19th Aug 2020 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=77 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

The Independent Australias prime minister Scott Morrison says the country has signed a deal with drugmaker AstraZeneca to secure and manufacture a potential coronavirus vaccine and that it will be made available for free to all citizens if successful. The University of Oxford jab is considered a leader in the global race to deliver an effective vaccine against Covid19. With several countries moving to secure supplies that some fear may lead to a global shortage Australia said it had signed a letter of intent with AstraZeneca to produce and distribute enough doses of the Oxford vaccine for its population. Under this deal we have secured early access for every Australian Mr Morrison said in a statement. If this vaccine proves successful we will manufacture and supply vaccines straight away under our own steam and make it free for 25 million Australians. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/australia-coronavirus-vaccine-deal-free-citizens-astrazeneca-a9675861.html 18th Aug 2020

Lockdown Exit

ChinaDaily USA Iraqi lab staff are busy each day shuffling piles of swab samples that await COVID19 testing in a Chinesebuilt facility that has transformed the way they do their vital work. From boosting testing capacities to setting a high standard of testing protocols the laboratory has played a critical role in helping the Iraqi Ministry of Health battle the disease since its inauguration in Baghdads Medical City on March 25 lab director Mohammed Ghanim Mahdi said. The lab was equipped and established by a donation from the Chinese government at a critical time Mahdi said. When this lab was established Iraq had only one working lab fighting COVID19. Mahdi said the lab has facilitated the Iraqi campaign against the coronavirus especially in the first few weeks of the outbreak in Iraq. https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202008/11/WS5f31f22ea31083481725f7a0.html 19th Aug 2020

Lockdown Exit

BBC Thousands of people packed shouldertoshoulder with no face masks in sight frolicking on rubber floats and cheering along to a music festival. Its not a very 2020 image but it was the scene this weekend in the Chinese city of Wuhan where Covid19 first emerged late last year. Pictures of partygoers at the Wuhan Maya Beach Water Park looking very much removed from the outbreak that the rest of the world continues to battle have now gone well viral. Its worlds apart from the images that came out of Wuhan when it had the worlds first Covid19 lockdown in January a ghost town devoid of residents and vehicles. The lockdown was lifted in April and there have been no domestically transmitted cases in Wuhan or Hubei province since midMay. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53816511 18th Aug 2020

Lockdown Exit

Evening Standard Thousands of people have been pictured crammed into a water park in Wuhan the Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged as lockdown restrictions ease. The Wuhan Maya Beach Water Park was filled with partygoers over the weekend as it hosted an electronic music festival. Photos shared widely online show thousands of revellers in swimming costumes and goggles floating in inflatable rings whilst enjoying the DJs and performers on stage. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/wuhan-pool-party-lockdown-eased-a4527346.html 18th Aug 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters Venezuelas rate of infection of COVID19 is set to overwhelm its testing capacity likely leading to an artificial flattening of the contagion curve a lawmaker and medical adviser to Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said on Monday. However legislator Jose Manuel Olivares from Guaidos pandemic advisory team told an online media conference that authorities conduct just 600 to 800 tests a day and the results are delivered up to two weeks later. We are reaching the point that the number of daily cases is going to be greater than the testing capacity ... and that is going to produce an artificial flattening of the contagion curve Olivares said. The apparent flattening will generate a supposed calm in the population and the result will be the populations greater exposure to the virus he added. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-venezuela/venezuelas-covid-19-infections-set-to-overwhelm-testing-capacity-says-opposition-adviser-idUKKCN25E05U 18th Aug 2020

Exit Strategies

ITV News Leicesters local lockdown is to be partially relaxed from Wednesday with nail bars outdoor pools and beauty salons all set to reopen. The UKs former coronavirus hotspot has seen its infection levels decrease since a lockdown was imposed there. Current rules against gatherings in private homes and gardens will remain in place. https://www.itv.com/news/2020-08-18/leicester-lockdown-nail-bars-salons-and-some-outdoor-venues-to-reopen-from-wednesday 18th Aug 2020

