8th Nov 2021 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=534 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

CNBC Healthy buildings have become the latest enticement to bring employees back into the office and the first step is to make sure ventilation systems are working the way they are supposed to. Improving indoor air quality in offices could add as much as 20 billion annually to the U.S. economy according to estimates from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. I dont think business people realize the power of buildings to not only keep people safe from disease but to lead to better performance said Joseph G. Allen Harvards T.H. Chan School of Public Health associate professor. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/06/healthy-buildings-can-help-stop-covid-19-boost-worker-productivity.html 6th Nov 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters The United States is expecting a flood of international visitors crossing its borders by air and by land on Monday after lifting travel restrictions for much of the worlds population first imposed in early 2020 to address the spread of COVID19. United Airlines is expecting about 50 more total international inbound passengers Monday compared to last Monday when it had about 20000. And Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Ed Bastian has warned travelers should be prepared for initial long lines. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-braces-surge-vaccinated-international-travelers-2021-11-07/ 7th Nov 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Australias largest city of Sydney will further ease social distancing curbs on Monday a month after emerging from a coronavirus lockdown that lasted nearly 100 days as close to 90 of people have got both doses of vaccine officials said. Although limited to people who are fully inoculated the relaxation in the state of New South Wales home to Sydney lifts limits on house guests or outdoor gatherings among other measures. Were leading the nation out of the pandemic said state premier Dominic Perrottet as he called for a final push to reach and even surpass a milestone of 95 vaccinations. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sydney-further-ease-covid-19-curbs-monday-vaccinations-pick-up-2021-11-07/ 7th Nov 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday he would convene a virtual meeting of foreign ministers from around the globe to discuss the COVID19 pandemic next week pledging to work to address global inequalities in access to vaccines. Despite progress in worldwide vaccination we are not where we need to be Blinken said in a statement announcing the meeting on Nov. 10. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-convene-foreign-ministers-covid-19-next-week-pledges-talk-vaccine-equity-2021-11-05/ 6th Nov 2021

