16th Aug 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=723 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg British health authorities said people should take whatever Covid19 booster shot is offered to them this fall even as the country became the first in the world to approve a new twostrain vaccine. The UK will start providing another round of Covid booster shots to about 26 million patients aged 50 or above or those with weak immunity from September in a bid to bolster defenses against further waves of Covid infections this winter. Patients could receive a vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE or Moderna Inc.s original or bivalent shot which specifically targets the omicron variant and was only approved by the UK drugs regulator today. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-15/uk-says-people-must-take-any-covid-shot-available-this-fall 16th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian Last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC issued new guidelines for the Covid pandemic heralding a new strategy that pivots from wide approach to a focus on the most vulnerable. Coincident with the opening of schools across the country relaxation of some restrictions such as quarantining and physical distancing will help keep children in school a cardinal objective. Sadly the CDC missed an opportunity to help protect seniors and highly vulnerable Americans. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/15/cdc-living-with-covid-should-be-countered-by-containing-virus 15th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

CBS News Article reports that LAUSD has faced a noted decrease in enrollment this year versus those in the past. Experts say this is because of the cost of living in L.A. prompting families to move elsewhere as well as opting to make different schooling choices for a variety of reasons both related to and unrelated to coronavirus. In an effort to bring numbers back up Carvalho and other district employees set out to door knock throughout Los Angeles County to find children who needed to return to education. We have progressively identified the Lost Children of Los Angeles. Thats my name for them. https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/students-throughout-southland-return-to-school-without-strict-covid-19-protocols-in-place/ 15th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

ABC News Exchange programs were thrown into turmoil due to COVID19 and related travel bans. Some programs have recently resumed but holdups persist in some regions such as WA. Students in the first cohort of postCOVID exchanges were relieved they did not miss out https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-15/student-exchange-programs-resume-australia-covid-19-travel-bans/101328738 15th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Independent The UKs economy shrank over the last three months as spending on test and trace and the Covid19 vaccine programme subsided figures show. Gross domestic product GDP fell by 0.1 between April and June the Office for National Statistics said. It is a big step down from the first quarter of the year when GDP rose 0.8. The data may not be the start of a recession which is defined as two quarters of GDP decline but experts are predicting the UK will slip into a recession later this year. https://www.independent.co.uk/business/gdp-falls-0-1-as-covid19-vaccination-programmes-wind-up-b2143649.html 15th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters About 2.3 million people in the Philippines were pushed into poverty between 2018 and 2021 largely due to the economic downturn caused by the pandemic the statistics agency said on Monday. The number of people living in poverty in 2021 rose to a total of almost 20 million or 18.1 of the population from 16.7 in 2018 the Philippine Statistics Authority PSA said overshooting the governments target of 15.517.5. Recently inaugurated President Ferdinand Marcos Jr aims to slash the poverty rate to 9 by the end of his single sixyear term in 2028 a target that remains achievable despite soaring inflation according to Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pandemic-pushed-millions-more-into-poverty-philippines-govt-2022-08-15/ 15th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Pfizer Inc PFE.N Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said on Monday he had tested positive for COVID19 and was experiencing very mild symptoms. Bourla 60 said he had started a course of the companys oral COVID19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid and was isolating and following all public health precautions. I am confident that I will have a speedy recovery Bourla said in a statement. Several public figures have tested positive for the infectious disease in the past few months including U.S. President Joe Biden and his chief medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/pfizer-ceo-tests-positive-covid-2022-08-15/ 15th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Chinas financial hub Shanghai said on Sunday it would reopen all schools including kindergartens primary and middle schools on Sept. 1 after months of COVID19 closures. The city will require all teachers and students to take nucleic acid tests for the coronavirus every day before leaving campus the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission said. It also called for teachers and students to carry out a 14day self health management within the city ahead of the school reopening the commission said in a statement. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/shanghai-reopen-all-schools-sept-1-with-daily-covid-testing-2022-08-14/ 15th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Japans economy rebounded at a slowerthanexpected pace in the second quarter from a COVIDinduced slump data showed on Monday highlighting uncertainty on whether consumption will grow enough to bolster a muchdelayed fragile recovery. A revival in Japan like many other economies has been hobbled by the Ukraine war and surging prices of commodities even as rising consumption propped up growth in AprilJune. https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/japans-economy-rebounds-covid-jolt-global-slowdown-clouds-outlook-2022-08-15/ 15th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Wall Street Journal Millions of school children are heading back to class this month without free breakfast or lunch for the first time in two years to the disappointment of many parents and school administrators who are facing rising costs of food and supplies due to inflation. Some federal pandemicera provisions that allowed schools to serve universal free meals will expire when districts start school for the fall leaving many districts unprepared to make up the difference and urging parents to apply for a free or reducedprice lunch. While the provisions were always meant to be temporary the expiration comes as supplychain disruptions and rising food prices are pushing schoolmeal prices higher. https://www.wsj.com/articles/pandemic-era-free-school-meals-expire-leaving-some-districts-seeking-solutions-11660474800 14th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg To combat fresh outbreaks of Covid19 in outlying areas like Xinjiang and Tibet Chinese authorities are drawing on a security apparatus previously used to quell dissent against authorities in Beijing. Broad surveillance measures used over the years against Tibetan Buddhists and mainly Muslim Uyghurs both minority groups in China are helping enforce lockdown rules among people long at risk of arbitrary detention. That has helped ensure theres no public displays of anger like those seen earlier this year during the monthslong lockdown in the financial hub of Shanghai. Its ironic but very convenient for the CCP that it first constructed Uyghur ethnonational identity as a religious extremist thought virus took draconian steps to eradicate it and then a real virus came along for which similar techniques were useful said James Millward professor of history at Georgetown University referring to the Chinese Communist Party. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-15/xi-crackdown-foils-shanghai-like-covid-unrest-in-xinjiang-tibet 15th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

