4th Jul 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=694 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Chinas virus cases continued to climb over the weekend with hundreds of infections detected in Anhui province where two counties were already in lockdown. Anhui the center of the latest outbreak reported 287 cases for Sunday. A lockdown was imposed in Lingbi county in northeastern Anhui from Friday afternoon while the neighboring Si county conducted its sixth mass testing on Sunday. While China seems to have brought earlier outbreaks in mega cities Shanghai and Beijing under control its CovidZero goal is facing a test again in its eastern provinces. Shanghais neighboring Jiangsu province reported 59 cases on Saturday while the city of Wuxi found 35 infections on Sunday. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-04/china-covid-outbreaks-widen-as-mass-testing-turns-up-more-cases 4th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Wall Street Journal Paul Griffin an infectious diseases physician at the University of Queensland who advises both Pfizer and Merck on Covid19 antivirals said people in Australia may be unaccepting of even a modest risk associated with Paxlovid because the country had done well on Covid19 in general. He added that risks can be worked through if people understand what to look for and how to manage them. Japan has approved both antiviral drugs for patients who are at high risk of developing severe disease. The Japanese government isnt giving priority to Paxlovid over Lagevrio. Regulators in Japan also didnt require people to use contraception due to reproductive risks associated with Lagevrio. https://www.wsj.com/articles/merck-covid-19-pill-prescribed-frequently-in-some-countries-despite-low-efficacy-11656846180 3rd Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg The trouble about getting Brexit done but aborting the revolution in government is that you risk just turning the clock back to a time todays politicians only remember from their childhoods if at all the time before Britain joined the European Economic Community under the leadership of Ted Heath in January 1973. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-07-03/niall-ferguson-brexit-has-the-uk-traveling-the-wrong-way-in-time 3rd Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Cities in eastern China tightened COVID19 curbs on Sunday as coronavirus clusters emerge posing a new threat to Chinas economic recovery under the governments strict zeroCOVID policy. Wuxi a manufacturing hub in the Yangtze Delta on the central coast halted operations at many public venues located underground including shops and supermarkets. Dinein services in restaurants were suspended and the government advised people to work from home. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/chinas-wuxi-tightens-covid-curbs-new-clusters-emerge-2022-07-03/ 3rd Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Germanys health minister said on Sunday he will push for more prescriptions of Pfizers oral COVID19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid by family doctors to reduce severe cases of the disease. A system involving family doctors will be prepared to administer this far too rarelyused COVID life saver more routinely he wrote on Twitter on Sunday adding that sufficient stockpiles were available. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/german-health-minister-move-boost-use-covid-treatment-paxlovid-2022-07-03/ 3rd Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Independent The government is to cut special sick pay for NHS staff off work with Covid from next week even as cases soar The Independent has learnt. The Department of Health and Social Care is set to announce an end to the enhanced pay arrangements provided during the pandemic meaning that staff who go off sick with either Covid or long Covid will be subject to normal sickpay rules. Nursing leaders have hit back arguing that the move is neglectful and unfair for NHS staff who are disproportionately likely to be affected by Covid. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/government-sick-pay-long-covid-nhs-b2113744.html 2nd Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Thousands of pilgrims started arriving in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia on Friday among some one million Muslims expected to attend the 2022 haj pilgrimage season after two years of major disruption caused by the COVID pandemic. Wrapped in white robes with some carrying umbrellas against the burning desert sun hundreds performed the first ritual of the haj which involves walking in a circle around the Kaaba the sacred building at the centre of Meccas Grand Mosque https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/muslim-pilgrims-flock-mecca-first-post-pandemic-haj-2022-07-01/ 1st Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Russia said on Friday it was ending all restrictions to combat the spread of COVID19 including the requirement to wear masks citing a steady decline in deaths from the virus. However it did not rule out reintroducing restrictive measures if the situation deteriorates. Consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said it was suspending previously introduced restrictions including the mask regime a ban on public catering at night and a number of other measures. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-scraps-remaining-covid-restrictions-2022-07-01/ 1st Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian Covid infection levels in the UK have risen by more than 30 in a week with an estimated 2.3 million people thought to have had the disease in late June. Figures from the Office for National Statistics ONS based on swabs collected from randomly selected households show that in the week ending 25 June 1829100 people in the community in England are estimated to have had Covid equating to about one in 30 and up from 1360600 the week before. Increases were also seen in the rest of the UK with an estimated one in 18 people in Scotland one in 30 in Wales and one in 25 in Northern Ireland thought to have had Covid in the most recent week. While still shy of the peak infection levels seen earlier this year when about one in 13 people in England had Covid the estimated number of infections in the UK is the highest since late April and the highest yet seen for a summer month. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/01/uk-covid-levels-rise-estimated-cases-last-week 1st Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