Exit Strategies

Evening Standard Leicesters lockdown could be eased on Tuesday after the citys coronavirus infection rate fell by half in the seven weeks since restrictions were imposed. The East Midlands city was the first in the UK to be put under a local lockdown on June 30 to combat a spike in Covid19 cases with an infection rate of 135 per 100000. However Health Secretary Matt Hancock could ease the restrictions today as cases have now halved to 67 in 100000 The Government is set to hold a review of local lockdown measures later on Tuesday. The move comes as public health officials warn that Birmingham could soon be placed under local lockdown after seeing coronavirus cases double. When Leicesters restrictions were imposed in June Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby claimed the decision was targeted at the Labourrun city and its Liberal Democratrun neighbour Oadby and Wigson. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/leicester-lockdown-easing-coronavirus-cases-a4527226.html 18th Aug 2020

Exit Strategies

The Guardian Nail bars outdoor pools and beauty salons can reopen in Leicester from Wednesday but restrictions on gatherings in private homes and gardens will remain in place Matt Hancock has said. My gratitude goes out to the people of Leicester who have all made sacrifices to keep the virus at bay and protect their local communities the health and social care secretary said. The rate of infection has now dropped to a safe enough level to allow further businesses including beauty salons nail bars and some outdoor venues to reopen in the area. Current restrictions on gatherings must remain in place to further bring down the rate of infection. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/aug/18/coronavirus-government-eases-leicester-lockdown-again 18th Aug 2020

Exit Strategies

The Independent Angela Merkel has ruled out easing coronavirus restrictions any further after a spike in infections in Germany. The chancellor warned that the recent rise in cases had been caused by greater mobility and more personal contact. And she warned there were people returning from highrisk holiday areas and clusters of private celebrations at which people were gathering in groups. Urging people to stick to the rules such as wearing masks to ensure public life can be as open as possible she said For us the priorities are firstly to keep economic life going as much as possible and to protect jobs thats why we have stimulus programmes and secondly to make running schools and nurseries possible. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/coronavirus-germany-merkel-lockdown-cases-pause-a9675996.html 18th Aug 2020

Exit Strategies

Deutsche Welle Germanys Bundesbank expects the countrys economy to rebound strongly in the summer quarter saying the broadly based recovery will continue. But precrisis levels of activity wouldnt be reached any time soon. https://www.dw.com/en/german-economy-set-to-recover-as-lockdown-eases/av-54603826 18th Aug 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters France imposed some of Europes toughest lockdown restrictions earlier this year greatly reducing the rate of coronavirus infections. But in the past few weeks the numbers of new COVID19 cases ... https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-france-office/france-to-make-masks-compulsory-in-most-workplaces-from-sept-1-idUKKCN25E1JP 18th Aug 2020