Lockdown Exit

Daily Mail The Office for National Statistics ONS weekly surveillance report estimated 1.1million people were infected with the virus at any time in the week to October 30 the equivalent of one in 50. This was approximately the same as the previous sevenday spell bringing an end to nearly three months of rising cases which began in August. Experts say the levelling off suggests the latest wave of Covid triggered by the return of schoolchildren has likely come to a natural peak due to a combination of vaccine immunity and previous infection. But the ONS data suggests the outbreak is still as big as it was at the peak of the second wave in January and the weekly total is the third highest ever recorded even though deaths are just a fraction of levels seen during the darkest days of the crisis. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10169285/More-proof-Englands-Covid-outbreak-peaked.html 6th Nov 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Chinabacked Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank AIIB will continue to finance developing countries acquire COVID19 vaccines a senior executive said on Thursday. Last year AIIB had set up a funding facility to help public and private sectors fight the pandemic. The investment bank has approved 42 projects amounting to over 10.3 billion as of Nov. 5. Its Crisis Recovery Facility has up to 13 billion allocated to support AIIB members and clients in withstanding economic and health impacts of the health crisis. https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/aiib-continue-vaccine-funding-developing-nations-2022-2021-11-05/ 5th Nov 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Britain will start to roll out Mercks molnupiravir COVID19 antiviral pill through a drug trial later this month Susan Hopkins Chief Medical Adviser at the UK Health Security Agency said on Sunday. Last week Britain became the first country in the world to approve the potentially gamechanging COVID19 antiviral pill jointly developed by U.S.based Merck Co Inc and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. The government said in October it had secured 480000 courses of the Merck drug as well as 250000 courses of an antiviral pill developed by Pfizer Inc https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/uk-roll-out-covid-19-antiviral-drug-trial-this-month-health-security-agency-2021-11-07/ 7th Nov 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Costa Rican children aged five and up must get COVID19 vaccinations according to a new health ministry mandate making the Central American country one of the first to adopt such a requirement for kids. The move would add COVID19 to a list of other infectious diseases in which vaccines for children have for years been required including for polio and smallpox. Our basic vaccination scheme has made it possible to subdue many of the viruses that cause suffering and health consequences and even fatalities in the underage population Health Minister Daniel Salas said in a statement issued on Friday https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/costa-rica-issues-covid-19-vaccine-requirement-children-2021-11-06/ 6th Nov 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters China had given 1.072 billion people complete COVID19 vaccine doses by Nov. 5 Mi Feng spokesman at the National Health Commission told a briefing on Saturday. That accounts for 75.96 of the nations 1.41 billion people Reuters calculation showed. A total of 37.97 million people in China had received a booster shot as of Friday commission official Wu Liangyou said at the briefing. The commission said in a bulletin that China had administered 2.312 billion doses of COVID19 vaccines by the end of Nov. 5 an increase of about 8.9 million from the previous day. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-gives-107-bln-people-complete-covid-19-vaccine-doses-by-nov-5-official-2021-11-06/ 6th Nov 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Britains health ministry on Saturday said it would open up bookings for booster shots a month before people were eligible to receive the shots to help speed up the rollout ahead of the challenging winter months. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is relying on booster doses as a major plank of his plan to avoid lockdown this winter through COVID19 vaccines rather than social distancing rules or mask mandates but has been criticised for a slow start to the programme. Around 3 in 5 eligible over50s have had booster shots in England with more than 9 million people getting booster doses in Britain overall so far. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britain-allows-early-booking-booster-shots-speed-up-rollout-2021-11-06/ 6th Nov 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Australia reached on Saturday a full inoculation rate of 80 of those aged 16 and older which Prime Minister Scott Morrison called a magnificent milestone on the path to becoming one of the worlds most vaccinated countries against COVID19. Once a champion of a COVIDzero strategy to manage the pandemic the country of 25 million has moved towards living with the virus through extensive vaccinations as the Delta variant has proven too infectious to suppress. Another magnificent milestone Australia Morrison said in a video post on Facebook. Thats four out of five how good is that This has been a true Australian national effort. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-australia/australia-hits-magnificent-milestone-with-80-rate-of-vaccinations-idUSKBN2HR046 6th Nov 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Pfizer Incs stunning data here for an experimental pill to fight COVID19 rippled through the healthcare sector on Friday boosting shares of the pharmaceutical giant while slamming the stocks of vaccine makers and other competitors. A trial of Pfizers experimental antiviral pill was stopped early after it was shown to cut by 89 the chances of hospitalization or death for adults at risk of developing severe disease. The market was certainly not pricing in Pfizers data readout this early and probably not this high in terms of effectiveness said Kevin Gade a portfolio manager specializing in healthcare at Bahl Gaynor. https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-stocks-healthcare/pfizer-covid-19-pill-data-slams-competitors-shares-shakes-up-healthcare-sector-idUSL1N2RW1TQ 6th Nov 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters on MSN.com The number of U.S. workers unable to work at some point over the previous four weeks due to the COVID19 pandemic dropped by more than a million in October while fewer people reported not looking for jobs because of those health concerns as cases began to fall a Labor Department survey showed on Friday. Approximately 3.83 million people were unable to work in October or reported reduced hours due to their business either closing entirely or cutting back operations down from roughly 5.03 million in the prior month according to the survey resuming a downward trend that was interrupted by a rise in August. https://www.msn.com/en-us/finance/markets/fewer-us-workers-sidelined-as-delta-cases-began-to-fall-survey-shows/ar-AAQmsWA 6th Nov 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters South Korea has agreed to buy 70000 courses of Pfizer Incs experimental antiviral COVID19 pill the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Saturday. Pfizer on Friday said trial results showed that its Paxlovid pill reduced by 89 the risk of hospitalization or death in patients at high risk of severe illness within three days of the onset of coronavirus symptoms. South Korea has already signed agreements to secure 200000 courses of Merck Co Incs COVID19 treatment. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/skorea-purchase-70000-courses-new-pfizer-covid-19-pill-2021-11-06/ 6th Nov 2021

Exit Strategies

The Hill Puerto Rico will require children five years old and older to get the coronavirus vaccine in order to attend school the governor announced Wednesday. The governor said there will be few exceptions granted for the requirement as the coronavirus vaccine was just approved for those ages 5 to 11 The Associated Press reported. Health Secretary Carlos Mellado says the goal is to get 95 percent of 5 to 11yearolds fully vaccinated. The announcement to require vaccines in schools comes as Puerto Rico leads U.S. states and territories with the highest vaccination rates. https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/580226-puerto-rico-will-require-covid-19-vaccinations-for-schools 5th Nov 2021

