1st Jun 2021 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=342 lockdown_exit

Vietnam detects hybrid of Indian and UK COVID-19 variants

Reuters Authorities in Vietnam have detected a new coronavirus variant that is a combination of the Indian and UK COVID19 variants and spreads quickly by air the health minister said on Saturday. After successfully containing the virus for most of last year Vietnam is grappling with a rise in infections since late April that accounts for more than half of the total 6856 registered cases. So far there have been 47 deaths. Vietnam has uncovered a new COVID19 variant combining characteristics of the two existing variants first found in India and the UK Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said describing it as a hybrid of the two known variants. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/vietnam-detects-hybrid-indian-uk-covid-19-variant-2021-05-29/ 29th May 2021

Vietnam warns of dangerous new Covid variant | News

The Times Vietnam has detected a very dangerous hybrid of the Indian and British strains of the coronavirus which spreads rapidly through the air the countrys health minister said. The World Health Organisation has not yet confirmed the characteristics of the variant and is working with the Vietnamese authorities to do so. Beginning today Ho Chi Minh City where nine million of the countrys 97 million people live will be put under social distancing rules. Tourist and religious sites as well as businesses such as restaurants beauty salons and massage parlours have been told to close. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/vietnamese-sound-alarm-over-hybrid-k095dx5qc 31st May 2021

Thai Covid variant under investigation as new strain discovered in UK

Metro.co.uk A new variant of coronavirus is under investigation in the UK as fears grow around the Indian strain derailing the countrys emergence from lockdown. Health officials confirmed on Thursday that a variant first detected in Thailand had been found in the UK but it was unclear whether the strain was more infectious or dangerous. Public Health England PHE said the variant was imported from Egypt a country like Thailand on the UKs amber list. https://metro.co.uk/2021/05/27/new-thai-variant-under-investigation-as-another-covid-strain-breaches-uk-borders-14663971/ 27th May 2021

Covid-19 variants to be given Greek alphabet names to avoid stigma

The Guardian Coronavirus variants are to be named after letters of the Greek alphabet instead of their place of first discovery the World Health Organization has announced in a move to avoid stigma. The WHO has named four variants of concern known to the public as the UKKent B.1.1.7 South Africa B.1.351 Brazil P.1 and India B.1.617.2 variants. They will now be given the letters Alpha Beta Gamma and Delta respectively to reflect their order of detection with any new variants following the pattern down the Greek alphabet. The decision to go for this naming system came after months of deliberations with experts considering a range of other possibilities such as Greek Gods according to bacteriologist Mark Pallen who was involved in the talks. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/01/covid-19-variants-to-be-given-greek-alphabet-names-to-avoid-stigma 1st Jun 2021

WHO's Tedros says

Reuters The head of the World Health Organization WHO called on Monday for speedily launching global negotiations to agree on an international treaty on pandemic preparedness and response. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus WHO directorgeneral also told a closing session of its annual weeklong ministerial assembly that the U.N. agency required sustainable and flexible funding. The one recommendation I believe will do the most to strengthen WHO and global health security is the recommendation of a treaty on pandemic preparedness and response which could also strengthen relations between member states and foster cooperation. This is an idea whose time has come Tedros said. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-who-tedros/whos-tedros-says-time-has-come-for-pandemic-treaty-idUSL5N2NC5D6 31st May 2021

Japan’s Covid-19 failures leave a dark cloud hanging over Tokyo Olympics

South China Morning Post Between 60 and 80 per cent of Japanese people want the Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled or postponed according to four surveys in May. They point to the rising number of Covid19 cases and the governments failure to deal with the crisis. An editorial on May 26 in Asahi one of Japans most prestigious newspapers and an official partner of the Tokyo Olympics urged Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to cancel the Games. Mainichi another major paper and official partner to the Games along with 15 other local newspapers have also published critical editorials in recent weeks. https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3135054/tokyo-olympics-how-japans-coronavirus-failures-have-left-dark-cloud 29th May 2021

COVID-19 cases 'growing exponentially' as professor warns government against repeating 'mistake' of acting too late

Sky News COVID infections appear to be growing exponentially a professor has warned as he urged the government not to repeat the mistake of acting too late to tackle the spread of the virus. Sir Tim Gowers whose argument against herd immunity helped trigger Englands first lockdown last year told Sky News that the recent increase in coronavirus cases worries me. They seem to be multiplying by a certain fraction each day in other words growing exponentially he said. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-cases-growing-exponentially-as-professor-warns-government-against-repeating-mistake-of-acting-too-late-12319957 30th May 2021

