14th Mar 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=618 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Reuters.com Australia has been able to stop an incursion by Beijing into the Pacific islands by talking with leaders there weekly and offering vaccine aid Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday. Concern over Chinas military ambitions for the region after it provided police and riot equipment to the Solomon Islands prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to last month announce Washington would open a Solomon Islands embassy. Morrison said China had been very clear about aspirations to build a military base in the Pacific islands but this had not occurred. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-vaccine-diplomacy-pacific-islands-wards-off-beijing-pm-morrison-2022-03-13/ 13th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian If anything about the UKs response to Covid19 was worldbeating it was our surveillance system. From the World Health Organization to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC public health teams around the world have praised the UKs infectiontracking capability and used our data to plan their own pandemic measures. Despite this health ministers have cancelled future funding for the React1 study and other research projects. The decision has been met with dismay among leading scientists and researchers worldwide who have questioned the UKs ability to respond to future Covid threats. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/12/dismay-as-funding-for-uks-world-beating-covid-trackers-is-axed 12th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

CNBC Africa Kenya lifted its remaining COVID19 restrictions on Friday including a ban on large indoor gatherings such as religious services and a requirement to present a negative COVID19 test for arriving air passengers. Though Kenyans should continue heeding public health measures such as handwashing and social distancing face masks are no longer mandatory in public and all quarantine measures for confirmed COVID19 cases are halted with immediate effect Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe told a news conference. https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/kenya-lifts-remaining-covid-restrictions%ef%bf%bc/ 12th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC said some 98 of the U.S. population live in locations where COVID19 levels are low enough that people do not need to wear masks indoors. The CDC on Feb. 25 dramatically eased its COVID19 guidelines for when Americans should wear masks indoors saying they could drop them in counties experiencing what it described as low or medium COVID19 levels https://www.reuters.com/world/us/98-us-population-can-ditch-masks-covid-eases-cdc-2022-03-10/ 12th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Switzerland has secured at least 14 million doses of COVID19 vaccines for 2023 the government said on Friday. For 2023 in addition to the seven million doses of PfizerBioNTech vaccine already purchased the Federal Council has decided to also procure seven million doses from Moderna. At the same time Switzerland has options to be exercised only if needed to procure a further seven million vaccine doses from each provider it said in a statement. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/swiss-secure-covid-19-vaccines-2023-2022-03-11/ 12th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Sky News Public hearings for the inquiry into the governments handling of the coronavirus pandemic are not set to begin until next year raising the possibility that its findings wont be published before the next election. The revelation came in an open letter to the public from Baroness Hallett the chair of the inquiry. She said representatives of the inquiry will visit towns and cities across the UK over the next few weeks to meet with people affected by COVID19. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-official-pandemic-inquirys-public-hearings-set-to-begin-in-2023-12563133 12th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Britain on Thursday outlined the terms of reference of its planned inquiry into the COVID19 pandemic looking into the preparedness of the country as well as the public health and economic response to the coronavirus. Britain has recorded 19.3 million COVID19 infections and 162000 deaths the seventh highest fatality total globally and Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been criticised for mishandling Englands three national lockdowns. He has promised an inquiry into the pandemic chaired by judge Heather Hallett. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britain-outlines-terms-covid-19-inquiry-2022-03-10/ 12th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian Ministers should consider extending the plan to give a fourth dose of Covid vaccines to older people because of evidence of waning immunity scientists say. The number of people being admitted to hospital with Covid began rising last week and on 9 March 1521 were admitted in England the highest number since the end of January. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that one in 25 people or 3.8 of Englands population was infected on 5 March and research by the React1 study indicated that cases are rising in those aged 55 and over. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/12/call-to-offer-more-people-fourth-jab-as-covid-rises-in-england 12th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Friday the U.S. economy is better prepared to weather economic turbulence from Russias invasion of Ukraine because of the 1.9 trillion COVID19 aid package passed a year ago. Yellen speaking at a Denver social services agency on the first anniversary of the American Rescue Plan ARP said the United States is now much better able to withstand unforeseen crises such as the war in Ukraine than it was a year ago. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/yellen-covid-19-aid-funds-will-help-us-withstand-ukraine-war-economic-turmoil-2022-03-11/ 12th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters China has granted approval to five COVID19 antigen kits made by local companies to be used for selftesting state broadcaster CCTV said on Saturday as it tweaks its testing regime that has been pressured by Omicron. Chinas National Medical Products Administration NMPA published a notice saying Beijing Huaketai Biotechnology had been allowed to make changes to its COVID19 antigen test kits device certificate. It published a similar approval for four other companies Nanjing Vazyme Biotech Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech Beijing Jinwofu Bioengineering Technology and a BGI Genomics subsidiary Shenzhen Huada Yinyuan Pharmaceutical Technology on Saturday. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-approves-five-covid-19-antigen-kits-self-testing-cctv-2022-03-12/ 12th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Hong Kong reported 27647 new COVID19 cases on Saturday with city leader Carrie Lam saying the outbreak was not yet past its peak despite recent daily case numbers slightly levelling off. Health authorities reported 27647 new positive cases in Hong Kong on Saturday versus 29381 new infections on Friday read more and 31402 new cases on Thursday. 198 new deaths were also reported in the past 24 hours. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/hong-kong-leader-says-city-is-not-yet-past-covid-peak-2022-03-12/ 12th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Al Jazeera English On March 11 2020 the director general of the World Health Organization WHO warned of alarming levels of inaction from governments as he declared that the COVID19 outbreak had become a pandemic. Two years on with a number of highly effective vaccines we have the tools needed to end this pandemic. But the complacency of some governments has only become worse. Politicians in rich countries are trying to move on from the pandemic to manipulate the emotional fatigue of the public and tell them what they want to hear that this pandemic is over. They want to pretend that COVID19 is a problem of the past a problem for poorer countries. That notion is as reckless as it is false. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/3/11/two-years-on-complacency-still-plagues-global-covid-19-response 14th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Article reports that former U.S. President Barack Obama said on Sunday he had tested positive for COVID19 and was feeling fine other than a scratchy throat. Ive had a scratchy throat for a couple days but am feeling fine otherwise Obama wrote on Twitter. Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted and she has tested negative. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/former-us-president-obama-tests-positive-covid-19-2022-03-13/ 14th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Al Jazeera English China has placed about 17 million residents under lockdown as virus cases doubled nationwide to nearly 3400 and anxiety mounted over the resilience of its zeroCovid approach in the face of the worst outbreak in two years. The southern tech hub of Shenzhen home to about 13 million people told all residents to stay at home as it struggles to eradicate an Omicron flareup linked to the neighbouring virusravaged city of Hong Kong. The lockdown and a suspension of public transport will last until March 20 a city government notice said adding that it would launch three rounds of mass testing. A nationwide surge in cases has seen authorities close schools in Shanghai Chinas biggest city and lock down northeastern cities as almost 18 provinces battle clusters of the Omicron and Delta variants. The city of Jilin centre of the outbreak in the northeast was partially locked down on Saturday while residents of Yanji an urban area of nearly 700000 bordering North Korea were confined to their homes on Sunday. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/13/china-announces-new-curbs-amid-worst-covid-outbreak-in-two-years 13th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The Philippines has approved the emergency use of Paxlovid Pfizers COVID19 drug the countrys food and drug agency said on Friday. It is the third COVID19 drug approved by the agency for emergency use after Roches antibody cocktail and Mercks treatment pill. Paxlovid can be used to treat adult patients who do not require supplemental oxygen and who are at increased risk for severe infection the agency said. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/philippines-approves-emergency-use-pfizers-covid-19-drug-paxlovid-2022-03-11/ 12th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Japan is considering offering a fourth coronavirus vaccine shot later this year a newspaper reported on Friday while a government spokesman said a decision would be made based on the severity of the pandemic. The Yomiuri daily said if a decision was made to give a fourth shot they would likely be vaccines supplied by Pfizer and Moderna and they could be offered this summer. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/japan-considers-offering-4th-covid-vaccine-shot-summer-yomiuri-2022-03-11/ 12th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters France is to start offering a fourth COVID19 vaccination shot to people over 80 years old who had their previous booster dose more than three months ago French Prime Minister Jean Castex told daily Le Parisien in an interview published on Saturday. The prime minister had said in January that France was ready to launch a campaign for fourth vaccine shots or second booster as soon as health authorities gave the green light. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-launch-fourth-covid-shot-over-80s-pm-says-2022-03-12/ 12th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

