5th Jul 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=695 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Al Jazeera English Many parts of Western Europe and the United States are seeing a rise in COVID19 cases thought to be driven by new subvariants of Omicron. These rises come alongside the easing of safety measures that were previously put in place to curb the spread of the SARSCoV2 virus testing being scaled back and COVID booster vaccine takeup at lowerthanexpected levels. The latest data shows cases are on the rise in Germany France the United Kingdom Italy Spain Greece and Denmark. Portugal a popular holiday destination for many people each summer is experiencing the biggest surge. Hospital admissions have risen in several countries including France and England according to data analysed by the Financial Times. https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/7/4/can-new-omicron-subvariants-evade-vaccine-immunity 4th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Wall Street Journal China is imposing fresh restrictions in some eastern cities as Covid19 cases have spiked to near their highest levels in more than a month. The country recorded 380 locally transmitted coronavirus cases on Sunday Chinas National Health Commission reported on Monday. Two thirds of Mondays cases came from the eastern province of Anhui the commission said. The bulk of those cases stem from a growing cluster in Si County a busy transit hub of 760000 residents located in Anhui according to staterun media citing local government officials. Coronavirus case counts in China have jumped almost 10fold in less than a week. On June 29 China had recorded 39 such cases. By Saturday nationwide locally transmitted cases had jumped to 385 the biggest tally since May 25. https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-imposes-fresh-restrictions-as-covid-19-cases-rise-11656943127 4th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg China is racing to quash a new virus flareup that risks spilling over into one of its most economically significant regions raising the specter of disruptions that could roil global supply chains for solar panels medicines and semiconductor chips. Infections have surged in Si county in the eastern province of Anhui with officials reporting 287 cases for Sunday and nearly 1000 since late last week. Authorities locked down Si and a neighboring county late last week to try and stop the virus from spreading to nearby Jiangsu the second biggest contributor to Chinas economic output and a globally important manufacturing hub for the solar sector. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-04/china-s-new-covid-flareup-threatens-crucial-yangtze-delta-region 4th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

iNews Strict vaccination rules will be lifted on Wednesday taking the hassle out of Australian holidays and family reunions. However flag carrier Qantas is set to keep its vaccine mandate https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/travel/australia-entry-rules-explained-latest-covid-travel-advice-vaccine-tourists-1721474 4th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

CNBC Travellers wondering what its like to visit Thailand now may be interested to know the country is allowing almost everything again. Thats according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand TAT the governmental entity responsible for promoting tourism to the country. Masks are no longer required and the countrys colorcoded system which placed limits that varied by province on dining activities gatherings and travel is also a thing of the past according to TAT. Its also far easier to get into Thailand now too. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/04/whats-required-to-travel-to-thailand-only-one-covid-document-now.html 4th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

Australian Broadcasting Corporation Kyoto locals say they want some foreign tourists but not too many. Japan is restricting the number of foreign tourists allowed in to a small number. The yen is at its weakest in two decades acting as a boon for tourists https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-04/kyoto-braced-as-tourists-are-set-to-return/101205928 4th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

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. https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-infectious-diseases-fb25f987bab09a11be31a32e832dd9de 4th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Associated Press Tourism is booming again in France and so is COVID19. French officials have invited or recommended people to go back to using face masks but stopped short of renewing restrictions that would scare visitors away or revive antigovernment protests. From Paris commuters to tourists on the French Riviera many people seem to welcome the governments light touch while some worry that required prevention measures may be needed. Virusrelated hospitalizations rose quickly in France over the past two weeks with nearly 1000 patients with COVID19 hospitalized per day according to government data. Infections are also rising across Europe and the United States but France has an exceptionally high proportion of people in the hospital according to Our World in Data estimates. https://apnews.com/article/covid-travel-health-a426ee6ae1109ceff4668020683570ac 2nd Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

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 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-01/uk-covid-cases-surge-32-in-one-week-as-subvariants-spread?srnd=premium-uk 1st Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