The New York Times The pandemic has generated a bevy of painful lessons about the importance of preparing for public health emergencies. From the Trump administrations tepid early response to the C.D.C.s bungled coronavirus testing rollout and its mixed messaging on masking quarantining and the reopening of schools the federal government has been roundly criticized for mishandling a health crisis that has left one million Americans dead and dented public faith in a oncehallowed institution. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/03/health/covid-ppe-masks-health-care.html 3rd Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg GSK Plc is planning to launch a Covid shot that comes almost two years after Pfizer Inc. took the world by storm. For Phil Dormitzer its a reminder of why he was hired at the UK drugmaker to help return its immunization business to the top after it stumbled during the pandemic. Dormitzer who left Pfizer to become GSKs global vaccine research chief will need to move beyond the Covid shot and deliver some breakthroughs to challenge his former employer and other rivals. The pressure is on as the British company prepares to spin off its consumer unit this month. The focus on vaccines is huge right now Dormitzer said in an interview from outside Boston where hes based. After the separation of the consumerhealth business it will be an even more prominent part of the overall organization. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-03/gsk-s-new-vaccine-hire-looks-beyond-covid-in-quest-for-next-hit 3rd Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Novavax Inc said on Friday it expects to provide a COVID19 vaccine targeting Omicron in the fourth quarter as it accelerates development of shots to protect against the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. The U.S. FDA on Thursday recommended COVID19 vaccine manufacturers change the design of their booster shots beginning this fall to include components tailored to combat the currently dominant Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/novavax-expects-covid-vaccine-targeting-omicron-fourth-quarter-2022-07-01/ 3rd Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

Business Standard Amid an incessant rise in Covid cases the World Health Organization called on countries in the SouthEast Asian region to accelerate COVID19 vaccination coverage today. While significant progress has been made in the region towards vaccinating populations against COVID19 several countries missed the global target to fully vaccinate 70 per cent of their total population with all primary doses of the vaccine by June end responsible for various regions witnessing a surge in cases. We know that the current COVID19 vaccines provide high levels of protection against severe disease and death for all variants. We must focus on rapidly achieving high vaccination coverage prioritizing health workers older adults those with underlying health conditions and pregnant women. The pandemic is not over yet we must scale up our efforts to protect communities said Regional Director WHO SouthEast Asia Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh in an official statement. https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/who-urges-southeast-asia-to-scale-up-covid-vaccination-rate-as-case-rise-122070100700_1.html 1st Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

Belfast Live The Public Health Agency is asking those with a weakened immune system to book in for their Covid19 vaccines warning that the virus is still out there. All individuals aged 12 years and over who are immunosuppressed are being advised to receive a spring booster dose of the vaccine typically six months after their last dose. Health officials say the vaccine offers the best defence against becoming seriously unwell staying out of hospital and passing on the virus to loved ones and others around you. In an open letter to the public from the PHA its been confirmed that the spring booster vaccination programme will shortly be coming to an end. https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/pha-urges-public-come-forward-24371050 1st Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The Japanese government said on Friday it had lowered its infectious diseasesrelated travel advisory from do not make nonurgent trips to travel with caution for China India and 32 other countries as risks posed by COVID19 infections eased. Other countries on the list includes South Korea Italy Germany and France. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-eases-travel-advisory-china-others-covid-risk-fades-2022-07-01/ 1st Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

The Washington Post This fall vaccine makers will begin rolling out coronavirus booster vaccines better tailored to fight the current phase of the pandemic. Two days after outside experts voted in favor of a new vaccine adapted to protect against omicron the Food and Drug Administration announced that the fall shots would include a component from BA.4 and BA.5 the omicron subvariants gaining ground in the United States. The change shows the FDA trying to be more nimble in efforts to keep up with a changing virus. The precise formula has not been tested in people yet but studies showed that vaccines tuned to fight a previous version of omicron modestly increased the shortterm immune response in people compared with more shots of the original. The agency will depend in part on that data as it reviews the new vaccines. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/06/30/omicron-vaccine-booster-fall/ 30th Jun 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg UK hospital admissions linked to Covid are climbing again as omicron subvariants cause new outbreaks across the country. Englands hospital admission rate for the week through June 26 stood at 11.11 per 100000 people jumping nearly 40 from 7.98 in the previous week according to the UK Health Security Agency with intensivecare cases spreading among older age groups. We continue to see an increase in Covid19 data with a rise in case rates and hospitalizations in those aged 65 years and over and outbreaks in care homes said Mary Ramsay director of clinical programs at the agency. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-30/uk-sees-icu-admissions-rise-among-elderly-as-covid-cases-climb 30th Jun 2022

