26th Sep 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=741 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian The Covid19 pandemic may have slipped from the forefront of most Australians minds. But in aged care another grim milestone has just been recorded. This week Australia marked its 4000th death in residential aged care since the pandemic began. Data released Friday shows the aged care death toll now sits at 4012 after another 32 Covidrelated deaths were recorded last week. Aged care has been the pandemics epicentre in Australia and 2022 has been the most deadly year by far. Nine months into the year and the death toll in 2022 is already well above 3000. The toll was greater than the first two years 231 in 2021 and 686 in 2020 of the pandemic combined. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/sep/24/grim-milestone-as-australias-aged-care-homes-mark-4000-covid-deaths 25th Sep 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg One nurse caring for more than 30 patients. Hours or even dayslong waits for basic care. Threats against sick staff. These are some of the conditions described in a new congressional report examining several forprofit nursinghome chains in the early days of the pandemic. The report by the House of Representatives Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis examined five forprofit chains operating about 850 homes with 80000 residents during the early months of the pandemic drawing on complaints filed against the companies. About 70 of nursing homes in the US are run by forprofit operators. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-21/patients-suffered-at-for-profit-nursing-homes-congress-says 23rd Sep 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Japan will abolish a slew of Covid border controls from Oct. 11 Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in New York in a move that looks set to revive the tourism industry. Individual visitors will be allowed to enter and Japan will reinstate visa waivers Kishida said at a news conference Thursday morning in New York. The cap on daily arrivals in Japan will also be ended he said. Later in the day at the New York Stock Exchange Kishida said Japan will relax border control measures to be on par with the US spurring applause from the audience. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-22/japan-to-restore-visa-free-travel-end-arrival-cap-from-oct-11 23rd Sep 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Goldman Sachs Group Inc. will drop vaccination requirements for staff at its New York City office as the waning pandemic prompts Wall Street banks eager for employees to return to their desks to scrap remaining restrictions. The bank will end the requirement beginning Tuesday Nov. 1 according to a memo to staff seen by Bloomberg News. It follows the announcement by New York City Mayor Eric Adams that the city will no longer mandate that private employers require all of their workers to be vaccinated for Covid19. Goldman Sachs had previously removed vaccine requirements in other US locations https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-21/goldman-sachs-to-end-vaccination-requirements-in-new-york-office 23rd Sep 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Pfizer Inc said on Thursday it would supply up to 6 million courses of its COVID19 antiviral treatment to NGO Global Fund for low and middleincome countries that seeks to address worldwide disparities in COVID response. The company said Paxlovid treatment courses will be available for procurement through Global Funds COVID19 Response Mechanism to 132 low and middleincome countries this year subject to local regulatory clearances. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/pfizer-supply-up-6-mln-covid-pill-courses-lower-income-countries-2022-09-22/ 23rd Sep 2022

Lockdown Exit

Sydney Morning Herald The alarm has been sounded about COVID19s hidden impact as new data shows that the highest number of people have died in the March quarter of 2022 than in any of the past 41 years. Australian Bureau of Statistics population data published on Wednesday shows an 18 per cent increase in deaths in the quarter compared with the same period a year earlier rising from 36100 to 46200 deaths. https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/covid-complications-push-australian-deaths-to-highest-number-in-40-years-20220921-p5bjtm.html 23rd Sep 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Hong Kong has lost its position as a global aviation hub due to Chinas zeroCOVID policy the head of airlines group IATA said on Wednesday warning the industrys recovery from the pandemic would be slowed if Beijing continued its restrictions next year. Attending an International Air Transport Association IATA conference in the Qatari capital Doha IATA Director General Willie Walsh said Chinas zeroCOVID policy had devastated Hong Kong and hit airline Cathay Pacific hard. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/zero-covid-policy-has-cost-hong-kong-its-aviation-hub-status-iata-2022-09-21/ 23rd Sep 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian Coronavirus cases and hospitalisations are rising once again in England after declining since early July data suggests with experts warning people should stay at home if ill and get a Covid booster if eligible. According to the latest figures on the government coronavirus dashboard both the number of cases detected through mass community testing and patients admitted to hospital with Covid have risen in the past seven days suggesting the country could be facing a resurgence of the virus. On Monday 781 Covid patients were admitted to hospital in England up from 519 the week before with the seven day total rising 17 from 3434 in the week ending 12 September to 4015 in the week ending 19 September. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/22/covid-hospitalisations-rise-by-nearly-20-in-a-week-in-england 22nd Sep 2022

