11th Aug 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=720 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Reuters India said on Wednesday that Biological Es COVID19 vaccine Corbevax can be administered as a booster dose in people who have taken the countrys other two main shots Covaxin and AstraZenecas Covishield from Friday. Corbevax will be available to over 18s as precautionary booster six months after a second dose the health ministry said in an Aug. 8 letter to state authorities and shared with reporters on Wednesday. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-start-covid-mix-and-match-booster-vaccines-friday-2022-08-10/ 10th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Belfast Telegraph A leading immunology expert believes high Omicron infection rates should protect the general population against an autumn wave of Covid unless a new variant emerges. Professor of Experimental Immunology Kingston Mills has also said it would be a mistake to offer vaccine booster doses before an updated and more effective vaccine becomes available in Europe over the coming months. During the most recent study week between July 14July 20 the Department of Health estimated that 113400 people in Northern Ireland had Covid19 around 1 in 16 people. In the week ending July 29 the NI Statistics and Research Agency NISRA reported 22 Covidrelated deaths taking the total to 4774 since the pandemic began. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/covid-19-northern-ireland-expert-is-optimistic-autumn-wave-can-be-avoided-41901592.html 10th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Independent While it may be widely known that common symptoms of Covid include fatigue a sore throat and headaches there is another widespread symptom being cited among sufferers. According to data gathered by the ZOE Health Study app diarrhoea is a common symptom of Covid for vaccinated Britons. It usually lasts for an average of two to three days but can last up to seven days in adults the ZOE team said. The data found this symptom has become less prevalent with each variant as nearly a third of adults aged over 35 reported having diarrhoea during the Alpha wave while just one in five said they experienced it during the Omicron and Delta waves. The people who experienced it during the latter two waves had been vaccinated either twice or had also received their booster jab. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/diarrhea-covid-infection-common-symptom-b2142006.html 10th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian Britains love for green fingers and blackened thumbs during the first Covid lockdown has since evaporated as people again find a new normal after the ending of restrictions a survey suggests. The amount of time people spent gardening and doing DIY soared in March and April 2020 with people spending 40 minutes a day improving their homes and gardens compared with just 15 minutes in 201415. But it plummeted back to 20 minutes a day in March 2022 Office for National Statistics data shows. Lockdown lieins are also a thing of the past with people sleeping 30 minutes less than they did in early 2020 while the amount of time people spend watching television and streaming is down by 34 minutes on average. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/aug/09/commuting-diy-uk-new-new-normal-end-covid-controls 10th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

CNN The United States seems to have hit a Covid19 plateau with more than 40000 people hospitalized and more than 400 deaths a day consistently over the past month or so. Its a dramatic improvement from this winter there were four times as many hospitalizations and nearly six times as many deaths at the peak of the first Omicron wave but still stubbornly high numbers. And there are big question marks around what might happen next as the coronavirus evolution remains quite elusive 2 years into the pandemic. Weve never really cracked that why these surges go up and down how long it stays up and how fast it comes down said Dr. Eric Topol a cardiologist and professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research. All these things are still somewhat of a mystery. BA.5 remains the dominant subvariant in the US for now causing most new cases as it has since the last week of June https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/10/health/covid-plateau-uncertainty/index.html 10th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

