20th Jan 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=582 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

The Wall Street Journal A swift decline of cases following a huge surge is a pattern seen with the Omicron variant in other countries such as South Africa epidemiologists say. But they are watching India especially closely because of its large population its relatively low vaccination rate and the severity of last years wavefactors which led publichealth experts to warn the countrys hospitals could be overwhelmed by Omicron. The virus is meeting up with a whole population of people already previously infected and immune or vaccinated and immune said T. Jacob John a retired professor of virology at the Christian Medical College in Indias southern city of Vellore. That adds to the mildness of the disease. https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-cases-fall-sharply-in-indias-biggest-cities-raising-hopes-for-nearing-peak-11642596397 20th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Daily Mail A new covid diagnosis could replace PCR tests using Xrays within minutes. Experts developed Artificial Intelligence AI to detect the virus faster than PCR. In testing this groundbreaking technique was found to be 98 per cent accurate. It is hoped that this technology could be used to aid medical staff on frontline. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10419947/Scientists-develop-new-Covid-diagnosis-test-using-X-rays.html 19th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg In that longago time before the pandemic most travelers chose an airline based on a single straightforward factor price. And those who didnt grab the cheapest fare typically steered their business toward a carrier where they had frequentflyer miles. Cleanliness by contrast barely registered. These days hygiene is the most important factor in choosing a travel company for almost 60 of Americans according to a survey by aerospace products manufacturer Honeywell International Inc. That tracks with International Air Transport Association data showing that passengers worry about boarding planes with 42 of them uncomfortable using lavatories and more than a third concerned about breathing recirculated cabin air. We know that our customers are more conscious than ever about hygiene says Anil Jain engineering chief at Air India Express which has introduced robots to clean its planes. We need to be proactive. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-19/airlines-step-up-plane-hygiene-and-safety-measures-to-keep-covid-out 19th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Chinas capital found a Covid19 cluster among cold chain workers on Wednesday the latest sign the country is seeing more infections resulting from a controversial claim of transmission through contaminated goods. Five people who worked at a cold chain storage facility in the Fangshan district of Beijing tested positive for Covid with genetic sequencing showing three of them were infected by the delta variant Beijing officials said at a briefing on Wednesday. The refrigeration facility also deals with imports and the workers who tested positive hadnt left the city in the past two weeks they added. While authorities are still investigating the source of the infection the cluster among cold chain workers adds to a growing body of cases linked to exposure to Covidcontaminated goods ranging from frozen seafood and fruits to international parcels. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-19/beijing-covid-flareup-worsens-with-new-clusters-at-cold-storage 19th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg The U.S. recently passed the grim marker of 850000 deaths from Covid19. By contrast China has recorded 4636 Covidrelated deaths since the pandemic began. And yet the policies that were so successful for Beijing over the past two years have now become something of a trap. On the face of it China has changed its policy to reflect its high rate of vaccination. Beijing recently replaced Zero Covid an approach that kept infections and deaths extremely low while allowing the economy to grow with what it calls dynamic clearing. The new policy accepts that infections will happen and empowers local regions to deal with them. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-01-19/china-s-zero-covid-vaccine-program-leaves-it-with-omicron-whack-a-mole 19th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Calls are growing in Japan to treat Covid19 as endemic adding to a global chorus pushing for a return to normal life as people tire of pandemic restrictions vaccines become more accessible and virus deaths remain low. Drawing on data that shows omicron posing a less severe risk than previous variants public figures from Tokyos governor to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have signaled their support for downgrading the legal status of the virus in Japan. The change would widen health care access for patients effectively casting the virus as no different than the flu. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-19/omicron-pushes-japan-to-consider-living-with-covid-like-the-flu 19th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Most Covid19 restrictions are being lifted in England over the coming days Prime Minister Boris Johnson said as he set out his ambition for a transition to living with the virus including the end of mandatory isolation for positive cases by the end of March. People are no longer being asked to work from home and rules forcing people to wear face masks in shops and on public transport will be dropped from Jan. 27 Johnson told the House of Commons on Wednesday. Mandatory Covid passes for businesses will also end next week. The move unwinds rules put in place in December when the omicron variant was spreading rapidly across the U.K. Scientists believe it is likely that the Omicron wave has now peaked nationally Johnson said. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-19/johnson-drops-work-from-home-guidance-as-covid-cases-dwindle 19th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters People who had previously been infected with COVID19 were better protected against the Delta variant than those who were vaccinated alone suggesting that natural immunity was a more potent shield than vaccines against that variant California and New York health officials reported on Wednesday. Protection against Delta was highest however among people who were both vaccinated and had survived a previous COVID infection and lowest among those who had never been infected or vaccinated the study found. Nevertheless vaccination remains the safest strategy against COVID19 according to the report published in U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/prior-covid-infection-more-protective-than-vaccination-during-delta-surge-us-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Starbucks Corp suspended COVID19 vaccineortest requirement for U.S. employees that had been mandated by the government according to a memo sent to workers on Tuesday following an adverse U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The coffee giant had said earlier this month it would require its around 220000 U.S. employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID19 or undergo weekly testing. The U.S. Supreme Court last week struck down Joe Biden administrations vaccinationortesting mandate for large businesses ruling that the policy overstepped executive authority. https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/starbucks-suspends-vaccine-test-requirement-after-us-court-ruling-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Greece has begun imposing recurring fines on those over the age of 60 who are unvaccinated against COVID19 to try to boost inoculation in the most vulnerable age group even as infection rates from the fastspreading Omicron variant are slowing. After hitting an alltime high of 50126 registered coronavirus infections on Jan. 4 mainly driven by the spread of the Omicron variant over the Christmas holidays cases have been falling in recent days https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/greece-imposes-rolling-fines-push-covid-19-vaccinations-older-people-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters COVID19 infections are reaching new peaks in the Americas with 7.2 million new cases and more than 15000 COVIDrelated deaths in the last week the Pan American Health Organization PAHO said. The virus is spreading more actively than ever before PAHO Director Carissa Etienne told a briefing. The Caribbean has had the steepest increase in infections since the start of the twoyearold pandemic the regional agency said. In North America the United States and Canada are experiencing a surge of COVID19 hospitalizations. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/coronavirus-spreading-like-never-before-americas-health-agency-warns-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters UnitedHealth Group Inc said added costs of testing and treatment related to the recent surge in COVID19 cases are being offset by postponements of nonurgent healthcare procedures and the health insurer maintained its 2022 profit forecast. The comments should help allay investor concerns that the steep rise in COVID infections and hospitalizations driven by the Omicron variant of the virus in recent weeks would significantly drive up medical costs for health insurers. Adding to those concerns was a Biden administration initiative requiring insurers to reimburse Americans for up to eight athome rapid COVID19 tests per month while setting no limit for tests including athome tests that insurers must cover if they are ordered or administered by a healthcare provider. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/health-insurer-unitedhealth-profit-rises-84-optum-strength-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters A federal judge in Florida in a scathing order delayed an upcoming trial due to the surge in COVID19 cases as he blasted adults who have yet to get vaccinated as uninformed and irrational or less charitably selfish and unpatriotic. U.S. District Judge Robert Scola an appointee of former Democratic President Barack Obama in Tuesdays order said that given the rapid spread of the Omicron variant he had proposed requiring all jurors in the Feb. 7 trial to be vaccinated. But Scola said lawyers for Progressive Select Insurance Co which is defending against claims for coverage by a motorist who was in a car crash in 2019 objected saying they did not want to exclude unvaccinated jurors. https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-judge-calls-unvaccinated-adults-unpatriotic-omicron-prompts-trial-delay-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters The U.S. government will make 400 million nonsurgical N95 masks from its strategic national stockpile available for free to the public starting next week a White House official said as the Biden administration tries to curb the COVID19 pandemic. Snugfitting N95 face masks socalled because they filter at least 95 of particulate matter from the air will be shipped to pharmacies and community health centers this week the official said and will be available for pickup late next week. The U.S. government is leveraging the federal retail pharmacy program it used for vaccines the White House said as well as federally funded health clinics that serve minority groups hit hard by COVID infections and deaths. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-make-400-million-n95-masks-available-free-fight-covid-19-pandemic-official-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian Novak Djokovic is the controlling shareholder in a Danish biotech firm aiming to develop a treatment for Covid19 that does not involve vaccination it has emerged. The world No 1 who was deported from Australia this week after the government cancelled his visa in a dispute over a medical exemption relating to his unvaccinated status bought an 80 stake in QuantBioRes in 2020. Ivan Loncarevic the companys chief executive confirmed the investment to Reuters. He subsequently told the Financial Times that he had not spoken to Djokovic who has won more than 150m in prize money since November and that the tennis star was not antivax https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/jan/19/novak-djokovic-stake-biotech-firm-quantbiores-covid 19th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian Ireland is to get a bank holiday as a national commemoration of those who have lost their lives to Covid and to recognise those who worked on the frontline of the pandemic the government has announced. Frontline healthcare workers in hospitals and nursing homes are also to receive a 1000 830 taxfree bonus for their contribution to the national pandemic effort as part of a package of measures agreed by the cabinet on Wednesday. The government has estimated the cost of the giveaway at 100m but questions remain as to who will qualify for the ha https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/19/ireland-announces-annual-bank-holiday-to-honour-covid-victims-and-workers 19th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg A recent study led by Harvard and MIT showed that about 20 of people get much poorer protection from their vaccines against omicron. Theyre still better off than completely unvaccinated people but this variability could account for some of the fully vaccinated people whove been hospitalized in the omicron wave. The researchers looked at blood samples from 76 volunteers to examine the part of the immune system known as the T cells. While antibodies wane over time T cells last longer and provide a second line of defense by identifying and killing infected cells. In vaccinated people T cells are primed to fight SARSCoV2 and can usually clear the infection within a couple of days. Many experts consider them the most critical part of our defenses against omicron. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-01-19/why-some-people-s-vaccines-fight-omicron-and-others-don-t 19th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Young Brazilians are studying less and dropping out more during the pandemic reversing decades of educational advances and exacerbating the countrys demographic inequalities a new study found. School dropout rates among children aged 59 years old rose from 1.4 in 2019 to 5.5 by the end of 2020 the highest percentage seen since 2006 according to research from the Getulio Vargas Foundation a Brazilian think tank. Although the dropout rate improved to 4.25 in the third quarter of 2021 that was still 128 higher than before the pandemic. Younger children the age group in which we have made great educational advances in the last 40 years is where we are having the greatest losses coauthor and economist Marcelo Neri said during a phone interview Wednesday. There was also a socioeconomic gap when it came to time spent hitting the books when school wasnt in session. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-19/young-brazilians-studying-less-dropping-out-more-during-covid 19th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Wall Street Journal The prospect that Covid19 is transitioning from pandemic to endemic has brought out the bulls on Wall Street. Meaningful upside to our mediumterm economic outlook writes Bank of America Corp. A positive for risk assets says JPMorgan Chase Co. A silver lining of the highly infectious Omicron variant says BlackRock Inc. By endemic they mean Omicron will leave almost everyone highly immune through vaccination prior infection or both. Then they reason Covid19 will be a more predictable less deadly presence much like flu and the world will return to normal. Such optimism needs a reality check. This new normal wont be the same as the old normal Endemic Covid19 will still take a toll on health work and mobility the only question is how big. https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-endemic-or-not-will-still-make-us-poorer-11642608213 19th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Hamsters have become the latest victims of Chinas Covidzero policy. Hong Kong is culling 2000 read more of them after 11 tested positive while Beijing curiously blames the mail for spreading the Omicron variant. Dogged devotion to an elimination strategy and the resulting disruptions are becoming farcical and costly as the rest of the world learns to live with the virus. Rising vaccination rates and the economic consequences of restrictions have prompted most policymakers to relax their approaches. https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/china-plays-lonely-game-covid-whack-a-hamster-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The 350 billion in coronavirus relief aid for state and local governments has allowed U.S. cities to respond faster and stronger to an ever changing COVID19 pandemic U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Wednesday. Yellen told a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors that the response by state and local governments is helping to blunt the impact of the highlycontagious Omicron coronavirus variant. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/yellen-says-us-state-local-aid-strengthened-cities-covid-responses-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters UK British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to announce the end of most COVID19 measures introduced to curb the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in England as he looks to live with the virus after an apparent peak in cases. Britain was the first country to limit international travel over the Omicron variant raising alarm bells about its mutations and in December introduced work at home advice more maskwearing and vaccine passes to slow its spread. But while cases soared to record highs hospitalisations and deaths have not risen by the same extent in part due to Britains booster rollout and the variants lesser severity. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/betting-omicron-has-peaked-british-pm-johnson-set-lift-covid-rules-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Australia threw out an invitation to backpackers on Wednesday seeking reinforcements for a workforce crippled by an Omicron COVID19 outbreak as the countrys health system creaks under the pandemics strain with more deaths predicted in weeks ahead. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his government was waiving the A630 453 visa application fee for any backpacker or student who arrives in Australia within the next 12 weeks and encouraged them to see work as they tour the country. Come on down now because you wanted to come to Australia Morrison said during a televised press conference. https://www.reuters.com/world/australians-told-brace-more-deaths-amid-omicron-wave-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The Czech government is due to decide on Wednesday whether to retain mandatory COVID19 vaccinations for workers in key professions and people over 60 as the daily tally of new coronavirus cases hit a record high. Authorities said 28469 new COVID19 cases were reported on Tuesday more than double the 12371 reported for Tuesday of last week. Omicron is now the dominant coronavirus variant in the central European country of 10.7 million people and the government expects about 50000 daily cases by the end of the month https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/czech-republic-reports-28469-new-cases-coronavirus-record-daily-tally-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg More than two years into the pandemic most countries are striving to live alongside Covid accepting the virus as part of everyday life. China where the pathogen first emerged exists in an alternate reality wedded to a zerotolerance strategy thats growing harder to maintain. Despite firmly closed borders and a vaccination rate near 90 the highly transmissible omicron variant has been reported in seven out of 31 provinces and all of Chinas biggest cities. Port disruptions and citywide shutdowns are increasingly common and on Monday the government signaled its bracing for more The central bank cut its key interest rate after the economy posted its weakest quarter since the beginning of the pandemic. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-01-18/omicron-in-china-new-variant-weakens-xi-jinping-s-covid-policies 19th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The U.S. government will make 400 million nonsurgical N95 masks from its strategic national stockpile available for free to the public starting next week a White House official said marking the Biden administrations latest effort to help curb the COVID19 pandemic. The face masks will be shipped to pharmacies and community health centers this week the official said and available for pickup late next week. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-make-400-million-n95-masks-available-free-fight-covid-19-pandemic-official-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

AlJazeera British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce the easing of COVID19 restrictions in the country in a bid to placate members of the ruling Conservative party as he tries to avert a possible revolt in his own ranks following revelations of parties at his residence during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. Johnsons cabinet will review the current restrictions imposed last month amid an Omicron surge at a meeting on Wednesday according to UK media reports. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/19/uk-pm-johnson-wants-to-relax-covid-limits-amid-threat-to-his-position 19th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

STAT News As another year of pandemic fatigue looms the US is once again in the position of having to decide how to allocate and distribute scarce health care resources from ICU beds to Covid19 drugs. Important mistakes are still being made. In the penultimate week of 2021 the FDA granted emergency use authorization to Paxlovid a twodrug antiviral developed by Pfizer for treating individuals ages 12 and up who test positive for Covid19 and are at high risk for progression to the severe form of the disease. The problem is that there isnt nearly enough Paxlovid to treat the staggering number of people who could benefit from it. https://www.statnews.com/2022/01/19/pharmacies-shouldnt-be-only-place-to-get-paxlovid/ 19th Jan 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters German prosecutors have opened an investigation into the two leaders of the cogoverning Greens Robert Habeck and Annalena Baerbock over alleged special coronavirus payments the party said on Wednesday. Spiegel Online reported the start of the investigation for a possible breach of trust to the detriment of the party over illegal payments of 1500 euros to Greens board members in 2020. The allegations concern the approval of a coronavirus bonus given by board members to themselves in 2020 a spokesperson for Berlin prosecutors was quoted by Spiegel Online as saying. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/german-prosecutors-probe-greens-leaders-over-covid-bonus-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Partisan Exits

The Times GPs say an exodus of staff due to mandatory coronavirus vaccination is a significant concern with the deadline for health workers to have a first jab just over a fortnight away. From April 1 everyone working in health or social care who has direct contact with patients must have had two doses of a coronavirus vaccine. In order to meet the deadline they must have received a first dose by February 3. Vaccination figures for NHS staff working in community settings such as GP surgeries have not been published but figures based on trusts show that more than 10 per cent of staff in some areas are yet to receive a first dose. Across England 5.7 per cent of staff are unvaccinated. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/surgeries-fear-an-exodus-of-gps-as-deadline-for-staff-covid-jabs-nears-660zv3xr2 19th Jan 2022