Covid-19: Up to 75% of new UK cases could be Indian variant - Matt Hancock

BBC News Up to three quarters of new UK Covid cases could be of the Indian variant Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said. Public Health England data shows cases of the variant have risen by 3535 to 6959 since last week. Mr Hancock told a Downing Street briefing that the government had always expected cases to rise as restrictions were eased. But he said it was critical to monitor the link between cases and hospitalisations. On Thursday a further 3542 coronavirus cases and 10 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were reported in the UK. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-57275276 28th May 2021

Delhi declares Covid-linked black fungus an epidemic as 150 cases added in a day

The Independent Delhi has joined the growing list of states in India to declare an epidemic of the deadly and permanently disfiguring Covidlinked black fungus as the speed with which cases are growing in the capital threatening a dangerous outbreak of the disease. With 153 cases of the rare fungal infection mucormycosis reported in a single day the Delhi government said it was invoking the Epidemic Diseases Act making it mandatory for the next year for healthcare facilities to report each case of infection. https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/india/delhi-black-fungus-covid-india-b1855730.html 29th May 2021

India COVID-19 variant exhibits resistance; antibody drug shows promise

Reuters Antibody drugs and COVID19 vaccines are less effective against a coronavirus variant that was first detected in India according to researchers. The variant known as B.1.617.2 has mutations that make it more transmissible. It is now predominant in some parts of India and has spread to many other countries. A multicenter team of scientists in France studied a B.1.617.2 variant isolated from a traveler returning from India. Compared to the B.1.1.7 variant first identified in Britain the India variant was more resistant to antibody drugs although three currently approved drugs still remained effective against it they found. Antibodies in blood from unvaccinated COVID19 survivors and from people who received both doses of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine were 3fold to 6fold less potent against the India variant than against the UK variant and a variant first identified in South Africa according to a report posted on Thursday on the website bioRxiv ahead of peer review https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/india-covid-19-variant-exhibits-resistance-antibody-drug-shows-promise-2021-05-28/ 29th May 2021

Sanofi, GSK launch Phase III trial for their COVID-19 shot

Reuters on MSN.com Frances Sanofi SASY.PA and Britains GlaxoSmithKline GSK.L on Thursday launched a latestage human trial for their recombinant COVID19 vaccine candidate that they hope to get approved by the end of this year. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/sanofi-gsk-launch-phase-iii-trial-for-their-covid-19-shot/ar-AAKqBRB 28th May 2021

COVID-19: Number of Indian variant cases in England doubles in a week

Sky News The number of cases of the Indian COVID variant in England has more than doubled since last week rising by 3535 to 6959 according to official figures. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the variant is spreading and the latest estimates show it makes up more than half and possibly as many as threequarters of all new COVID cases. The B.1.617.2 variant of concern which is believed to be more transmissible than the Kent variant which became dominant in the country after Christmas has resulted in surge testing and vaccinations in numerous areas. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-number-of-indian-variant-cases-in-england-doubles-in-a-week-12318431 29th May 2021

Two covid deaths linked to Indian variant after being fully vaccinated as Govt looks to scrap social distancing by June

The Sun New figures have revealed that only two people have died after contracting the Indian Covid variant after being fully vaccinated. Public Health England analysis has shown that only three per cent of people who caught the mutant strain already had both jabs raising hopes that freedom day is on track. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/15106623/two-covid-deaths-linked-indian-variant-fully-vaccinated/ 30th May 2021

Ministers knew about the Indian variant on April 1. The public was told on April 15

The Times The discovery of the Indian variant in Britain was not announced to the public by ministers for a fortnight while thousands of potentially infected people were allowed to enter the country. Ministers were given the news of the variants arrival on April 1 but no official statement was made until April 15. India was not placed on the red list banning travellers from the country for another eight days. By contrast last December a travel ban was imposed on South Africa within two days after it was discovered that the strain from that country had entered Britain. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ministers-knew-about-the-indian-variant-on-april-1-the-public-was-told-on-april-15-crjdnn7jc 30th May 2021

Indian variant now dominant in UK, says Prof Neil Ferguson, as June 21 easing ‘in the balance’