Exit Strategies

iNews There is always an element of risk that comes with booking a holiday. What if the apartment looks nothing like the pictures or your chosen sun trap chooses that one week of August to be struck by a freak thunderstorm But the coronavirus pandemic has taken things to a whole new level. Even if you feel comfortable enough to book a trip abroad you cant know that the country wont change its rules while youre there or whether the UK might slap your chosen destination back on the quarantine list. That is exactly what happened to holidaymakers in Spain last month and since then the likes of Belgium and the Bahamas have also had their air bridge statues revoked. https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/travel/quarantine-in-france-spain-greece-portugal-uk-travel-rules-coronavirus-restrictions-explained-576533 18th Aug 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters The Chilean authorities shut down a mall in downtown Santiago on Monday morning after hundreds of people crowded into the precinct to buy merchandise to sell just hours after a lockdown for the area was eased. At least 300 people queued outside the Asia Pacific mall which specializes in selling Chinesemade products ahead of opening hours and rushed inside as private security guards attempted to dispense alcohol gel and take temperatures in some cases resulting in physical clashes with shoppers. The mall is situated in the capitals Central Station a lowincome area popular with informal workers and migrants where a strict lockdown over the past three months was eased on Monday morning. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-chile/chile-shuts-down-street-vendors-mall-after-covid-19-lockdown-easing-brings-crowds-idUSKCN25D2F9 18th Aug 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters UK Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday eased the strict coronavirus lockdown in and around the capital Manila as his government promised a refreshed approach to fighting COVID19 that includes intensified testing. Duterte in a televised address said there was a need to reopen the economy with small and medium enterprises barely surviving while at the same time calling on the public to follow the safeguards. The Philippines which before the pandemic was one of Asias fastest growing economies fell into recession for the first time in 29 years with a record slump in the second quarter due to the pandemicinduced lockdown. The Philippines which has the most number of coronavirus cases in Southeast Asia has so far recorded a total of 164474 infections and the death toll from COVID19 has risen to 2681 according to health ministry data. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-philippines/philippines-promises-refreshed-coronavirus-approach-as-capital-exits-strict-lockdown-idUKKCN25D238 17th Aug 2020

Partisan Exits

The Independent Dr Deborah Birx a key coronavirus adviser to the Trump administration used a press conference in Arkansas yesterday to voice her regret about the USs early response to the pandemic saying she wished the country had followed the example set by Italy and locked down both harder and quicker. Her comments came with the USs death rate stabilising at an average of roughly 1000 per day with the total death toll now above 170000 by far the worlds highest. Speaking to the press Dr Birx appeared candid as she gave her thoughts on the USs initial approach to the crisis. I wish that when we went into lockdown we looked like Italy she told the assembled reporters. But when Italy locked down people werent allowed out of their houses and they couldnt come out but once every two weeks to buy groceries for one hour and they had to have a certificate that said they were allowed. Americans dont react well to that kind of prohibition. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/deborah-birx-us-coronavirus-lockdown-italy-death-rate-white-house-a9675811.html 18th Aug 2020

Partisan Exits

Daily Mail Dr. Deborah Birx said Monday she wished America had gone into a total lockdown the way Italy did in early March. She said Italians were only allowed out to buy groceries once every two weeks. Dr Birx noted that Americans wouldnt have done well with restrictions like that. She advocated for the wearing of face masks and social distancing in America saying it could save lives https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8637173/Dr-Birx-says-wishes-Americas-lockdown-looked-like-Italys-nationwide-total-quarantine.html 18th Aug 2020

Partisan Exits

The Guardian Donald Trump has called out New Zealand for its recent Covid19 outbreak saying the places the world hailed as a success story is now facing a big surge in cases. The places they were using to hold up now theyre having a big surge they were holding up names of countries and now theyre saying whoops. Do you see whats happening in New Zealand They beat it they beat it it was like frontpage news because they wanted to show me something the US president said at a campaign rally in Mankato Minnesota. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/18/trump-calls-out-new-zealands-big-surge-on-day-it-records-nine-covid-cases 18th Aug 2020

Partisan Exits

The Mainichi Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to ease a mild lockdown in the capital and four outlying provinces to further reopen the countrys battered economy despite having the most reported coronavirus infections in Southeast Asia. Most businesses including shopping malls and dinein restaurants and Roman Catholic church services will be allowed to partially resume on Wednesday with restrictions including masks and social distancing. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200818/p2g/00m/0in/105000c 18th Aug 2020

Partisan Exits

CNN Speaking in Minnesota on Monday United States President Donald Trump was apparently feeling vindicated. Referring to some nations now seeing a new wave of coronavirus cases Trump said they were holding up names of countries and now theyre saying whoops. Even New Zealand did you see whats going on in New Zealand They beat it they beat it. It was like front page they beat it because they wanted to show me something he added. The problem is big surge in New Zealand ... its terrible. New Zealand reported nine new cases on Monday. The US reported tens of thousands. Only one state Vermont has fewer total cases than New Zealand and could yet overtake it given the comparative stage of the two countries outbreaks. https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/18/asia/trump-new-zealand-coronavirus-intl-hnk/index.html 18th Aug 2020

