18th Aug 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=726 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

The Straits Times People should take their flu jabs to protect against concurrent infection of both Covid19 and the flu which can lead to severe disease doctors have advised. This is especially important as Singapore continues to ease its travel restrictions and opens up its borders they said adding that influenza cases can be expected to rise. With the new vaccinated travel lanes more people here will be travelling abroad during the northern winter that typically sees countries there experiencing a spike in flu cases. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/easing-of-covid-19-travel-restrictions-in-spore-could-lead-to-uptick-in-flu-cases-doctors 18th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Canberra Times NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant will lead a team of delegates to Israel next month for a highlevel information exchange on managing the COVID19 pandemic. Fifteen Australian public health experts and clinicians will meet with counterparts from Israels health and foreign affairs ministries along with leading academics to discuss ongoing handling of the viral disease. https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7865533/australia-israel-share-notes-on-pandemic/ 18th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it will prioritize its public health response in a revamp of its structure after months of criticism over its handling of the COVID19 and monkeypox pandemics. A briefing document provided by the agency on Wednesday said an external report into its response found public guidance had caused confusion while important information were sometimes released too late to inform federal decisions https://www.reuters.com/world/us/cdc-plans-reorganize-structure-after-pandemic-related-criticism-wsj-2022-08-17/ 17th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Wall Street Journal The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be restructured to strengthen its response to publichealth threats the agencys director said acknowledging shortcomings in its fight against the Covid19 pandemic. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday that she intended to improve the agencys communication timeliness and accountability. The CDC has at times amended its guidance on masking isolation and other mitigation efforts in ways that spurred confusion or lagged behind the trajectory of the pandemic. The agency has faced new criticism recently for its response to the monkeypox outbreak. In our big moment our performance did not reliably meet expectations Dr. Walensky said. I want us all to do better and it starts with CDC leading the way. https://www.wsj.com/articles/cdc-director-outlines-restructuring-plans-11660752027 17th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

iNews Thousands of extra volunteer vaccination staff will be recruited across the country to assist with the autumn booster rollout. St John Ambulance said it was looking for around 5000 volunteers to help meet demand and is already training hundreds of people ahead of the booster campaign starting next month. It played a leading role in the delivery of the initial Covid vaccination campaign and is now stepping up its resources as it anticipates a surge in demand over autumn and winter. https://inews.co.uk/news/covid-vaccine-volunteer-army-return-autumn-jab-rollout-1799127 17th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

ABC News The New York City Department of Education will no longer randomly test students for COVID19 when the new school year begins Sept. 8 the department said Tuesday. Instead test kits will be sent home for students parents and teachers to use if they are exposed to the virus. As part of the departments new COVID19 protocols students will no longer be required to submit a daily health screening form. https://abcnews.go.com/US/york-city-department-education-relaxes-covid-19-rules/story?id=88459900 17th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

CNN Last week the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced key changes to its nationwide Covid19 guidelines. Among them was the end of required quarantine after someone is exposed to a close contact with the coronavirus. The CDC also revised isolation guidance for people infected with Covid19. With the required quarantine ending what should people do if theyve been exposed How long should they isolate if they do get infected Whats the rationale for making the changes And are there exceptionswho should take precautions above and beyond the new recommendations To guide us through the changes I spoke with CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/17/health/coronavirus-omicron-isolation-quarantine-vaccine-wellness/index.html 17th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

STAT News For the health officials who steer vaccination campaigns its going to be a complicated fall. The U.S. plan to roll out updated Covid19 boosters will not only coincide with the logistical tangle of the regular flu shot drive but will also face questions about when people should get the new shots to provide themselves with the best protection through our third Covid winter. Its a balancing act that health officials run into every year with flu. Vaccinating tens of millions of people takes weeks. People also need a few weeks after their shot for their immune systems to be fully primed. And yet vaccinators dont want to put shots in arms too early either. https://www.statnews.com/2022/08/16/a-complicated-fall-vaccine-campaign-updated-covid-boosters-flu-shots-and-how-to-time-the-jabs/ 16th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Philippine Daily Inquirer The Public Health Ministry of Thailand will ask the Center for Covid19 Situation Administration CCSA to downgrade the status of the disease at its next meeting expected on https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1648340/thailand-health-ministry-to-further-downgrade-covid-19-reduce-days-for-treatment/ 18th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