Evening Standard The Indian Covid variant is now the dominant strain in Britain and cases are set to grow into another surge of the disease a leading scientist has said. Professor Neil Ferguson the Imperial College London epidemiologist whose work was key to the first lockdown added that the B1.617.2 variants spread meant that the June 21 final easing of lockdown was still in the balance. He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme Its now in well over the majority of local authority areas in the country and is now the dominant strain the majority of new cases are of the variant that is obviously concerning. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/indian-variant-dominant-uk-june-21-lockdown-easing-neil-ferguson-b937507.html 28th May 2021

Vietnam Suspends Some International Flights After Discovering ‘Very Dangerous’ Coronavirus Variant Combining India And U.K. Strains

Forbes Vietnam will suspend international flights into its capital city Hanoi this week and tighten restrictions in the city amid a new surge of Covid19 cases the government announced Monday as the countrywhich has had among the lowest Covid19 case numbers in the worldfaces a new coronavirus variant mixing those first detected in India and the United Kingdom. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/05/31/vietnam-suspends-some-international-flights-after-discovering-very-dangerous-coronavirus-variant-combining-india-and-uk-strains/?utm_campaign=forbes&amputm_source=twitter&amputm_medium=social&amputm_term=Gordie&ampsh=617815d7383d 31st May 2021

Myanmar COVID-19 outbreak hits health system shattered after coup

Reuters Breathless fevered and without the extra oxygen that could help keep them alive the new coronavirus patients at a hospital near Myanmars border with India highlight the threat to a health system near collapse since Februarys coup. To help her tend the seven COVID19 patients at Cikha hospital day and night chief nurse Lun Za En has a lab technician and a pharmacists assistant. Mostly they offer kind words and paracetamol. We dont have enough oxygen enough medical equipment enough electricity enough doctors or enough ambulances Lun Za En 45 told Reuters from the town of just over 10000. We are operating with three staff instead of 11. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/myanmar-covid-19-outbreak-hits-health-system-shattered-after-coup-2021-05-30/ 30th May 2021

Japan extends emergency Covid rules less than two months before Olympics

The Guardian Japan has extended emergency coronavirus measures in Tokyo and several other regions as the country struggles to rein in the latest wave of infections less than two months before the Olympics. The state of emergency the third in the capital since the start of the pandemic was called in late April and due to end on 11 May but was extended until the end of this month as restrictions on businesses failed to make a dent in infections. The latest extension is scheduled to end on 20 June little over a month before the Olympics are due to begin. The number of infections have fallen in Tokyo in recent days but the daily caseload is still too high to justify an end to the measures according to medical experts while hospitals are contending with a record number of critically ill patients. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/28/japan-tokyo-olympic-games-extend-emergency-covid-measures?utm_term=Autofeed&ampCMP=twt_b-gdnnews&amputm_medium=Social&amputm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1622177389 28th May 2021

Australian City Enters Its Fourth Lockdown as Virus Returns

Bloomberg Melbourne the Australian city thats already endured one of the worlds longest and most stringent lockdowns is ordering residents to stay home for the fourth time since the pandemic began as the return of infections tests the countrys zerotolerance approach to the virus. The city of 5 million people along with all other areas of Victoria state will go into lockdown from midnight for seven days acting Premier James Merlino told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday. The number of cases within the community had doubled in the past day to 26 he said. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-26/lockdown-looms-for-melbourne-as-covid-cluster-grows-to-27 29th May 2021

South Africa faces third COVID wave, returns to stricter lockdown

AlJazeera President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that South Africa is to reimpose stricter measures against COVID19 fearing the whole country will soon face a third wave of the pandemic. Four of the nations nine provinces including Gauteng which includes Johannesburg and Pretoria and has the biggest population are already battling a third wave of infections Ramaphosa said on Sunday. It may only be a matter of time before the country as a whole will have entered a third wave he said. South Africa is officially the worsthit country on the continent with more than 1.65 million cases and 56363 deaths. The number of infections has begun to rise sharply in several parts of the country the president said as hospital entries also climb. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/30/south-africa-faces-third-covid-wave-returns-to-stricter-lockdown 30th May 2021

Malaysia struggling to contain sharp rise in Covid cases

The Guardian Malaysias intensive care units are struggling to cope with a sharp rises in Covid cases the health director general has warned as the country prepares to enter a near total lockdown from Tuesday. Malaysia managed to avoid the worst of the pandemic last year but has struggled to contain a recent outbreak that has been driven by more infectious variants of the virus and exacerbated by gatherings ahead of Eid alFitr. This month alone more than 1200 deaths have been recorded compared with 471 during the whole of 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/31/malaysia-struggling-to-contain-sharp-rise-in-covid-cases?utm_term=Autofeed&ampCMP=twt_b-gdnnews&amputm_medium=Social&amputm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1622450515 31st May 2021