The Conversation Australia is heading for its third Omicron wave in the coming weeks as BA.4 and BA.5 become the dominant COVID strains. BA.4 and BA.5 are more infectious than previous COVID variants and subvariants and are better able to evade immunity from vaccines and previous infections. So were likely to see a rise in case numbers. So what are BA.4 and BA.5 And what can we expect in this next phase of the pandemic https://theconversation.com/australia-is-heading-for-its-third-omicron-wave-heres-what-to-expect-from-ba-4-and-ba-5-185598 5th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Indonesia will ask people to show proof of a third Covid19 vaccine shot to access crowded areas as the government banks on inoculation to manage an increase in cases. The government seeks to encourage people to get their booster shots said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin in a Monday briefing. Previously limiting entry to shopping malls and public areas to those who are fully vaccinated has helped to quicken inoculation he added. Southeast Asias largest economy extended limits on businesses capacity and opening hours through Aug. 1 for islands outside of Java and Bali as coronavirus cases pick up. It hasnt announced measures for Java and Bali yet. The country has been reporting more than 2000 new infections each day the most since early April as neighbors Singapore and the Philippines also grapple with a resurgence. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-04/indonesia-pushes-for-covid-boosters-with-cases-at-two-month-high 4th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

The Guardian The current UK wave of Covid is expected to peak in the coming weeks but another wave is anticipated in the autumn as people move inside with the colder weather. The governments independent vaccine advisory group the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation JCVI has recommended that the NHS and care homes prepare for an autumn booster campaign which is likely to start in September. On top of Covid public health officials fear flu may bounce back hard and early this year given the experience in Australia making vaccinations for both flu and Covid a high priority in the autumn. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/04/whats-the-uks-booster-policy-ahead-of-a-feared-autumn-covid-wave 4th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

The Guardian Health authorities need to act urgently to prepare for an autumn that could see further waves of Covid19 cases spreading across the UK. That is the clear warning from scientists and doctors after last weeks figures revealed another dramatic jump in cases. More than 2 million people across Britain were found to be infected for the week ending 24 June a rise of more than 30 on the preceding week. And while most experts said they expected the current wave driven by the Omicron BA4 and BA5 variants of the virus to peak in a few weeks they also warned that it will inevitably be followed by another wave this autumn. Our current planning assumptions are that we will see at least one wave of Covid in the autumnwinter period once we have got through the current wave that were in right now said Susan Hopkins chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/02/uk-scientists-warn-of-urgent-need-for-action-on-vaccines-to-head-off-autumn-covid-wave 4th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

CBC.ca Some doctors are calling on Ontario to allow all adults to get a second booster of a COVID19 vaccine this summer something that the province is currently limiting to only a portion of the population. Around 7.4 million Ontarians have received one booster and nearly 90 per cent of those shots were administered at least five months ago according to Public Health Ontario data. Studies have shown the COVID19 boosters begin to lose some effectiveness four months after being administered leading to growing calls for Ontario to widen eligibility for a second booster equivalent to a fourth dose of vaccine. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/covid-19-ontario-vaccine-4th-dose-booster-1.6506746 4th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

ABC News A COVID19 prevention clinic will administer an injection to immunocompromised people. The national COVID19 death toll has passed 10000. A health expert says Australia needs a pandemic attitude change https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-04/melbourne-covid-prevention-clinic-launches-administers-evusheld/101205588 4th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

