13th Jun 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=679 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg The worlds top trade ministers will soon determine the fate of a World Trade Organization proposal to water down intellectual property protections for makers of Covid19 vaccines. The accord as proposed is supported by the European Union though its other original backers are not quite on board with it. It has also met fierce opposition from both public interest groups and the pharmaceutical industry who are urging nations to reject it. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-10/waive-pharma-s-vaccine-rights-what-that-would-mean-quicktake-l48mvm5v?srnd=politics-vp 12th Jun 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Chinas capital Beijing is experiencing an explosive COVID19 outbreak connected to a bar a government spokesman said on Saturday as the commercial hub Shanghaiconducted mass testing to contain a jump in cases tied to a hair salon. The warning followed a new tightening of COVID curbs in Beijing since Thursday with at least two districts closing some entertainment venues after a flareup in a neighbourhood full of nightlife shopping and embassies. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-reports-new-210-covid-cases-june-10-vs-151-day-earlier-2022-06-11/ 12th Jun 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Chinas capital Beijing is experiencing an explosive COVID19 outbreak connected to a bar a government spokesman said on Saturday as the commercial hub Shanghaiconducted mass testing to contain a jump in cases tied to a hair salon. The warning followed a new tightening of COVID curbs in Beijing since Thursday with at least two districts closing some entertainment venues after a flareup in a neighbourhood full of nightlife shopping and embassies. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-reports-new-210-covid-cases-june-10-vs-151-day-earlier-2022-06-11/ 11th Jun 2022

Lockdown Exit

YAHOO!News French drugmaker Valneva said on Friday it had proposed a remediation plan after receiving the European Commissions notice of intent to terminate the advance purchase agreement for its inactivated COVID19 vaccine candidate. Some member states have confirmed their interest in having an inactivated adjuvanted wholevirus vaccine solution in their portfolio the company said in a statement. However the preliminary unofficial volume indications received from the EC European Commission would not be sufficient to ensure the sustainability of Valnevas COVID19 vaccine programme. Valneva had warned on May 16 that its COVID19 vaccine agreement with the European Commission was likely to be scrapped as Brussels had informed the company of its intent to terminate the advance purchase agreement. https://news.yahoo.com/frances-valneva-works-remediation-plan-164557931.html 10th Jun 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Associated Press The Biden administration is lifting its requirement that international air travelers to the U.S. take a COVID19 test within a day before boarding their flights easing one of the last remaining government mandates meant to contain the spread of the coronavirus . https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-travel-government-and-politics-air-af509c58df1c931caac6ecf957ea1aed 10th Jun 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Independent on MSN.com Covid19 infections in the UK are no longer falling with some parts of the country showing early signs of a possible increase figures show. The rise is likely to have been caused by a jump in infections compatible with the original Omicron variant BA.1 along with the newer variants BA.4 and BA.5. It comes as separate figures suggest the recent drop in the number of people in hospital with Covid19 may also have come to a halt. A total of 989800 people in private households in the UK are estimated to have had the virus in the week ending June 2 up from 953900 the previous week according to the Office for National Statistics ONS. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/covid-19-infections-in-uk-show-early-signs-of-rise/ar-AAYj0rm 10th Jun 2022

Lockdown Exit

ABC News Over the weekend residents in 14 of Shanghais 16 districts will be locked down and tested for COVID19. Supermarkets are already overwhelmed with panicbuyers. Shanghais existing rules mean residents must test for entry to public transport offices and shopping centres. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-10/shanghai-mass-testing-june/101144652 10th Jun 2022

Lockdown Exit

GP Online Less than one in 10 children aged 511 have received a first dose of COVID19 vaccine more than two months after NHS England began rolling out jabs for this age group official data shows. https://www.gponline.com/covid-19-vaccine-uptake-children-stalls-less-10-5-11s-jabbed/article/1789274 10th Jun 2022