German scientists claim they have figured out why some Covid vaccines cause blood clots

Daily Mail Germans scientists say they have figured out why the Covid vaccines from. AstraZeneca and Johnson Johnson are linked to rare blood clots. In a new preprint the team says the problem is with the adenovirus vector a common cold virus used to get the body to induce an immune response. They claim the vaccine is sent into the cell nucleus instead of surrounding fluid where parts of it break off and create mutated versions of themselves. The mutated versions then enter the body and trigger the rare blood clots. Scientists say they can genetically adapt the vaccine to prevent the viruss spike proteins which it uses to enter cells from splitting apart https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-9622627/German-scientists-claim-figured-Covid-vaccines-cause-blood-clots.html 28th May 2021

Pfizer-BioNTech Covid Shot Cleared for Children in Europe

Bloomberg European regulators cleared Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SEs Covid19 vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 preparing the way for mass inoculations of younger teenagers across the continent. The green light from the European Medicines Agency gives Europe whose immunization campaign was initially fraught with difficulties the first vaccine in its arsenal for younger adolescents. The shot was already cleared for people as young as 16. Its an important step in the fight against the pandemic Marco Caveleri the regulators head of biological health threats and vaccines strategy said on Friday. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-28/pfizer-biontech-covid-shot-cleared-for-children-in-europe?sref=WIclZRmG&ampcmpid%3D=socialflow-twitter-tictoc&amputm_content=tictoc&amputm_medium=social&amputm_campaign=socialflow-organic&amputm_source=twitter 28th May 2021

Vir, GSK win US nod for another COVID-19 antibody drug as rival falters

BioPharma Dive The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday cleared a COVID19 antibody treatment from Vir Biotechnology and partner GlaxoSmithKline for emergency use making the drug known as sotrovimab the third of its kind available in the U.S. As with similar treatments from Eli Lilly and Regeneron the agency authorized Vir and GSKs drug for people who have mildtomoderate symptoms of COVID19 but are at high risk of worse outcomes due to age or underlying medical conditions. The drug reduced the risk of hospitalization or death in such patients by 85 in a Phase 3 trial that produced results in March. Virs approval comes as coronavirus infections have receded in the U.S. amid a mass vaccination campaign which could curtail demand for the drug. But the antibody might still prove useful as lab tests have indicated sotrovimab retains its potency against virus variants that appear to erode the strength of some vaccines and antibodies. https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/vir-gsk-fda-authorization-covid-antibody-sotrovimab/600901/ 27th May 2021

Seeking a pill to cure COVID-19: Drugmakers eye alternative to vaccines

The Japan Times Prevention is better than cure but when it comes to COVID19 what happens when people cant get the vaccine dont want it or theyre immunosuppressed and it fails to stop infection The hunt is on for a coronavirus treatment that can be taken as a pill soon after a confirmed positive halting the disease in its tracks so that cases that might have been severe end up being nothing more than a bad cold. Several companies are working on socalled oral antivirals which would mimic what the drug Tamiflu does for influenza. Its great that we have vaccine rollout that has been significant but it certainly will not be taken by everybody in our population and not everybody who takes the vaccine will have a full response to it said David Hirschwerk an infectious diseases physician at Northwell Health in New York. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/05/28/world/science-health-world/coronavirus-medicine-development/ 29th May 2021

One-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine approved for use in UK - with 20million on order

The Mirror A singleshot coronavirus vaccine from pharmaceutical giant Johnson Johnson has been approved for use in the UK with the first delivers expected later this year. Britain has ordered 20 million doses of the Janssen vaccine which health officials previously said could be used for hardtoreach groups of people. The Janssen jab has been shown to be 67 per cent effective overall at preventing moderate to severe Covid19. with studies suggesting the vaccine also offers complete protection from admission to hospital and death. The UKs Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency MHRA approved the safety of the jab giving Britain four vaccines that have been approved for use under the biggest vaccination programme in UK history. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-one-dose-johnson--24205143 29th May 2021

U.S. agency says employers can mandate COVID-19 vaccination

Reuters U.S. companies can mandate that employees in a workplace must be vaccinated against COVID19 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission EEOC said on Friday. The EEOC in a statement posted on its website explaining its updated guidance said employees can be required to be vaccinated as long as employers comply with the reasonable accommodation provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-agency-says-employers-can-mandate-covid-19-vaccination-2021-05-29/ 29th May 2021