Partisan Exits

The Independent Police in Germany are investigating thousands of cases of suspected forgery of coronavirus vaccine certificates the dpa news agency reported Wednesday. It cited figures obtained from the countrys 16 states showing more than 12000 police investigations have been opened nationwide. Those who supply or use fake certificates could face severe penalties from fines and suspended prison sentences to losing their jobs. Prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation in one case after a woman used a fake vaccine certificate to continue working at a nursing home despite having family members ill with COVID19 at home. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/police-berlin-covid-b1996036.html 19th Jan 2022

Partisan Exits

The Independent Dozens of Canadian truck drivers have blocked the highway near the USManitoba international border to protest against Covid19 vaccine mandates. Videos shared on social media showed truck drivers carrying Canadian flags and holding a demonstration on the Manitoba Highway 75 which connects the Emerson community in Manitoba with the US city of Pembina in North Dakota. The demonstration slowed down traffic on both sides and caused delays for vehicles both entering and leaving Canada. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/canada-us-border-truckers-vaccine-b1995972.html 19th Jan 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters Museums and concert halls in the Netherlands opened briefly on Wednesday to protest at their continued closure under a COVID19 lockdown offering yoga sessions in front of paintings by Dutch masters and haircuts to the swell of a live symphony orchestra. The Netherlands eased a monthlong lockdown last weekend allowing gyms hair dressers and shops to reopen. But cultural venues were ordered to remained closed to the public until at least Jan. 25. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/dutch-museums-concert-halls-open-briefly-protest-covid-19-lockdown-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Continued Lockdown

Reuters Switzerland will extend until the end of February coronavirus quarantine and mandatory workfromhome rules and tentatively plans to keep until the end of March other curbs on public life it tightened last month the government said on Wednesday. Those measures included the need for people to prove they have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID19 to gain entry to many indoor venues as the cabinet tries to avoid another lockdown while COVID19 cases spike. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/swiss-cabinet-extends-quarantine-work-from-home-rules-into-february-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Pharmaceutical Technology Merck MSD and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics have entered a supply agreement with the United Nations Childrens Fund UNICEF to aid in wider worldwide access for investigational oral antiviral molnupiravir for Covid19. According to the longterm deal Merck will allocate up to three million courses of the oral antiviral to UNICEF for supply in over 100 low and middleincome nations during the first half of this year on obtaining regulatory authorisations. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/merck-ridgeback-unicef-molnupiravir/ 19th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters There is no evidence at present that healthy children and adolescents need booster doses of COVID19 vaccine the World Health Organizations chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Tuesday. Speaking at a news briefing she said that while there seems to be some waning of vaccine immunity over time against the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus more research needs to be done to ascertain who needs booster doses. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-says-no-evidence-healthy-children-adolecents-need-covid-19-boosters-2022-01-18/ 19th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters People with mild COVID19 who do not suffer any other traditional long COVID symptoms can still exhibit deteriorated attention and memory six to nine months after infection a study by Britains Oxford University has found. Cognitive issues impacting concentration levels along with forgetfulness and fatigue are features of long COVID a condition that afflicts some after an initial bout of infection but it has not been established how widespread issues with attention span might be following COVID19 infection. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/mild-covid-cases-still-lead-attention-memory-issues-study-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Wall Street Journal Authorities ordered some 2000 hamsters in Hong Kong to be killed over concerns that the animals may have transmitted Covid19 to humans one of the citys latest measures to try to stamp out a fresh outbreak. Under the latest order authorities will cull the animals at almost three dozen pet shops across the city including a store selling small animals linked to two recent Covid19 infections in the city. One of the two infections was an employee at the pet store while another was a recent visitor to the store authorities said. Health chiefs said the order was being made out of prudence as there was no international evidence that pets can transmit the Covid19 to humans. https://www.wsj.com/articles/hong-kong-orders-2-000-hamsters-to-be-killed-after-pet-shop-covid-19-cases-11642518762 19th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Wall Street Journal At Rush University Medical Center nurses still talk about their feelings of guilt from the early months of treating Covid19 patients. How they hadnt known how to best treat desperate patients. How worried they were about bringing Covid19 home to their families. Except now they report having more mental and emotional tools at their disposal