Lockdown Exit

Sky News Almost 990000 people have tested positive for the virus in the past week up from around 954000 last week according to the Office of National Statistics ONS. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-infections-increase-in-uk-for-the-first-time-in-two-months-12631373 10th Jun 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Chinas commercial hub of Shanghai will lock down millions of people for mass COVID19 testing this weekend just 10 days after lifting its gruelling twomonth lockdown unsettling residents and raising concerns about the business impact. Racing to stop a wider outbreak after discovering a handful of community cases including a cluster traced to a popular beauty salon authorities have ordered PCR testing for all residents in 14 of Shanghais 16 districts over the weekend. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/shanghai-faces-unexpected-round-covid-testing-most-residents-2022-06-09/ 10th Jun 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian The UK may be entering its third wave of coronavirus this year researchers warn as official figures show infections are on the rise again in England and Northern Ireland. The Office for National Statistics said its latest analysis of swabs from households across Britain revealed a mixed picture with a small increase in positive tests in England and Northern Ireland while the trend in Wales and Scotland remained unclear. The ONS data which give the most reliable picture of the state of the UK outbreak suggest that the steady fall in infections over recent months may have gone into reverse as cases are driven up by the more transmissible BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/10/covid-infections-on-the-rise-in-england-and-northern-ireland 10th Jun 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Canada is suspending random COVID19 testing at all its airports for the rest of June to ease the long wait times that travelers have encountered in recent weeks a government statement said on Friday. The random testing will be discontinued from Saturday and will resume offsite on July 1 the statement said. Random testing was blamed by some industry officials for lengthening already long wait times at airports. Torontos Pearson airport has had planes stuck at gates and hourslong security lines because of staffing shortages. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canada-suspend-random-covid-testing-reduce-airport-wait-times-source-2022-06-10/ 12th Jun 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Airlines have been petitioning for months to ease a pandemicera restriction on arrivals from abroad. Now that the White House has lifted mandatory Covid testing for inbound passengers the industry may rue having its collective wish granted just ahead of the busiest time of year for travel. As of June 12 travelers by air will join those at land ports of entry in no longer needing to submit negative Covid test results. That rule has depressed traffic and delayed a recovery for longhaul international service airline lobbyists and the U.S. Travel Association have told the Biden administration repeatedly. But no more mandatory tests may presage an upswell in demand the industry is illprepared to handle. The situation in Europe where mandatory testing was abandoned as early as January in the UK isnt encouraging. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-10/airlines-get-relief-from-covid-rule-but-may-not-be-ready-for-it 12th Jun 2022

Exit Strategies

CNA Nightlife establishments with dancing among patrons will no longer be subjected to a capacity limit from Jun 14. Patrons will also no longer need to obtain a negative antigen rapid test ART result to enter the venue said the Ministry of Health MOH on Friday Jun 10 adding that this move will rationalise the rules for nightspots with other social settings. However vaccinationdifferentiated safe management measures will continue to apply with operators still required to conduct such checks to ensure that only fullyvaccinated people enter these settings. Enforcement officers may carry out random checks to ensure that operators comply said MOH. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/covid-19-nightlife-capacity-limit-jun-14-indoor-mask-wearing-2739661 10th Jun 2022

Exit Strategies

CNA People aged 50 to 59 who want to get their second COVID19 booster shot may do so from Friday Jun 10 by walking into any vaccination centre offering mRNA vaccines said the Ministry of Health MOH. This is an expansion from the 6079 age group that the ministry previously offered second booster shots to. The expert committee on COVID19 vaccination has since assessed that people aged 50 to 59 who wish to take their second booster may also do so about five months after their first booster shot. This is in view of data indicating that the risk of severe COVID19 increases in the age group of 50 to 59 as well said MOH. This is also around the age when chronic diseases start to set in. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/covid-19-second-booster-shot-people-aged-50-59-moh-vaccination-centre-mrna-vaccines-2739646 10th Jun 2022

Exit Strategies

CBC.ca After years of daily COVID19 data reporting from the province Public Health Ontario PHO is moving to a weekly reporting system. In a news release issued late Friday afternoon the province announced the change comes into effect as of June 11. Ontario will publish the latest COVID19 data each Thursday starting on June 16. PHO will continue to monitor trends and determine if any additional changes to reporting are needed including to frequency and content in the coming weeks and months the statement reads. Data will still be available through the provinces Open Data Catalog it notes but it will not be on the provincial website. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-covid19-update-friday-june-10-2022-1.6484142 10th Jun 2022