LA Times Health officials recommend that anyone infected with the coronavirus isolate for at least five days. But for many that timeline is becoming overly optimistic. The isolation period which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shortened in December from 10 days to five is more a starting point than a hardandfast rule in California. According to the state Department of Public Health exiting isolation after five days requires a negative result from a rapid test on or after the fifth day following the onset of symptoms or first positive test a step not included in federal guidelines. But many people dont start testing negative that early. If your test turns out to be positive after five days dont be upset because the majority of people still test positive until at least Day 7 to Day 10 even Dr. Clayton Chau director of the Orange County Health Care Agency said during a briefing Thursday. So thats the majority. Thats the norm. The isolation period which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shortened in December from 10 days to five is more a starting point than a hardandfast rule in California. According to the state Department of Public Health exiting isolation after five days requires a negative result from a rapid test on or after the fifth day following the onset of symptoms or first positive test a step not included in federal guidelines. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-08/clearing-covid-infection-can-take-longer-than-you-think 10th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Journal Review The number of coronavirus deaths fell by 9 in the last week while new cases remained relatively stable according to the latest weekly pandemic report released by the World Health Organization Wednesday. The U.N. health agency said there were more than 14000 COVID19 deaths in the last week and nearly 7 million new infections. The Western Pacific reported a 30 jump in cases while Africa reported a 46 drop. Cases also fell by more than 20 in the Americas and the Middle East. The number of new deaths rose by 19 in the Middle East while dropping by more than 70 in Africa 15 in Europe and 10 in the Americas. The WHO said that the omicron subvariant BA.5 remains dominant globally accounting for nearly 70 of all virus sequences shared with the worlds biggest publicly available virus database. The agency said other omicron subvariants including BA.4 and BA.2 appear to be decreasing in prevalence as BA.5 takes over. https://www.journalreview.com/stories/who-covid-19-deaths-fall-overall-by-9-infections-stable,200375 10th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Xinhua With the resurgence of infections in neighboring countries Chinas COVID19 prevention and control efforts are facing increasing pressure a health official said Wednesday. Nine provinciallevel regions in China have each reported more than 100 COVID19 cases since August with over 2000 infections in Hainan said Mi Feng spokesperson for the National Health Commission NHC. The latest COVID19 outbreak in Sanya a coastal resort city in south Chinas Hainan Province is still evolving at a high level said Mi. https://english.news.cn/20220811/1b9da65086934254bd93edbcb56c8143/c.html 11th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Xinhua Authorities of the Australian state of Victoria have announced that free masks will be handed out to the community to curb the COVID19 transmission. More than 3 million free N95 and KN95 masks would be given to the community through staterun testing sites and community health services across the state the next four to six weeks said the announcement of the Victorian government on Tuesday. Every person that presents for either a free rapid antigen or PCR test will receive one box of 10 N95 masks along with instructions on how best to wear them to reduce transmission. https://english.news.cn/20220810/72b55d1476024e069700ab36d11b9eb1/c.html 11th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

The Indian Express This means that those who have received Covishield or Covaxin as their first or second dose can take Corbevax as the third booster shot officials said. According to the protocol until now the third dose had to be the same vaccine that was used for the first and second doses. https://indianexpress.com/article/india/govt-nod-to-corbevax-as-precaution-dose-for-adults-vaccinated-with-covaxin-covishield-8083091/lite/ 11th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg The selloff in Novavax Inc. shares deepened on Tuesday to erase 17 billion in market value from last years record high after the Covid19 vaccine maker slashed its revenue guidance. Novavax fell 30 on Tuesday the most since February 2019 after slashing its guidance and missing secondquarter estimates. The stock has fallen roughly 87 from its February 2021 high amid regulatory delays and questions on demand for a vaccine that trailed competitors in reaching the market. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-09/novavax-stock-rout-deepens-to-87-amid-covid-19-shot-setbacks 10th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Business Standard Germany is likely to introduce an indoor mask mandate if there is a significant increase in the number of cases of Covid19 in the upcoming autumn and winter months health ministers said at a meeting though they differed over possible exemptions. The federal and state health ministers discussed draft legislation aiming to update regulations for dealing with the pandemic dpa news agency reported. It is clear that mandatory masks indoors should be the rule in the event of a tense pandemic situation said Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. Last week Lauterbach and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann presented new coronavirus measures that would go into effect in the autumn. https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/germany-likely-to-impose-mask-mandate-if-covid-19-spreads-in-winter-122081000138_1.html 10th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Chemist+Druggist Reported COVID19 vaccine hesitancy is high for some groups in Tower Hamlets and significant numbers of residents remain unvaccinated the boroughs council revealed in the service specification. As of May 1 just 68 of those eligible to receive a COVID19 vaccination in Tower Hamlets had received a first dose with 61.7 of that group opting to have a second dose. Just 40.1 of those eligible have had a booster dose. Evidence clearly indicates that patients value talking directly to a trusted health professional when considering whether or not to have a COVID19 vaccine Tower Hamlets Council acknowledged. Community pharmacists in Tower Hamlets are well placed to provide that support. https://www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk/CD136326/Pharmacies-to-get-15-per-consultation-in-pilot-to-tackle-COVID-19-jab-fears 10th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Voice of America - VOA News Australian health officials say there are encouraging signs that a wave of COVID19 omicron variant infections is in decline. However more than 4000 Australians are hospitalized with the virus and an unknown number of others are suffering the effects of long COVID. COVID19 no longer makes the headlines as it once did in Australia. Strict public health measures including lockdowns curfews mask mandates and international border closures that were imposed during the pandemic have come to an end. The country is doing its best to live with the virus. https://www.voanews.com/a/covid-19-experts-urge-australians-to-wear-masks-even-as-latest-omicron-wave-passes/6695626.html 10th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