Partisan Exits

Daily Mail A group of eight gathered in the middle of Auckland on Saturday to protest. Social media users commented and said they were within the ten person limits. Others wondered if the group were protesters or whether they had gotten lost. Footage of the lackluster event on YouTube showed lonely protesters. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8637781/New-Zealand-anti-lockdown-protest-mercilessly-mocked-online.html 18th Aug 2020

Partisan Exits

Reuters UK The Philippines health ministry on Tuesday confirmed 4836 novel coronavirus infections the seventh straight day of reporting more than 3000 cases and seven additional deaths. In a bulletin the ministry said total confirmed cases had increased to 169213 while deaths had reached 2687. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday eased the strict coronavirus lockdown in the capital Manila and nearby provinces to reopen the economy and help struggling businesses despite the country having the highest number of infections in Southeast Asia. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-philippines-cases/philippines-reports-4836-new-coronavirus-cases-seven-deaths-idUKKCN25E0X8 18th Aug 2020

Partisan Exits

Reuters UK Ardern said there was no comparison between New Zealands handful of new cases a day and the tens of thousands reported in the United States. I think anyone whos following COVID and its transmission globally will quite easily see that New Zealands nine cases in a day does not compare to the United States tens of thousands and in fact does not compare to most countries in the world she told reporters. Obviously its patently wrong she said of Trumps comments. We are still one of the bestperforming countries in the world when it comes to COVID ... our workers are focused on keeping it that way. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-newzealand-cases/new-zealands-ardern-hits-back-at-trump-over-coronavirus-surge-idUKKCN25E04Y 18th Aug 2020

Continued Lockdown

Yahoo! News Twothirds of parents are worried their child will be below grade level in the fall as a result of the classroom time lost due to COVID19 according to new research. The survey of 2000 parents with schoolaged children revealed 65 are concerned about their child being behind due to the disrupted 20192020 school year. The average parent surveyed said their child lost about eight weeks of classroom learning at the end of the school year. And while the majority of parents said their childs district continued with distance learning for all or part of the rest of the school year through video calls or educational worksheets 13 said their child didnt have any form of continued distance education. Commissioned by The Genius of Play and conducted by OnePoll the survey looked at what parents have done to keep their child learning this summer and what their thoughts are for school starting back up in the fall. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/most-parents-worried-kids-educational-143300562.html 18th Aug 2020

Continued Lockdown

The Independent England and Wales have recorded the lowest weekly number of deaths from coronavirus since lockdown was imposed towards the end of March the latest figures show. There were 152 fatalities from Covid19 in the week up to 7 August according to the Office for National Statistics. It marks the lowest number of deaths from the disease since the week ending 20 March saw 103 fatalities just before Boris Johnson brought in strict lockdown measures. The new figures also show that the UKs true death toll taking in uptodate statistics from Scotland and Northern Ireland has now surpassed 57000 people based on death certificates mentioning Covid19. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-deaths-england-wales-stats-lockdown-latest-today-a9675396.html 18th Aug 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Metro.co.uk Wearing a face covering lowers the risk of spreading Covid19 to others through speaking and coughing new research suggests. Speaking and coughing without face protection exposes people nearby to droplets carrying the virus that could otherwise be stopped by wearing a mask according to the study. Researchers found someone standing two metres from a coughing person with no mask is exposed to 10000 times more droplets than someone half a metre from someone coughing and wearing a covering. Lead researcher Dr Ignazio Maria Viola of the University of Edinburghs School of Engineering said We knew face masks of various materials are effective to a different extent in filtering small droplets. https://metro.co.uk/2020/08/18/wearing-mask-helps-stop-covid-19-spreading-study-confirms-13142205/ 18th Aug 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