Exit Strategies

The BMJ Covid19 vaccination campaigns for adolescents have been taking place in many countries for some months. The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunisation have called for vaccine prioritisation within countries to take into account the needs of those groups that due to underlying social ethnic geographic or biomedical factors are at greater risk of getting infected or suffering most severe consequences from covid19. Since the risk of transmission of SARSCoV2 is considerably higher in prisons and detention facilities than elsewhere adolescents who are detained in juvenile institutions should be prioritised for vaccination. Detained adolescents often come from marginalised groups of society with a considerable burden of ill health rooted in poverty and discrimination and with limited access to healthcare. The benefits of vaccinating adolescents in juvenile institutions include the direct benefits to their health and the indirect benefit of reducing onward transmission of SARSCoV2 within the prison community including among prison staff and in the community they belong. Furthermore the implementation of the covid19 vaccine in juvenile institutions is essential to upholding the principle of equity of care and to guarantee the right to health for those deprived of liberty leaving no one behind https://www.bmj.com/content/377/bmj.o1439 10th Jun 2022

Exit Strategies

ITV News The US is ending the requirement for international travellers arriving in the country to take a Covid test within a day before boarding their flights. The move is one of the last remaining federal coronavirus restrictions still in place in the US and will end on Sunday. The US will review the policy every 90 days. https://www.itv.com/news/2022-06-10/international-travellers-to-the-us-no-longer-need-negative-covid-19-test 10th Jun 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The United States late Friday rescinded a 17monthold requirement that people arriving in the country by air test negative for COVID19 a move that follows intense lobbying by airlines and the travel industry. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC Director Rochelle Walensky issued a fourpage order lifting the mandate effective at 1201 a.m. ET 0400 GMT Sunday saying it is not currently necessary. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-drop-covid-testing-incoming-international-air-travelers-2022-06-10/ 10th Jun 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg The Biden administration is lifting its requirement that all travelers test negative for coronavirus before flying to the US amid pressure from airlines that viewed the measure as excessive and blamed it for depressing ticket purchases. The change will take effect just after midnight on June 12 and be reassessed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 90 days according to a senior administration official who requested anonymity to detail the plan before it was formally announced. Airline shares rise on prospect of eased test requirement. Mandate could be revived if troubling virus variant emerges https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-10/cdc-to-lift-covid-test-mandate-for-flyers-to-us-starting-june-12 10th Jun 2022

Partisan Exits

Al Jazeera English The leader of Indias main opposition party Sonia Gandhi has been admitted to hospital in New Delhi with health issues related to COVID19. Her party tweeted the announcement on Sunday but gave no other details. Gandhi tested positive for COVID19 on June 2. Italianborn Gandhi the widow of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is the longestserving president of the Congress Party which ruled India for decades after its founders led the country to independence from British colonial rule in 1947. Her parliamentarian son Rahul Gandhi also served as the Congress president. Founded in 1885 Congress is Indias oldest political party and dominated the country for decades after independence led by generations of the NehruGandhi family. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/12/indias-sonia-gandhi-hospitalised-with-covid-related-issues 12th Jun 2022

Partisan Exits

The Guardian New Zealand saw their hopes of levelling the ongoing series against England suffer a significant setback after Kane Williamson captain and leading batsman was ruled out of todays second Test after contracting Covid19. Williamson was present at training on Thursday and in an upbeat prematch press conference extolled the virtues of Test cricket in response to a recent forecast from Greg Barclay chair of the International Cricket Council that the format will shrink in future. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/jun/09/kane-williamson-test-cricket-england-new-zealand-trent-bridge 10th Jun 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters Frances recently appointed sports minister Amelie OudeaCastera has tested positive for COVID19 and will selfisolate and work remotely for the time being said the countrys sports ministry. OudeaCastera has had a difficult start to her job having come under criticism over how France handled last months Champions League soccer final between Liverpool and Real Madrid which was marred by crowd disorder. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/french-sports-minister-tests-positive-covid-19-2022-06-10/ 10th Jun 2022