Half of Brits would feel unsafe without a mask on public transport

Daily Mail New poll suggests many people would not feel comfortable ditching face masks. Survey showed more than half of Britons would not feel safe on public transport Almost two in five would feel unsafe shopping for clothes without a mask on https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9624721/Half-Brits-feel-unsafe-without-mask-public-transport.html 27th May 2021

Antivaccine activists use a government database on side effects to scare the public

Science Magazine On 5 May Fox News host Tucker Carlson delivered a 10minute monologue casting doubt on the safety of COVID19 vaccines on his show Tucker Carlson Tonight. He announced that almost 4000 people had died after getting COVID19 vaccines and added that those data comes from VAERSthe Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System a U.S. government program that collects reports of side effects possibly caused by vaccines. It was a misleading statement. The reporting of a death to VAERS indicates nothing about what caused it and the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions CDCs subsequent investigations have found no indication that deaths were caused by COVID19 vaccines save in a small subset with an extremely rare clotting disorder linked to one vaccine. But the TV segment pulled VAERS a 31yearold early warning system widely relied on by scientists even deeper into the culture wars over vaccination. After the broadcast a new phalanx of antivaccine activists began plumbing VAERS for data to scare the public about vaccination says Angelo Carusone president of Media Matters for America a leftleaning nonprofit that is monitoring antiCOVID19 vaccine activity on social media. We have been tracking these attacks since February and this one resonated in a different way after Tucker hit it Carusone says. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/05/antivaccine-activists-use-government-database-side-effects-scare-public 29th May 2021

CDC approves first cruise ship to sail with paying passengers in June

The Hill The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC on Wednesday gave the green light to a Celebrity Cruises ship to be the first to sail with paying passengers next month. Starting on June 26 the Celebrity Edge will embark on the first revenue cruise since the COVID19 pandemic first crippled the cruise industry in March 2020. The sevennight trip will launch from Fort Lauderdale Fla. and be led by Cpt. Kate McCue who was the first American female captain the company announced. The Celebrity Edge will have a fully vaccinated crew and require U.S. guests aged 16 and older to be fully vaccinated. In August the ship will extend that requirement to U.S. guests aged 12 and older. https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/555692-cdc-approves-first-cruise-ship-to-sail-with-paying-passengers-in-june 29th May 2021

Macron says it is in Europe's interest to provide Africa with COVID-19 vaccines

Reuters Shipping COVID19 vaccines to Africa is not just a moral duty but it is also in Europe and the worlds interest in order to prevent the resurgence of new virus variants French President Emmanuel Macron said in Rwanda. Macron said France was on track to deliver 30 million COVID19 vaccination doses to Africa by yearend that Germany would also deliver 30 million doses and that collectively the European Union would deliver more than 100 million doses to Africa this year. https://www.reuters.com/world/macron-says-it-is-europes-interest-provide-africa-with-covid-19-vaccines-2021-05-27/ 29th May 2021

Third wave of Covid may be under way in UK, scientists say

The Guardian Scientists have warned ministers that a third wave of coronavirus may have already begun in Britain casting doubt on plans in England to lift all lockdown restrictions in three weeks time. Experts cautioned that any rise in coronavirus hospital admissions could leave the NHS struggling to cope as it battles to clear the huge backlog in nonCovid cases. Downing Street insisted it was too soon for speculation about whether the plan to lift all lockdown rules in England on 21 June could go ahead prompting calls from the hospitality industry for the government to ensure it provided advance notice for struggling businesses of any lingering measures. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/30/third-wave-of-covid-may-be-under-way-in-uk-scientists-say 30th May 2021

A Shot and a Beer: Do Vaccine Incentives Work? – Mother Jones

Mother Jones Free crawfish in New Orleans. Beers on the house in New Jersey. Milliondollar lottery jackpots in Ohio. A week of complimentary subway rides in New York Cityno turnstilejumping required. As COVID vaccination rates slow cities and states are coming up with creative incentives to get hesitant residents vaccinated. But do these incentives actually work The answer depends on which populations the programs are targeting. Take New Jersey whose governors office teamed up with the state Department of Health and various local breweries to offer a free beer to each resident who gets an initial vaccine dose during the month of May. Dan Bryan a communications advisor for Gov. Phil Murphy said this program part of a reopening plan called Operation Jersey Summer was aimed at young people who werent opposed to the vaccine but simply hadnt gotten around to getting it yet. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/05/free-beer-lottery-jackpot-college-scholarships-vaccine-incentives-work/ 27th May 2021