RTE Online Pregnant women and people over 60 will begin receiving their second booster vaccination against Covid19 from today. The Health Service Executive has urged those eligible to get the vaccine. Since last week people who are over 60 and women who are pregnant have been able to book their appointments through the HSE. The injections are being administered at vaccination centres and at participating pharmacies around the country. HSE Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry has urged those eligible to take up the offer. https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2022/0815/1315741-covid-ireland/ 15th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Slate The report assailed Trump for his response to the pandemic but emphasized that the disastrous response to the viruss spread was the result of years of destructive public policy decisions on health that extended well beyond the Trump years. From the Lancet Many of the cases and deaths were avoidable. Instead of galvanizing the U.S. populace to fight the pandemic President Trump publicly dismissed its threat despite privately acknowledging it discouraged action as infection spread and eschewed international cooperation. His refusal to develop a national strategy worsened shortages of personal protective equipment and diagnostic tests. President Trump politicized maskwearing and school reopenings and convened indoor events attended by thousands where masks were discouraged and physical distancing was impossible. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/02/lancet-study-40-percent-u-s-covid-19-coronavirus-deaths-avoidable-unnecessary.html 15th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Daily Record Letters inviting people for a Covid19 winter booster jab will be landing on doorsteps this week. Those aged 65 and over and frontline health and social care staff will be first in line to receive appointment times in the post. The Scottish Government said the move is to protect the most vulnerable from the virus and to ease the pressure on hospitals ahead of any potential surges in infections over the winter period. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/health-fitness/scotlands-winter-covid-vaccine-programme-27744412 15th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

