prof. Zarka also claimed that the fifth wave of the virus is continuing to slow down https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/328520 31st May 2022

Lockdown Exit

NDTV Italy said it was dropping the requirement to show proof of coronavirus vaccination recent recovery or a negative test before entering the country. The health ministry announced that the requirement to show a socalled Green Pass to enter Italy will not be extended when it expires on May 31. Italy was the first European country hit by coronavirus in early 2020 and has had some of the toughest restrictions including requiring all workers to show a Green Pass. https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/italy-scraps-covid-19-entry-rules-for-travellers-as-cases-drop-3024149 31st May 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian Shanghai authorities have begun dismantling fences around housing compounds and ripping police tape off public squares and buildings to the relief of the citys 25 million residents before a painful twomonth lockdown is lifted at midnight. On Monday evening some of the people allowed out of their compounds for brief walks took advantage of suspended traffic to congregate for a beer and ice cream on deserted streets but there was a sense of wariness and anxiety among residents. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/31/shanghai-starts-to-dismantle-fences-as-covid-lockdown-due-to-end 31st May 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg South Africa experienced a fifth wave of Covid19 infections despite 97 of the population having antibodies due to previous infections or vaccination the results of a blood survey show. Examination of 3395 samples from blood donors earlier this year at the tail end of the fourth wave of infections showed that 87 of South Africans had previously been infected with the virus while just over 97 had either had a previous infection or a vaccination or both. The study was lead by Stellenbosch Universitys DSTNRF Centre of Excellence in Epidemiological Modeling and Analysis and the South African National Blood Service. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-30/s-africa-had-fifth-covid-wave-despite-97-antibody-protection 30th May 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg China reported the fewest new Covid19 cases in almost three months with the easing of outbreaks in Beijing and Shanghai emboldening authorities to relax some of the strictest virus controls of the pandemic and move to stimulate the countrys faltering economy. Shanghai will lift lockdown measures for residents in lowrisk areas allowing them to leave and enter their compounds freely starting from Wednesday according to a statement from the municipal government on Monday. The city will resume taxi and ride hailing services while allowing cars on the road in lowrisk areas. Cases in the financial hub fell to 67 for Sunday from 122 on Saturday with bus and subway services to reopen in an orderly manner from June 1. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-29/china-covid-outbreak-wanes-as-virus-curbs-eased-to-boost-economy 29th May 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Chinas capital Beijing will loosen mobility curbs in several districts from Sunday after authorities said its outbreak is under control while total case numbers in the financial hub of Shanghai continued to decline. Most public transportation services including buses subways and taxis will resume in three districts including Chaoyang according to Xu Hejian a spokesman for the Beijing city government. Shopping centers outside of controlled areas in the city will also be allowed to reopen with capacity limits on the number of people. Chaoyang is home to Beijings central business district most foreign embassies and expatriates. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-28/shanghai-reports-covid-case-in-community-total-infections-fall 1st Jun 2022

Exit Strategies

Yahoo Finance Shanghai authorities say they will take major steps Wednesday toward reopening Chinas largest city after a twomonth COVID19 lockdown that has set back the national economy and largely confined millions of people to their homes. Already a steady stream of people strolled in the Bund the citys historic waterfront park on a pleasant Tuesday night some taking selfies against the bright lights of the Pudong financial district on the other side of the river. Elsewhere people gathered outside to eat and drink under the watch of police deployed to discourage large crowds from forming. Lu Kexin a high school senior visiting the Bund for the first time since late March said she went crazy being trapped at home for so long. Im very happy extremely happy all the way too happy she said. I could die. https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/shanghai-moves-toward-ending-2-051418852.html 1st Jun 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Following two months of frustration despair and economic loss Shanghais draconian COVID19 lockdown ended at midnight on Wednesday morning prompting celebrations tempered with fear that an outbreak could return. Most of Shanghais 25 million residents can now freely leave home return to work use public transport and drive their cars a moment that for many in Chinas largest and most cosmopolitan city felt like it would never arrive. At midnight small groups gathered in the citys former French Concession neighbourhood whistled shouted ban lifted and clinked glasses of champagne. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/after-two-months-scarred-shanghais-covid-19-lockdown-ends-2022-05-31/ 1st Jun 2022