‘No going back to normal’: 43,000 US kids lost a parent to COVID

AlJazeera As many as 43000 children in the U.S. are estimated to have lost at least one parent to COVID19 by February a study published in JAMA Pediatrics found resulting in a dramatic 20 percent increase in parental bereavement compared to a typical year. These losses are not only tragic for children but can also lead to mental health problems challenges in school and economic disparities that last for years said Emily SmithGreenaway the studys coauthor and an associate professor of sociology and spatial studies at the University of Southern California. People are coping with these losses in a more isolated economically precarious year for so many families SmithGreenaway told Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/5/31/no-going-back-to-normal-43000-us-kids-lost-a-parent-to-covid 31st May 2021

Hong Kong tycoons offer $1 million flat to boost Covid jabs

Yahoo News Hong Kongers reluctant to get the coronavirus jab have been given a milliondollar reason to roll up their sleeves after property tycoons donated a brand new flat to a vaccine lottery. Worth HK10.8 million US1.4 million the onebedroom apartment will be the lucky draws grand prize the property developers announced Friday. They will also offer 20 other prizes worth HK100000 each. Hong Kong is one of the few places in the world to have secured more than enough doses to inoculate all 7.5 million people. But rampant distrust of the government combined with a lack of urgency in a comparatively virusfree city has led to hesitancy and a dismally lagging inoculation drive. https://news.yahoo.com/hong-kong-tycoons-offer-1-105002839.html 29th May 2021

COVID-19: Hundreds head to London's Chinatown as vaccine bus offers appointment-free jabs

Sky News Hundreds of people headed to Londons Chinatown on Thursday after an advert promised a COVID19 vaccination without an appointment and with no ID checks. Footage showed crowds of people gathered after an official advert posted on the Chinese Information and Advice Centre website said jabs would be offered on a vaccine bus. Similar strategies are being used around the UK in areas where takeup has been low. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-hundreds-head-to-londons-chinatown-as-vaccine-bus-offers-appointment-free-jabs-12318757 28th May 2021

Free flights, lotteries, cash: Hong Kong’s vaccine incentives

AlJazeera When bar and nightclub owners in Hong Kong met with city officials this month they expected to hear how the government planned to coax more of the largely resistant population to get vaccinated with their businesses only allowed to open to inoculated people. Instead officials turned the tables asking them what they were going to do to help boost one of the slowest Covid19 vaccine takeups among global cities. Carrie Lams administration is increasingly leaning on local businesses and institutions to help get people vaccinated as her Beijingbacked government struggles to convince reluctant residents in an atmosphere of mistrust following widespread antiChina protests in 2019. Major companies restaurants and even colleges have started offering cash payouts extra time off even the chance to win a 1.4 million apartment. https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/5/31/bbfree-flights-home-lotteries-cash-payouts-hk-vaccine-incentiv 31st May 2021

In rich countries, vaccines are making Covid-19 a manageable health issue

The Guardian So when will the pandemic be over Covid19 wont end with a bang or a parade. Throughout history pandemics have ended when the disease ceases to dominate daily life and retreats into the background like other health challenges. Barring a horrific new variant rich countries such as Britain and the US may be within months if not weeks of what their citizens will see as the end of the pandemic. This isnt the case in poorer countries in Latin America subSaharan Africa and south Asia. For countries that cant afford vaccines technology or treatments for Covid19 populations will remain trapped by outbreaks that cause chaos in hospitals and kill health workers and vulnerable and elderly people. Its now incumbent on richer countries that are emerging from the pandemic to turn their attention to poorer nations and ensure they have the resources they urgently require https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/31/rich-countries-vaccines-covid-19-manageable-health-issue-pandemic 31st May 2021

Tens of thousands of lives could have have been saved - top scientists back Dominic Cummings

Evening Standard Dominic Cummings central charge against the Government that delays over imposing lockdowns led to tens of thousands of people dying from Covid19 unnecessarily was today backed up by two of Britains leading coronavirus experts. Professor John Edmunds of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said a very large number of Covid19 deaths could have been avoided in the second wave if the Government had taken more drastic action as being advised by scientists. In his damning evidence to a joint session of the Commons health and science committees former No10 top adviser Mr Cummings said on Wednesday Tens of thousands of people died who did not need to die. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/covid-deaths-second-wave-could-have-been-avoided-john-edmunds-b937492.html?utm_medium=Social&amputm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1622096252-1 27th May 2021