GP Online The ES which runs from 1 September 2022 until 31 March 2023 indicates that the booster programme will operate in a similar way to previous phases of the vaccination campaign. Practices will be expected to work in a PCN grouping to deliver the vaccinations at scale. GP practices do not have to be a member of a network to sign up to the ES but they will be expected to collaborate with other practices and networks the ES says. In a key change from previous phases of the vaccination programme the ES specifies that practices must ensure that they have in place suitable arrangements to prevent the disruption of other services or obligations under their contract. https://www.gponline.com/practices-until-14-july-sign-autumn-covid-19-booster-campaign/article/1791966 4th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Germany will not shut schools and nonessential businesses again if the COVID19 infection rate rises again later this year but protective masks would play a bigger role Chancellor Olaf Scholz told broadcaster ARD on Sunday. The infection rate in Germany has been on the rise for the past month reaching close to 700 new cases per 100000 residents this week after falling below 200 in late May but Scholz said that vaccinations should help limit what measures will be needed to curb the spread of the virus. https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/germanys-scholz-sees-no-covid-related-school-closures-lockdowns-2022-07-03/ 4th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters President Emmanuel Macron on Monday urged his ministers to hang in there be ambitious and show a willingness to compromise after he carried out a limited reshuffle that saw no opponents join his camp as he seeks a workable majority in parliament. Key roles such as the prime minister and finance minister remained unchanged in the reshuffle that signalled no policy changes and was criticised by the opposition as being tonedeaf. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/frances-macron-appoint-former-health-minister-veran-spokesman-bfm-tv-2022-07-04/ 4th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

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

Partisan Exits

Medical Xpress More parents are questioning the necessity of routine vaccinations for young children. Adults are skipping shots as well even for vaccines with a long safety record. The trend comes amid a wave of misinformation and disinformation about COVID19 and the vaccines that helped to stem pandemic deaths. Politicization of the COVID19 shots has bolstered the antivaccine movement contributing to the decline in routine immunizations for measles polio and other dangerous diseases. They ask if these are truly necessary or if we can give them at later times said Jason Terk a Texas pediatrician and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-07-covid-misinformation-bolsters-anti-vaccine-movement.html 4th Jul 2022