South China Morning Post Health secretary says restaurant staff can discuss arrangements with bosses while education chief notes schools have basic pandemic guidelines to follow. Respiratory medicine expert warns that allowing those with amber codes into crowded venues may increase the chance of a superspreader event. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3188338/coronavirus-hong-kong-firms-schools-urged-provide 10th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

Yahoo Finance Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said Hong Kongs strict COVID rules for air crew were crimping the airlines ability to exploit rising demand for travel even as its firsthalf loss narrowed to HK5 billion 636.98 million. The carrier is falling behind traditional rival Singapore Airlines Ltd SIA in restoring international capacity as roster preparations are complicated by a quarantine requirement for Hong Kongbased crew of passenger planes to spend three nights in hotels on their return from each trip. The financial hub is also one of a few places in the world along with mainland China and Taiwan to still require COVID19 quarantine for arriving passengers though such hotel stays are to be cut to three days from seven officials said this week. https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/cathay-pacific-narrows-first-half-040941779.html 11th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

The West Australian A push to allow access to COVID19 treatments without a prescription could jeopardise patient safety the general practitioners body warns. There are two oral antivirals available in Australia and while early treatment is critical to lessen the effects of the virus access is restricted. All Australians over 70 and those over 50 at risk of severe disease from COVID19 are eligible to access the treatments with patients requiring a prescription from a GP or a nurse practitioner. https://thewest.com.au/news/coronavirus/pharmacies-gps-at-odds-over-antivirals-c-7833263 11th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Pharmaceutical Technology If the last two years have taught us anything its that healthcare challenges transcend nations. As research teams across the world rapidly sought ways to collaborate and share information on Covid19 a spotlight was shone on the importance of data in understanding viruses diseases and other issues that affect peoples health and wellbeing. This complex cooperative work allowed our colleagues to develop effective vaccines in record time giving people the confidence to attend large events such as the Commonwealth Games that took place in Birmingham. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/comment/uk-health-data-collaboration-paves-the-way-to-study-long-covid-symptoms/ 11th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Australian Broadcasting Corporation Griffith University researchers say their findings could help to treat those suffering from long COVID. A woman with chronic fatigue syndrome says she suffered a relapse in symptoms after contracting COVID earlier this year. AMA Queensland says the findings should be independently verified and that more funding for such research should be made available https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-11/long-covid-and-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-pathology-overlap/101318522 11th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