Exit Strategies

Global News The Public Health Agency of Canada says COVID19 restrictions at the border will remain in place for at least another month. The agency made the announcement on Twitter the day after Parliament voted down a Conservative opposition motion to revert to prepandemic rules for travel. Several pandemic restrictions are in place at Canadian airports and land borders including vaccine mandates random COVID19 tests and the requirement that international travellers answer pandemicrelated questions on the ArriveCan app. https://globalnews.ca/news/8882250/covid-19-border-measures-canada-phac/ 31st May 2022

Exit Strategies

CBC.ca COVID19 vaccination rates on P.E.I. are among the highest across Canada with 94 per cent of people over 12 now fully vaccinated. But when it comes to those aged five to 11 that rate falls. According to the provinces vaccination data as of May 22 54 per cent of children aged five to 11 were fully vaccinated and 68 per cent had one dose of a COVID19 vaccine. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-vaccine-uptake-children-covid-19-1.6471483 31st May 2022

Exit Strategies

News-Medical.Net In January progressive California Democrats vowed to adopt the toughest covid vaccine requirements in the country. Their proposals would have required most Californians to get the shots to go to school or work without allowing exemptions to get out of them. Months later the lawmakers pulled their bills before the first votes. One major vaccine proposal survives but faces an uphill battle. It would allow children ages 12 to 17 to get a covid19 vaccine without parental permission. At least 10 other states permit some minors to do this. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220531/Politics-and-pandemic-fatigue-doom-Californiae28099s-covid-vaccine-mandates.aspx 31st May 2022

Exit Strategies

Leicestershire Live Health bosses in Leicestershire are urging families to use the half term holiday to go and get jabbed together. The schools in both the city and the county are off his week and alongside the fun days out people are being urged to make sure they get fully vaccinated against Covid19. Clinics across the county are still open although the Platinum Jubilee bank holidays mean Thursday and Friday will see them close again. https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/push-more-people-fully-vaccinated-7146586 31st May 2022

Exit Strategies

ABC.Net.au Throughout the ebb and flow of WAs various COVID restrictions one rule has remained steady for months now workplace vaccination requirements. Since late last year about 60 per cent of WA workers have been required to be vaccinated to continue working and from today this cohort will need to have had their third booster shot. But with WA achieving worldleading vaccination rates and about a quarter of people having some level of immunity from having recently had the virus questions have been raised about the utility of those mandates. However experts and the government say there should be little change at least in the short term. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-31/wa-coronavirus-update-workplace-vaccine-mandates-set-to-stay/101109400 31st May 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Chinas daily virus cases fell below 100 for the first time since early March after months of strict curbs though omicrons contagiousness means the reprieve from infections and Beijings intensive Covid Zero response may only be temporary. The country reported 97 new cases for Monday according to the National Health Commission. The financial hub of Shanghai formerly the epicenter of Chinas outbreak reported 31 cases as the city prepared to further loosen curbs. Beijing found 18 though the capital continues to see infections popping up in the community despite extensive contact tracing and isolation. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-31/china-s-virus-cases-drop-below-100-as-flareups-test-covid-zero 31st May 2022

Partisan Exits

ABC.Net.au The first of several civil cases brought on by dozens of Queensland frontline workers who are challenging their COVID19 vaccine mandates including police officers and paramedics begins in Brisbane. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-31/legal-challenges-to-queenslands-covid-vaccine-mandate/13906978 31st May 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters UK Conservative lawmaker Jeremy Wright a former British minister and attorney general said on Monday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson should resign joining a growing number of MPs who have withdrawn their support over the partygate scandal. A damning official report published last week detailed a series of illegal parties at Johnsons Downing Street office during COVID19 lockdowns prompting a new wave of calls for Johnson to step aside. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/former-uk-minister-says-pm-johnson-should-resign-over-lockdown-parties-2022-05-30/ 31st May 2022

Partisan Exits

Associated Press Police raided homes and offices in northern and western Germany on Tuesday as part of an investigation into a case involving five men accused of fraudulently applying for 26 million 28 million worth of pandemiclinked aid. The German government drew up a series of aid packages to help businesses withstand the impact of lockdowns and other restrictions at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. The suspects in this investigation are suspected of making at least 363 aid applications under false pretenses for their own purposes and for companies that commissioned them according to a police statement. https://apnews.com/article/covid-politics-health-germany-982e083d22f173eb5d160082bdd610bc 31st May 2022