Exit Strategies

Sky News COVID cases in England and Wales have risen for the first time in two months marking an end to a steady fall since early July. The increase means the total number of infections in the UK has also gone up but levels are estimated to have fallen in Scotland and Northern Ireland. About 927900 people in private households across the country are likely to have tested positive for coronavirus in the week ending 14 September according to the Office for National Statistics ONS. That is up 5 from 881200 for the week before https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-cases-rise-in-england-and-wales-for-first-time-in-two-months-12703974 24th Sep 2022

Exit Strategies

1News University of Auckland microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles said while the reported numbers were murky due to reporting changes it was doubtful only 94 people out of almost 70000 travellers who arrived in New Zealand had Covid19. Im not a statistician but that seems highly unlikely versus a change in our protocol to require people to be tested. Wiles said border testing provided an early warning system of new variants entering New Zealand and without this variants would spread in the community before being noticed. Well be reliant on the tests that have been done in the community or more increasingly the wastewater testing looking for variants. A Ministry of Health spokesperson said arrivals are still given RAT kits on arrival and encouraged to test and report their results by phone. https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/09/23/nz-now-flying-blind-on-new-covid-19-variants-experts/ 24th Sep 2022

Exit Strategies

The Straits Times Speaking during a virtual media roundtable event on Wednesday night Modernas chief medical officer Paul Burton said the quick turnaround is possible because of the flexibility of the messenger ribonucleic acid mRNA platform. He said the mRNA platform allows the company to pivot to other diseases and produce new vaccines quickly adding You can expect it the jab for flu and Covid19 in late 2023. Dr Burton also provided an update on Modernas plans to set up a new subsidiary in Singapore revealing that job offers for the team have been sent out and more will be disclosed in the coming weeks. Moderna had announced in February 2022 plans to set up a subsidiary here which it said will add to the Covid19 vaccine manufacturers presence in the AsiaPacific region. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/two-in-one-jab-for-covid-19-and-flu-could-be-available-in-late-2023-moderna 24th Sep 2022

Exit Strategies

The Wall Street Journal Criminals potentially stole an estimated 45.6 billion by making fraudulent unemployment insurance claims meant for people laid off during the Covid19 pandemic a government watchdog said. The new tally is nearly three times last summers estimate of over 16 billion in fraudulent payments. More than half of the potential fraud identified between March 2020 and April 2022 stemmed from individuals filing for benefits in multiple states. Fraudsters also used the Social Security numbers of people who were dead or in prison as well as suspicious email addresses the Labor Departments inspector generals office said in a report released Thursday. More than 1000 people have been charged with crimes involving unemployment insurance fraud since March 2020 the report said. https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-unemployment-fraud-may-have-topped-45-billion-watchdog-estimates-11663876814 23rd Sep 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg A Hong Kong health official said the Asian financial hub is unlikely to again see a day without any Covid19 infections after keeping the virus largely at bay for the first two years of the pandemic. While cases wont return to zero a feat the city managed for most of last year due to some of the worlds strictest quarantine policies the daily tally is likely to continue its downward trend health official Albert Au said at a briefing on Thursday. We expect coronavirus will linger in the community and will have certain transmissions he said. Before the fifth wave we could do Covid Zero. After the fifth wave this is not necessarily feasible. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-22/hong-kong-won-t-return-to-zero-covid-cases-as-city-weighs-easing 22nd Sep 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee and his officials have reached a consensus on ending mandatory hotel quarantine for arrivals the South China Morning Post reported. The government plans to replace it with sevenday home monitoring according to the report citing unidentified people. The new arrangements would be announced after thorough preparation by government agencies the report added. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-20/hong-kong-reaches-consensus-on-ending-hotel-quarantine-scmp?utm_source=google&amputm_medium=bd&ampcmpId=google 21st Sep 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The United States government has sent out over 25 million of the updated COVID19 booster shots mostly from PfizerBioNTech as production of the Moderna shot continues to ramp up a federal health agency said on Tuesday. Some U.S. pharmacies like CVS Health and Walgreens Boots Alliance also reported on Tuesday that government supply of Modernas updated shot remains limited causing appointments for the product to vary across the country. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-delivers-over-25-mln-covid-boosters-modernas-shot-limited-supply-2022-09-20/ 20th Sep 2022

