7th Jul 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=697 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Shanghai reported the most virus infections since late May fueling concerns Chinas financial hub may look to ramp up restrictions to curb transmission. The city announced 54 local Covid infections for Wednesday including two that were found outside of quarantine with the latter raising concerns that the virus could be quietly spreading through communities. Shanghai has already increased its mass testing with with 10 districts and parts of two others out of the financial hubs total of 16 conducting two PCR tests over a threeday period. Elsewhere Beijing announced four cases. Authorities said Wednesday that they had detected the highly infectious BA.5.2 subvariant in the capital. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-07/shanghai-cases-jump-to-highest-since-may-fueling-lockdown-fears 7th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

Glasgow Live Scotland is experiencing a high rate of Covid19 infections as experts warn we are seeing the highest amount since April. On top of this summer brings with it holidays social events and mass events all of which is opportunity for the new subvariants of Omicron B.A.4 and B.A.5 to spread. Scotland reported that one in 18 people had the virus last week with 288200 people infected. Some European countries such as Spain are also preparing for a spike in cases and it havent relaxed all covid restrictions yet. To be considered fully vaccinated if travelling from the UK to Spain you must have a booster vaccine if its been over 270 days since your second dose. https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/how-book-covid-booster-vaccine-24405562 6th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

HuffPost Canada is going to throw out about 13.6 million doses of the OxfordAstraZeneca COVID19 vaccine because it couldnt find any takers for it either at home or abroad. Canada signed a contract with AstraZeneca in 2020 to get 20 million doses of its vaccine and 2.3 million Canadians received at least one dose of it mostly between March and June 2021. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/canada-coronavirus-vaccine-expired_n_62c564fbe4b06e3d9baef2d1 6th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

The National Two years three months and 25 days since the World Health Organisation first declared Covid19 a global pandemic Australia is removing its final coronavirusrelated travel restrictions. From Wednesday visitors no longer need to show proof of vaccination when flying Down Under. The last of the Covid19 restrictions for inbound visitors have been dropped following Australias removal of other rules put in place during the pandemic including PCR tests for holidaymakers and mandatory quarantine periods. As more and more of us travel internationally and we get more confident in managing our risk of Covid our airports are getting busier Clare ONeil Minister for Home Affairs said. https://www.thenationalnews.com/travel/covid-19-travel/2022/07/06/australia-removes-final-covid-19-travel-restrictions/ 6th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Wall Street Journal Governments drugmakers and vaccination sites are discarding tens of millions of unused Covid19 vaccine doses amid sagging demand a sharp reversal from the early days of the massvaccination campaign when doses were scarce. Vaccine manufacturer Moderna Inc. recently discarded about 30 million doses of its Covid19 shot after failing to find takers while pharmacies and clinics have had to throw out unused doses from multidose vials from Moderna and Pfizer Inc. and its partner BioNTech SE that have a short shelf life once they are opened. Germanys health officials have disposed of about 3.9 million Covid19 vaccine doses that were sitting in a federal central warehouse and expired at the end of June. https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-vaccine-doses-once-in-high-demand-now-thrown-away-11657105202 6th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Chinas capital on Wednesday mandated COVID19 vaccinations for most people to enter crowded venues such as libraries cinemas and gyms the first such move by Beijing which it coupled with a slight easing of domestic travel curbs. From July 11 people wanting to enter certain public would need to be vaccinated unless they have issues that render them unsuitable for shots a city official told a news briefing. Restaurants and public transportation are exempt from the rule. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/beijing-city-reports-three-new-local-covid-cases-2022-07-06/ 6th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Associated Press People in 24 Oregon counties including the county around Portland and 15 counties in Washington state should resume maskwearing indoors in public and on public transportation according to recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data from the CDC shows the counties are considered high risk for COVID19 infection KPTV reported. The Oregon counties include Clatsop Tillamook Lincoln Lane Douglas Josephine Jackson Klamath Lake Deschutes Crook Jefferson Wasco Sherman Hood River Clackamas Washington Multnomah Morrow Umatilla Union Wallowa Baker and Malheur counties. In Washington the counties at high risk include Clallam Grays Harbor Pacific Lewis Thurston Pierce Chelan Douglas Grant Walla Walla Columbia Asotin Lincoln Ferry and Spokane. Thats an increase from six Washington counties at high risk as of June 23. https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-portland-washington-spokane-c8b8f6b842ebbd12a455fc9758a2dcf8 6th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Associated Press Cyprus is bringing back compulsory maskwearing in indoor areas for everyone age 12 and over amid a surge of COVID19 infections. The government said Wednesday the infection spike is in line with a global trend thats mainly owed to the BA.4 and BA.5 variants of the coronavirus. According to Health Ministry figures 19503 people tested positive from a total of 147623 samples between June 25 to July 5 out of a population of approximately 916000. The numbers dont include the approximately 250000 people in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north of the ethically divided island nation. The measures take effect on Friday. The government said mask wearing isnt compulsory at home for family members inside a vehicle during meals athletes cooks during grilling and for people with ailments and deformities that make it difficult for them to wear a face mask. https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-cyprus-4b42ece66a4cf985650f9b8246a22fed?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&amputm_medium=AP_Europe&amputm_source=Twitter 6th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday it had authorized statelicensed pharmacists to prescribe Pfizer Incs COVID19 pill to eligible patients to help improve access to the treatment. The antiviral drug Paxlovid has been cleared for use and available for free in the United States since December but fewer than half of the nearly 4 million courses distributed to pharmacies by the government so far have been administered. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-allows-pharmacists-prescribe-pfizers-covid-pill-2022-07-06/ 6th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Europe is at the center of a resurgence in Covid19 infections as more people mix at largescale events and travel according to the World Health Organization. We are seeing a much more intense wave of the disease passing through Europe again Michael Ryan executive director of the WHOs Health Emergencies Programme said at a media briefing Wednesday. And we will see it happen elsewhere we are already seeing it in South East Asia and in the eastern Mediterranean region as well. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-06/europe-is-at-center-of-new-wave-of-covid-infections-who-says 6th Jul 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Beijing residents wanting to enter a raft of public places will need to show proof of vaccination from Monday the first time China has deployed a vaccine mandate as the city rushes to quash a new outbreak caused by a more infectious subvariant. The city will require live performances entertainment venues such as movie theaters museums and gyms as well as training and tutoring locations to restrict entry to people who are vaccinated Li Ang deputy director at the Beijing Municipal Health Commission told reporters at a briefing Wednesday. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-06/beijing-rolls-out-china-s-first-ever-covid-vaccine-mandate 6th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