Continued Lockdown

ABC News Hong Kongs incoming chief executive John Lee said Tuesday the city still has to work hard at controlling the coronavirus and boosting vaccination rates. Lee who returned home after meeting with Communist Party officials in Beijing said Hong Kong needs to control the spread of COVID19 to create favorable conditions for a resumption of regular travel with mainland China. We still have cases of infection between 200 to 300 cases daily and vaccination rates for the second dose have yet to reach 90 Lee said to reporters after landing at Hong Kongs airport. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/hong-kong-leader-city-work-harder-covid-19-85083623 31st May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

News-Medical.Net In the present study researchers reported results from an interim analysis of a living systematic review LSR summarizing evidence on VE and duration of protection against SARSCoV2 Omicron. For the LSR the researchers included studies investigating VE against SARSCoV2 infection among people aged 12 years or older for European Medicine Agency EMA approved vaccines. For the current analysis only the studies which investigated the mentioned outcomes due to SARSCoV2 Omicron or during the Omicron period were considered. The coronavirus disease 2019 COVID19 literature database created by the Robert Koch Institute RKI library was searched for studies published from October 23 2021 to January 14 2022 regardless of publication status or language. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220531/Evidence-on-COVID-19-vaccine-effectiveness-and-duration-of-protection-against-Omicron.aspx 31st May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Pharmaceutical Technology The Philippine FDA has granted approval for Modernas Covid19 vaccine Spikevax for use in children who are aged six to 11 years. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/philippine-fda-spikevax-children/ 31st May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Belfast Telegraph Loneliness and social stresses can have a negative impact on the antibody response to Covid19 vaccines new research has revealed. University of Limerick researchers have found that lower neighbourhood cohesion is associated with antibody response to Covid19 vaccines. In a study published in the journal Brain Behaviour and Immunity the research team demonstrated that lower social cohesion also made people feel lonelier and this was an additional factor in reducing Covid19 vaccine responses. The report stated that social cohesion is the degree of social connectedness and solidarity among different community groups within a society including levels of trust and connectedness between individuals and across community groups. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/study-shows-low-social-cohesion-is-a-factor-in-reducing-vaccine-responses-41706314.html 31st May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

EurekAlert! A new 23country study by a multidisciplinary team of researchers in the journal Vaccine published by Elsevier sheds light on the factors that contribute to COVID19 vaccine hesitancy among healthcare providers. To assess the associations between selfreported vaccine hesitancy and a number of sociodemographic and COVID19 vaccine perception factors CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy CUNY SPH Senior Scholar Jeffrey Lazarus PhD Dean Ayman ElMohandes MBBCh MD MPH FAAP and colleagues from the School of Health Administration at Dalhousie University Halifax Canada and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health Barcelona Spain developed a crosssectional survey relating to perceptions of risk efficacy safety and trust and current COVID19 vaccine uptake. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/954271 31st May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