HuffPost UK The Covid19 pandemic is now being driven by people in their 20s 30s and 40s the World Health Organisation WHO has said. Speaking at a virtual briefing WHOs Western Pacific regional director Takeshi Kasai said The epidemic is changing. People in their 20s 30s and 40s are increasingly driving the spread. Many are unaware they are infected. As more cases rise among people in their 20s to 40s this increases the risk of spillovers to the more vulnerable said Kasai. This includes elderly relatives and those with underlying health conditions. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/covid-19-pandemic-is-now-being-driven-by-these-age-groups-says-who_uk_5f3b9107c5b6e054c3fe8dfb 18th Aug 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Courier A headteachers group leader says Covid19 cases in two Perthshire schools must be closely monitored to ensure the scientific justification for reopening schools was correct. Greg Dempster general secretary of the Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland said any transmission within schools should lead to reconsideration of the basis for reopening fulltime. Two pupils one at Oakbank Primary School in Perth and another at Newhill Primary School Blairgowrie have tested positive for coronavirus and are isolating at home with their families. Perth and Kinross Council and NHS Tayside have said there is currently no evidence of Covid19 transmission within either of the Perthshire schools which remain open. https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/schools/1517776/perthshire-schools-covid19-science/ 18th Aug 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Imperial College London A new study suggests there could be a link between COVID19 and the development of type 1 diabetes in children. Thirty children in hospitals across northwest London presented with newonset type 1 diabetes during the peak of the pandemic approximately double the number of cases typically seen in this period in previous years with clusters of cases in two of these hospitals. Twentyone children were tested for COVID19 or had antibody tests to see whether they had previously been exposed to the virus. A total of five children with newly diagnosed diabetes had evidence of past or current coronavirus infection. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/201473/covid-19-linked-increase-type-diabetes-children 18th Aug 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

News-Medical.Net With the declaration that COVID19 was a pandemic disease countries all over the world began to appraise possible approaches to mitigate its severity. One is imposing a national lockdown while another is allowing herd immunity to build. A recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv in August 2020 shows that lockdown is an effective way to reduce the extent and speed of infections in a country. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200817/COVID-19-Englands-lockdown-vs-Swedens-herd-immunity.aspx 18th Aug 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian Countries led by women had systematically and significantly better Covid19 outcomes research appears to show locking down earlier and suffering half as many deaths on average as those led by men. The relative early success of leaders such as Germanys Angela Merkel New Zealands Jacinda Ardern Denmarks Mette Frederiksen Taiwans Tsai Ingwen and Finlands Sanna Marin has so far attracted many headlines but little academic attention. The analysis of 194 countries published by the Centre for Economic Policy Research and the World Economic Forum suggests the difference is real and may be explained by the proactive and coordinated policy responses adopted by female leaders. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/18/female-led-countries-handled-coronavirus-better-study-jacinda-ardern-angela-merkel 18th Aug 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