South China Morning Post Japans economy grew at an annualised rate of 2.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2022 with private consumption up 1.1 per cent official data shows. Travel sector says the government should remove entry curbs immediately so more tourists can visit Japan and help boost the economy spending. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3188948/japan-travel-sector-calls-hugely-damaging-covid-19-entry-curbs-end 15th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Philstar.com The Department of Health reported Monday that over 20 million donated and procured COVID19 vaccine doses were wasted in the Philippines. A total of 20660354 COVID19 vaccines were wasted as of August 12 Health Undersecretary Carol Tanio told the Senate committee on health and demography. Broken down 6 of the donated COVID19 jabs 22 of the vaccines purchased by local governments and 40 of the shots procured by the private sector had expired. Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire officerincharge of the DOH said the 134 million vaccine doses procured by the national government did not have any wastage. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/08/15/2202809/over-20-million-covid-19-jabs-wasted-doh 15th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Focus Taiwan Travelers arriving in Taiwan will face slightly less restrictive protocols on where they can stay starting Sept. 1 the Central Epidemic Command Center CECC announced Monday. After entering Taiwan and remaining in quarantine for the standard three days travelers will be allowed to spend the fourday selfinitiated epidemic prevention period on a one person to a room basis and will not need permission to change locations the CECC said. At present arrivals must complete both the three and fourday periods on a one person per residence basis if home quarantining and need to apply for permission from local authorities if they wish to spend the two periods at different locations. Current quarantine rules https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202208150017 15th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

The Wall Street Journal The easing of federal Covid19 guidelines places responsibility ever more squarely on individuals to determine their own risk tolerance and behaviors. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dropped a recommendation to quarantine after Covid exposure regardless of vaccination status and deemphasized social distancing. The new guidelines largely mirror what much of the U.S. population has already been doing as vaccines prior infection and treatments have reduced the risk of severe disease even as the virus continues to circulate at high levels in much of the country. Many employers hope the move will boost their returntowork pushes. Many U.S. schools and colleges had already been eliminating Covid protocols as they prepare for students to return in the fall. https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-assess-covid-19-risks-after-easing-of-cdc-guidelines-11660446933 15th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters Australias Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has sought legal advice following reports that his predecessor Scott Morrison secretly held key ministerial roles during the COVID19 pandemic duplicating some portfolios. Ministers are traditionally sworn in at a ceremony by the governorgeneral but that did not happen in the case of the additional roles and Albanese said it was unprecedented that key cabinet members were not aware of the appointments. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-pm-says-former-pm-morrison-took-secret-ministerial-roles-during-covid-2022-08-15/ 15th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

Bloomberg To combat fresh outbreaks of Covid19 in outlying areas like Xinjiang and Tibet Chinese authorities are drawing on a security apparatus previously used to quell dissent against authorities in Beijing. Broad surveillance measures used over the years against Tibetan Buddhists and mainly Muslim Uyghurs both minority groups in China are helping enforce lockdown rules among people long at risk of arbitrary detention. That has helped ensure theres no public displays of anger like those seen earlier this year during the monthslong lockdown in the financial hub of Shanghai. Its ironic but very convenient for the CCP that it first constructed Uyghur ethnonational identity as a religious extremist thought virus took draconian steps to eradicate it and then a real virus came along for which similar techniques were useful said James Millward professor of history at Georgetown University referring to the Chinese Communist Party. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-15/xi-crackdown-foils-shanghai-like-covid-unrest-in-xinjiang-tibet 15th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

PharmTech The United Kingdom has approved Modernas bivalent COVID19 vaccine which targets the original variant and Omicron. The United Kingdoms Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency MHRA announced on August 15 2022 that it has approved a bivalent version of Modernas COVID19 vaccine that targets both the original and Omicron strains of the virus. The decision follows an endorsement of the booster from the UKs Commission on Human Medicines the governments independent scientific advisory board. According to an agency press release the decision was based on a clinical trial which demonstrated that the booster triggers a strong immune response against the original COVID19 strain and BA.1 the first Omicron strain. It also demonstrated a good immune response against Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. Sideeffects and overall safety profile were found to be the same as those in the original vaccine. https://www.pharmtech.com/view/uk-approves-first-bivalent-covid-19-booster-vaccine 15th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