Exit Strategies

NPR The number of people getting COVID19 vaccine boosters in the U.S. is now far outpacing the number getting their first shots according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That trend represents a big success for White Houses aggressive booster campaign. But it also underscores the administrations flagging effort to achieve its high priority of vaccinating the remaining unvaccinated Americans. More than 21 million people have already received a booster in the short time theyve been widely available according to the CDC website. And more than 786000 are getting boosters every day now on average. Thats nearly triple the number coming in for their first shots though the rollout to kids under 12 could potentially change that equation. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/11/05/1051412471/theres-more-demand-for-boosters-than-first-shots-of-the-covid-vaccine 5th Nov 2021

Exit Strategies

EL PAS in English The first shipment of Covid19 vaccines that Spain has donated to a subSaharan African country arrived on Thursday in Abidjan the economic capital of Ivory Coast which is also known as Cte dIvoire. The delivery contained 326400 doses of the OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine against Covid19 along with another 98400 shots of the same medication donated by Finland and 7200 from Iceland. The donations are part of the publicprivate initiative Covax which seeks to ensure that lowerincome countries are not left behind in the global vaccination drive to curb the coronavirus pandemic. https://english.elpais.com/society/2021-11-05/spain-donates-326400-covid-19-vaccines-to-ivory-coast.html 5th Nov 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Amid new recordhigh COVID19 daily infections Croatia decided on Friday to tighten measures against the spreading of the disease including introducing obligatory digital certificates for public sector employees. Croatia reported 6932 new cases of COVID19 on Friday the highest daily number since the beginning of the pandemic. Slightly over 50 of around four million Croats are fully vaccinated and experts largely blame a low vaccination rate for a large increase in the number of infections in recent weeks. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/croatia-tightens-measures-fight-spreading-covid-19-2021-11-05/ 5th Nov 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Malta will offer COVID19 booster shots to all of its population after a recent increase in cases Health Minister Chris Fearne said on Friday. Malta has the highest number of vaccinated people in the European Union with 94 of the people having been fully vaccinated. However minister Fearne told a press conference that it was clear that the effectiveness of the vaccines was waning after health authorities said the country recorded 40 new cases of the virus on Friday the highest in six weeks. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/malta-offer-covid-19-booster-shots-all-its-population-2021-11-05/ 5th Nov 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters The Latvian parliament on Thursday allowed businesses to fire workers who refuse to either get a COVID19 vaccine or transfer to remote work as the country battles one of the worst COVID19 waves in European Union. About 61 of Latvian adults are fully vaccinated less than the European Union average of 75. The country was the first in EU to return to a lockdown this autumn as COVID19 cases spiked and has asked other EU members for medical help as makeshift COVID19 facilities are installed in halls and garages of its hospitals https://www.reuters.com/world/latvia-allows-businesses-fire-unvaccinated-2021-11-04/ 5th Nov 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Germanys COVID19 situation is entering a very difficult period with rising numbers of intensive care patients health minister Jens Spahn said as German state leaders warned the country may need a new lockdown unless it takes urgent action. Spahn said he had agreed with regional health ministers that in future everyone should be offered a booster shot of COVID19 vaccine six months after receiving their previous injection. This should become the norm not the exception Spahn said at a news conference on Friday. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/action-needed-now-avoid-lockdown-say-german-state-leaders-2021-11-05/ 5th Nov 2021

Exit Strategies

The Wall Street Journal More than half of U.S. states are suing to stop the Biden administration from implementing new rules that require employers with more than 100 workers to ensure their employees are vaccinated against Covid19 or get a weekly test. The states attorneys general who filed multiple lawsuits in various courts Friday said they were suing because the federal government doesnt have the authority to issue the requirements. They say the issue should be left to states. States have been leading the fight against COVID19 from the start of the pandemic Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly a Democrat said Friday. It is too late to impose a federal standard now that we have already developed systems and strategies that are tailored for our specific needs. https://www.wsj.com/articles/states-sue-to-stop-bidens-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-11636137439 5th Nov 2021

Partisan Exits

Reuters A U.S. federal appeals court issued a stay Saturday freezing the Biden administrations efforts to require workers at U.S. companies with at least 100 employees be vaccinated against COVID19 or be tested weekly citing grave statutory and constitutional issues with the rule. The ruling from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit comes after numerous Republicanled states filed legal challenges against the new rule which is set to take effect on Jan 4. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-federal-appeals-court-issues-stay-bidens-vaccine-rule-us-companies-2021-11-06/ 6th Nov 2021

