28th Jun 2021 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=379 lockdown_exit

Delta Variant Outbreak in Israel Infects Some Vaccinated Adults

The Wall Street Journal About half of adults infected in an outbreak of the Delta variant of Covid19 in Israel were fully inoculated with the Pfizer Inc. vaccine prompting the government to reimpose an indoor mask requirement and other measures to contain the highly transmissible strain. Preliminary findings by Israeli health officials suggest about 90 of new infections were likely caused by the Delta variant according to Ran Balicer who leads an expert advisory panel on Covid19 for the government. Children under 16 most of whom havent been vaccinated accounted for about half of those infected he said. The government this week expanded its vaccination campaign to include all 12 to 15yearolds after a jump in infections among schoolchildren in a town in central Israel. It has since quickly spread geographically and to other groups of the population. https://www.wsj.com/articles/vaccinated-people-account-for-half-of-new-covid-19-delta-cases-in-israeli-outbreak-11624624326 25th Jun 2021

Iceland becomes first country in Europe to lift ALL coronavirus restrictions

Daily Mail Icelanders will no longer need to wear masks or keep a safe distance from others All Covid19 restrictions will be lifted from Saturday health minister confirmed Government said 87 per cent of Icelanders received first dose of a Covid vaccine It has infection incidence of 1.6 per 100000 inhabitants on twoweek average https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9725543/Iceland-country-Europe-lift-coronavirus-restrictions.html 25th Jun 2021

Covid-19: Japan to donate millions more AstraZeneca vaccine doses across Asia

ETHealthworld.com Japan will donate one million Covid19 vaccine doses each to Indonesia Malaysia the Philippines and Thailand starting from next Thursday said foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Friday. Kyodo News reported that the foreign minister said that the country will also offer one million doses each to Taiwan and Vietnam in addition to the batches of 1.24 million and one million shots provided to them respectively earlier in the month. The decision to provide coronavirus vaccine developed AstraZeneca came after requests were made from the said countries and Taiwan. https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/covid-19-japan-to-donate-millions-more-astrazeneca-vaccine-doses-across-asia/83870006 26th Jun 2021

Vietnam's Prime Minister Aims for Domestic Vaccine by June 2022

Bloomberg Vietnams Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh aims to have a domestic Covid19 vaccine produced by June 2022 at the latest as the government ramps up its nationwide vaccination program according to a post on the government website. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-25/vietnam-s-prime-minister-aims-for-domestic-vaccine-by-june-2022 25th Jun 2021

U.S. Offers Afghanistan 3 Million J&J Covid-19 Vaccine Doses

The Wall Street Journal The Biden administration plans to deliver three million doses of the Johnson Johnson coronavirus vaccine next week to Afghanistan which is battling its deadliest wave of the pandemic amid a rapidly deteriorating security situation. The White House is offering the singledose vaccines ahead of President Bidens Friday meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Afghanistans chief peace negotiator Abdullah Abdullah. They plan to discuss how Washington can continue supporting the embattled Afghan government which lost large territories to the Taliban this month once the U.S. military completes its withdrawal. Mr. Biden aims to press Mr. Ghani and Mr. Abdullahwho ran against the Afghan president in elections in 2014 and 2019to align more closely and create a broader front against the Taliban if Washington is to continue supporting Kabul according to a senior administration official. https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-offers-afghanistan-3-million-j-j-covid-19-vaccine-doses-11624551266 24th Jun 2021

UN chief urges European Parliament to support COVID vaccines for all

UN News The SecretaryGeneral reiterated his recent call for an Emergency Task Force that would mobilize pharmaceutical companies and key industry players in implementing a plan to ensure the entire global population is vaccinated by as early as possible in 2022. Members would include vaccineproducing countries as well as nations that could manufacture these treatments provided they have assistance supported by the World Health Organization WHO the vaccine alliance GAVI and international financial institutions. The Task Force would explore all options to scaleup vaccine production such as technology transfers patent pooling sharing intellectual property and addressing supply chain bottlenecks. https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1094682 26th Jun 2021

WHO urges fully vaccinated people to continue to wear masks as delta Covid variant spreads

CNBC The WHO urged fully vaccinated people to continue to wear masks and practice other Covid19 pandemic safety measures as the highly contagious delta variant spreads rapidly across the globe. People cannot feel safe just because they had the two doses. They still need to protect themselves WHO official Dr. Mariangela Simao told reporters. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/25/delta-who-urges-fully-vaccinated-people-to-continue-to-wear-masks-as-variant-spreads.html 25th Jun 2021

Assam exempts fully vaccinated travellers from COVID testing at airports, rail stations