Exit Strategies

HuffPost UK Children over the age of six months and under the age of five will now be offered the Covid vaccine in the US but will the UK follow The US Food and Drug Administrations outside advisory committee voted unanimously to recommend the use of the PfizerBioNTech and Moderna vaccines for kids under five across America after data found both vaccines to be safe and effective. Both jabs will be rolled out in the US shortly. The Pfizer vaccine will cover children aged six months through to four years old whilst the Moderna vaccine will cover children aged six months through to five years old. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/will-children-under-five-get-covid-vaccine-uk_uk_62bd61e1e4b0f612572310cf 1st Jul 2022

Partisan Exits

The Washington Post The text message from the chief executive of MorseLife Health System a luxury nursing home in West Palm Beach Fla. was unambiguous. Of course go after the billionaires first the CEO wrote to the facilitys fundraisers in December 2020 explaining who should get priority for scarce coronavirus vaccine shots intended for residents and staffers. He advised Do not be weak be strong you have the opportunity to take advantage of everyone who needs the shot and figure out what they have and what we can go after Ill go for the billions he promised. Eighteen months later MorseLife has agreed to pay 1.75 million to settle claims that it defrauded a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program that sought to steer limited vaccine doses to the most vulnerable Americans in late 2020 and early 2021 according to the Justice Department which released excerpts of the text messages. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/07/01/morselife-nursing-home-settlement-covid-vaccines/ 1st Jul 2022