iNews Scientists fear complacency and Covid fatigue will reduce takeup the autumn booster campaign putting the most vulnerable at greater risk of hospitalisation and death. Those people who are over 50 or clinically vulnerable will be offered a booster jab that has been specifically designed to tackle Omicron after the regulator gave Modernas new vaccine the green light on Monday. But there are fears that with many people having had Covid at least once and surviving and a high level of pandemic fatigue the rate of takeup will be markedly lower higher than in previous booster campaigns. https://inews.co.uk/news/science/omicron-autumn-booster-campaign-covid-complacency-vulnerable-risk-1798296?ico=editors_picks 17th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

iNews Covid vaccines are likely to become like influenza jabs that are tweaked every year and offered to vulnerable people every autumn according to a leading vaccine developer. Professor Robin Shattock of Imperial College London says there are two approaches to next generation vaccines the annual flu jab approach and the Holy Grail of the onevaccinefitsallvariants approach. In the same way that the influenza vaccine is updated every year and given to the vulnerable population an annual vaccine could be given for Covid as well said Professor Shattock a pioneer of the same RNA vaccine technology that is used by the Moderna and Pfizer jabs. https://inews.co.uk/news/science/universal-covid-jab-tweaked-annually-flu-vaccine-1798687 17th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

The Guardian There are no plans to order further supplies of the OxfordAstraZeneca Covid vaccine for the UK it has been revealed as experts expressed hope that a new jab designed to target two variants will form the backbone of the autumn booster programme. Deemed a British success story and estimated to have saved millions of lives worldwide the OxfordAstraZeneca Covid jab played a key role early in the UKs vaccination programme. But Prof Anthony Harnden the deputy chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation JCVI has suggested it is unlikely to be used in the future. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/aug/16/no-plans-for-uk-to-order-more-supplies-of-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine 17th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

CBC.ca With the upcoming school year and the return to work looming for many Quebecers the province is launching a new COVID19 vaccination campaign. In his first appearance at a COVID19 news conference in six months Premier Franois Legault said life is almost back to normal thanks to the vaccine. Hes urging people who have not had a dose in the past five months or more to get another shot. More people will be inside there will be more contagion Legault said. So its a really good time to be launching a massive vaccination campaign. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-vaccination-campaign-fifth-doses-1.6552374 17th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

iNews The UK Government must be prepared to bring back compulsory masks on public transport in order to stop a significant winter wave of Covid19 Tony Blair has warned. The former Prime Ministers think tank the Tony Blair Institute called for a booster vaccine to be offered to every British adult over the autumn as part of its plan to avoid a meltdown of the NHS. Millions of people are on waiting lists while AE waiting times are near an alltime high according to the institute. In a new paper a panel of doctors and other experts warns This winter will bring a perfect storm resulting in unprecedented demand and reduced capacity which will combine to create the worst winter crisis in the NHSs history. https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/reintroduce-masks-public-transport-booster-covid-tony-blair-1798445 17th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

GP Online The BMA has raised serious concerns about the workload implications of this autumns COVID19 booster programme and argued that practices will be underpaid for the work they are doing. https://www.gponline.com/bma-raises-serious-concerns-gp-workload-funding-autumn-covid-boosters/article/1795941 17th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

PMLiVE The World Health Organization WHO with the support of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts SAGE has released an interim statement on the role of COVID19 vaccines in children and adolescents in the context of the continuing global disparities in vaccination. In the statement it is concluded that before considering implementing primary vaccination series in children and adolescents attaining high coverage of primary series and booster doses as needed in highest and highpriorityuse groups must be pursued. WHO refers to the global inequity in vaccine rollout with only 25 of older populations having received a complete primary series of COVID19 vaccines in lower income countries the very places where healthcare access is more limited. https://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/who_releases_interim_statement_on_covid-19_vaccination_for_children_and_adolescents_1453440 17th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