Partisan Exits

Reuters Queues formed outside shops in Athens on Saturday on the first day of new restrictions to curb soaring coronavirus infections which require the unvaccinated to have negative COVID19 tests. COVID19 infections in Greece hit a new daily high almost every day in November prompting authorities to announce new measures on Tuesday which also restrict access to cafes and restaurants state services and banks to those who are either vaccinated or have a negative test. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/unvaccinated-greece-face-new-restrictions-covid-cases-soar-2021-11-06/ 6th Nov 2021

Partisan Exits

Reuters Republican governors began filing lawsuits on Friday to stop the Biden administrations requirement that nearly 2 million U.S. employers get workers tested or vaccinated for COVID19 saying it trampled civil liberties. After President Joe Biden a Democrat said on Thursday he will enforce the mandate starting Jan. 4 the states of Florida Georgia and Alabama jointly sued in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. The federal government cant just unilaterally impose medical policy under the guise of workplace regulation Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at a press conference on Thursday. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/republican-governors-lead-attack-biden-vaccine-mandate-2021-11-05/ 6th Nov 2021

Partisan Exits

The Guardian Every morning before the dew has dried on Andre Brunsons 80 acres of land along Alabamas Uphapee Creek he swings his pickup truck out on to the gravel road leading from his house in Alabama. When heading for his eighthour shift he packs his bulletproof vest gun flashlight and now since coronavirus sent him to the hospital in January an asthma inhaler and a nebulizer. Brunson lives in Tuskegee where hes the county sheriff. Im a big strong guy and I just thought it was never going to affect me. Once I got Covid I realized Im just like everybody else he said. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/05/vaccine-sceptical-sheriff-proponent-covid 5th Nov 2021

Partisan Exits

The Independent A Canadian man has died two weeks after he boasted about having Covid19 symptoms while insisting the virus isnt real in a livestreamed video. Mak Parhar was found dead by paramedics at his home in New Westminster British Columbia on Thursday morning. His cause of death is still under investigation Global News reported. Mr Parhar who was an outspoken opponent of Canadas mask and vaccine mandates throughout the pandemic dismissed the existence of Covid19 which he referred to as convid in an October 21 Twitch livestream. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mak-parhar-covid-symptoms-death-b1952410.html 5th Nov 2021

Continued Lockdown

Reuters Austrias latest measures to tackle the spread of coronavirus will likely stay in force over Christmas and New Year Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg was quoted as saying on Sunday as the country posted a record number of infections. The country reported 9943 new infections within a 24 hour period on Saturday surpassing the previous worst day of Nov. 13 2020 when 9586 cases were recorded. To stem the virus the government said on Friday that it will bar those not fully vaccinated against COVID19 from cafes restaurants and hairdressers effective Monday. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/austrian-chancellor-expects-tighter-covid-rules-remain-past-christmas-newspaper-2021-11-07/ 7th Nov 2021

Continued Lockdown

Reuters For the first time in her young life twoyearold Nathania Ysobel Alesna was playing outside her house in the Philippine capital after 20 months of being kept at home by government coronavirus restrictions. At a department store east of Manila one recent day Nathania giddily rode a scooter and a bike as her mother Ruth Francine Faller looked on. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/philippines-20-month-lockdown-children-sparks-creative-playtime-2021-11-05/ 5th Nov 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