Exit Strategies

The Wall Street Journal All together the sevenday average for adults getting first shots each day ranged between roughly 15000 and 18000 in late August according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data can overestimate firstshot recipients because there are times where the agency cant link followup shots including boosters to people who received an initial series. The same effect can lead to an undercount of booster shots according to the CDC. People who recently got the first jab cited a range of reasons. Some said they were ordered to do so such as to start a new job or travel for a vacation. Others waited until a vaccine using a moretraditional technology instead of the newer mRNA versions became available. Some went ahead after getting sick with Covid19 or after a family member vouched that the shots worked. https://www.wsj.com/articles/some-people-are-finally-getting-their-first-dose-of-a-covid-19-vaccine-11663545440 19th Sep 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Chinas doubling down on its zerotolerance stance toward Covid19 is draining localgovernment coffers posing a fresh threat to the economy and bond investors. Jilin province in the northeast of the country has warned of increasingly outstanding conflicts between spending and income. Finances at almost half of of its 60 county and district level governments are so tight they are exposed to operational risks the provincial finance department said in its firsthalf budget execution report released last month https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-18/cost-of-covid-zero-is-straining-municipal-finances-across-china 19th Sep 2022

Partisan Exits

Sky News COVID cases in England and Wales have risen for the first time in two months marking an end to a steady fall since early July. The increase means the total number of infections in the UK has also gone up but levels are estimated to have fallen in Scotland and Northern Ireland. About 927900 people in private households across the country are likely to have tested positive for coronavirus in the week ending 14 September according to the Office for National Statistics ONS. That is up 5 from 881200 for the week before https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-cases-rise-in-england-and-wales-for-first-time-in-two-months-12703974 24th Sep 2022

Partisan Exits

CBC News The federal government has decided to drop the vaccination requirement for people entering Canada end random COVID19 testing at airports and make the use of the ArriveCan app optional by the end of this month a senior government source told CBC News. Earlier this week sources told CBC that Ottawa was leaning toward ending the measures but a final decision hadnt been made because it was awaiting the approval of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The current COVID19 Emergency OrderinCouncil relating to border measures was set to expire on Sept. 30. The government had the option of extending the measures. The government is expected to make an official announcement on Monday the source said. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/government-lifting-pandemic-border-measures-1.6591883 24th Sep 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters Fraudsters likely stole 45.6 billion from the United States unemployment insurance program during the COVID19 pandemic by applying tactics like using Social Security numbers of deceased individuals a federal watchdog said on Thursday. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fraudsters-likely-stole-456-bln-us-unemployment-insurance-program-covid-2022-09-22/ 23rd Sep 2022

Partisan Exits

BBC News Queen Margrethe II has cancelled her appointments for this week after the diagnosis on Tuesday evening. The 82yearold monarch was one of 2000 guests who attended Queen Elizabeth IIs state funeral on Monday. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62982315?at_medium=RSS&ampat_campaign=KARANGA 22nd Sep 2022

Partisan Exits

Voice of America Commenters in Chinas tightly controlled online communities are raising an angry howl at what they see as the latest outrage stemming from President Xi Jinpings draconian zeroCOVID policy. After at least 27 people died when a bus in southwest Chinas Guizhou Province crashed while transporting them to a coronavirus quarantine facility online comments revealed the magnitude of frustration of ordinary citizens enduring a policy that forces them into lengthy lockdowns and daily testing in the effort to contain COVID. https://www.voanews.com/a/beijing-s-zero-covid-policy-draws-new-anger-after-fatal-bus-crash/6758004.html 21st Sep 2022