BBC India has registered more than 50000 Covid19 deaths overtaking the UK to become the fourthworstaffected country for fatalities. But the number of deaths per million people stands at 34 far lower than what has been reported in Europe or North America. The case fatality rate or CFR which measures deaths among Covid19 patients is just around 2. Even in badlyhit state like Maharashtra the number of deaths is doubling only in about 40 days. The death rates have kept low all along even as cases rose K Srinath Reddy president of the Public Health Foundation of India think tank told me. Many epidemiologists attribute this relatively low fatality rate to a young population the elderly are typically more vulnerable. It is not clear whether other factors such as immunity deriving from previous infections from other coronaviruses are also responsible. Also they point to a pattern of low mortality in South Asian countries that share a similar demographic of a younger population reported Covid19 deaths per million are 22 in Bangladesh and 28 in Pakistan. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-53773070 18th Aug 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The BMJ Japan has seen a resurgence of covid19 and the effective reproduction number has been above 1 for two months. The daily confirmed cases reached nearly 2000 in early August.1. Since the start of the pandemic the country has focused on controlling clusters of more than five covid19 cases and preventing environmental transmission in the 3Cs closed spaces crowded places and close contact settings.2 Initially early detection of clusters and investigation of linkages between clusters helped reduce the spread of infection. But it couldnt prevent the surge in incidence that began around midMarch. The declaration of a state of emergency in April helped control the pandemics trajectory3 although the measures lacked legal authority and depended on citizens selfrestraint. The state of emergency was lifted in late May. Failings in the governments early handling of the crisis have exacerbated the pandemics overall effect and resulted in 8.22 covid19 deaths per million people the third highest rate in the Western Pacific region after Philippines and Australia.1 https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3221 18th Aug 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Sydney Morning Herald During Sydneys COVID19 surge in March and April something curious happened. On days when the air was dry more people seemed to catch the virus. When the citys air was more humid fewer people caught it. Thats no coincidence the authors of a new study say. Dry air increases the coronavirus ability to spread they argue. https://www.smh.com.au/national/covid-19-danger-may-rise-in-dry-weather-provocative-study-shows-20200817-p55mjd.html 18th Aug 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