CNN The biotechnology company Novavax plans to submit complete data to the US Food and Drug Administration soon for possible emergency use authorization of its coronavirus vaccine CEO Stanley Erck told CNN in a phone interview Friday. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/05/health/novavax-covid-19-vaccine-submit-data-plans-wellness 6th Nov 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Wall Street Journal Pfizer Inc. said a preliminary look at study results found that its experimental pill was highly effective at preventing people at high risk of severe Covid19 from needing hospitalization or dying the latest encouraging performance for an early virus treatment. The companys drug cut the risk of hospitalization or death in study subjects with mild to moderate Covid19 by about 89 if they took the pill within three days of diagnosis Pfizer said Friday. The drug called Paxlovid was also found to be generally safe and welltolerated in the early look at ongoing study results the company said. https://www.wsj.com/articles/pfizer-says-covid-19-pill-is-89-effective-in-preliminary-assessment-11636109100 6th Nov 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg In an airlocked chamber in the worlds largest research hospital Daniel Chertow and a halfdozen doctors and scientists clad in astronautinspired protective gear are carrying out a microscopic search inside a 26yearold man. The patient went to the hospital with chest pain in spring 2020. He didnt have typical Covid19 symptoms but Chertow wants to study him as part of a broader mission to understand where in the body the coronavirus goes and what it does in each of those places. If youre a Covid case in Chertows emerging pathogens lab youre not there for treatment youre the subject of an autopsy. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-05/perform-more-autopsies-on-covid-victims-to-understand-virus-scientists-say 6th Nov 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg The world needs an easytotake Covid19 treatment. Pfizer Inc.s and Merck Co. Inc.s Covid pills may be just that. But questions remain about how well they will work in the real world how safe they are and whether they will need to be taken in drug cocktails rather than alone. Pfizers Covid pill results were hailed as remarkable Friday the drug reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 89 in patients. It follows a successful Covid pill trial from rival Merck in October and both drugmakers are now working to get regulatory authorization. Thats left even the most skeptical doctors and scientists cheering the moment as a feat for drug development and a possible turning point in the pandemic.Just stunning Ashish Jha dean of the Brown University School of Public Health said in a tweet about the results. He added that the implications of effective therapeutics for ending the pandemic are very very large. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-05/pfizer-results-open-door-to-new-chapter-for-covid-treatments 6th Nov 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

BioPharma-Reporter.com CEPI the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations has announced the first funding awards under a 200m program to advance development of vaccines against SARSCoV2 variants and other betacoronaviruses. https://www.biopharma-reporter.com/Article/2021/11/05/Oral-vaccines-novel-tech-CEPI-grants-for-variant-proof-COVID-19-vaccines 5th Nov 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Washington Post The federal government has canceled a deal worth 628 million with Emergent BioSolutions the Marylandbased vaccine manufacturer that was a vanguard of the Trump administrations program to rapidly produce vaccines to counter the coronavirus pandemic. The company disclosed the development on Thursday in a conference call discussing its latest financial results. The cancellation comes after Emergents manufacturing facilities in Baltimore were found to have produced millions of contaminated vaccine doses this spring prompting a monthslong shutdown. Emergent will forgo about 180 million due to the contracts termination the company said. As part of its coronavirus efforts the federal government had invested in building additional capacity at two of the firms sites. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/11/05/coronavirus-vaccine-emergent-biosolutions-cancel/ 5th Nov 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