CNN The Biden administration has been planning for how to get past the crisis phase of the Covid19 pandemic and will stop buying vaccines treatments and tests as early as this fall White House Covid19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said on Tuesday. One of the things weve spent a lot of time thinking about in the last many months and were going to continue this work and youll hear more from the administration on this is getting us out of that acute emergency phase where the US government is buying the vaccines buying the treatments buying the diagnostic tests Jha said at an event sponsored by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation. https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/16/health/biden-administration-covid-19-vaccines-tests-treatments/index.html 17th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

SBS An auditorgenerals report has criticised the previous coalition governments COVID19 vaccine rollout for missing key targets. The report said while about 90 per cent of the eligible population were vaccinated by the end of 2021 the rollout was not implemented effectively. None of the five timeline targets set by the government were met including the rollouts to aged care the vulnerable and Indigenous people. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/the-morrison-governments-covid-19-vaccine-rollout-missed-key-targets-major-review-finds/grn8rekbg 17th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

The Guardian The Morrison government botched the early planning of Australias Covid vaccine rollout failing to provide priority for atrisk groups including aged and disability care and First Nations people according to a new report. The Australian National Audit Office report released on Thursday criticised the previous administration for not beginning to plan the rollout with states and territories until November 2020. It recommended a more comprehensive review and will likely fuel calls for a Covid19 royal commission. The health minister Mark Butler seized on the findings which he said confirmed for much of 2021 Australia had one of the slowest vaccine rollouts in the developed world. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/17/morrison-government-failed-to-provide-priority-for-at-risk-groups-in-vaccine-rollout-report-says 17th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

ABC News A California church that defied safety regulations during the COVID19 pandemic by holding large religious services wont have to pay about 200000 in fines a state appeals court ruled. Calvary Chapel San Jose and its pastors were held in contempt of court and fined in 2020 and 2021 for violating state and county limits on indoor public gatherings. The rules were aimed at preventing the spread through close contract of the virus which has caused more than 10 million confirmed cases and more than 93500 deaths since the pandemic began in mid2020 according to state public health figures. https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/california-appeals-court-rejects-covid-19-fines-church-88468639 17th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

ABC News 19 residents died during the COVID19 outbreak at Newmarch House. A threeweek inquest into the circumstances surrounding the deaths has concluded with findings due early next year. Lawyer Emily Clarke says Anglicare should have taken control of the situation as the operator of the home https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-17/newmarch-house-covid19-inquest-hears-of-senior-doctor-crisis-day/101341102 17th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

ABC News A review by the AuditorGeneral found the Coalition left planning for Australias COVID vaccine rollout too late. It also found the former Morrison government failed to adequately engage with the states and territories before the rollout began The Department of Health has agreed to the recommendations. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-17/planning-for-covid-rollout-left-too-late-review-finds/101344530 17th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Medical Xpress Most circulating in birds are also influenza A viruses and no one knows ifor whenone of them will jump the species barrier. Developing a universal vaccine that targets A strains of flu viruses would be a scientific godsend global health experts say. Influenza A viruses present major public health threats writes Dr. Jaekeun Park of the Viral Pathogenesis and Evolution section of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-08-tantalizing-closer-universal-flu-vaccine.html 18th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CBS News Regulators in Britain are the first in the world to approve a COVID19 vaccine booster that targets two coronavirus variants. Tina Kraus reports for CBS2. https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/video/regulators-in-britain-approve-new-covid-19-vaccine-booster/ 17th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