Partisan Exits

The Wall Street Journal Just as in the first study among the 20 traits that Korn Ferry tested tolerance of ambiguity had the strongest positive correlation this time with the Drucker Institutes bestscoring companies. Trust risktaking and adaptability all remained in the top five as well. Given how deepseated traits tend to be this isnt surprising. Its not that leaders have changed their spots says Stephen Lams the vice president of data and analytics at the Korn Ferry Institute. https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-good-leadership-looks-like-now-vs-pre-covid-11663180016 19th Sep 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The BMJ Medical students from India who have been studying in China have been heartened by the decision to allow them to return to resume their studies in person although they admit that many obstacles remain including exorbitant air fares and zero covid policies. The Chinese government updated its visa policies for international students on 22 August allowing them to return. Chinas borders were sealed off to international travellers in January 2020 shortly after covid19 struck. More than 23000 Indian students and 28000 Pakistani students are thought to be affected by pandemic quarantines and unable to return to China even after two years. The decision by the Chinese government to start issuing visas to international students comes after months of unrest for Indian medical students in particular. https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o2280 25th Sep 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Moderna Inc said on Friday it has requested U.S. authorization for use of its Omicrontargeting COVID vaccine in adolescents and children. The company is seeking emergency use authorization of its updated vaccine in two age groups adolescents aged 12 to 17 years and children aged six to 11. The application for the bivalent vaccine for children between the ages of six months and under six years is expected to be completed later this year the company said in a tweet. Earlier this week the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it expects COVID19 vaccine boosters targeting circulating variants of the virus to be available for children aged 511 years by midOctober. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/moderna-seeks-fda-nod-omicron-targeted-covid-shot-adolescents-younger-kids-2022-09-23/ 24th Sep 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail A Covidlike virus lurking in Russian bats could jump to humans scientists warned today. American virologists who carried out experiments on the pathogen called Khosta2 fear it is completely resistant to vaccines deployed during the pandemic. They found it was able to latch onto human cells with ease in the same way as the Covid virus. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11238773/Covid-like-virus-lurking-bats-deep-Russian-caves-jump-humans.html 23rd Sep 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters People who had COVID19 are at higher risk for a host of brain injuries a year later compared with people who were never infected by the coronavirus a finding that could affect millions of Americans U.S. researchers reported on Thursday. The yearlong study published in Nature Medicine assessed brain health across 44 different disorders using medical records without patient identifiers from millions of U.S. veterans. Brain and other neurological disorders occurred in 7 more of those who had been infected with COVID compared with a similar group of veterans who had never been infected. That translates into roughly 6.6 million Americans who had brain impairments linked with their COVID infections the team said. The results show the devastating longterm effects of COVID19 senior author Dr. Ziyad AlAly of Washington University School of Medicine said in a statement. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/covid-raises-risk-long-term-brain-injury-large-us-study-finds-2022-09-22/ 23rd Sep 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg The yearlong study published in Nature Medicine assessed brain health across 44 different disorders using medical records without patient identifiers from millions of U.S. veterans. Brain and other neurological disorders occurred in 7 more of those who had been infected with COVID compared with a similar group of veterans who had never been infected. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-22/covid-s-aftermath-study-of-millions-raises-fears-of-brain-nerve-damage?srnd=premium-uk 23rd Sep 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects COVID19 vaccine boosters targeting circulating variants of the virus to be available for children aged 511 years by midOctober. The CDC said in a document released on Tuesday that it expects to make a recommendation in early to midOctober on the use of the new bivalent vaccines in the group if they are authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-cdc-expects-omicron-covid-boosters-kids-by-mid-october-2022-09-21/ 22nd Sep 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Wall Street Journal A new generation of Covid19 vaccines that can be inhaled or sprayed up the noseinstead of taken by injectionwill begin rolling out in Asia though just how effective they are remains to be seen. Regulators in China and India have greenlighted distribution of vaccines delivered through the mouth or nose a delivery that scientists say holds the promise of more potent protection against Covid19 by better reducing infections and preventing the diseases spread among vaccinated people because they work in the nose and lungs where transmission first happens. Existing vaccines have succeeded in reducing symptomatic disease and severe illness but have fallen short when it comes to preventing mild infections or transmission. https://www.wsj.com/articles/asia-to-roll-out-first-inhaled-and-nasal-spray-covid-vaccineswill-they-work-11663752601 21st Sep 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg The European Union has recommended the use of AstraZeneca Plcs Evusheld for treating Covid19 and given the nod to another drug codeveloped with Sanofi for preventing respiratory infection from a common virus in young children. Astras antibody cocktail Evusheld had already got the green light from authorities across the world to prevent Covid19 for people with weakened immune systems. Now it also has a positive recommendation from an expert panel under the European Medicines Agency for the drug to treat adults and adolescents at risk of progressing to severe Covid. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-16/astrazeneca-s-evusheld-gets-eu-nod-to-help-prevent-severe-covid 19th Sep 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg Chinese researchers have developed a mask that lets users know if theyve been exposed to Covid19 or the flu a development that could help vulnerable populations even as the use of face coverings falls and more nations ease virus restrictions. A sensor built into a mask was able to detect the Covid19 H5N1 and H1N1 influenza viruses in the air within 10 minutes and send notifications to a device according to the study led by six scientists working with Tongji University in Shanghai. The peerreviewed findings were published in the scientific journal Matter on Monday. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-19/chinese-scientists-develop-mask-that-detects-covid-flu-exposure 19th Sep 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg Moderna Inc. has allowed its Covid19 vaccine to be used in a World Health Organization effort to develop mRNA shots that would increase production and access for poor countries. Afrigen Biologics Vaccines a South African biotechnology company working with the WHO has used the Moderna vaccine in comparison studies in mice to test the effectiveness of its own shots said Petro Terblanche Afrigens managing director. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-19/moderna-gives-who-s-mrna-hub-some-help-pfizer-snubs-request 19th Sep 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Straits Times The Health Sciences Authority HSA on Wednesday granted interim authorisation for the use of Modernas Spikevax bivalent Covid19 vaccine which targets both the original SarsCoV2 strain and the Omicron BA.1 variant. The bivalent vaccine has been authorised for use as a booster for people aged 18 and above who have already received their primary series vaccination. HSA did not say when the new vaccine will be made available here. However in a media release Moderna said it is working with HSA and the Government to make its bivalent vaccine available to people in Singapore during September. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/singapore-approves-moderna-booster-vaccine-that-targets-original-covid-19-virus-omicron-variant 16th Sep 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Voice of America The harsh COVID19 containment restrictions China is imposing across Tibet are leading to public resentment in the capital of Lhasa where residents who have tested positive are being quarantined in empty stadiums schools warehouses and unfinished buildings. Beijings actions in Tibet reflect the draconian zerocovid policy of President Xi Jinping that has caused discontent and even protests in major cities such as Shanghai and Chengdu. Social media videos from Lhasa show people waiting to be bused at night to an estimated 20 makeshift quarantine camps. For Lhasa residents the midnight bus represents their fears of what they may find once they arrive at crowded and locked quarantine sites. https://www.voanews.com/a/china-s-anti-covid-policies-in-tibet-trigger-resentment-rare-online-outcry-/6759313.html 25th Sep 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