Nine News Australia Fourth doses of a COVID19 vaccine could soon be rolled out to more people in Queensland as the state records more cases of the virus. https://www.9news.com.au/videos/national/more-queenslanders-could-receive-fourth-dose-of-covid-19-vaccine/cl59cbwie000w0joe8tdt9e8r 6th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

Scroll.in The Union health ministry on Wednesday reduced the mandatory gap between the second dose of the Covid19 vaccine and the precautionary shot to six months from the earlier interval of nine months ANI reported. Since April 10 all adults in India have been allowed to take the precautionary shot a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine. In a letter to all states and Union Territories Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Wednesday wrote that the decision to reduce the gap between the two doses was taken by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation. https://scroll.in/latest/1027751/covid-19-gap-between-second-shot-of-vaccine-and-precautionary-dose-reduced-to-six-months?utm_source=rss&amputm_medium=jio 6th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

The Guardian Ashley Comegys a parent of two young children in Florida was ecstatic when the Covid vaccines were authorized for children above the age of six months in the US. Weve been waiting for this for so long she said. We can finally start to spread our wings again. But then she learned that Florida had missed two deadlines to preorder vaccines and would not make them available through state and local health departments delaying the rollout by several weeks and significantly limiting access. Rage does not adequately describe how I felt that they were basically inhibiting me from being able to make a choice to protect my children Comegys said. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/06/us-parents-seeking-vaccines-children-delays-confusion 6th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

ABC News Mr Albanese says the pandemic isnt over and encouraged eligible Australians to get their booster shot. ATAGI will announce its recommendations on fourth doses for the over50s on Friday according to Health Minister Mark Butler. More than 3700 Australians are in hospital with COVID19 the most since February https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-06/covid-19-boosters-a-matter-of-urgency-says-pm-as-infections-rise/101215354 6th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