ABC News COVID19 vaccines are now approved for children aged from six months up to five years of age and are already being rolled out to about 70000 atrisk youngsters. But what about babies even younger than that Will there be a vaccine for them And what role does the vaccination of pregnant people play in the process Children of all ages can get COVID19 and experience its complications. However as noted by an infectious diseases physician at Monash and Melbourne universities Michelle Giles young infants arent at risk of the severe disease that has been seen with older Australians. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-11/vaccines-approved-six-months-old-what-about-newborns/101317136 11th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Australian Financial Review Australias national science agency will open the doors of a new 23.1 million national vaccine and drug laboratory in Melbourne on Thursday after six years of planning and delays. The CSIRO National Vaccine and Therapeutics Lab based in the southeastern Melbourne suburb of Clayton is designed to help turn vaccine and drug candidates into products that can be manufactured onshore in large quantities for clinical trials and will be available for use by companies and researchers around the country. https://www.afr.com/companies/healthcare-and-fitness/vaccine-and-drug-development-boosted-by-new-csiro-lab-20220810-p5b8nz 11th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The New York Times The Covid19 pandemic has been a lesson in speed the speed at which a novel virus among humans can spread the speed at which it can rack up fatalities and cripple economies the speed at which vaccines can be designed and produced the speed at which misinformation can undermine public health. Amid all that rapidity is a different kind of speed which drives the rest like an engine spinning the cars on a nauseating carnival ride the speed of viral evolution. The coronavirus like many other viruses of its ilk RNA viruses with highly changeable genomes evolves fast. It has adapted quickly to us. Now arises the crucial question of whether humans and human ingenuity can adapt faster. Unless the answer is yes we face a long doleful future of continued suffering. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/10/opinion/coronavirus-evolution-vaccines.html 10th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

BioPharma-Reporter.com Pfizer is planning to deliver COVID19 vaccines against two sets of omicron subvariants in the autumn in the belief its robust manufacturing capabilities are up to the task. https://www.biopharma-reporter.com/Article/2022/08/09/pfizer-readies-robust-manufacturing-capabilities-to-deliver-2-covid-19-variant-vaccines 10th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

News-Medical.Net Most people in the United States have some degree of immune protection against Covid19 either from vaccination infection or a combination of the two. But just how much protection does any individual person have MIT researchers have now developed an easytouse test that may be able to answer that question. Their test which uses the same type of lateral flow technology as most rapid antigen tests for Covid19 measures the level of neutralizing antibodies that target the SARSCoV2 virus in a blood sample. Easy access to this kind of test could help people determine what kind of precautions they should take against Covid infection such as getting an additional booster shot the researchers say. They have filed for a patent on the technology and are now hoping to partner with a diagnostic company that could manufacture the devices and seek FDA approval. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220809/MIT-researchers-develop-an-easy-to-use-test-to-predict-Covid-19-immunity.aspx 10th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The BMJ Pregnancy is an independent risk factor for severe covid19. Vaccination is the best way to reduce the risk for SARSCoV2 infection and limit its morbidity and mortality. The current recommendations from the World Health Organization Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and professional organizations are for pregnant postpartum and lactating women to receive covid19 vaccination. Pregnancy specific considerations involve potential effects of vaccination on fetal development placental transfer of antibodies and safety of maternal vaccination. Although pregnancy was an exclusion criterion in initial clinical trials of covid19 vaccines observational data have been rapidly accumulating and thus far confirm that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the potential risks. This review examines the evidence supporting the effectiveness immunogenicity placental transfer side effects and perinatal outcomes of maternal covid19 vaccination. Additionally it describes factors associated with vaccine hesitancy in pregnancy. Overall studies monitoring people who have received covid19 vaccines during pregnancy have not identified any pregnancy specific safety concerns. Additional information on nonmRNA vaccines vaccination early in pregnancy and longer term outcomes in infants are needed. To collect this information vaccination during pregnancy must be prioritized in vaccine research. https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj-2021-069741 10th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Shares of U.S. vaccine maker Novavax fell about 30 on Tuesday after it cut its annual revenue forecast by half over falling demand for its COVID19 shot from low and middleincome nations. Demand for its vaccine is also waning in the United States where it was authorized for use among adults last month and was expected to be preferred by the skeptics of messenger RNAbased shots from Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/novavax-tumbles-31-waning-covid-vaccine-demand-hits-revenue-forecast-2022-08-09/ 10th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters South Africas Aspen Pharmacare will stop making COVID19 vaccines from the end of this month due to a lack of orders a senior executive said further undermining Africas already meager capacity to produce doses. Aspen currently produces vaccines for Johnson Johnson. In March it struck a deal to produce price and sell its ownbrand version of the shot for African markets. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/safricas-aspen-halt-covid-vaccine-output-jj-orders-dry-up-2022-08-10/ 10th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Nature.com Bhasha Mewar has had it with doctors. Over the past two years Mewar has spent nearly all of her life savings seeing heart and respiratory specialists haematologists urologists dermatologists and more in a desperate bid to tame her longCOVID symptoms. She has taken a slew of drugs beta blockers to calm her racing heart steroid inhalers to ease her laboured breathing and an antimalarial drug prescribed to her for reasons she never fully understood. And when Mewar a curator at an art museum in Ahmedabad India who has been sick since what was probably a bout of COVID19 in March 2020 would visit her lung doctor twice a month he always told her the same thing you need to exercise. I cant even walk to the bathroom she would reply. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-02140-w 10th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Independent Covid sufferers are still reporting common symptoms an average of four months after having caught the virus a new study has found. Two hundred patients enrolled in the Covid19 Neurological and Molecular Prospective Cohort Study in Georgia or CONGA to investigate the longer term impacts of the illness. Fatigue and headache were the two symptoms most participants reported having some four months after first testing positive. Muscle aches cough changes in smell and taste fever chills and nasal congestion were the next most frequently cited symptoms. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/covid-19-symptoms-fatigue-headache-b2142010.html 10th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