City A.M. GSK has offered to pay up to 3.3bn 2.6bn for a US vaccine maker after the pandemic pushed the importance of biotechnology to the top of the healthcare agenda. The British pharmaceutical giant is set to pay 2.1bn 1.6bn upfront and up to 1.2bn 951m more if the biopharmaceutical firm Affinivax meets specified development milestones GSK said in a statement this morning. Affinivax based in Boston focuses on vaccines which target pneumococcal disease which includes pneumonia meningitis bloodstream infections and milder diseases such as sinusitis. https://www.cityam.com/gsk-offers-2-6bn-for-us-vaccine-maker-after-failing-to-bring-covid-jab-to-market/ 31st May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Leicestershire Live Symptoms of long Covid can decrease after being vaccinated a Leicester study has found. The research conducted by the University of Leicester was published in the British Medical Journal. It found that a first dose of the Covid19 vaccination was associated with a reduction in the likelihood of continuing symptoms of the virus by 12.8 per cent. A second dose showed a further reduction of 8.8 per cent according to the study. Between February 3 and September 5 2021 a team of academics and government statisticians assessed the results of the Office for National Statistics COVID19 Infection Survey to examine the health outcomes of 28356 people who had received a vaccine after contracting the coronavirus. More than 23 per cent of the participants went on to experience symptoms of long Covid 12 weeks after they were infected with the virus. https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/leicester-study-finds-promising-link-7147610 31st May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Nippon.com A panel of Japans health ministry Monday endorsed a ministry plan to give pharmaceutical approval to U.S. drugmaker Johnson Johnsons COVID19 vaccine. The ministry is expected to grant the approval soon to what will be the fifth COVID19 vaccine that can be used in the country. The ministry does not plan to make inoculations of the vaccine free of charge at public expense because it has already secured necessary amounts of vaccines. Japan has not signed to buy the JJ vaccine. The JJ product is a viral vector vaccine like the one made by British drugmaker AstraZeneca PLC. It can be administered only to people aged 18 or above. Only a single shot is necessary for the JJ vaccine unlike the previously approved vaccines all of which require two shots at an interval of at least three to four weeks. https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2022053000845/ 31st May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CBC.ca Researchers are having a hard time explaining why Quebec had the countrys highest official COVID19 death toll despite a relatively low number of excess deaths between March 2020 and October 2021. A new study released Monday by the Canadian Medical Association Journal tried to answer that question but came up short. I would say at this point its something we need to understand Kimberlyn McGrail professor at University of British Columbias school of population and public health said in an interview. The study titled Excess mortality COVID19 and healthcare systems in Canada says Quebec had 4033 excess deaths between March 2020 and October 2021 but reported 11470 COVID19 fatalities almost three times more. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/stud-covid-19-deaths-1.6471557 31st May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

PBS NewsHour Imagine inhaling just a few drops of liquid or mist to get protected from COVID19. That is the idea behind nasal COVID19 vaccines and they have been getting a lot of attention recently as a spray or liquid. These nasal vaccines would be based on the same technology as normal vaccines given by injection. But as Mayuresh Abhyankar a University of Virginia researcher who studies infectious diseases and works on nasal vaccines explains vaccinating someone right where the coronavirus is likely to start its attack comes with many immunological benefits. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/how-nasal-covid-19-vaccines-can-help-prepare-for-infection-where-it-starts 31st May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The BMJ Complications in pregnancy including maternal and perinatal deaths increased with each wave of the covid19 pandemic. By contrast serious illness fell in other high risk groups because of vaccines and approved treatments. More than a year after the UKs Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation JVCI opened up covid19 vaccination to pregnant women 40 of women giving birth have still not received a first dose.2 This is despite a positive benefitrisk profile endorsement in guidelines and public health campaigns. Worryingly 69.5 of black women giving birth have not received any covid19 vaccine. Meanwhile the JCVI has chosen not to include pregnant women in its interim autumn booster plans. Strategies for treating covid19 in pregnancy and potential long term complications are also underused.1 A large portion of the diffidence for both vaccination and treatment in pregnancy stems from the continued exclusion of pregnant women from much of the preapproval drug development process. This results in delayed or even absent data on benefitrisk profiles and a dangerous spiral of indecision https://www.bmj.com/content/377/bmj-2022-071296 31st May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Swiss drugs regulator Swissmedic said on Tuesday it is reviewing an application from pharmaceutical company Pfizer for a new dosage recommendation for a COVID19 booster shot for children. The regulator said it was looking at the data submitted and assessing the benefits and risks of recommending a booster shot administered at least six months after basic immunisation for children between ages 5 and 11. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/swissmedic-weighing-new-covid-booster-recommendation-children-2022-05-31/ 31st May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg A third dose of messenger RNA Covid19 vaccine provides a key boost to immunity against the coronavirus regardless of the original type of immunization researchers said. An mRNA booster following an initial course of two shots of the same type is the most effective way to prevent nonsevere Covid infections according to an analysis of studies published Wednesday in the BMJ medical journal. Adding a third mRNA shot to other primary vaccination regimens raises protection to almost the same level the authors from the Chinese University of Hong Kong said. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-31/third-mrna-shot-offers-best-covid-19-immunity-study-says 31st May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Kazinform Russias COVID19 case tally rose by 3526 over the past day to 18331363 the anticoronavirus crisis center reported on Tuesday TASS reports. In relative terms the growth rate reached 0.02. As many as 2536 people were hospitalized with COVID19 in Russia over the past day up 184.6 from a day earlier. The number of hospitalized patients increased in 72 regions while in eight regions the figure increased. The situation remained unchanged in five regions. A day earlier 891 people were rushed to hospitals https://www.inform.kz/en/russia-records-3-526-daily-covid-19-cases-crisis-center_a3939155 31st May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Straits Times The number of new Covid19 cases reported in Singapore surged on Tuesday May 31 to 4985 said the Ministry of Health MOH in an update on its website. This was more than double the 2389 cases reported on Monday May 30 but lower than last Tuesdays May 24 cases where 5727 were reported. Case numbers on Tuesdays tend to be higher compared with the rest of the week as they reflect the spike in infections after the weekend when more people are out in various social settings. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/4985-new-covid-19-cases-reported-in-spore-up-from-2389-cases-on-may-30 31st May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC News For the second time in the pandemic only one patient has been admitted to hospital in Wales with Covid in a day. The single admission on Monday was in Cardiff and Vale according to latest figures from Digital Health and Care Wales. This has only happened once before during the pandemic on a day in late June last year. Meanwhile deaths involving Covid19 were at their lowest for nine months. According to the latest statistics numbers of Covid hospital admissions and also those in critical care are at their lowest since midJuly 2. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-61648723 31st May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Investing.com Chinas capital Beijing reported 16 new domestically transmitted symptomatic coronavirus cases for May 30 up from eight a day earlier the city government said on Tuesday. Local asymptomatic cases fell to two from four from the previous day it said. https://www.investing.com/news/coronavirus/beijing-reports-16-new-symptomatic-covid-cases-for-may-30-2-asymptomatic-cases-2831724 31st May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