The Independent Residents of parts of Shanghai and Beijing have been ordered to undergo further rounds of COVID19 testing following the discovery of new cases in the two cities while tight restrictions remain in place in Hong Kong Macao and other Chinese cities. Shanghai has only just emerged from a strict lockdown that confined most of its 24 million residents to their homes for weeks and the new requirements have stirred concerns of a return of such harsh measures. The latest outbreak in Chinas largest city a key international business center has been linked to a karaoke parlor that failed to enforce prevention measures among employees and customers including the tracing of others they came into contact with according to the city health commission. All such outlets have been ordered to temporarily suspend business the citys department of culture and tourism said. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/shanghai-ap-beijing-chinese-macao-b2116713.html 6th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Cyprus ordered the reintroduction of face masks to combat COVID19 on Wednesday just over a month after scrapping the requirement as infections spiked again. The requirement to wear a face mask in indoor areas comes into effect on Friday Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantela said. Health experts recommended the step after a spate of infections from people who were not taking the proper precautions the Cypriot official said after a cabinet meeting. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/cyprus-brings-back-face-masks-month-after-scrapping-them-2022-07-06/ 6th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters AstraZeneca Plcs antibody cocktail for COVID19 prevention has been cleared for use in a medical tourism zone in Chinas southern province of Hainan ahead of national approval local media said on Tuesday. China allows early use of new medical products in the special zone in Qionghai city as a part of several preferential policies granted to the area to promote medical services to visitors from both home and abroad. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/china-allows-astrazenecas-covid-preventive-drug-southern-city-2022-07-06/ 6th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

Sky News Beijing will introduce a vaccine mandate for certain venues the first of its kind in China since the start of the pandemic as the country deals with the recent arrival of the highly contagious Omicron BA.5 variant. The Beijing Health Commission announced that from next week anyone entering libraries museums cinemas art galleries sports and fitness venues entertainment venues or any crowded places in the capital must be vaccinated. China has so far resisted mass vaccine mandates as part of its pursuit of zeroCOVID instead relying on strict lockdowns contact tracing automatically tracking peoples travel history and mass PCR testing to try to stamp out outbreaks as they arise. https://news.sky.com/story/chinas-first-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-to-be-introduced-in-beijing-12646826 6th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg These results suggest that the cash allowed participants to spend more money improving objective financial outcomes for the few weeks immediately following the transfer and then dissipating thereafter wrote the researchers led by Ania Jaroszewicz at Harvard Universitys Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences. The survey covered three groups the first received a onetime payment of 500 the second got 2000 and the third nothing. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-06/us-pandemic-checks-had-no-lasting-impact-on-poor-study-shows 6th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The city of Shanghai on Tuesday announced two new rounds of mass COVID19 testing of most of its 25 million residents over a threeday period citing the need to trace infections linked to an outbreak at a karaoke lounge. The city government said on its official WeChat account that all residents in nine of the citys 16 districts would be tested twice from Tuesday to Thursday. People in parts of three other districts would also have to undergo tests. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-shanghai-carry-out-some-covid-testing-residents-say-2022-07-05/ 5th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The city of Shanghai on Tuesday announced two new rounds of mass COVID19 testing of most of its 25 million residents over a threeday period citing the need to trace infections linked to an outbreak at a karaoke lounge. The city government said on its official WeChat account that all residents in nine of the citys 16 districts would be tested twice from Tuesday to Thursday. People in parts of three other districts would also have to undergo tests. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-shanghai-carry-out-some-covid-testing-residents-say-2022-07-05/ 5th Jul 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Ireland expects to run an extensive vaccine drive against COVID19 and flu ahead of a potentially worrying winter surge that could lead to the reimposition of mask wearing in certain settings Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Tuesday. Ireland dropped all COVID19 curbs earlier this year after having one of Europes toughest lockdown regimes. While infections are on the rise again Varadkar said the current wave seemed to be peaking and the number of hospitalised patients was expected to start falling in the next two to three weeks. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ireland-sees-extensive-autumn-covid-19-vaccine-campaign-deputy-pm-2022-07-05/ 5th Jul 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters American Heather Kaye and her family including cat Mochi are part of a wave of residents departing Shanghai leaving behind their homes and memories driven out by two years of strict COVID19 curbs including a crushing twomonth lockdown. Heather and husband George arrived in Shanghai from New York in 2006 for a oneyear adventure but 16 years later their twobedroom apartment in Shanghais historic former French Concession is the only home their children have ever known. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/goodbye-shanghai-after-16-years-covid-curbs-send-american-family-packing-2022-07-07/ 7th Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Washington Times A new study estimates that COVID19 vaccinations averted 58 of U.S. deaths that could have occurred in a hypothetical scenario in which no inoculations existed. Published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open the modeling study concludes that COVID19 vaccinations prevented 27 million infections 1.6 million hospitalizations and 235000 deaths among U.S. adults from December 2020 to September 2021. However the study cautions that it relied on incomplete national data from multiple health records due to the lack of a national database and the limitations of current methods for measuring vaccine effectiveness. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/jul/6/study-covid-would-have-killed-58-more-americans-wi/ 6th Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Pharmaceutical Technology The European Commission EC has granted approval for the expanded conditional marketing authorization CMA of Novavaxs Covid19 vaccine Nuvaxovid NVXCoV2373 in the European Union EU for adolescents of the age 12 to 17 years. A proteinbased vaccine NVXCoV2373 is made from the genetic sequence of the SARSCoV2 virus first strain. The latest development comes after the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency granted a positive recommendation in June this year. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/ec-novavax-vaccine-adolescents/ 6th Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