9News Australia could be a country split in two if both Victoria and New South Wales commit to suppressing its coronavirus infections during the pandemic while the rest of the nation thrives on elimination. Tony Blakely a Professorial Fellow in Epidemiology at the University of Melbourne told 9news.com.au the country could be divided considering state leaders have articulated borders would remain closed to both New South Wales and Victoria until community transmission is wiped out completely. The Queensland government has been particularly vocal about its keeping borders tightly closed to the two states until community transmission is eliminated. https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-could-be-split-in-two-victoria-new-south-wales-follow-suppression-strategy/4d35ea2d-e816-4fa1-a8b9-b666ded2a0ff 18th Aug 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Evening Standard A strain of the novel coronavirus spreading across large parts of the globe may be ten times more infectious but less deadly a top disease expert has said. Presidentelect of the International Society of Infectious Diseases Paul Tambyah has said evidence suggests the proliferation of the D614G mutation in some parts of the world has coincided with a drop in death rates. He said this could mean the new strain increasingly found in Europe North America and parts of Asia is less lethal. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/new-coronavirus-strain-disease-expert-a4527631.html 18th Aug 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian Swedens lighttouch approach to Covid19 has come under renewed criticism after emails show the countrys chief epidemiologist appearing to ask whether a higher death rate among older people might be acceptable if it led to faster herd immunity. Speculation about the views of Swedens leading public health officials was further fanned after it also emerged that Anders Tegnell the architect of the countrys nolockdown strategy had deleted some of his emails. Tegnell has repeatedly insisted the governments objective was not to achieve rapid herd immunity but rather to slow the spread of the coronavirus enough for health services to be able to cope. However email exchanges obtained by Swedish journalists under freedom of information laws show Tegnell discussing herd immunity as an objective in midMarch days after the World Health Organization declared Covid19 a pandemic. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/17/swedens-covid-19-strategist-under-fire-over-herd-immunity-emails 17th Aug 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Sky News Seventytwo people have tested positive for coronavirus at a dessert factory in Nottinghamshire. The outbreak was reported at Bakkavor in Newark which describes itself as the leading provider of fresh prepared food in the UK. The positive cases came after 701 workers were tested for the virus. All 1600 employees will now receive coronavirus tests at a facility set up on site by the NHS. Some 33 of those who have tested positive have since returned to work fully fit following a period of isolation. https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-72-workers-test-positive-for-covid-19-at-dessert-factory-in-nottinghamshire-12051331 18th Aug 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Belfast Live Robin Swann has warned a return to lockdown cannot be ruled out in Northern Ireland. The health minister said steppedup testing and contact tracing was identifying more Covid19 cases. https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/coronavirus-northern-ireland-robin-swann-18786365 18th Aug 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Shropshire Star Telford Wrekin Council said at least 24 cases had been reported in the seven days up to Sunday. Twelve people tested positive last Wednesday alone the latest Government figures show however this remains lower than the 20 positive tests recorded on one day during the peak of the crisis. When the seven days to Friday are looked at 26 cases were recorded in the borough giving a rate of infection nearly seven times higher than the previous week. Figures show the rate for the seven days to August 14 followed by the equivalent figure for the previous seven days to August 7. The number of brackets is the number of new cases confirmed in each area. Data for the most recent three days August 1517 has been excluded as it is incomplete and likely to be revised. https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/health/coronavirus-covid19/2020/08/18/increase-in-cases-leads-to-local-lockdown-warning/ 18th Aug 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC Four more pupils at separate schools have tested positive for Covid19. Two of the cases are in Perth and Kinross one in Renfrewshire and one in North Lanarkshire. One pupil from Newhill Primary in Blairgowrie and another from Oakbank Primary in Perth are now selfisolating at home. The third attends Todholm Primary in Paisley. A fourth pupil who attends St Ambrose High School in Coatbridge has also tested positive. Three other pupils from St Ambrose High had already tested positive along with one from St Andrews High in Coatbridge and one from Caldervale High in Airdrie. There are a further three linked cases who are not staff or pupils and 14 cases in northeast Glasgow. On Monday NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lanarkshire confirmed that the cases in their areas were linked to house parties. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-53817688 18th Aug 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Guardian A new case of Covid19 separate from the main cluster has been confirmed in New Zealand with the infected person identified as a maintenance worker in a quarantine hotel in Auckland. On Tuesday 13 new cases were confirmed with 12 relating to the Auckland cluster which now numbers 69 in total. One new case not related to the Auckland cluster has been discovered with a hotel worker at the Rydges hotel testing positive on 16 August. The hotel worker attended two church services before he was diagnosed and his contacts are being traced authorities said. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/18/worker-at-new-zealand-quarantine-hotel-tests-positive-for-covid-19 18th Aug 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Hull Daily Mail A further 1089 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the past 24 hours. The Department of Health confirmed the figures on Tuesday evening when it also said there had been a further 12 deaths in care homes hospitals and the wider community. It brings the number of people in the UK who have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid19 to 41381. Five deaths were recorded in English hospitals bringing the hospital death toll in the country to 29465. Locally no deaths were confirmed on Tuesday by NHS England the body which updates the figures each day. Elsewhere no deaths occurred in the rest of Yorkshire as well as the Midlands North East or South West regions. https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/coronavirus-uk-birmingham-local-lockdown-4434169 18th Aug 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 1390 to 225404 data from the Robert Koch Institute RKI for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday. The reported death toll rose by four to 9236 the tally showed. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-germany-cases/germanys-confirmed-coronavirus-cases-rise-by-1390-to-225404-rki-idUSKCN25E087 18th Aug 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Daily infection statistics tend to dip on Mondays due to fewer diagnoses taking place on Sunday. Cumulative cases which include results from antibody tests on patients who may have already recovered rose to 359082 with 32389 detected in the past seven days the ministry said. Since lifting its strict lockdown at the end of June Spain has struggled to contain a spiralling infection rate despite mandatory maskwearing enforced across the country and other restrictions. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-spain/spains-daily-virus-cases-at-1833-below-last-weeks-record-highs-idUKKCN25D1Y7 18th Aug 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The New York Times As the two women sat in deck chairs enjoying the last rays of sunshine near the Canal de lOurcq in Paris on Sunday evening nearby loudspeakers jolted them with a reminder that they were in a new maskmandatory zone. Youve got your mask Safiya Zenag unmasked asked her friend who replied No I didnt bring it. I hate wearing it. Faced with a recent resurgence of coronavirus cases officials have made mask wearing mandatory in widening areas of Paris and other cities across the country pleading with the French not to let down their guard and jeopardize the hardwon gains made against the virus during a twomonth lockdown this spring. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/17/world/europe/france-coronavirus.html 18th Aug 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters South Korea tightened social distancing rules on Tuesday as it reported a threedigit increase in novel coronavirus cases for a fifth day and authorities scrambled to trace hundreds of members of a church congregation. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention KCDC reported 246 new cases as of midnight on Monday bringing its total infections to 15761 with 306 deaths. South Korea has been one of the worlds coronavirus mitigation success stories but it has suffered repeated spikes in cases. Two days after reimposing stricter social distancing in Seoul the government expanded the curbs to include the port city of Incheon while ordering the closure of nightclubs karaoke bars buffets and cyber cafes. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-southkorea/south-korea-traces-church-members-confines-troops-to-base-as-virus-spreads-idUKKCN25E0WA 18th Aug 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