New Scientists People with a stronger immune response to the coronaviruses that cause common coldlike symptoms may be better protected against covid19 raising hopes that a pancoronavirus vaccine could be achieved. Ricardo da Silva Antunes at La Jolla Institute for Immunology in California and his colleagues analysed blood samples collected from 32 people between 2016 and 2019 before covid19 emerged. Multiple samples were taken from each person over six months to three years. The team wanted to see how the immune cells in these samples responded to four coronaviruses that cause common coldlike symptoms as well as the original SARSCoV2 strain which emerged in Wuhan China at the end of 2019. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2332719-immunity-for-common-cold-coronaviruses-may-ward-off-severe-covid-19/ 10th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Independent There may be an average of over 65000 cases of bat coronaviruses silently infecting people every year in Southeast Asia according to a new study that could lead to new tools for improving preparedness against future pandemics. The flying mammals are known to host coronaviruses that may be transmitted to people including SARSrelated coronaviruses. Previous studies have suggested that transmission of these viruses to humans may be relatively common in some parts of the world. However humanbat interactions are also known to vary across regions influenced by a variety of social ecological and economic factors at individual and community scales. The research published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications used a new framework to estimate and map the risk of potential SARSrelated coronaviruses spreading from bats to humans in Southeast Asia. https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/bat-coronavirus-contagious-human-infection-b2142095.html 10th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CIDRAP Article reports that a new study finds waning PfizerBioNTech COVID19 vaccine protection against symptomatic infection in Brazilian and Scottish teens starting 27 days after the second dose amid the Delta and Omicron variant waves but protection against severe illness was still strong at 98 days in Brazil. The study published yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases analyzed nationwide data from 503776 COVID19 tests of 2948538 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years from Sep 2 2021 to Apr 19 2022 in Brazil and 127168 tests of 404673 adolescents from Aug 6 2021 to Apr 19 2022 in Scotland. Protection against severe illness defined as hospitalization or death within 28 days was estimated only in Brazil owing to the small number of such cases in Scotland. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/08/study-pfizer-covid-vaccine-efficacy-wanes-27-days-after-dose-2-teens 9th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