STAT News The ongoing rhetoric from Republican politicians about the origin of Covid19 accomplishes nothing other than further polarizing U.S. society. The available public records show that the work done at the Wuhan Institute of Virology using U.S. government funds could not have created SARSCoV2 The most recent lableak related controversy has centered on grantrelated paperwork violations. The scientific community has also been riven by unpleasant disputes. Allegations have been made that lableak opponents must have conflicts of interest however nebulous. One positive outcome is that lableak theory has refocused the worlds virologists on an important scientific topic gainoffunction research. https://www.statnews.com/2021/11/05/is-debate-about-origin-of-covid-19-still-worth-having/ 5th Nov 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Medical News Today A previous infection with SARSCoV2 and COVID19 vaccination can provide immunity and protection against future illness. A new study has compared the level of immunity afforded by a previous infection with the protection provided by a COVID19 vaccine. The results suggest that COVID19 mRNA vaccines are around five times more effective at preventing hospitalization than a previous infection. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/covid-19-do-vaccines-protect-better-than-infection-induced-immunity 5th Nov 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Vaccine developer Novavax Inc said on Thursday it has completed the submission process for emergency use listing of its COVID19 vaccine candidate with the World Health Organization. The company submitted to the health agency all modules required for the evaluation of NVXCoV2373 its proteinbased COVID19 vaccine days after receiving its first emergency use authorization from Indonesia. The first authorization of the COVID19 vaccine... will fill a vital need for Indonesia which is the fourth most populous nation on earth and continues to work to procure sufficient vaccine for its population Chief Executive Stanley Erck said during an investor call. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/novavax-completes-filing-process-covid-19-vaccines-who-emergency-listing-2021-11-04/ 5th Nov 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The White House said on Thursday that understanding the origins of COVID19 remains a key focus of Biden administration and that they will continue pushing for answers. Its incredibly important for us to get to the bottom of this said spokesperson Karine JeanPierre. Time is of the essence and the U.S. and its partners will continue to fight for transparency from China. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/white-house-says-it-is-still-committed-finding-covids-origin-2021-11-04/ 5th Nov 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters British scientists have identified a version of a gene that may be associated with double the risk of lung failure from COVID19 a finding that provides new insights into why some people are more susceptible than othersto severe illness and which opens possibilities for targeted medicine. The highrisk genetic variant is in a chromosome region that is also tied to double the risk of death in COVID19 patients under age 60. Around 60 of people with South Asian ancestry carry the highrisk version of the gene researchers at Oxford University said on Friday adding the discovery may partly explain the high number of deaths seen in some British communities and the devastation wrought by COVID19 in the Indian subcontinent. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/gene-linked-doubling-risk-covid-19-death-found-by-uk-scientists-2021-11-05/ 5th Nov 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Britain reported 62 deaths on Sunday of people who had tested positive for COVID19 within the past 28 days and a further 30305 new infections. The government figures show a fall from the 155 deaths and 30693 new cases reported on Saturday. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-reports-30305-new-covid-19-cases-sunday-62-deaths-2021-11-07/ 7th Nov 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Wall Street Journal Covid19 infections among vaccinated people are complicating the fight to bring the coronavirus under control. And in the U.K. where the path of the disease has been more closely tracked than just about anywhere in the world they are on the rise. Breakthroughs happen because vaccines while still offering strong protection against severe illness and death arent bulletproof. The virus can still in some cases infect the body and replicate causing illness before the immune response can tackle it. Immunity from vaccination also wanes over time prompting many countries including the U.K. to roll out boostershot campaigns. https://www.wsj.com/articles/rising-covid-19-breakthrough-cases-hinder-efforts-to-control-virus-11636191003 6th Nov 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Independent Ukraines health ministry on Saturday reported a oneday record of 793 deaths from COVID19. Ukraine has been inundated by coronavirus infections in recent weeks putting the countrys underfunded medical system under severe strain. The ministry said 25063 new infections had been tallied over the past day a record 27377 were reported on Thursday. Although four different coronavirus vaccines are available in Ukraine only 17.9 of the countrys 41 million people have been fully vaccinated the secondlowest rate in Europe after Armenia. In a bid to stem contagion Ukrainian authorities have required teachers government employees and other workers to get fully vaccinated by Nov. 8 or face having their salary suspended. In addition proof of vaccination or a negative test is now required to board planes trains and longdistance buses. Earlier this week protesters marched in the capital of Kyiv to decry the new restrictions. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ukraine-kyiv-europe-armenia-russia-b1952852.html 6th Nov 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Independent Russia s COVID19 cases hit another oneday record as the country struggles to contain a wave of infections and deaths that has persisted for more than a month. The national coronavirus task force on Saturday reported 41335 new cases since the previous day exceeding the previous daily record of 40993 from Oct. 31. The task force said 1188 people with COVID19 died just seven fewer than the daily death record reported Thursday. Officials cite Russias low vaccination rate as a major factor in the sharp rise in cases that began in midSeptember. The task force reported about 57.2 million fullcourse vaccinations or less than 40 of the countrys 146 million people. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/russia-moscow-vladimir-putin-covid-people-b1952823.html 6th Nov 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters New Zealands 206 new daily community infections on Saturday carried it past the doublehundred mark for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic as the nation scrambles to vaccinate its population of 5 million. The most populous city of Auckland which reported 200 of the new cases has lived under COVID19 curbs for nearly three months as it battles an outbreak of the infectious Delta variant although restrictions are expected to ease on Monday https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/new-zealands-daily-coronavirus-cases-cross-200-first-time-pandemic-2021-11-06/ 6th Nov 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

RNZ There have been a record 206 new community cases of Covid19 reported in New Zealand today as the total number of vaccinations in this country tops 7 million. There was no media conference today. In a statement the Ministry of Health said there were 200 cases in Auckland four in Waikato and two in Northland. The Ministry said 159 are yet to be linked to earlier cases with 623 unlinked cases in the past 14 days. The ministry later sent through another statement saying an additional case in Northland had been confirmed. All Northland cases are close contacts of existing cases. They had all been isolating since been told they were close contacts and as such there are no new locations of interest Northland District Health Board said via the ministry. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/455089/covid-19-update-206-new-community-cases-reported-today 6th Nov 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