Partisan Exits

The Guardian There are some saying that the pandemic is not yet over says Hancock. Indeed the World Health Organization and most credible scientists agree that it is not over. By suggesting that calls for restrictions are scaremongering Hancock misses the point. Yes public health policy shouldnt need to be alarming but it should include measures to protect the public and help reduce transmission such as free Covid testing better sick pay better ventilation in schools and workplaces and the reintroduction of masks in medical settings. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/03/matt-hancocks-blase-attitude-to-the-rise-in-covid-cases-is-alarming 4th Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Medical News Today Researchers investigated the antigens of SARSCoV2the virus that causes COVID19present in blood plasma samples collected from individuals with long COVID and typical COVID19 infection. They found that one particular SARSCoV2 antigenthe spike proteinwas present in the blood of a majority of long COVID patients up to a year after they were first diagnosed with COVID19. In patients with typical COVID19 infection however the spike protein was not detected. This finding provides evidence for the hypothesis that SARSCoV2 can persist in the body through viral reservoirs where it continues to release spike protein and trigger inflammation. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/long-covid-viral-reservoir-of-spike-protein-may-explain-long-term-symptoms 4th Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg Hong Kongs new Chief Executive John Lee said there is no immediate need for a universal compulsory Covid testing campaign in the city but stressed that there needs to be a reduction in the number of daily infections which are at the highest level since April. Lee appearing on a program broadcast by TVB on Sunday shed more light on his Covid agenda for the first time since being sworn in as chief executive on Friday by Chinese President Xi Jinping who was also in the city to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule. Hong Kong should carry out more laboratory nucleic acid testing for Covid because its a reliable way to detect infections but this would not expand into a universal compulsory testing campaign for now https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-03/hong-kong-s-lee-sees-no-immediate-need-for-mass-covid-testing 4th Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The New York Times Roseann Renouf 77 has grown tired of the current generation of coronavirus shots. Having never been one for a lot of vaccination she decided to forgo the latest round of boosters after watching vaccinated friends contract Covid19 even though the doses offer a critical extra layer of protection. Its just taking another same booster Ms. Renouf a retired nurse anesthetist from Fort Worth said. They havent done anything different with them to cover new variants. But her gripe about the Covid vaccines may soon be settled. American regulators committed last week to updating the 2020 vaccine recipes for this falls booster campaign with new formulas meant to defend against the ultracontagious Omicron subvariants offering Ms. Renouf and other holdouts a fresh reason to change their minds. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/04/health/updated-covid-vaccines-omicron.html 4th Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Pharmaceutical Technology Oxford Biomedica has entered a new threeyear Master Services Development Agreement to potentially manufacture AstraZeneca UKs Covid19 vaccines in the future. The latest deal is an extension of an original Master Supply and Development Agreement signed by the parties in September 2020. Under the initial deal the production of Covid19 vaccines at the Oxbox facility of Oxford Biomedica is anticipated to conclude in the last quarter of this year. As per this agreement AstraZeneca had agreed to make an upfront payment of 18.1m 15m to Oxford Biomedica as a capacity reservation fee. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/oxford-biomedica-astrazeneca-vaccine/ 4th Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Hospital Healthcare Europe Israeli researchers have found that paxlovid use in those at risk of COVID19 progression remains effective even in fully vaccinated patients. The effectiveness of the antiviral drug paxlovid in preventing the progression of COVID19 remains even in those who have been adequately vaccinated against the virus according to the results of a realworld study by Israeli researchers. Paxlovid consists of nirmatrelivir a protease inhibitor against COVID19 and ritonavir which reduces the in vivo metabolism of nirmatrelivir. The published data for the drug the EPICHR trial suggested that treatment of symptomatic COVID19 in patients at risk of progression to severe disease results in an 89 lower risk compared to placebo. Nevertheless the study was undertaken before omicron became the main circulating variant and therefore the generalisability of the studys findings are potentially limited. https://hospitalhealthcare.com/covid-19/paxlovid-remains-effective-in-those-vaccinated-against-covid-19/ 4th 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/ 4th Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Toronto Sun Canadians will be required to get a booster shot every nine months for the foreseeable future Health Minister JeanYves Duclos told reporters. So if you thought you were fully vaccinated think again. Duclos said that the previous definitions of fully vaccinated makes no sense explaining that its more important that shots are up to date and whether or not a person has received a vaccination in the last nine months. He added We will never be fully vaccinated against COVID19 according to Blacklocks Reporter. Duclos was asked if he was preparing Canadians for the return of vaccine mandates in the fall he reportedly replied We must continue to fight against COVID. https://torontosun.com/news/national/two-doses-are-no-longer-enough-canadians-required-to-get-covid-shot-every-nine-months 4th Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CIDRAP COVID19 vaccination protected people of all body sizes from hospitalization and deathalthough vaccinated people with a low or high body mass index BMI were at greater risk according to a study of adults in England published yesterday in The Lancet Diabetes Endocrinology. University of Oxford researchers led the study which involved 9171524 adult primary care patients in England with available body mass index BMI data from Dec 8 2020 when the COVID19 vaccine first became available in the United Kingdom to Nov 17 2021. Average patient age was 52 years and average BMI was 26.7 kilograms per meter squared kgm2 overweight. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/07/covid-vaccines-prevented-poor-outcomes-people-all-sizes 1st Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

FiercePharma There was a timenot so long agowhen COVID19 vaccine manufacturers couldnt produce doses fast enough. But that was then and this is now Friday when Oxford Biomedica revealed an extension of its contract with AstraZeneca through 2025 the deal was to make shots on an as needed basis the company said. This comes just nine months after Oxford announced a 50 million pound sterling 68 million investment from the overstrapped Serum Institute of India to increase its ability to manufacture COVID vaccines for AZ at its Oxbox facility. https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/oxford-biomedica-signs-3-more-years-producing-astrazeneca-covid-shots-only-needed 1st Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

India Times Chennai has made masks mandatory again in public places after Covid19 cases rose again in the southern state Tamil Nadu. As per the data provided by the state health department Tamil Nadu had recorded 2672 fresh infections on Sunday while 2385 cases on Saturday. The death toll however stands at zero. On the other hand in the past 24 hours the state had seen 1487 recoveries the active toll rose to 14504 official data suggested. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/chennai-makes-masks-mandatory-in-public-places-as-covid-19-cases-rise/articleshow/92649660.cms 4th Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