than they did at the beginning of the pandemic thanks in large part to the work of Mark Schimmelpfennig a hospital chaplain who is also an Army veteran. Mr. Schimmelpfennig months ago noticed that phrases nurses were using in conversation sounded like what he had heard from troops who had served in combat zones. The same techniques veterans use to wrestle with combat trauma also could be used by the healthcare profession he said. https://www.wsj.com/articles/to-help-battle-covid-19-a-hospital-borrows-tactics-from-combat-veterans-11642588203 19th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters More people in hospital with COVID are there for other reasons. Italian regions want to overhaul way admissions counted. ICU occupancy may better reflect severity scientist says. Omicron still putting hospitals under pressure doctors warn https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/are-hospital-admissions-still-best-way-gauge-covid-crisis-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CIDRAP A new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies CSIS comments on the ineffectual and fragmented US COVID19 pandemic responses thus far and recommends eight steps to manage the ongoing crisis amid variant fatigue inflation and supply chain disruptions. CSIS a bipartisan nonprofit policy research organization based in Washington DC said it issued the recommendations to secure US global leadership in the next phase of the pandemic response. Among the steps recommended in the 2022 is the year of decision report are to launch a US international pandemic readiness project and to appoint a presidential global health security envoy. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/01/report-outlines-8-steps-current-future-pandemics 19th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

STAT News When the pandemic hit technology companies pledged to do their part by cracking open their secretive datasets and letting public health researchers mine it for clues about how to bring Covid19 under control. Two years in its clear that big data isnt the panacea theyd hoped for. In part thats because the pandemic has stretched far longer than most anticipated. But as Andrew Schroeder a coleader of the Covid19 Mobility Data Network lay out in an opinion published in PLOS Digital Health its also because public health goals ran headlong into the business interests of the companies that provided their data for analysis including Facebook and a cluster of adtech firms that tie clicks to location data. https://www.statnews.com/2022/01/18/big-data-covid-public-health/ 18th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Deutsche Welle Nepals health ministry on Tuesday reported an alltime daily high of over 10200 new COVID19 infections showing that the virus has retuned in force.The tally tops the previous high of over 9300 daily cases in May 2021 when the delta variant tore through South Asia. The capital Kathmandu and the surrounding valley is the current coronavirus hotspot with health officials in that region reporting more than half the total of current daily cases. Virologists estimate that the true number of infections could be much higher than the reported figure as many people remain without proper access to health care adding that the omicron variant is likely driving the high infection numbers. https://www.dw.com/en/nepal-faces-a-new-omicron-fueled-coronavirus-surge/a-60481393 19th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Sky News COVID19 infection levels dropped last week in all nations of the United Kingdom except Northern Ireland the Office for National Statistics ONS has said. Its data suggests the latest wave of coronavirus with the dominant Omicron variant may have peaked. The figures cover people in private households estimated to have had COVID19 in the seven days to 15 January. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-infections-falling-in-three-of-the-four-uk-nations-says-ons-12519987 19th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Bulgaria reported a record 11181 coronavirus infections in a single day on Wednesday official data showed dominated by the more contagious Omicron variant. The European Union nation where less than 30 of the population of 7 million has been vaccinated added 91 deaths. Bulgarias tally of infections exceeds 840000 with 32332 deaths since the pandemic began. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/bulgaria-posts-record-more-than-11000-daily-covid-19-cases-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Germany reported a record 112323 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday after the health minister said the peak had not been reached yet and compulsory vaccination should be introduced by May. Germany also recorded 239 deaths in the space of 24 hours for a cumulative total of 116081 the Robert Koch Institute RKI for infectious disease said. Despite the new record Germanys association for intensive care medicine DIVI said the number of COVID19 patients in intensive care units was falling. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-surpasses-100000-daily-covid-19-cases-first-time-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Japan on Wednesday widened COVID19 curbs to the capital Tokyo and a dozen regions covering half the population as the Omicron variant of coronavirus drove record new infections. Already in effect in three regions the measures set to run from Friday until Feb. 13 were made official by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida after getting the signoff from an expert panel earlier in the day. We are battling against an unknown virus and I hope that we can overcome this situation with sufficient preparation and without excessive fear Kishida said. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-poised-widen-covid-19-controls-omicron-drives-record-infections-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg Omicrons grip on the U.K. economy is weakening with falling Covid19 case numbers mirrored by a drop in worker absences during the second week of January. The estimated number of people missing work in the U.K. from Jan. 10 through Jan. 16 stood at almost 2.7 million a 3 decrease from a year earlier and down from 3.1 million in the first week of this year according to data from GoodShape which tracks workrelated illness and wellbeing at U.K. employers. The lower level of absence meant the U.K. economy lost 112 million pounds 152 million less compared to the same period in 2021 GoodShape estimates showed. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-19/worker-absences-in-u-k-fall-in-sign-of-omicron-wave-ebbing-away 19th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Brazil reported a record 137103 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours as the Omicron variant spreadsin the South American country the Health Ministry said on Tuesday. The number of deaths has also risen to 351 reported on Tuesday the highest number since midNovember. With the highly transmissible Omicron becoming the dominant variant in the country new cases have soared above the previous daily record of 115228 on June 23 last year. Brazil has now registered 23211894 cases since the pandemic began in 2020 while the official death toll has risen to 621517 according to ministry data. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazil-reports-351-covid-19-deaths-highest-daily-toll-since-nov-17-ministry-2022-01-18/ 19th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Vietnam has recorded its first cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in the community state media reported on Wednesday as health authorities urged people to increase their vigilancedue to the threat from the variant. The three positive cases were detected over the weekend in Ho Chi Minh City and confirmed as Omicron late on Tuesday the Tien Phong Newspaper reported citing health authorities. The Southeast Asian country had previously detected more than 70 cases of the highly transmissible variant among quarantined people entering Vietnam from overseas. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/vietnam-detects-first-omicron-cases-community-state-media-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters India reported new coronavirus infections at an eightmonth high on Wednesday and a government scientist warned it will take weeks before data on hospitalisations and deaths will show how severe the latest wave driven by the Omicron variant will be. The federal authorities have said Omicron was causing fewer hospitalisations and deaths than the Delta variant which killed hundreds of thousands last year. But Tarun Bhatnagar from the ICMRNational Institute of Epidemiology in Chennai said the impact of the current runup in infections will show up with a lag. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-new-covid-19-cases-hit-eight-month-high-full-impact-weeks-away-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Germany reported 112323 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday a fresh singleday record as the health minister said the peak had not been reached and compulsory vaccination should be introduced by May. Germanys tally of COVID19 infections now stands at 8186850 the Robert Koch Institute RKI for infectious disease said. The death toll also rose by 239 on Wednesday to reach 116081. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said he expected the wave to peak in a few weeks as the highly infectious Omicron variant brought Germanys sevenday incidence rate to 584.4 cases per 100000 people. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-surpasses-100000-daily-covid-19-cases-first-time-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Polish state employees will move to remote working and private sector companies should follow suit as the country faces another surge in daily COVID19 cases driven by the Omicron variant that could soon top 50000 the health minister said. Poland reported more than 30000 daily cases on Wednesday for the first time since April intensifying debate over whether stricter restrictions on public life are needed. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/polands-daily-covid-cases-could-top-50000-next-week-minister-says-2022-01-19/ 19th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

AlJazeera Nurses in New South Wales home to a third of Australias nearly 26 million people are coming under increasing pressure as an Omicronfuelled wave of COVID19 sweeps across the state. Senior Intensive Care Unit ICU nurse Michelle Rosentreter who is also a member of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association NSWMWA says the variant has doubled the number of patients in ICU and quadrupled the number on the wards. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/19/scarred-for-life-australia-covid-wave-heaps-pressure-on-nurses 19th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Associated Press The fastmoving omicron variant may cause less severe disease on average but COVID19 deaths in the U.S. are climbing and modelers forecast 50000 to 300000 more Americans could die by the time the wave subsides in midMarch. The sevenday rolling average for daily new COVID19 deaths in the U.S. has been trending upward since midNovember reaching nearly 1700 on Jan. 17 still below the peak of 3300 in January 2021. COVID19 deaths among nursing home residents started rising slightly two weeks ago although still at a rate 10 times less than last year before most residents were vaccinated. Despite signs omicron causes milder disease on average the unprecedented level of infection spreading through the country with cases still soaring in many states means many vulnerable people will become severely sick. If the higher end of projections comes to pass that would push total U.S. deaths from COVID19 over 1 million by early spring. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-omicron-covid-19-deaths-08f8db29985b992d5ef98ccfa1459eb7 18th Jan 2022