PMLiVE The UKs Department of Health and Social Care has decided not to buy AstraZenecas COVID19 drug Evusheld due to a lack of evidence about the vaccines effectiveness against the Omicron variant. Evusheld tixagevimab copackaged with cilgavimab is a preventative treatment that is given before people have been exposed to the virus. Patient groups and charities have called upon the government to reassess its position due to the potential impact the decision will have on clinically vulnerable people during the winter. Developed by AstraZeneca Evusheld is a combination of two antibodies that work against COVID19 by boosting protection for those with weakened immune systems including those who are organ transplant recipients or blood cancer patients. https://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/lack_of_evidence_for_astrazenecas_covid-19_vaccine_says_uk_department_of_health_1453348 15th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Novavax Inc said on Monday it had filed for U.S. authorization for use of its COVID19 vaccine as a booster dose in people who had either received its shots or a different vaccine. The application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration comes in the face of a slow rollout in the United States where the Novavax vaccine was authorized in July despite expectations that it would convince vaccine skeptics to get inoculated. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/novavax-seeks-us-authorization-covid-vaccine-booster-2022-08-15/ 15th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Business Standard Bharat Biotech has submitted data from Phase 3 clinical trials of BBV154 its intranasal Covid vaccine candidate to the drug regulator. It has sought approval both as a primary twodose vaccine and a heterologous booster shot. A heterologous booster implies that the third or subsequent dose of the vaccine is different from its primary dose. Typically the primary dose comprises two shots. The Hyderabadbased company claimed that BBV154 which is stable at 28 degrees Celsius is proven to be safe welltolerated and immunogenic in the subjects under controlled clinical trials. Being an intranasal vaccine BBV154 may produce local antibodies in the upper respiratory tract. These may provide the potential to reduce infection and transmission. Further studies are being planned the company noted on Monday. https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/bharat-biotech-seeks-approval-for-intranasal-coronavirus-vaccine-122081500813_1.html 15th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Wall Street Journal The U.K. became the first country to approve Moderna Inc.s Omicrontargeting Covid19 vaccine as a booster shot paving the way for the variant shot to play a role in a planned fall vaccination campaign to shore up immune defenses against the virus. The socalled bivalent vaccine is directed against both the original strain of SARSCoV2 the virus that causes Covid19 and the first Omicron variant also known as BA.1 which drove large waves of infection over the winter. What this bivalent vaccine gives us is a sharpened tool in our armory to help protect us against this disease as the virus continues to evolve June Raine chief executive of Britains Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said Monday. https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-k-approves-moderna-omicron-containing-covid-19-booster-vaccine-11660564620?mod=newsviewer_click 15th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CBC.ca Early during the pandemic Neil Saxvys son Matthew broke his arm and had to go to the hospital. Because of COVID19 he needed a PCR test which meant an eyewatering swab high up in his nostrils. The young boy did not enjoy the experience. Ever since then hes wanted nothing to do with the test Saxvy said. Its made testing which occurs pretty regularly for kids in school settings over the course of yearslong pandemic more of a hassle. But on Saturday the entire Saxvy family including wife Anita and daughter Leah did a much less invasive PCR test in Toronto. This one involved spitting into a cup and feeding their saliva into a machine. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/saliva-based-covid-19-test-approved-by-health-canada-could-reduce-discomfort-of-nasal-swab-1.6550926 15th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

ABC News Dr Norman Swan explains key findings in new studies about COVID19 and its effects on children. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-15/is-covid-19-more-deadly-for-children-than-the-flu/14020084 15th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Wall Street Journal A widely used tuberculosis vaccine protected people with Type 1 diabetes from Covid19 according to a Massachusetts General Hospital study published Monday that further illustrates the potential immuneenhancing powers of the shot called BCG. The vaccine a weakened version of the tuberculosis bacterium that infects cows is given more than 100 million times a year around the globe to infants but it isnt part of the standard vaccination program in the U.S. Doctors have long suspected it has additional effects beyond tuberculosis prevention. When the Covid19 pandemic struck in early 2020 the Mass General team was already studying whether BCG could treat Type 1 diabetes by helping eliminate harmful immune cells that attack the pancreas. https://www.wsj.com/articles/bcg-vaccine-for-tuberculosis-offers-covid-19-protection-study-suggests-11660565173 15th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