English News.cn The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region HKSAR government said Tuesday that it will distribute about 240000 sets of COVID19 rapid antigen test RAT kits to people in some areas of the city as part of a followup on recent detection of the COVID19 virus in sewage samples. The test kits will be distributed to residents cleaning workers and property management staff working in the areas with positive sewage testing results showing relatively high viral loads in order to help identify infected persons it said. The HKSAR government also urged RAT kit users to report any positive results for COVID19 via the governments online platform. http://english.news.cn/20220531/9de07576abee4efe88a6a4af10b91477/c.html 31st May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

New Zealand Herald There are 8436 new community cases of Covid19 in New Zealand today. The Ministry of Health also reported a further 18 virusrelated deaths. They include three people from Northland two from the Auckland region one from Waikato one from Taranaki two from MidCentral two from Nelson Marlborough three from Canterbury two from West Coast and two from the Southern region. One person was aged in their 50s two were in their 60s one was in their 70s eight were in their 80s and six were over 90. Ten were male and eight were female the ministry said in todays update. This brings the total number of publicly reported Covid19 deaths to 1172. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-omicron-outbreak-8436-community-cases-18-virus-related-deaths-389-people-in-hospital/YZSTUGXSAQGFUR7WF5ID75BTN4/ 31st May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Wales Online The number of deaths involving coronavirus registered each week in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level for nine months. A total of 547 deaths registered in the seven days to May 20 mentioned Covid19 on the death certificate according to the Office for National Statistics ONS. This is down 24 on the previous week and is the lowest total since early August 2021. It is the third week in a row that deaths have decreased which suggests the figures are now on a downwards trend. There have been similarly sharp falls in recent months in the number of Covid19 infections and patients in hospital with the virus. Infections in both England and Wales hit an alltime high at the end of March but in England they have dropped to levels last seen in November 2021 and in Wales they are back to where they were in September. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/covid-19-weekly-deaths-lowest-24108972 31st May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Wall Street Journal After four straight days with no Covid19 deaths and with new cases at their lowest levels since early March Shanghai is preparing to end more than two months of lockdowns. The easing of restrictions takes effect Wednesday but already Tuesday evening socialmedia posts showed residents swarming the streets chanting and dancing and posting images of themselves eating out at local restaurants. The majority of the 25 million residents of Chinas financial capital can leave their homes and return to work starting Wednesday the Shanghai government said. Aside from those in highrisk areas all businesses can reopen buses and trains will resume normal operations and restrictions on private vehicles will be lifted. Shopping malls and other commercial centers can run at 75 of capacity. https://www.wsj.com/articles/shanghai-ready-to-exit-lockdown-as-covid-cases-drop-11654018379 31st May 2022