22nd Aug 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=728 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

The Canberra Times I just got back to Australia after a month in a country where you would not know COVID existed. I saw about three people wearing masks. Public transport and bars were packed. Life was normal and I dont mean the perverted new normal. People are living with COVID and they are not afraid anymore. Everyone who found out I was from Australia asked me if life was still really bad here. One government official even asked how does it feel to be out of that prison and a free man again. So much for being the envy of the world. On the trip back I sat in a maskless crowded bus for four hours then I sat in a maskless packed departure lounge and walked shoulder to shoulder with a maskless horde of people to the plane when I had to put on a mask until I ordered my first drink. I kept a drink in front of me for the duration because apparently it is the best protection against COVID. https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7866887/australia-is-at-the-back-of-the-bus-on-living-with-covid-19/ 21st Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian The prevailing idea that Covid is over may jeopardise Englands autumn booster programme scientists have said warning mixed messages about the threat of the disease could reduce the uptake of jabs. The booster campaign is set to begin on 5 September with the new dualvariant Covid vaccine from Moderna among those to be administered. However with England ditching other Covid measures such as mass testing and using terms such as postpandemic recovery experts have raised concerns that many of those eligible may not come forward for their vaccination. I think its very likely we will see a lower uptake for the autumn Covid19 vaccine boosters than for the first two vaccinations said Azeem Majeed a GP in west London and professor of primary care and public health at Imperial College London. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/21/covid-is-over-attitude-may-threaten-autumn-booster-uptake-england-scientists 21st Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg China reported 2181 new Covid19 cases as conditions worsen in the countrys biggest outbreak since the lockdown of Shanghai earlier this year. About 553 people were confirmed to be infected and there were another 1628 asymptomatic cases as of Saturday according to a statement released by the National Health Commission. In a separate statement the NHC said the country has administered 3.43 billion doses of Covid vaccines as of Aug. 20. Infections have surged to a threemonth high with tourist destinations worst hit among the current round of flareups. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-21/china-adds-almost-2-200-new-covid-cases-tourist-spots-worst-hit 21st Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Canberra Times COVID19 infections and deaths continue to rise as a leading infectious diseases expert warns Australia is losing its battle with the virus. Burnet Institute director Brendan Crabb says current strategies to combat the countrys caseload are not working. What the numbers say is that were simply not winning Professor Crabb told Sevens Sunrise. The latest wave we just had ... was the worst wave weve had this year. More hospitalisations and more deaths. Australia reported another 10500 cases and 36 fatalities on Sunday with the nation on track to record its 10 millionth case within a week. https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7869019/repeat-waves-prompt-long-covid-fears/ 21st Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

China Daily The Tibet autonomous region reported 32 locally confirmed COVID19 cases and 946 asymptomatic carriers between Thursday and 2 pm Friday health authorities said at a news briefing in Lhasa on Friday. As of Thursday the region had 375 areas designated as highrisk for COVID19 and 208 for mediumrisk. A total of 11 COVID19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery on Thursday 15 asymptomatic infectors and 196 close contacts were dismissed from medical observation but 33760 close and secondary contacts have been traced are still under centralized isolation for further medical observation. https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202208/19/WS62ff7f23a310fd2b29e7345b.html 20th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

BBC News A 10yearold girl with long Covid struggles to walk and can barely speak six months after catching the virus. Libby caught Covid in February and is still struggling with extreme fatigue constant headaches and is using a wheelchair due to feeling too weak. The Office for National Statistics predicted only 0.6 of people aged two to 11 in the UK had long Covid. However Kate Davies from charity Long Covid Kids said it could be higher as many children go under the radar https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-62041613 20th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

BBC News Free lateral flow testing for people with Covid symptoms will end in Northern Ireland from Monday. The scheme ended in GB in May but Stormonts Department of Health retained the measure. It has now said testing will be more proportionate and targeted to protect the most vulnerable https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-62607759?at_campaign=64&ampat_custom2=twitter&ampat_medium=custom7&ampat_custom4=4E2F66D0-1FBF-11ED-BD6D-A2800EDC252D&ampat_custom1=link&ampat_custom3=BBC+News+NI 19th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