Republic World People who have been vaccinated with two doses of the COVID vaccine will be exempted from mandatory testing on arrival at airports or railway stations in Assam Assam Govt https://www.republicworld.com/india-news/general-news/assam-exempts-fully-vaccinated-travellers-from-covid-testing-at-airports-rail-stations.html 26th Jun 2021

As variant rises, vaccine plan targets 'movable middle'

Associated Press Thrown offstride to reach its COVID19 vaccination goal the Biden administration is sending Alist officials across the country devising ads for niche markets and enlisting community organizers to persuade unvaccinated people to get a shot. The strategy has the trappings of a political campaign complete with data crunching to identify groups that can be won over. But the message is about public health not ideology. The focus is a group health officials term the movable middle some 55 million unvaccinated adults seen as persuadable many of them under 30. https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-coronavirus-pandemic-health-government-and-politics-0ff389cdb6ac2e81e70ab9f486ba2b32 27th Jun 2021

Honduras to receive 1.5 mln doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from U.S. on Sunday

Reuters Honduras will receive 1.5 million doses of the Moderna COVID19 vaccine from the United States on Sunday as part of an initial delivery of doses through the COVAX international vaccinesharing program White House officials told Reuters. The shipment is part of 80 million U.S. doses that President Joe Biden has pledged to share with other countries around the world either directly or through the COVAX program. We are sharing vaccines with Honduras because its the right thing to do from a global public health perspective and right for our collective security and wellbeing in the region said Juan Gonzalez senior director for the Western Hemisphere on the White House National Security Council in a statement shared with Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/honduras-receive-15-mln-doses-moderna-covid-19-vaccine-us-sunday-2021-06-25/ 26th Jun 2021

Iceland Ends Covid Restrictions With 87% of People Getting Shots

Bloomberg Iceland is abolishing all domestic Covid19 restrictions with officials saying 87 of those 16 and older have received at least one vaccine dose. The island nation with a population of about 369000 has seen 6637 cases with 30 deaths. About 48 of those 16 and over are fully vaccinated which puts them in line with the rate in the U.K. and just above the U.S. rate according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. Iceland could be one of the first European countries to end restrictions Iceland Health Minister Svandis Svavarsdottir said in announcing the move in a news briefing Friday. The limits will officially end on Saturday. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-25/iceland-ends-covid-restrictions-with-87-of-people-getting-shots 25th Jun 2021

More UK Covid-19 patients are requiring oxygen and intensive care, doctors reveal

Daily Mail Although hospitalisations have crept up slowly in recent weeks medical experts are warning that patients in intensive care are becoming sicker when they come into hospital with Covid symptoms. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9727693/More-UK-Covid-19-patients-requiring-oxygen-intensive-care-doctors-reveal.html 25th Jun 2021

Child labour: The hidden costs of Covid in Uganda

BBC News With one of the youngest populations in the world Uganda was already struggling with high rates of child labour. But with the world now facing a wave of economic hardship NGOs say in a single year the pandemic has set back any progress made to reduce child labour by 20 years. In Karamoja northeast Uganda when all schools closed due to the pandemic nineyearold Teddy joined her mother mining for gold. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-57600658 25th Jun 2021

India set to shift T20 World Cup to UAE due to pandemic - sources

Reuters This years Twenty20 World Cup is set to be shifted to the United Arab Emirates due to the COVID19 situation in India Indian cricket board sources told Reuters on Saturday. The pandemic swept the worlds secondmost populous nation last year resulting in a lengthy shutdown. Infections have rocketed again in another wave this year as the country scrambles to curb a more transmissible variant of the virus hitting plans to ease lockdown measures. https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/india-set-shift-t20-world-cup-uae-due-pandemic-sources-2021-06-26/ 27th Jun 2021

Russian regions run low on vaccines as COVID-19 cases jump

Reuters A central Russian region on Saturday suspended COVID19 vaccinations for two days due to a shortage of doses local officials said as the country reported its highest daily increase in coronavirus cases since midJanuary. Russia is facing a surge in new cases that authorities blame on the highly infectious Delta variant and slow progress on the vaccination drive with daily deaths hitting a record in the capital Moscow on Friday https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-regions-run-low-vaccines-covid-19-cases-hit-record-2021-06-26/ 27th Jun 2021

Finnish Football Fans Bring Virus Back From Russia

The Moscow Times Nearly 100 supporters of Finlands national football team who traveled to Russia for a Euro 2020 defeat against Belgium have caught the coronavirus authorities said Thursday. The prime minister joined the THL health authority overseeing the epidemic in calling for Finns who returned home after Mondays 20 loss in St. Petersburg to take a test https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/06/24/finnish-football-fans-bring-virus-back-from-russia-a74337 26th Jun 2021