South China Morning Post Public apologies from government officials in China for mishandled duties are extraordinarily rare events. After all career success is largely determined by their supervisors not by the people they serve. But since the coronavirus pandemic began sweeping across China public admissions of failures have become more frequent. From food shortages to denied hospital access for sick people or pregnant women during lockdowns from the eastern financial hub of Shanghai to Lhasa in Tibet several local government officials have claimed deep remorse for their blunders. In the latest case officials from the Guiyang municipal government bowed to say sorry for the deaths of 27 people on a bus that had been making an early morning journey to a remote quarantine facility. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3193432/coronavirus-china-sticks-zero-covid-policy-management-failures 25th Sep 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg The Biden administration will help set up a clearinghouse of medical supplies with other nations to fight Covid19 and will expand a testtotreat program in 10 countries to distribute therapeutic drugs a senior State Department official said. Countries that back the Global Action Plan on Covid19 will pledge to create a mechanism to secure and distribute the goods such as masks and oxygen and raw materials required to combat a pandemic according to the official who asked not to be identified discussing plans that still arent public. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-23/us-seeks-to-secure-medical-supply-chain-in-covid-19-fight 24th Sep 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday his country will ease COVID19 border control requirements next month a key step in fostering a recovery in Japans tourism sector which is eager to take advantage of the yens slide to a 24year low. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-pm-says-ease-covid-border-control-requirements-next-month-2022-09-22/ 23rd Sep 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC News Covid infection rates have increased in the UK for the first time since the middle of July according to the Office for National Statistics ONS. One in 70 tested positive with the largest rise in secondary school children in the week to 14 September. Infections increased in England and Wales while rates fell in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The ONS says it will closely monitor the data to see the impact of schools returning over the coming weeks. Infections rose by 5 in the most recent period covered by the survey although the total number testing positive is still close to its lowest point of the year. Booster jabs are now being offered to the most vulnerable to help protection over the winter. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63009813?at_medium=RSS&ampat_campaign=KARANGA 23rd Sep 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg Some pharmacies are reporting shortages of Moderna Inc.s new bivalent booster shot for Covid19 as one factory used in producing the vaccine remains offline following a safety inspection. The US government supply of Modernas shot is currently limited causing appointments for the product to vary across the country a Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. pharmacy spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Meanwhile CVS Health Corp. says some of its drugstores have used all of the updated shots they received from the government and the company is trying to get more doses. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-20/moderna-covid-booster-supply-is-limited-in-us-pharmacies-say 22nd Sep 2022