ฺBangkok Post The government will declare Covid19 endemic in October and the Centre for Covid19 Situation Administration CCSA will then no longer be the main agency dealing with the disease. CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin said on Friday that from October the disease would be under the emergency operations centre of the Public Health Ministry and provincial communicable disease committees instead of the CCSA chaired by the prime minister. He gave no specific date. From November the provincial committees would be the sole agencies dealing with it. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2372410/covid-19-to-be-declared-endemic-in-october 19th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Belfast Live Changes to Covid19 testing for those with symptoms in Northern Ireland are set to come into force on Monday. It has been announced that most people in the general population with symptoms of coronavirus will no longer be advised to take a lateral flow test from August 22. Free lateral flow tests will no longer be available for this purpose a move in line with the Test Trace and Protect Transition plan published in March 2022. It aims to make testing more proportionate and targeted to protect the most vulnerable. https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/covid-19-testing-northern-ireland-24801371 19th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Conversation Multiple reasons for the slower spread have been put forward. One was that the continents population is relatively young and younger people were at lower risk of severe illness in the event of SARSCoV2 infection. The possible contribution of preexisting immunity from other viral infections was also put forward. And it was suggested that the slower spread might not be the real picture there could be underestimation of the true magnitude of the pandemic resulting from weak surveillance systems. There is another aspect to consider though. It is possible that what countries did to slow the spread of SARSCoV2 infections actually worked to some extent. Diverse sectors and disciplines collaborated towards the shared goal of mitigating the pandemic effects. https://theconversation.com/how-african-countries-coordinated-the-response-to-covid-19-lessons-for-public-health-187299 19th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters U.S. first lady Jill Biden tested negative for COVID19 after isolating for five days following a positive test the White House said on Sunday. After isolating for five days and receiving negative results from two consecutive COVID19 tests the First Lady will depart South Carolina later today for Delaware her spokesperson said in a statement. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-first-lady-jill-biden-tests-negative-covid-2022-08-21/ 21st Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Jamie Oliver has praised his wife Jools calling her an absolute superstar after suffering from long Covid for two years. The celebrity chef 47 who rose to fame on cookery show The Naked Chef said his childrenswear designer wife had been really affected by the virus. He told the Daily Mail Weekend magazine Shes had bad Covid and long Covid so shes been really affected by it sadly. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-20/jamie-oliver-reveals-deeply-scary-long-covid-battle-of-wife-jools 20th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Thailand will permit an extended length of stay for foreign tourists between October and March in a bid to support its economic recovery as pressures from Covid19 ease. Foreigners from 18 territories coming to Thailand under the visa on arrival category will be allowed to double their length of stay for up to 30 days Taweesilp Visanuyothin a spokesman for Thailands main Covid task force said on Friday. Those from more than 50 places that currently get 30 days will be able to stay for up to 45 days. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-19/thailand-to-allow-foreign-tourists-to-extend-stay-as-covid-eases 20th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

China Daily The spread of the latest outbreak of COVID19 in South Chinas Hainan province has been contained and the situation is taking a positive turn thanks to substantial progress in epidemic prevention and control said local authorities. Signs of improvement have been seen in Sanya at the southern tip of Hainan island and the epicenter of the latest outbreak Li Wenxiu deputy director with the Hainan Provincial Health Commission told a news conference held in Haikou on Friday. https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202208/19/WS62ff7fe9a310fd2b29e7345f.html 20th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Voice of America Fresh outbreaks of COVID19 in Xinjiang and Tibet this month have turned Chinas two western frontier regions into lockdown zones. According to Chinese media authorities divided the COVIDaffected areas of the autonomous regions into high medium and lowrisk zones. Xinjiang reported its first COVID19 outbreak July 31. One week later on Aug. 6 Tibet announced some people had been infected. As of Thursday in Xinjiang there were 329 highrisk 138 mediumrisk and 24 lowrisk areas. On the same day Chinese authorities in Tibet announced that there were 346 highrisk and 223 mediumrisk areas. https://www.voanews.com/a/experts-covid-lockdowns-likely-to-exacerbate-chinese-repression-in-xinjiang-tibet-/6709495.html 20th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Forbes The Department of Health and Human Services will hold a meeting later this month to pave the way for insurers and patients to pay for Covid19 vaccines antiviral treatments and tests according to the Wall Street Journal. Stakeholders from across the healthcare industry will take part in the planning meeting during which representatives from pharmacy chains state health departments and drug producers are expected to begin laying out how insurance coverage and reimbursement would work with the shift along with industry regulations. https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/08/18/us-wont-pay-for-covid-19-shots-soon-heres-how-it-could-work/ 19th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