bnnbloomberg South Korea tightened social distancing rules on Tuesday as it reported a threedigit increase in novel coronavirus cases for a fifth day and authorities scrambled to trace hundreds of members of a church congregation. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention KCDC reported 246 new cases as of midnight on Monday bringing its total infections to 15761 with 306 deaths. South Korea has been one of the worlds coronavirus mitigation success stories but it has suffered repeated spikes in cases. Two days after reimposing stricter social distancing in Seoul the government expanded the curbs to include the port city of Incheon while ordering the closure of nightclubs karaoke bars buffets and cyber cafes. It also banned all inperson church services and indoor gatherings of 50 people or more and outdoor ones of 100 or more. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/church-flareups-in-south-korea-raise-fears-of-old-virus-threat-1.1480949 18th Aug 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC The Australian state of Victoria has recorded its lowest rise in Covid19 infections for a month raising hopes it is gaining control of an outbreak. The state capital Melbourne has been in lockdown for over a month but even stricter measures including a nighttime curfew were imposed on 3 August. The state still has 7274 active cases and remains Australias worst concern. But despite reporting its deadliest day on Monday Victoria has seen new infections decline in recent days. Tuesdays increase of 222 was the lowest daily total since 18 July. There were 17 more deaths taking Australias tally to 438 since the pandemic began. I would hope that were in the hundreds of new cases not in the 200s next week said Victorias Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-53806500 18th Aug 2020

New Lockdown

NEWS.com.au Now that Melbournes stage 4 lockdown has been in place for two weeks experts have modelled where the state will be at the end of six weeks and when restrictions can be lifted. Economist and modeller Professor Quentin Grafton of Australian National University told news.com.au that stage 4 was working but it was unlikely coronavirus case numbers would get down to zero by September 13. If the goal is no community transmission our modelling is telling us that six weeks is not enough Prof Grafton said. Even with these restrictions Prof Grafton expects there will be a long tail of cases. The number of cases will still be positive for a considerable number of weeks. https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/modelling-reveals-whether-victoria-will-be-able-to-ease-stage-4-restrictions-after-six-weeks/news-story/a439993368730b4ea5a75f7eacad7ad2 18th Aug 2020

New Lockdown

The Wall Street Journal Australias coronavirus response was until recently the envy of the world. Like its economy which had gone nearly 30 years without a recession Australia seemed to have cracked the Covid code. Community transmission had been all but eliminated deaths kept lowa little over 100and life in the population centers of Sydney and Melbourne was getting back to normal. At the same time economists and business leaders had their fingers crossed for a Vshaped recovery with hopes that the federal government would wind up its expensive stimulus and support programs before the end of the year. No longer. Australia is discovering what much of the world has already learned Like holding a beach ball underwater you can keep your infection rate down only for so long before it pops up again. And theres only so much you can do to stop a virus from spreading without resort to petty totalitarianism. https://www.wsj.com/articles/lockdown-becomes-an-australian-nightmare-11597705402 17th Aug 2020