San Francisco becomes biggest US city to demand all 35000 of its municipal workers get Covid vaccine

Daily Mail The City of San Francisco is requiring all 35000 of its employees to be vaccinated against Covid19 or risk losing their jobs. Workers who dont comply could be fired About 70 of citys residents are already fully vaccinated one of the highest vaccination rates of any U.S. city. City officials say the requirements will promote safety in municipal workplaces. It includes police officers firefighters building inspectors and other city workers who come into regular contact with members of the community. The requirement will take effect once a Covid vaccine receives full authorization from the Food and Drug Administration https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9728205/San-Francisco-biggest-city-demand-35000-municipal-workers-Covid-vaccine.html 26th Jun 2021

Israel's new leader urges youth to get vaccine

The Associated Press Israels new prime minister is urging the countrys youth to get vaccinated as coronavirus case numbers have crept up in recent days due to a localized outbreak of the Delta variant. Naftali Bennetts comments came at a meeting of the government Sunday in Jerusalem. We dont want to impose any restrictions not on parties on trips or anything like that. But specifically because of this if you dont want restrictions go get vaccinated today. Talk to your parents and get vaccinated he said. Israel reinstated a mask mandate indoors amid a rise in new infections in the past week. Israels Health Ministry recorded 113 new coronavirus cases Saturday. https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-europe-malaysia-international-soccer-coronavirus-pandemic-b67114dc21e81d70aefea9f69e710aac 27th Jun 2021

Test And Trace Has Lost Track Of Nearly 600 Million Covid Tests

HuffPost UK Boris Johnsons 37bn Test and Trace service is facing fresh criticism after a damning new report found that it had lost track of nearly 600 million Covid tests. The National Audit Office spending watchdog concluded that the system was still failing to deliver value for taxpayers with a lack of any targets for selfisolation by the public and a continued reliance on private consultants. Test and Trace which was run by Tory peer Dido Harding has already come under fire for its use of private firms Serco and Deloitte and its repeated failures in 2020 to track down contacts of people who had Covid. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/nhs-test-and-trace-lost-covid-tests_uk_60d48f44e4b0c101fc857eeb 25th Jun 2021

COVID: New restrictions amid struggle to contain Delta variant

Al Jazeera English Authorities in several countries from Bangladesh and Indonesia to Australia and Israel are racing to contain the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus while Russias Saint Petersburg announced a record death toll laying bare the challenges faced by nations worldwide in their efforts to return to prepandemic life. While vaccination campaigns have brought down infections in mostly wealthy nations the rise of the Delta variant has stoked fears of new waves of a virus that has already killed nearly four million people. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/26/delta-covid-19-variant-forces-new-lockdowns-as-europe-eases-curbs 27th Jun 2021

Study on Covid vaccine against Delta plus variant is underway: ICMR

Mint A study on the effectiveness of the existing coronavirus vaccine against the Delta Plus variant which has been notified as a variant of concern following its detection in several parts of India is underway said Dr Samiran Panda Head of Epidemiology ICMR today. Amid emerging cases and concerns over the third wave of Covid19 the epidemiologist said the third wave will not be as severe as the second one which had ravaged the country in AprilMay and stretched healthcare infrastructure. https://www.livemint.com/news/india/study-on-covid-vaccine-against-delta-plus-variant-is-underway-icmr-11624717133267.html 26th Jun 2021

AP analysis: Almost all US coronavirus deaths among unvaccinated

The Hill Almost all recent deaths from the coronavirus in the U.S. are among those who have not been vaccinated an analysis of government data by The Associated Press found. The data from May showed only 0.8 percent of COVID19 deaths were people who were fully vaccinated. That is only 150 people out of the more than 18000 who died from the virus last month according to AP. The rate of hospitalization among fully vaccinated individuals was also incredibly low in May at 0.1 percent. Out of more than 853000 hospitalizations fewer than 1200 were among fully vaccinated people https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/560240-almost-all-us-coronavirus-deaths-among-unvaccinated 26th Jun 2021

Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines Immunize For Up to Three Years

Euro Weekly News COVID19 vaccines developed with new messenger RNA technology currently those produced by Moderna and PfizerBioNTech can prevent an adult from severe COVID19 cases for three years according to a study by Swiss scientists released on June 25. As reported by La Opinion de Malaga the research published by the Swiss Governments Scientific Working Group against covid19 reduces however to 16 months the possible immunity of those vaccinated with this type of vaccine against moderate forms of the virus. According to Swiss scientists the Moderna and PfizerBioNTech vaccines the only ones currently administered in Spain create an antibody response between two and four times greater than that presented by those who have overcome the disease which means longerlasting protection. https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2021/06/26/pfizer-and-moderna-vaccines-immunize-for-up-to-three-years/ 26th Jun 2021