Partisan Exits

The Lancet An increased risk of myocarditis or pericarditis was observed after COVID19 mRNA vaccination and was highest in men aged 1825 years after a second dose of the vaccine. However the incidence was rare. These results do not indicate a statistically significant risk difference between mRNA1273 and BNT162b2 but it should not be ruled out that a difference might exist. Our study results along with the benefitrisk profile continue to support vaccination using either of the two mRNA vaccines. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)00791-7/fulltext 10th Jun 2022

Partisan Exits

The BMJ The parliamentary watchdog on public spending has accused the Department of Health and Social Care for England of wasting 4bn of taxpayers money on unusable personal protective equipment in the first year of the covid19 pandemic and of planning to burn much of it to generate power. The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee made the claim in its report on the Department of Health and Social Cares accounts for 202021 the first year of the pandemic. The report paints a damning picture of the fallout from the governments rush to compete with the rest of the world to procure PPE bypassing the usual due diligence in its race to secure supplies. Of 12bn spent on PPE 4bn was spent on items that failed to meet NHS standards and have remained unused the report said. https://www.bmj.com/content/377/bmj.o1435 10th Jun 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Al Jazeera English The loss or change in ones sense of smell and taste has proven to be a more accurate indicator of a COVID19 infection than even a fever and cough. The exact percentage of people who experience a loss or change in their sense of smell after contracting COVID19 is difficult to estimate as it relies on affected people selfreporting but one analysis suggests it could be just more than 50 percent. https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/6/8/why-your-returning-sense-of-smell-after-covid-may-feel-strange 12th Jun 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters French drugmaker Valneva said on Friday it had proposed a remediation plan after receiving the European Commissions notice of intent to terminate the advance purchase agreement for its inactivated COVID19 vaccine candidate. Some member states have confirmed their interest in having an inactivated adjuvanted wholevirus vaccine solution in their portfolio the company said in a statement. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/frances-valneva-works-remediation-plan-covid-19-vaccine-candidate-2022-06-10/ 12th Jun 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff reviewers on Friday said Moderna Incs COVID19 vaccine appears safe and effective for use in children aged 6 months to 17 years old as a committee of scientists will meet next week to vote on whether to recommend the regulator authorize the vaccine in children. The FDAs reviewers said in briefing documents published on Friday evening that the vaccine had generated a similar immune response in the children than that observed in adults in previous trials. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-staff-says-moderna-covid-vaccine-effective-safe-children-2022-06-10/ 12th Jun 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Available data suggest that mRNA COVID19 vaccines do not cause an absence of menstruation the European Unions health regulator concluded on Friday. The assessment was prompted by reports of menstrual disorders after receiving one or two shots of either the Moderna MRNA.O or the PfizerBioNTech PFE.N22UAy.DE vaccines. Menstrual disorders can occur due to a range of reasons including underlying medical conditions as well as stress and tiredness. Health authorities have highlighted that cases have also been reported following COVID19 infection. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-drug-regulator-mrna-covid-vaccines-do-not-cause-absence-menstruation-2022-06-10/ 12th Jun 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg The value of death claims almost tripled and suicides rose 18 last year as South Africa was battered by coronavirus infections Discovery Life Ltd. said citing data from its clients. In early 2021 South Africa grappled with the later stages of a beta variantdriven wave of Covid19 infections. It was hit by the delta variant in midyear and omicron toward the end of the year. It was completely unprecedented Discovery Lifes Deputy Chief Executive Officer Gareth Friedlander said in an interview on Thursday. Add all causes of death together thats your cancers motorvehicle accidents heart attacks strokes add them all together and its still 50 less than the Coviddeath claims. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-10/death-claims-triple-suicides-surge-in-south-africa-during-covid 10th Jun 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Lancet An increased risk of myocarditis or pericarditis was observed after COVID19 mRNA vaccination and was highest in men aged 1825 years after a second dose of the vaccine. However the incidence was rare. These results do not indicate a statistically significant risk difference between mRNA1273 and BNT162b2 but it should not be ruled out that a difference might exist. Our study results along with the benefitrisk profile continue to support vaccination using either of the two mRNA vaccines. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)00791-7/fulltext 10th Jun 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CNN Current data suggests a zoonotic origin of SARSCoV2 which means the virus originated in animals and jumped to humans. The most closely genetically related viruses were found to be beta coronaviruses identified in bats in China and Laos according to SAGO. However so far neither the virus progenitors nor the naturalintermediate hosts or spillover event to humans have been identified the report said. The group pointed to published surveys of animals sold at the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan where the virus was first identified. Between 2017 and 2019 the survey showed that several species known to be susceptible to SARSCoV2 such as racoon dogs and red foxes were present in the market. But those animals were not sampled in the studies presented to the team by invited Chinese scientists. SAGO said further information about studies into the testing of these animals as well as tracing back to source farms and serologic investigations into people who farmed and sold or traded the animals have been requested. https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/10/china/who-covid-pandemic-origins-report-intl-hnk/index.html 10th Jun 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