NPR The main island of Tonga has gone into a weeklong lockdown after the South Pacific nation reported its very first COVID19 case of the pandemic late last week. The COVIDpositive traveler who is fully vaccinated and was showing no symptoms arrived in Tonga last Wednesday on a flight from Christchurch New Zealand. All 214 others aboard the flight have tested negative and the infected traveler a young missionary is currently quarantined in a facility. So far were very happy that nothing else has happened besides that one case Dr. Viliami Puloka told NPR from his home in Nukualofa the capital of Tonga. The retired general practitioner and public health specialist said it was just a matter of time before the virus reached them. https://www.npr.org/2021/11/05/1052393792/tonga-covid-case-countries-opening-borders-for-tourism 5th Nov 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

STAT News The ongoing rhetoric from Republican politicians about the origin of Covid19 accomplishes nothing other than further polarizing U.S. society. The available public records show that the work done at the Wuhan Institute of Virology using U.S. government funds could not have created SARSCoV2 The most recent lableak related controversy has centered on grantrelated paperwork violations. The scientific community has also been riven by unpleasant disputes. Allegations have been made that lableak opponents must have conflicts of interest however nebulous. One positive outcome is that lableak theory has refocused the worlds virologists on an important scientific topic gainoffunction research. https://www.statnews.com/2021/11/05/is-debate-about-origin-of-covid-19-still-worth-having/ 5th Nov 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Elderly patients gasping for air through oxygen masks in a central Romanian hospital struggled to explain why they had not been vaccinated despite easy access earlier in the coronavirus pandemic. Romania has the second lowest vaccination rate in the 27nation European Union and one of the highest COVID19 mortality rates in the world with doctors warning that the pandemic is ravaging a generation of grandparents. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/covid-19-tears-through-generation-unvaccinated-romanian-elderly-2021-11-05/ 5th Nov 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters French President Emmanuel Macron will speak to the nation on Tuesday about the resurgence of COVID19 infections as well as his economic reform programme the government said on Friday. Infection rates have accelerated strongly in the past month with the number of new COVID19 cases rising by doubledigit percentages from last week for several days in a row. The epidemic is picking up speed again in Europe Europe has again become the epicentre of the epidemic government spokesman Gabriel Attal told reporters https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/frances-macron-speak-nation-soon-about-covid-19-2021-11-05/ 5th Nov 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Britain reported 193 deaths on Friday of people who had tested positive for COVID19 within the past 28 days and an extra 34029 cases. The government figures show a fall from the 214 deaths and 37269 new cases reported on Thursday. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-reports-193-new-covid-deaths-34029-cases-2021-11-05/ 5th Nov 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters The prevalence of COVID19 infections in England remained at around 1 in 50 people in the week ending Oct 30 a school halfterm break Britains Office for National Statistics said on Friday steadying at its highest level of the year. The ONS said that prevalence was unchanged from the previous week after five straight weeks of rising infections. The ONS said that the trend was uncertain in the latest week after infections had been on the rise leading up to the half term break which for most schools started on Oct 25. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/englands-covid-prevalence-steadies-highest-level-year-ons-says-2021-11-05/ 5th Nov 2021

New Lockdown

Reuters Amid new recordhigh COVID19 daily infections Croatia decided on Friday to tighten measures against the spreading of the disease including introducing obligatory digital certificates for public sector employees. Croatia reported 6932 new cases of COVID19 on Friday the highest daily number since the beginning of the pandemic. Slightly over 50 of around four million Croats are fully vaccinated and experts largely blame a low vaccination rate for a large increase in the number of infections in recent weeks. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/croatia-tightens-measures-fight-spreading-covid-19-2021-11-05/ 5th Nov 2021

New Lockdown

Reuters Germanys COVID19 situation is entering a very difficult period with rising numbers of intensive care patients health minister Jens Spahn said as German state leaders warned the country may need a new lockdown unless it takes urgent action. Spahn said he had agreed with regional health ministers that in future everyone should be offered a booster shot of COVID19 vaccine six months after receiving their previous injection. This should become the norm not the exception Spahn said at a news conference on Friday. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/action-needed-now-avoid-lockdown-say-german-state-leaders-2021-11-05/ 5th Nov 2021