FDA adds heart inflammation warning to Moderna, Pfizer vaccines

Al Jazeera English The US Food and Drug Administration FDA has added a warning about the risk of heart inflammation to fact sheets for Moderna and PfizerBioNTech COVID19 vaccines. The warning on Friday noted that reports of adverse events following vaccination particularly after the second dose suggest increased risks of myocarditis or inflammation of the heart muscle and pericarditis or inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/26/fda-adds-heart-inflammation-warning-to-moderna-pfizer-vaccines 27th Jun 2021

Booster may be needed for J&J shot as Delta variant spreads, some experts already taking them

Reuters on MSN.com Infectious disease experts are weighing the need for booster shots of the PfizerBioNTech or Moderna mRNAbased vaccines for Americans who received Johnson Johnsons onedose vaccine due to the increasing prevalence of the more contagious Delta coronavirus variant. A few say they have already done so themselves even without published data on whether combining two different vaccines is safe and effective or backing from U.S. health regulators. Canada and some European countries are already allowing people to get two different COVID19 shots https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/booster-may-be-needed-for-j-26j-shot-as-delta-variant-spreads-some-experts-already-taking-them/ar-AALsD47 26th Jun 2021

ACIP Backs Flu and COVID Vaccine Co-Administration

MedPage Today Influenza vaccines can be coadministered with COVID19 vaccines for both children and adults according to updated recommendations from the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices ACIP. In a unanimous 140 vote on Thursday the committee approved language for coadministration of influenza and COVID19 vaccines in line with current CDC guidance that says COVID19 vaccines can be administered with other vaccines though providers should be aware of increased reactogenicity. https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/acip/93283 25th Jun 2021

The man who tested positive for Covid 43 times

BBC News Scientists are studying the case of a man in Bristol who has recovered from 290 days being positive with SARSCoV2. Dave 72 is a driving instructor and musician whos spent the last 10 months with an active coronavirus infection visiting hospital seven times. His immune system was vulnerable to the virus after a leukaemia diagnosis and chemotherapy treatment. Dave was eventually treated with a new mixture of antiviral drugs provided by the US company Regeneron on compassionate grounds. Now scientists at the University of Bristol are studying Daves case to try and understand how Covid acts and mutates within the body. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-57586965 25th Jun 2021

How Bad Could the Delta Variant Get in the U.S.?

MSN News The COVID picture in America has vastly improved from where it was a short time ago. But there are two troubling trends to reckon with a marked slowdown in vaccinations and the rise of the Delta variant. I spoke with New York editoratlarge David WallaceWells about what to expect in the near future. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/how-bad-could-the-delta-variant-get-in-the-us/ar-AALppj1 25th Jun 2021

Record Vaccinations May Not Stop Deadly Third Wave in India

Bloomberg Quint Officials in New Delhi rejoiced earlier this week when India hit a singleday record by administering more than 8 million Covid19 vaccinations. But even this unprecedented pace may not be fast enough for a country just emerging from a devastating second wave to head off a third one experts say. They also question whether this weeks push averaging about 4.6 million doses a day up from about https://www.bloombergquint.com/coronavirus-outbreak/record-vaccinations-may-not-stop-a-deadly-third-wave-in-india 25th Jun 2021

Bangkok, 9 provinces restrict movements to curb rising cases

The Associated Press Faced with a sharp rise in coronavirus cases the Thai capital on Sunday announced a ban on indoor dining and gatherings of more than 20 people in addition to the closure of construction sites and the sealing off of workers quarters in Bangkok and nine other provinces. The measures will remain for 30 days. Thailand reported 3995 confirmed cases and 42 dead in the last 24 hours. The numbers have doubled recently and health officials blame a lack of cooperation from migrant workers employed in construction and in factories. https://apnews.com/article/bangkok-business-coronavirus-pandemic-health-f8ade99d1a516b44f11e82e0c9f6e14a 27th Jun 2021

Sydney and Darwin in lockdown as COVID-19 cases pop up across Australia

Reuters Australia reported on Sunday one of the highest numbers for locally acquired coronavirus cases this year triggering lockdowns in the cities of Sydney and Darwin and forcing tighter restrictions in four states. Sydney began a twoweek lockdown on Sunday as the Bondi neighbourhood cluster of the highly infectious coronavirus Delta variant rose to 110 in Australias largest city while an outbreak in the northern city of Darwin prompted a hard twoday stayathome order. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-new-south-wales-state-reports-30-new-covid-19-cases-2021-06-27/ 27th Jun 2021