POLITICO Europe The World Health Organizations immunization advisory group Thursday recommended a second COVID19 vaccine booster for older people health care workers and people at high risk of developing severe disease. The advice mirrors that given by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control ECDC and the European Medicines Agency EMA which have called for second boosters to be given to people aged 60 and over as well as those with medical conditions. The WHOs Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization SAGE is recommending the extra jab in older people health care workers pregnant people those with conditions that cause them to be immunecompromised and both people with comorbidities that put them at higher risk for severe disease. https://www.politico.eu/article/who-recommends-second-covid-19-booster-for-highest-risk-groups/ 19th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Nursing Times Nurses will be offered a flu vaccination alongside a Covid19 booster jab this autumn where possible NHS England has said as it outlined details of the latest stage of the coronavirus vaccination programme. The autumn Covid19 vaccination booster programme is to start in the week beginning 5 September with care home residents and housebound people being given the jab by NHS staff. The National Booking Service will also open that week allowing people aged over 75 and the most clinically vulnerable to book a vaccination from 12 September. Individuals will be offered the new bivalent Moderna vaccine which targets the original Covid19 virus strain and the omicron variant where appropriate and subject to sufficient supply https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/coronavirus/covid-19-booster-jabs-to-be-rolled-out-in-england-from-early-september-19-08-2022/ 19th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a ceremony to thank and praise military medics for spearheading the countrys fight against the coronavirus in the capital Pyongyang state media said on Friday. Thousands of medics of the Korean Peoples Army who had been dispatched to the emergency antiepidemic front were discharged after Kim declared victory over COVID19 and eased restrictions last week https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/nkoreas-kim-praises-military-medics-frontline-covid-fight-capital-2022-08-19/ 19th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

Global Times More than 20 colleges and universities across China have moved to postpone the starting dates of the new semester in a move that public health experts say is necessary to stop the spread of the COVID19 as many places across the country are combating sporadic outbreaks. Due to the serious and complex epidemic situation across the nation some universities and colleges in municipalities and provinces including Beijing Northwest Chinas Shaanxi East Chinas Fujian South Chinas Hainan Northeast Chinas Liaoning and Jilin provinces have decided to put off the start of the new semester. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202208/1273504.shtml 21st Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

The Edge Markets MY Singapore will scrap rules for wearing masks in most indoor settings as the country moves further toward casting off all its pandemicera curbs. Masks will only be required on public transport and healthcare facilities like hospitals and nursing homes after the easing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his annual National Day Rally speech on Sunday. Details will be released later he said. The masking requirement is one of the last few virus curbs in the Southeast Asian citystate after authorities lifted most rules including limits on gatherings and testing for incoming vaccinated travelers. Outdoor masks were made optional earlier this year as part of a pivot toward a strategy of living with Covid19. https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/singapore-end-most-rules-masks-indoors-covid19-wave-eases 21st Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has tested positive for COVID19 forcing him to cancel a planned trip to Tunisia to attend a key conference on African development a person close to him said on Sunday. Kishida who has just returned from a weeklong vacation will work from his residence from Monday and will join the Tokyo International Conference on African Development TICAD online the source said asking not to be identified because he is not authorised to talk to the media. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-pm-kishida-infected-with-covid-19-nhk-2022-08-21/ 21st Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

The Straits Times Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will speak about Singapores experience during the Covid19 pandemic and set out how the country can secure its future at the National Day Rally on Sunday Aug 21. He said this in a brief trailer posted on Facebook on Friday which showed the preparations for his speech at ITE College Central in Ang Mo Kio. When I first spoke at ITE College Central in 2013 I said the venue underscored my commitment to investing in everyone in this country and emphasised that Singapore was at a turning point. Today this is truer than ever he said. PM Lee noted that this is the first year since the onset of Covid19 when he could do the rally at fullscale. He had delivered his rally speech in a Mediacorp studio in 2021 while the event was called off in 2020. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/national-day-rally-to-cover-spores-covid-19-experience-how-it-can-secure-its-future-pm-lee 20th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