PMLiVE The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation JCVI has published its advice on which COVID19 vaccines should be used in this years autumn booster programme. For adults aged 18 years and above the JCVIs advised vaccines include Modernas mRNA Spikevax bivalent Omicron BA.1original wildtype vaccine as well as its mRNA Spikevax original wildtype vaccine. The PfizerBioNTech mRNA Comirnaty original wildtype vaccine is also advised and in exceptional circumstances the Novavax MatrixM adjuvanted wildtype vaccine Nuvaxovid when no alternative clinically suitable UKapproved COVID19 vaccine is available the JCVI stated. The PfizerBioNTech mRNA Comirnaty original wildtype vaccine is the only vaccine the JCVI advises for people aged 12 to 17 years and its paediatric formulation is the only advised for those aged five to 11 years old. https://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/jcvi_publishes_advice_on_covid-19_vaccines_ahead_of_autumn_booster_campaign_1453481 17th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Independent The world may have another tool with which to fight the effects of the Covid19 virus. A new study published in Cell Medicine Reports has found that the BacillusCalmetteGuerin BCG vaccine developed to help fight tuberculosis in the early 1900s may offer a measure of protection against Covid and a range of other infectious diseases and bacteria by strengthening the immune system. The study in question began before the first Covid outbreak in the United States back in January 2020. It was designed to see whether BCG vaccinations could help people with Type 1 diabetes resist infections including ultimately Covid. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/bcg-vaccine-covid-protection-reporter-b2146411.html 17th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Associated Press Following the expanded provisional approval decision by Medsafe New Zealand people may now choose Nuvaxovid as their first andor second COVID19 booster doses after completion of their primary series using any of the authorized COVID19 vaccines. We are pleased to offer another booster choice and the only proteinbased COVID19 vaccine for those aged 18 and older in New Zealand said Stanley C. Erck President and Chief Executive Officer Novavax. As New Zealand endures winter months where thousands of COVID19 infections are being recorded each day we believe our vaccine is a strong option particularly given its broad immune responses to a wide range of circulating variants. https://apnews.com/press-release/pr-newswire/covid-technology-health-infectious-diseases-immunizations-28498c286d55172cc2867cbd6b086a30 17th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

ABC on MSN.com Novavax has submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration for Emergency Use Authorization of its COVID19 vaccine as a booster in adults that can be used on top of its primary vaccine series or to mix and match with a different primary series the company announced. Its important for people to have a choice as they evaluate how to stay protected against COVID19 and boosters are an invaluable tool to build upon immunity obtained from previous vaccinations Stanley C. Erck President and Chief Executive Officer of Novavax said in a statement on Monday. Based on the data presented to the FDAs VRBPAC and the CDC ACIP we believe our vaccine offers a broad longlasting immune response against a range of variants Erck said. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/novavax-asks-fda-for-emergency-authorization-of-its-covid-19-booster/ar-AA10Jxb0 17th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Business Standard Nearly 14 million children in the US have tested positive for Covid19 since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020 according to the latest report by the American Academy of Pediatrics AAP and the Childrens Hospital Association. Almost 371000 of these cases have been added in the past four weeks Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying. Approximately 6.4 million reported cases have been added in 2022 it said. For the week ending August 11 almost 87000 child Covid cases were reported. There is an urgent need to collect more agespecific data to assess the severity of illness related to new variants as well as potential longerterm effects said the AAP. https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/nearly-14-mn-us-kids-infected-with-covid-19-since-onset-of-pandemic-122081700290_1.html 17th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Hospital Healthcare Europe The presence of hypertension still poses a significant risk factor for more severe disease in COVID19 even among those fully vaccinated. Patients with hypertension even after receipt of three COVID19 vaccination doses remain at an elevated risk of severe breakthrough infections with the Omicron variant according to researchers from the Department of Cardiology CedarsSinai Medical Center Los Angeles US. Although full vaccination against COVID19 initially required individuals to have two doses the fact that immunity appears to wane over time has led to a recommendation for a third dose. In fact a third dose appears to provide greater protection with data showing how a third dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine administered a median of 10.8 months after the second dose provided 95.3 efficacy against COVID19 compared with two doses. https://hospitalhealthcare.com/clinical/cardiovascular/hypertension-remains-significant-risk-factor-for-severe-covid-19-in-fully-vaccinated/ 17th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Conversation The 1918 influenza pandemic resulted in the loss of over 3 of the worlds population at least 50 million people. But it wasnt the flu virus that caused the majority of these deaths. An analysis of lung samples collected during that flu pandemic indicated that most of the deaths were likely due to bacterial pneumonia which ran rampant in the absence of antibiotics. Even in more recent history like the 1957 H2N2 and 2009 H1N1 flu pandemics nearly 18 of patients with viral pneumonia had additional bacterial infections that increased their risk of death. And the COVID19 pandemic is no different. https://theconversation.com/when-covid-19-or-flu-viruses-kill-they-often-have-an-accomplice-bacterial-infections-187056 17th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CIDRAP Hospitalized adult COVID19 patients before and after SARSCoV2 vaccine availability had significantly higher odds of venousbut not arterialthromboembolism than those hospitalized for influenza before the pandemic finds a study published today in JAMA. A team led by University of Pennsylvania researchers retrospectively studied rates of venous thromboembolism blood clot in a vein and arterial thromboembolism blood clot in an artery in 41443 COVID19 patients hospitalized before the vaccine rollout April to November 2020 44194 COVID19 patients admitted after vaccines became available December 2020 to May 2021 and 8269 patients hospitalized with the flu from October 2018 to April 2019. Thromboembolism can cause blockage of a blood vessel and thus can be severe. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/08/higher-risk-vein-blood-clots-covid-vs-flu-patients 16th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