World Economic Forum Recent studies show that 1218 months after getting COVID19 up to 46 of people are still experiencing a clinical reduction in their sense of smell. But what are the impacts of longterm smell loss on everyday life Issues can include challenges with food safety weight relationships and mental health according to a neuroscientist. Smell training can improve olfactory functions over time. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/covid-six-ways-long-term-smell-loss-can-affect-you/ 10th Jun 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Financial Times On the shores of Lake Edward near Ugandas border with the Democratic Republic of Congo DRC a renovated building houses a research laboratory capable of handling serious diseases such as anthrax. This building is the newest front in the hunt for zoonotic diseases and is at the forefront of a growing research movement that focuses on east Africa and other infection hotspots. The recent emergence of Covid19 and monkeypox both of which jumped from animals to humans have been a reminder of the power that such diseases have to reshape our world and the importance of early identification and genomic sequencing to help stop their spread. https://www.ft.com/content/5a09992d-aa18-4092-b8de-bb1f3bbc3ccc 10th Jun 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC News on MSN.com All residents living in the area where the bar is located will be tested over the next three days. The number of infections in the city is low by international standards but high for China which is the worlds only major economy still maintaining a zero Covid policy. The outbreak was traced to a venue called the Heaven Supermarket Bar in the wellknown entertainment area of Sanlitun in Chaoyang district. Two buildings housing hundreds of people in Chaoyang were put under strict lockdown on Sunday after a positive case was reported a residential committee worker told Reuters news agency. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/dozens-of-covid-cases-linked-to-beijing-bar/ar-AAYno9i 12th Jun 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters North Korea on Sunday reported 40060 new people showing fever symptoms and one death amid the isolated nations first confirmed COVID19 outbreak state media KCNA said. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/nkorea-reports-40060-more-people-with-fever-symptoms-amid-covid-outbreak-kcna-2022-06-11/ 12th Jun 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Beijings most populous district Chaoyang announced three rounds of mass testing to quell a ferocious COVID19 outbreak that emerged at a bar in a nightlife and shopping area last week shortly after the city relaxed curbs imposed during an outbreak in April. City health officials said that so far there have been 166 confirmed cases linked to the outbreak that began at the Heaven Supermarket bar in the Sanlitun area on Thursday 145 of them bar patrons. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-reports-275-new-covid-cases-june-11-vs-210-day-earlier-2022-06-12/ 12th Jun 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg Hong Kongs quarantine facilities are the fullest in more than three months after officials revived the Covid Zero tactic of mandatory centralized isolation to contain the spread of new subvariants. More than 50 people close contacts of people who test positive for a subvariant are in governmentrun facilities with occupancy hitting the highest since February this month. The overall number is likely higher as the government doesnt release figures for Pennys Bay the biggest isolation camp for confirmed Covid cases and close contacts. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-10/hong-kong-quarantine-centers-are-filling-up-as-infections-rise 10th Jun 2022