The Guardian Brazilian federal police have called for President Jair Bolsonaro to be charged with spreading fake information about a coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 680000 of his citizens including bogus claims of a link between Aids and Covid vaccines. Bolsonaros antiscientific response to a disease he called a bit of a cold has been internationally condemned and the subject of a congressional inquiry in which the farright populist was accused of deliberately delaying vaccine purchases and promoting quack cures such as hydroxychloroquine. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/18/jair-bolsonaro-covid-misinformation-charge-brazil-police 19th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CNN The Chinese coastal city of Xiamen is testing freshly caught fish crabs and even shrimp for Covid19 as it goes all out to contain a spiraling outbreak a policy drawing ridicule online and criticism from experts who say its a waste of resources. This week videos of hazmatsuited health workers sticking cotton swabs into the mouths of fish and crabs went viral on Chinese social media sparking complaints that the countrys zeroCovid policy had gone too far. Since the pandemic China has relied on mass testing extensive quarantines and snap lockdowns to stamp out any resurgence of the coronavirus. https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/19/china/xiamen-china-fish-covid-testing-intl-hnk/index.html 20th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

ThaiPBS World Thanks to constant mutations the COVID19 virus is still several steps ahead of vaccine developers. While researchers have managed to develop vaccines that are effective against the original strain of the new coronavirus and major variants like Delta global mass vaccination efforts have failed to halt the raging pandemic. This is because the virus continues to evolve spawning new mutations that evade the defences of currently available vaccines. As a result the global infection rate remains at nearly one million confirmed COVID19 cases per day with thousands of deaths. Since the pandemic began COVID19 has claimed some 6.45 million lives across the world. https://www.thaipbsworld.com/is-thailands-booster-program-losing-race-against-fast-mutating-covid/ 20th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CIDRAP Data collected from two vaccine safety surveillance programs in the first 10 weeks of administration of third doses of the PfizerBioNTech COVID19 to US children aged 5 to 11 years show that serious adverse events were rare. A related study in South Korea shows waning vaccine effectiveness VE in adolescents after two and three Pfizer doses but sufficient protection against critical illness. Most side effects mild. In the first study published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC analyzed adverseevent data from the agencys voluntary smart phonebased vsafe vaccinemonitoring program and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System VAERS from May 17 to Jul 31 2022. VAERS is a passive vaccine surveillance system managed by the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration FDA. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/08/serious-adverse-events-rare-after-covid-19-boosters-young-kids 19th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

PMLiVE Germanbased mRNA company CureVac has announced the start of a phase 1 study of its modified COVID19 mRNA vaccine candidate CV0501 administered as a booster dose to previous vaccination. Developed in collaboration with GSK CV0501 is based on CureVacs secondgeneration mRNA backbone specifically designed to protect against the Omicron variant. Set to be conducted at clinical sites in the UK the US Australia and the Philippines the doseescalation study will enrol up to 180 healthy COVID19vaccinated adults to evaluate the safety reactogenicity and immunogenicity of a single booster dose of CV0501 in the dose range of 12g to 50g. https://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/curevac_announces_start_of_phase_1_trial_of_modified_covid-19_mrna_vaccine_candidate_1453563 19th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The BMJ The results of 12 clinical trials conducted in India looking at the efficacy of molnupiravir an antiviral drug for covid19have not been published a year after completion researchers have said. Researchers from St Georges Imperial College London and the University of Liverpool looked at the availability of data from these trials as of July 2022 for a study released as a preprint.1 They found that while some details of the findings had been revealed through press releases or conference abstracts none of the results had been published in a journal or preprint service. This equates to missing data for 13694 trial participants. Patient level data would help answer many of the unanswered questions around the molnupiravir trials however even summary data are largely absent the authors wrote. In particular questions remain over the efficacy of the drug. In October 2021 the MOVeOUT trial first reported that it halved the risk of hospital admission or death by 50 but when the full results were published in December 2021 they showed that hospital admissions and deaths were only around 30 lower in the molnupiravir group. https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o2063 19th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The World Health Organization WHO on Thursday recommended the use of French drugmaker Valnevas COVID19 vaccine. The UN agency also recommended the use of a second booster dose for some individuals at high risk of severe disease. However that does not constitute a general recommendation of vaccinating all adults and is aimed at avoiding severe disease and death in populations at the highest risk it said. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-recommends-valnevas-covid-vaccine-2022-08-18/ 19th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Canadas health ministry on Friday said it had authorized the use of Pfizer Incs and BioNTechs COVID19 vaccine as a booster for children five to 11 years old at least six months after receiving their initial two doses. The authorization for a booster shot was granted after a thorough independent review of the vaccine which provides good protection against severe illness hospitalization and death the health ministry wrote on Twitter. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/canada-oks-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-booster-dose-5-11-year-olds-2022-08-19/ 19th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg China reported its worst week of Covid infections since midMay fueled by outbreaks in vacation hotspots that risk spreading across the country as travelers return. The country reported 2678 cases for Thursday down from 3424 a day earlier. Still there were more than 18000 new local infections in the seven days through Aug. 18 Chinas worst week since midMay amid outbreaks in Hainan Tibet and Xinjiang that stranded tourists and threw the travel plans of thousands of people into disarray. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-19/china-s-virus-hotspots-keep-cases-elevated-fuel-fears-of-spread 20th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