News-Medical.Net The coronavirus disease 2019 COVID19 pandemic was caused by the sudden global outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 SARSCoV2. Since SARSCoV2 emerged at the end of 2019 scientists have worked relentlessly to develop several vaccines to reduce the transmission of SARSCoV2 and protect individuals from severe COVID19. Recently a rapid decline in the level of antibodies elicited by vaccination with messenger ribonucleic acid mRNA vaccines has been observed. In a new Jama Network Open study researchers discuss the durability and immunogenicity of homologous and heterologous booster regimens with the Johnson Johnson Ad26.COV2.S and PfizerBioNTech BNT162b2 vaccines. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220814/Superior-protection-with-mix-and-match-COVID-19-booster-strategy.aspx 15th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Novavax Inc said on Monday it had filed for U.S. authorization for use of its COVID19 vaccine as a booster dose in people who had either received its shots or a different vaccine. The application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration comes in the face of a slow rollout in the United States where the Novavax vaccine was authorized in July despite expectations that it would convince vaccine skeptics to get inoculated. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/novavax-seeks-us-authorization-covid-vaccine-booster-2022-08-15/ 15th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

News-Medical.Net The adaptive immune system mounts pathogenspecific humoral and cellular responses to combat infections. Upon identification of a new virus B and Tcells will elicit specific responses to the infection. A new PNAS journal study reports that the reduced efficiency of the immune response against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 SARSCoV2 could be due to the reduced diversity of both B and Tcells. This reduction in Tcell diversity was observed only in subjects over 50 years of age who are at an increased risk of coronavirus disease 2019 COVID19 morbidity and mortality. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220814/Why-is-COVID-19-more-severe-in-people-older-than-50.aspx 15th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters UK Britain the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine in late 2020 has now also given the first green light to a variantadapted shot that targets both the original and Omicron version of the virus. The UK medicines regulator MHRA gave the socalled bivalent vaccine made by U.S. drug company Moderna conditional approval as a booster for adults on Monday. Later on Monday the UKs Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation JCVI backed the use of the variantadapted shot in the countrys booster campaign starting September. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/variant-adapted-covid-vaccine-wins-first-approval-britain-2022-08-15/ 15th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg Scenes of mayhem unfolded in an Ikea in Shanghai as health authorities tried to lock down the store on Saturday and quarantine those on site after learning someone who had been in contact with a Covid19 patient had visited. News of the flash shutdown sent shoppers fleeing and screaming in an effort to get out of the building before the doors were locked videos on social media showed. Shanghais 25 million residents are well versed in lockdowns after being barred from leaving their homes for two months this spring in an effort to eradicate the virus. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-15/panic-in-ikea-as-shanghai-locks-down-store-on-remote-covid-risk 16th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg China reported more than 2000 local Covid19 cases on Friday as infections in the southern Hainan island edged higher despite stricter curbs imposed earlier this week. The southern province a popular tourist destination reported 1426 cases. More than 1230 of them were in the beach resort city of Sanya where more restrictions were added on Thursday. Hainans authorities had aimed to eliminate community transmission by Aug. 12. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-13/china-local-covid-19-cases-top-2-000-as-more-lockdowns-imposed 15th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Xinhua South Korea recorded 62078 new COVID19 cases as of midnight Sunday compared to 24 hours ago raising the total number of infections to 21418036 the health authorities said Monday. The daily caseload was down from 119603 in the previous day due to fewer virus tests on the weekend but it was higher than 55262 tallied a week earlier according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency KDCA. For the past week the daily average number of confirmed cases was 124829. https://english.news.cn/20220815/b1ebf80dddbf4d60a61fc2faa3a3d75d/c.html 15th Aug 2022

New Lockdown

Channel NewsAsia Singapore There were chaotic scenes at an IKEA outlet in Shanghai on Saturday Aug 13 when authorities tried to lock down the store after learning that a customer had been in close contact with a COVID19 case. Videos circulating on Chinese social media showed customers pushing past security guards and running out of the store in panic as an announcement blared over its sound system saying the mall was being locked down due to COVID19 contact tracing. Guards were seen closing the doors to prevent people from leaving but a crowd forced their way through and rushed out. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/ikea-shanghai-shoppers-store-lock-down-covid-19-exposure-2881416 15th Aug 2022