San Francisco Chronicle A new type of vaccine protects against a variety of betacoronaviruses including the one that caused the COVID19 pandemic and COVIDs variants in mice and monkeys a Caltech study found. Betacoronaviruses are a subset of coronaviruses that infect humans and animals. The study published in the journal Science on Tuesday from researchers in the laboratory of Caltechs Pamela Bjorkman professor of biology and bioengineering found that the new vaccine is broadly protective. It works by presenting the immune system with spike protein pieces from SARSCoV2 and seven other SARSlike betacoronaviruses attached to a protein nanoparticle structure to induce production of crossreactive antibodies Caltech said. https://www.sfchronicle.com/health/article/COVID-in-California-Latest-news-and-updates-17284152.php 6th Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Medical Xpress Our theory is that there is actually memory from previous common cold coronavirus encounters and when you get the vaccine for SARSCoV2 the vaccine reawakens some of those memories. Then you see this early response which is basically just a rapid memory response to what youve already seen Altin said. With time the immune system can reshape those responses more in the direction of the pandemic virus. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-07-covid-vaccination-antibodies-virus-spike.html 6th Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

News-Medical.Net In a recent study posted to the medRxiv preprint server researchers at the University of Melbourne used a modified Susceptible Exposed Infectious and Recovered SEIR mathematical model to examine the impact of different vaccine mechanisms and disease characteristics on a population comprised of individuals at high and low risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 SARSCoV2 infection. The study highlighted the significance of devising effective coronavirus disease 2019 COVID19 vaccine allocation strategies before the onset of the pandemic or the beginning of viral transmission at the community level. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220706/Research-highlights-importance-of-designing-effective-COVID-vaccine-allocation-strategies.aspx 6th Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CIDRAP An observational study of Italian healthcare workers infected with SARSCoV2 who didnt require hospitalization suggests a link between two or three doses of vaccine and a lower prevalence of long COVID. In the modeling study published late last week in JAMA researchers in Milan studied 2560 workers at nine healthcare facilities from March 2020 to April 2022. All healthcare workers were mandated to receive three doses of the PfizerBioNTech mRNA COVID19 vaccine in 2021. And all were screened for COVID19 once a week or every 2 weeks and when they developed symptoms or were exposed to the virus. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/07/two-or-3-vaccine-doses-may-cut-risk-long-covid 6th Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