New Zealand Herald A new Covid19 variant is expected to become the dominant strain in the community within weeks as cases surge and an expert warns we could be losing the arms race with the virus. University of Otago epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker has again urged Kiwis to brace for the second Omicron wave as the community case average increased by almost 50 per cent in nine days. Baker described the 49 per cent increase of the sevenday rolling average of cases on June 25 4737 to today 7046 as an abrupt rise and indicative that New Zealand could be at the beginning of another infection wave. Earlier today health officials reported 6498 community cases a further eight deaths and 487 hospitalisations. The weekly rolling average of hospitalisations has increased from 335 this time last week to 420 today. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-omicron-outbreak-ba5-expected-to-become-dominant-sub-variant-in-fortnight-as-case-numbers-increase/F22WJHTWKWBIUFXXVKZVY34CVY/ 4th Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Business Standard The number of active cases of coronavirus surpassed 1 million in Italy on Sunday the result of a swift increase in cases over the last two weeks. As recently as June 17 Italy had fewer than 575000 active cases of COVID19 the disease caused by the coronavirus. On Sunday that number totalled 1.01 million an increase of more than 75 per cent in a span of 16 days. The Ministry of Health has said the increases in the infection rate are mostly due to the Omicron5 subvariant of the virus. Italy became the fourth country in the world to have more than 1 million active cases following the United States with 3.5 million Germany with 1.5 million and France with 1.4 million according to data from the World Health Organization. https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/active-covid-19-infections-in-italy-surpass-1-million-after-surge-in-cases-122070400085_1.html 4th Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

PMLiVE COVID19 cases are rising across the UK with the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics ONS showing the number of people infected has more than doubled since the start of June. The surge in cases is due to two new fastspreading subvariants of Omicron BA.4 and BA.5. Research in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that BA.4 and BA.5 can substantially escape the protection from either vaccination or infection. In the week ending 24 June the ONS estimated COVID19 rates were one in 30 in England and Wales one in 25 in Northern Ireland and one in 18 in Scotland. In its analysis of Englands figures the ONS found infections were going up in all regions and in all age groups. The two new variants were added to the World Health Organizations WHO monitoring list in March and have also been designated as variants of concern in Europe. https://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/new_omicron_sub-variants_cause_covid-19_cases_to_rise_in_the_uk_1451218 4th Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Investing.com Parts of eastern China are running fresh rounds of mass COVID19 testing as the country faces new waves of infections while recovering from impact of the spring outbreaks that hit Beijing and Shanghai. China continues to demand local authorities detect and contain new infections as soon as possible in its dynamic COVID zero strategy although it has warned against expanding strict curbs unnecessarily as it struggles to revive the economy. Daily numbers of locally transmitted infections in mainland China increased to more than 300 over the weekend compared with a few dozens in late June. While tiny by global standards local officials have still closed some businesses and locked down more than a million people. https://www.investing.com/news/world-news/several-eastern-chinese-areas-in-mass-covid-testing-to-curb-new-waves-of-infections-2843600 4th Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Macau kicked off a new round of COVID19 testing for its more than 600000 residents on Monday as officials in the worlds biggest gambling hub raced to limit spiralling infections in the citys worst outbreak since the pandemic began. All residents face three rounds of tests this week in addition to rapid antigen tests as Mondays 68 new infections took the tally in the former Portuguese colony to 852 since the middle of June. About 12000 people are in quarantine. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/macau-launches-more-covid-testing-infections-soar-2022-07-04/ 4th 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/ 4th Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg New York City health officials have ended its Covid19 alert system that informed residents about periods of higher transmission of the virus. The change took place this week and visitors to the citys website are now met with a message that reads We are evaluating the citys COVID Alert system. Before the colorcoded alert categorization was dropped the city was last at a medium risk level on Tuesday with New Yorkers being encouraged to continue wearing a mask in public indoor setting https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-01/new-york-city-ends-its-coronavirus-alert-system-as-cases-rise 1st Jul 2022