BMJ.com The number of covid patients admitted to hospital rose steadily from around 550 a day at the end of May to more than 2200 in the second week of July. However this has since begun to drop to around 1700 in late July. Daily deaths with covid19 recorded on the death certificate also rose from the beginning of June from around 30 to a high of 134 in midJuly. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on 22 July that cases deaths and hospital admissions were all rising fuelled by BA.5 which accounted for an estimated 78 of cases. The seven day daily average of new hospital admissions was 6180 1319 July a 4.7 increase from the previous week 5902.5 It has since started to drop. In China reports suggest that the country is bracing for yet more lockdowns as the omicron subvariants continue to spread https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o1969 9th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Indian Express Mumbai on Wednesday reported 852 Covid19 cases the highest daily rise after July 1 and a single fatality taking the tally to 1129285 and the toll to 19661 the city civic body said. On July 1 the Metropolis reported 978 cases and two fatalities before the daily number of cases started dipping gradually. Barring the first two days of this month Mumbai has been reporting more than 400 coronavirus infections every day. The spike in the number of cases in the past 24 hours is nearly 79 per cent or 376 more compared to 476 infections reported on Tuesday. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/at-852-covid-cases-in-mumbai-spike-by-79-in-24-hours-8083410/lite/ 11th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Economic Times The national capital saw 1372 infections and six deaths on Sunday as the case positivity rate rose to 17.85 per cent the highest since January 21 it said. On Tuesday Delhi had reported 2495 new coronavirus cases with a positivity rate of 15.41 per cent and seven fatalities. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/covid-19-delhi-sees-2146-new-cases-8-fatalities/articleshow/93486409.cms 11th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Mainland China reported 1094 new coronavirus cases for Aug. 9 of which 444 were symptomatic and 650 were asymptomatic the National Health Commission said on Wednesday. That compared with 939 new cases a day earlier made up of 399 symptomatic and 540 asymptomatic infections. China counts the symptomatic and asymptomatic cases separately. There were no new deaths keeping the nations fatalities at 5226. As of Aug. 9 mainland China had confirmed 232109 cases with symptoms. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-reports-1094-new-covid-cases-aug-9-vs-939-day-earlier-2022-08-10/ 10th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

NDTV A new subvariant of the coronavirus strain Omicron has been detected in samples sent for genome sequencing in Delhis Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital a top medical officer of the hospital said. The Omicron subvariant BA 2.75 has been detected in many samples LNJP Hospital Medical Director Dr Suresh Kumar told NDTV. The subvariant has been found amid a sharp rise in COVID19 cases and positivity rate or cases per 100 tests in the national capital. The number of people getting admitted to the hospital is also rising the Medical Director said. This Omicron variant is spreading faster and likely escaping immunity from previous infection and vaccination Dr Kumar said. Omicrons subvariant BA 2.75 has been found in the report. It has more transmission rate. This has emerged in the study report of 90 samples sent for genome sequencing. This new subvariant also attacks people already having antibodies and also those who have taken vaccines Dr Kumar said news agency PTI reported. https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/coronavirus-omicron-sub-variant-ba-2-75-with-more-transmissibility-in-delhi-says-lnjp-hospital-medical-officer-3242662 10th Aug 2022

New Lockdown

The Guardian China is racing to stamp out Covid19 outbreaks in the tourist hubs of Tibet and Hainan with the authorities launching more rounds of mass testing and closing venues to contain the highly transmissible Omicron variant as Beijing presses ahead with its Covid zero strategy. Mainland China reported 828 new domestically transmitted cases across more than a dozen provinces and regions for 8 August with more than half of them in Hainan a highly popular tourist destination official data showed on Tuesday. Tibet which until now had reported only one symptomatic case since the pandemic started more than two years ago has also reported cases. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/10/china-battles-covid-outbreaks-in-tourism-hubs-of-tibet-and-hainan 10th Aug 2022