STAT News Its important to remember that long Covid is an evolving umbrella term for an array of symptoms that vary in both number and degree. Some housebound people are assailed by brain fog that completely robs them of concentration while others find memory aids help them get through their workdays. Some former athletes cant complete a 6minute walk test while others can gradually return to activity if they monitor their heart rate. Long Covid clinics that adapt techniques from rehabilitation medicine see people eventually get better. In a world transitioning away from bustling downtowns to hybrid workfromhome status we may not see whos missing. https://www.statnews.com/2022/07/06/understanding-long-covid-estimates/ 6th Jul 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg Pharmacists will be permitted to prescribe Pfizer Inc.s Paxlovid under a move by US regulators aimed at providing prompt access to the widely used Covid treatment. Statelicensed pharmacists can prescribe Paxlovid to eligible patients subject to certain limitations to assure appropriate treatment the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday in a statement. Since Paxlovid must be taken within five days after symptoms begin authorizing statelicensed pharmacists to prescribe Paxlovid could expand access to timely treatment for some patients Patrizia Cavazzoni director for the FDAs Center for Drug Evaluation and Research said in the statement. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-06/pharmacists-can-prescribe-pfizer-s-covid-pill-under-fda-order 6th Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Wall Street Journal Governments drugmakers and vaccination sites are discarding tens of millions of unused Covid19 vaccine doses amid sagging demand a sharp reversal from the early days of the massvaccination campaign when doses were scarce. Vaccine manufacturer Moderna Inc. recently discarded about 30 million doses of its Covid19 shot after failing to find takers while pharmacies and clinics have had to throw out unused doses from multidose vials from Moderna and from Pfizer Inc. and its partner BioNTech SE that have a short shelf life once they are opened. https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-vaccine-doses-once-in-high-demand-now-thrown-away-11657105202?mod=flipboard 7th Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Stuff New community case numbers remain high with the Ministry of Health reporting 10290 new cases on Wednesday. There are 522 people in hospital and 12 people with the virus have died since July 1 the ministry said. On Tuesday case numbers soared by more than 3000 in a single day rising from 6498 on Monday to 9629 on Tuesday. The sevenday rolling average of community case numbers on Tuesday was 7246 a rise of about 32 on the same time last year. The sevenday rolling average of community case numbers on Wednesday was 7591. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/129187289/covid19-10290-new-community-cases-reported 6th Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

CIDRAP Combined the two subvariants make up more than 70 of recently sequenced samples up sharply from 52.3 the previous week. Of the variants CDC is tracking BA.5 now makes up 53.6 and BA.4 makes up 16.5. The proportion of BA.2.12.1first detected in New Yorkcontinues to decline. Southcentral states were the first to see BA.4 and BA.5 become dominant. The two subvariants are more transmissible and have mutations linked to immune escape. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/07/ba45-covid-19-variants-now-dominant-all-us-regions 6th Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Chinas capital on Wednesday mandated COVID19 vaccinations for most people to enter crowded venues such as libraries cinemas and gyms the first such move by Beijing which it coupled with a slight easing of domestic travel curbs. From July 11 people wanting to enter certain public would need to be vaccinated unless they have issues that render them unsuitable for shots a city official told a news briefing. Restaurants and public transportation are exempt from the rule. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/beijing-city-reports-three-new-local-covid-cases-2022-07-06/ 6th Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters The number of new COVID19 infections in Romania nearly doubled over the last week with a peak of 10000 daily cases expected in midAugust Health Minister Alexandru Rafila said on Monday. Romania is the European Unions secondleast vaccinated state with just over 42 of the population fully inoculated amid distrust of state institutions and poor vaccine education. The number of new infections approached 8000 over the last week compared with 3974 new cases in the previous week data showed but the number of hospitalisations and deaths remained low. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/romania-covid-cases-nearly-double-week-2022-07-04/ 6th Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Italy reported 132274 COVID19 cases on Tuesday health ministry official figures showed surpassing 100000 for the first time since Feb. 8. Italy whose death tally since the beginning of the pandemic is the eighthighest in the world also reported 94 deaths on Tuesday. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italy-daily-coronavirus-cases-exceed-100000-first-time-since-feb-health-ministry-2022-07-05/ 6th Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters China is fighting nascent COVID19 flareups across the country with mass testing and fresh restrictions including in weary Shanghai where new cases have been linked to a building which houses a karaoke lounge that was operating illegally. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-fights-covid-flare-ups-multiple-fronts-including-shanghai-2022-07-06/ 6th Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Macau shut down a popular shopping mall adjacent to MGM Chinas casino resort on the citys main peninsula after several COVID19 infections were found as authorities raced to the biggest outbreak yet in the worlds biggest gambling hub. One Central shopping mall will be shut for one week while more than a dozen other zones or buildings have also been ordered to close authorities said. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/macau-shuts-popular-shopping-mall-race-contain-covid-outbreak-2022-07-07/ 6th Jul 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Mainland China reported 409 new coronavirus cases for July 6 of which 124 were symptomatic and 285 were asymptomatic the National Health Commission said on Thursday. That compared with 427 new cases a day earlier 141 symptomatic and 286 asymptomatic infections which China counts separately. There were zero new deaths same as a day earlier keeping the nations fatalities at 5226. As of Wednesday mainland China had confirmed 226300 cases with symptoms. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-reports-409-new-covid-cases-july-6-vs-427-day-earlier-2022-07-07/ 6th Jul 2022