SHINE Shanghai reported two COVID19 community infections on Wednesday both asymptomatic cases who traveled back from other Chinese provinces recently. The 33yearold female who lives in downtown Huangpu District had traveled to southwest Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region. The other case a 27yearold male truck driver from Hongkou District returned from a selfdriving tour outside Shanghai on Sunday. Apart from the cases related to a foot massage parlor in Xuhui District most local infections reported recently had traveled to other provinces or cities said Zhao Dandan deputy director of the Shanghai Health Commission. https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2208179326/ 18th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

New Zealand Herald One year on from the day New Zealand forever left the Covidfree comfort of Level 1 a modeller says Kiwis who havent yet caught the virus are now a minority. But without a nationwide infection prevalence survey soon to be launched by the Ministry of Health it remains unclear just how many Kiwis have been exposed to Covid19. As at today the official case tally stood at 1696239 thats a third of our resident population of which just 28775 were probable reinfections. But as Professor Michael Plank of Covid19 Modelling Aotearoa pointed out these were only those cases that had been notified after people got themselves tested and reported their results. The proportion of infections that are reported is probably somewhere between 40 per cent and 65 per cent Plank said. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-how-many-kiwis-havent-had-the-virus/UXNWJCAMRQAGE3575QVCLBPFEE/ 17th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

CBC.ca While many of the key indicators of COVID19 levels in Ottawa have dropped public health officials say levels remain high in the community. Ottawa Public Health OPH says the local vaccination rate of children under five is among the highest in the province. Earlier this month the provinces chief medical officer of health said the seventh wave of COVID19 in Ontario had peaked. Health officials say the current wave is driven by the BA.5 coronavirus subvariant and is again straining a healthcare system already stretched thin by staff shortages. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/covid19-ottawa-cases-aug-16-2022-1.6553088 17th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Russia reported 33106 new daily coronavirus cases on Wednesday authorities said the highest figure since midMarch this year. Sixtythree people in Russia died of coronavirus over the past day the countrys taskforce against the virus said. Russia said in early July that it was ending all restrictions to combat the spread of COVID19 including the requirement to wear masks citing a steady decline in deaths from the virus. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/russias-daily-covid-cases-cross-30000-first-time-since-mid-march-2022-08-17/ 17th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters China reported 3036 new coronavirus cases for Aug. 16 of which 637 were symptomatic and 2399 were asymptomatic the National Health Commission said on Wednesday. That compared with 2526 new cases a day earlier 591 symptomatic and 1935 asymptomatic infections which China counts separately. There were no new deaths leaving the nations death count at 5226. As of Aug. 16 mainland China had confirmed 236898 cases with symptoms. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-reports-3036-new-covid-cases-aug-16-vs-2526-day-earlier-2022-08-17/ 17th Aug 2022