New Zealand Herald There are 3302 new community cases of Covid19 in New Zealand today the Ministry of Health reports. There have been a further 10 deaths of people with Covid with 467 people in hospital and seven in ICU. The sevenday rolling average of hospitalisations is 515 while last Saturday there were 594 people in hospital. The spread of people in hospital by area includes Northland 17 Waitemat 61 Counties Manukau 39 Auckland 54 Waikato 76 Bay of Plenty 19 Lakes 11 Hawkes Bay 41 MidCentral 25 Whanganui 4 Taranaki 8 Tairawhiti 1 Wairarapa 3 Capital Coast 19 Hutt Valley 15 Nelson Marlborough 6 Canterbury 40 West Coast 4 South Canterbury 6 Southern 18. There are now a total of 1824 deaths confirmed as attributable to Covid either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing factor. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-omicron-outbreak-3302-new-cases-10-virus-related-deaths-as-subvariant-takes-over-aotearoa/32YMDVGNEN5BLGWNAHIHUXPRRA/ 20th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Xinhua The Chinese mainland on Friday reported 578 locallytransmitted confirmed COVID19 cases of which 469 were in Hainan Province the National Health Commission said Saturday https://english.news.cn/20220820/4d74a75bde744beb80114c8b13a787ba/c.html 20th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Independent Covid19 infections in the UK have fallen to their lowest level for two months in fresh evidence the current wave of the virus is receding figures show. The number of patients in hospital with Covid19 is also continuing to drop though health experts warned infections are likely to rise again in the autumn and winter. A new booster jab will be offered to everyone in the UK aged 50 and over from next month as well as those with underlying health conditions to increase protection ahead of future waves. A total of 1.7 million people in private households are estimated to have had Covid19 in the week to August 8 according to the Office for National Statistics ONS. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/office-for-national-statistics-covid-england-northern-ireland-north-east-b2148505.html 19th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

CBC.ca Saskatchewans first monthly COVID19 epidemiology report released Thursday says 27 people with the virus died from July 17 to Aug. 13. The number of confirmed outbreaks in the province jumped to 46 in this reporting period from three in the previous three weeks. Saskatchewan only tracks outbreaks at longterm care and personal care homes or where the risk of severe health outcomes is the highest. In those facilities outbreaks are declared when at least one person a patient resident or healthcare worker tests positive for COVID19. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/covid-19-sask-data-1.6555678 19th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg Hong Kong will reopen one of its biggest Covid19 isolation facilities as case numbers hit the highest in more than four months putting strain on the hospital system and sparking uncertainty around whether the city can further ease virus policies. Officials will have an additional 200 beds at Asia World Expo starting next week with 100 health care workers to staff the facility Lau Kahin chief manager of quality and standards at the Hospital Authority said at a briefing on Friday. Its part of a new stage of Covid management to alleviate pressure on the healthcare system. Nonemergency services at hospitals will also be further reduced in order to free up beds and manpower he said. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-19/hong-kong-reopens-major-covid-site-as-cases-hit-four-month-high 19th Aug 2022