Partisan Exits

The Times North Korea claims that alien things apparently carried by balloon across the border from South Korea caused an outbreak of Covid19. According to a report in the state media the outbreak originated in Iphori in Kumgang county not far from the South Korean border when two people encountered unspecified objects that were carrying the infection. It was known that an 18yearold soldier surnamed Kim and a fiveyearold kindergartener surnamed Wi contacted with alien things in a hill around barracks and residential quarters in Iphori early in April the Korean Central News Agency reported. And they showed the clinic features to be estimated as early symptom of the epidemic infection and tested positive for novel coronavirus. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/north-korea-claims-covid-19-arrived-by-balloon-from-south-korea-255l68cbf 1st Jul 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters North Korea claimed on Friday that the countrys first COVID19 outbreak began with patients touching alien things near the border with South Korea apparently shifting blame to the neighbour for the wave of infections in the isolated country. Announcing results of an investigation the North ordered people to vigilantly deal with alien things coming by wind and other climate phenomena and balloons in the areas along the demarcation line and borders the official KCNA news agency said. The agency did not directly mention South Korea but North Korean defectors and activists have for decades flown balloons from the South across the heavily fortified border carrying leaflets and humanitarian aid. South Koreas unification ministry handling interKorean affairs said there was no possibility of the virus entering the North through leaflets sent across the border. According to KCNA an 18yearold soldier and a fiveyearold kindergartner who contacted the unidentified materials in a hill around barracks and residential quarters in the eastern county of Kumgang in early April showed symptoms and later tested positive for the coronavirus. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/nkorea-says-covid-outbreak-began-with-patients-touching-alien-things-near-border-2022-06-30/ 1st Jul 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday declined to hear a challenge to New Yorks mandate that healthcare sector workers be vaccinated against COVID19 brought by a group of doctors nurses and others who objected on religious grounds. https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-supreme-court-nixes-religious-challenge-new-york-vaccine-mandate-2022-06-30/ 1st Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Jerusalem Post Since the COVID19 vaccine rollout data has indicated that inoculation during pregnancy can help to protect both the mother and baby. New research collaboratively conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital MGH and Brigham and Womens Hospital BWH published in the peerreviewed Nature Communications looked further into the extent of this protection by examining which vaccine is most effective and when. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-710945 1st Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Lancet When considering risks postimplementation studies have found BNT162b2 to be safe in children aged 511 years.17 Importantly the small but serious risk of vaccineinduced myocarditis appears to be much lower in children aged 511 years reporting rate of 22 cases per million doses than in adolescents or young adults.17 Implementation of a largescale immunisation programme however comes with both financial and opportunity costsfor example diversion of healthcare staff and resources could potentially affect the provision of other crucial healthcare services such as routine childhood immunisation programmes. Clinicians and parents must balance the relatively small risks of severe disease outcomes with the relatively small risks that accompany vaccination in children aged 511 years. Although many countries continue to actively recommend COVID19 vaccination for children aged 511 years some countries such as Sweden have advised against vaccinating healthy 511 yearolds18 whereas others such as Norway have made the vaccine available should parents wish to vaccinate their children.19 With the US Food and Drug Administration authorisation of use of COVID19 vaccines in children younger than 5 years20 the same dilemmas are likely to resurface although with even more marginal riskbenefit ratios. In particular considering that the global population has been living through the pandemic for more than 2 years and has been exposed to multiple waves of different SARSCoV2 variants governments policy makers and clinicians need to urgently address the added value of vaccinationbe it primary or boostersfor protection against severe disease outcomes in children who have already been infected by the virus. Above all public messaging of the risks and benefits of vaccinating children against COVID19 needs to be clear to encourage public confidence in vaccines and trust in those advocating for vaccination to prevent other more serious diseases. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01245-4/fulltext 1st Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Pharmaceutical Technology Pfizer has submitted a New Drug Application NDA to the US Food and Drug Administration FDA seeking approval for Paxlovid nirmatrelvir tablets and ritonavir tablets to treat Covid19 patients at increased disease progression risk. An inhibitor of SARSCoV2 main protease Mpro Paxlovid is intended to be given orally. Due to the oral form the therapy can be prescribed in the early infection stage to avert severe illness. Paxlovid received emergency use authorization to treat mildtomoderate Covid19 in adults and paediatric patients aged 12 years and above who are at increased disease progression risk. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/pfizer-approval-fda-paxlovid/ 1st Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Pulse Today A twoweek break from taking methotrexate after a Covid19 booster vaccine can help improve its effectiveness a UK trial has suggested. Analysis of immune responses in 127 participants who were randomly allocated to suspend methotrexate use for two weeks and 127 to continue using it as usual showed such a difference that researchers stopped the trial early. At four weeks and 12 weeks after the Covid19 jab participants spikeantibody levels were more than twofold higher in the paused methotrexate group compared with those who continued to take the drug. Reporting in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine the researcher also found a worsening of disease control at week four in those who had stopped taking methotrexate but that it had normalised by week 12. Overall there was no impact on quality of life or general health suggesting the approach could be useful for more than a million people in the UK who take the immunesuppressing drug for inflammatory conditions. https://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/clinical-areas/dermatology/two-week-break-from-methotrexate-may-boost-covid-19-vaccine-effect/ 1st Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Coronavirus vaccines tweaked to include the Omicron variant strain can improve protection when used as a booster the European Medicines Agency and other global health regulators said on Friday. Following a meeting on Thursday the EMA said global regulators had agreed on key principles for updating COVID19 shots to respond to emerging variants. While the existing coronavirus vaccines continue to provide good protection against hospitalisation and death the group said vaccine effectiveness has taken a hit as the virus has evolved. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/modified-mrna-covid-shots-could-increase-protection-boosters-ema-2022-07-01/ 1st Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Britains Oxford Biomedica said on Friday it had signed a new threeyear agreement to potentially make AstraZenecas COVID19 vaccine beyond 2022 but no volumes were defined in an indication of waning demand for the shot. Cell and gene therapy firm Oxford Biomedica said in April that it had manufactured more than 100 million doses of AstraZenecas vaccine since their partnership began in September 2020. Commitments under the deal are scheduled to end this year. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/oxford-biomedica-signs-new-deal-make-astrazeneca-covid-shot-2022-07-01/ 1st Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday recommended COVID19 vaccine manufacturers change the design of their booster shots beginning this fall to include components tailored to combat the currently dominant Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the coronavirus. If authorized the changes would mark the first major retooling of COVID vaccines but also could slow their rollout as the FDA has recommended a design somewhat different from what the companies had already tested and started producing. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/fda-recommends-inclusion-ba4-ba5-subvariants-covid-boosters-2022-06-30/ 1st Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Coronavirus vaccines tweaked to include the Omicron variant strain can improve protection when used as a booster the European Medicines Agency and other global health regulators said on Friday. Following a meeting on Thursday the EMA said global regulators had agreed on key principles for updating COVID19 shots to respond to emerging variants. While the existing coronavirus vaccines continue to provide good protection against hospitalisation and death the group said vaccine effectiveness has taken a hit as the virus has evolved. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/modified-mrna-covid-shots-could-increase-protection-boosters-ema-2022-07-01/ 1st Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg Oxford Biomedica Plc has signed a threeyear agreement with AstraZeneca Plc to manufacture the UK drug giants Covid19 vaccine on an asneeded basis. The agreement is an extension of the original supply and development agreement signed between the two companies in September 2020 as the coronavirus swept around the world according to a statement Friday. Oxford Biomedica stock was up more than 3 in early trading in London. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-01/oxford-biomedica-signs-covid-shot-supply-deal-with-astrazeneca 1st Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Associated Press Medical experts warn that repeat infections are getting more likely as the pandemic drags on and the virus evolves and some people are bound to get hit more than twice. Emerging research suggests that could put them at higher risk for health problems. Theres no comprehensive data on people getting COVID19 more than twice although some states collect information on reinfections in general. New York for example reports around 277000 reinfections out of 5.8 million total infections during the pandemic. Experts say actual numbers are much higher because so many home COVID19 tests go unreported. https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-politics-health-us-news-23798569e659f402f15e5197f82cd150 3rd Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Associated Press The fastchanging coronavirus has kicked off summer in the U.S. with lots of infections but relatively few deaths compared to its prior incarnations. COVID19 is still killing hundreds of Americans each day but is not nearly as dangerous as it was last fall and winter. Its going to be a good summer and we deserve this break said Ali Mokdad a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. With more Americans shielded from severe illness through vaccination and infection COVID19 has transformed for now at least into an unpleasant inconvenient nuisance for many. It feels cautiously good right now said Dr. Dan Kaul an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor. For the first time that I can remember pretty much since it started we dont have any COVID19 patients in the ICU. https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-infectious-diseases-fb25f987bab09a11be31a32e832dd9de 3rd Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Cities in eastern China tightened COVID19 curbs on Sunday as coronavirus clusters emerge posing a new threat to Chinas economic recovery under the governments strict zeroCOVID policy. Wuxi a manufacturing hub in the Yangtze Delta on the central coast halted operations at many public venues located underground including shops and supermarkets. Dinein services in restaurants were suspended and the government advised people to work from home. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/chinas-wuxi-tightens-covid-curbs-new-clusters-emerge-2022-07-03/ 3rd Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg The question used to be Have you had Covid Now its How many times have you had it Both of us have had a Covid reinfection in recent months. Many of us know people currently sick with Covid or recently recovered. In the week ending June 24 an estimated 1 in 30 people in the UK some 2.3 million people were infected with Covid up 32 from the previous week. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-07-01/covid-cases-rising-the-next-pandemic-winter-will-look-different 1st Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Financial Times Covid19 infections in England have jumped by 34 per cent in a week as new Omicron variants drive a wave of cases across the UK according to the Office for National Statistics. More than one in 30 people in the UK are carrying the virus according to ONS with half a million more people infected than a week earlier. The data released on Friday covering the week to June 24 show that an estimated 1.8mn people 3.35 per cent of the population in England would test positive for Covid. https://www.ft.com/content/f765fd55-3a2c-4dd6-b863-61854c9a7e67 1st Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Evening Standard Covid19 infections in the UK have jumped by more than half a million in a week with the rise likely to be driven by the latest Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 figures show. Hospital numbers are also continuing to increase with early signs of a rise in intensive care admissions among older age groups. A total of 2.3 million people in private households are estimated to have had the virus last week up 32 from a week earlier according to the Office for National Statistics ONS. This is the highest estimate for total infections since late April but is still some way below the record high of 4.9 million seen at the peak of the Omicron BA.2 wave at the end of March. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/office-for-national-statistics-scotland-wales-government-vaccination-b1009662.html 1st Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg Britains Covid19 infections are rising sharply with omicron subvariants sparking new outbreaks across the country and raising concerns that the latest wave could upend health systems and businesses. The number of people testing positive for Covid19 is estimated at 2.3 million in the week through June 24 up 32 from the previous week according to data published by the Office for National Statistics on Friday. News of a countrywide jump in cases comes a day after regulators reported that Englands hospital admissions are climbing again with intensivecare cases spreading among older age groups. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-01/uk-covid-cases-surge-32-in-one-week-as-subvariants-spread 1st Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg UK hospital admissions linked to Covid are climbing again as omicron subvariants cause new outbreaks across the country. Englands hospital admission rate for the week through June 26 stood at 11.11 per 100000 people jumping nearly 40 from 7.98 in the previous week according to the UK Health Security Agency with intensivecare cases spreading among older age groups. We continue to see an increase in Covid19 data with a rise in case rates and hospitalizations in those aged 65 years and over and outbreaks in care homes said Mary Ramsay director of clinical programs at the agency. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-30/uk-sees-icu-admissions-rise-among-elderly-as-covid-cases-climb 30th Jun 2022