The Guardian Britains economy bounced back from the effects of the Omicron Covid variant at a faster pace than expected during January as consumers returned to eating and drinking out in pubs and restaurants. The Office for National Statistics ONS said all sectors of the economy returned to growth helping to lift gross domestic product by 0.8 in January from a month earlier fuelled by a rise in consumerfacing services. GDP was estimated to be 0.8 above its prepandemic level reflecting a weaker impact on the economy than expected after the emergence of the Omicron variant led to a sharp rise in coronavirus infections. City economists had forecast a slower growth rate of 0.2. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/mar/11/uk-economy-bounces-back-from-omicron-as-more-people-dine-out-gdp 12th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Mainland China reported more than 1500 new local COVID19 infections on Saturday the most since the first nationwide outbreak in early 2020 as the Omicron variant prompted Beijing to introduce selftesting kits for the first time. Chinas current case count is far fewer than those of many other countries but the growing number could complicate Beijings dynamicclearance ambition to suppress contagion as quickly as possible. Beijing has ordered its localities to stick to the dynamic clearing policy and to prevent a largescale rebound prompting several cities to take measures such as cancelling group events launching rounds of mass testing and cutting facetoface classes in school. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/china-daily-local-covid-cases-hit-two-year-high-over-1500-2022-03-12/ 12th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Among the resources President Xi Jinping has deployed to arrest surging Covid deaths in Hong Kong is the Communist Partys pandemic fighter a 71yearold woman whose career at the neartop illuminates the glass ceiling in the worlds most populous country. Sun Chunlan is the only female vice premier in Chinas entrenched patriarchy the sole woman on its powerful 25member Politburo and more recently the top official overseeing its pandemic control. Now shes been marshaled to help across the Hong Kong border local media including the South China Morning Post have reported. Unlike the nice guy cadres Xi derides for failing to act Suns pandemic response has been portrayed in state media as decisive. After Xian hospitals left nonCovid patients to die during a lockdown this year she ordered medics on the ground to not turn away patients under any excuse. When Covid19 emerged in Wuhan the septuagenarian spent almost 100 days there without vaccines helping authorities isolate each case a strategy pivotal to Beijings unparalleled success in holding back the virus. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-11/top-china-covid-fighter-is-woman-who-hit-party-s-glass-ceiling?utm_source=google&amputm_medium=bd&ampcmpId=google 11th Mar 2022

Partisan Exits

Kent Online Over the space of seven days they have increased 42.9 with 7752 new cases recorded. About one in 10 cases are among people who have been reinfected according to government stats as health chiefs say there is an increasing presence of a subvariant of Omicron. The biggest rise in infections has occurred in Swale up 70.7. There has also been a 60 spike in Dartford and a rise of 55 in Ashford. But weekly case numbers are still much lower than when the Omicron variant peaked in Kent in late December when 18330 infections were recorded. https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/the-kent-district-where-covid-cases-are-up-70-in-a-week-263841/ 12th Mar 2022

Partisan Exits

Metro.co.uk Prince Harry and Meghan have lambasted the UK and other wealthy countries for not lifting intellectual property rules so more Covid vaccines can be distributed. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed an open letter labelling the worlds approach to the pandemic as immoral entirely selfdefeating and also an ethical economic and epidemiological failure. The letter coordinated by the Peoples Vaccine had over 130 influential signatures including former UN secretary general Ban KiMoon actor Charlize Theron and former Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko. The coalition works to make coronavirus vaccines tests and treatments freely available to everyone everywhere. https://metro.co.uk/2022/03/12/prince-harry-and-meghan-slam-uk-over-immoral-approach-to-vaccines-16262762/ 12th Mar 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters Australias Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the nations political leaders want to move to a new phase of living with COVID19 as though it were the flu but would consult health experts. A day after meeting with the national cabinet of state and federal leaders Morrison told reporters on Saturday morning they had discussed moving to Phase D of the national pandemic response plan. Our airports are open again international arrivals can come there are waivers now on quarantine for people returning so we are pretty much in Phase D he said. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-nears-living-with-covid-like-flu-pm-morrison-2022-03-12/ 12th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Independent A fresh reminder that the pandemic is not yet over comes as new Covid19 variant Deltacron is officially identified with cases confirmed in France and the US. Here is everything you need to know about the new Covid variant. What is Deltacron Deltacron is a Covid variant that is made up of elements from both Delta and Omicron. It contains genes from both of these previous variants which makes it a recombinant virus. This is when the genetic material from more than one origin is combined in other words when someone is infected with two variants at the same time and their cells then replicate together. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/deltacron-covid-variant-pandemic-b2034386.html 12th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters An experimental vaccine developed by GeoVax Labs Inc succeeded in promoting development of antibodies that target two different sites on the virus in a small pilot study and has been advanced to midstage clinical trials researchers reported. Like currently available COVID19 vaccines GeoVaxs GEOCM04S1 induces immune responses that target the spike protein on the surface of the virus. But it also targets the nucleocapsid or body of the virus. In the study reported on Wednesday in The Lancet Microbe 56 volunteers received the vaccine which uses a modified version of a harmless virus to deliver instructions to the immune system. Overall 94 developed antibodies against the spike and the nucleocapsid protein according to the research team from City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte California. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/geovax-vaccine-targeting-virus-two-places-shows-promise-virus-may-become-2022-03-11/ 12th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Valneva now expects a positive recommendation from the European Medicines Agency EMA in April for its VLA2001 COVID19 candidate vaccine the French vaccine maker said on Friday compared to an earlier target for the end of March. Following such conditional approval the company would expect to start delivering planned doses of VLA2001 to European countries in the second quarter of 2022 said Valneva. It cited a a small set of additional questions from the EMA as reason for the delay adding it was set to respond within days. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/valneva-now-expects-recommendation-covid-19-vaccine-by-april-2022-03-11/ 12th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Omega Diagnostics Group Plc said on Friday its COVID19 antigen test kit had not been approved by the UK health security agency and the product would not be available for sale in the country sending its shares tumbling more than 20. Late last year a new review system came into force under which COVID19 test suppliers had to submit information on comparator tests for their products for a desktop review if they wished to remain on sale in Britain. Omega said some data submitted before the new review had to be excluded in the latest evaluation as they did not meet the sensitivity requirements leading to insufficient data for an approval. It added that no further tests were planned at this time. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/omega-diagnostics-covid-test-rejected-sale-uk-shares-fall-2022-03-11/ 12th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The estimated range of Englands COVID19 reproduction R number is between 0.8 and 1.1 the UK Health Security Agency said on Friday adding that daily cases could be growing each day. An R number between 0.8 and 1.1 means that for every 10 people infected they will on average infect between 8 and 11 other people. The previous weeks range was 0.8 to 1.0. The daily growth of infections was 2 to 2 compared to an estimated range of between 4 to 1 last week. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/englands-covid-r-number-rises-cases-could-be-growing-2022-03-11/ 12th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters A drug once hailed as Japans biggest contribution in the global fight against COVID19 suffered another setback on Friday as Fujifilm Holdings Corp said it was halting enrolment in a clinical trial of the pill Avigan. The emergence of the Omicron variant of coronavirus which usually causes milder infections made it tough to determine the drugs effectiveness in preventing severe symptoms the company said in a statement. Clinical data from patients already enrolled in the trial will continue to be analysed it said. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/japans-fujifilm-says-terminate-enrollment-avigan-trial-covid-19-2022-03-11/ 11th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian Gisaid says the variant has been identified in several regions of France and appears to have been circulating since the start of the year. Genomes with a similar profile have been also identified in Denmark and the Netherlands Gisaid says. There have also been reports of Deltacron being detected in the US and about 30 cases have been detected in the UK according to the UK Health Security Agency UKHSA. The i newspaper said the first cases of persontoperson transmission of Deltacron in the UK were expected to be confirmed this week. Dr Etienne SimonLoriere of the Institut Pasteur cautioned that there could be several different recombinant viruses formed from Delta and Omicron. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/11/what-is-deltacron-covid-variant-uk 11th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Al Jazeera English For Catherine Noakes a scientist who studies how pathogens move in the built environment the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic were punctuated with a foreboding sense of frustration. That frustration was rooted in the readily accepted assumption that COVID19 was not spreading through the air via microscopic particles called aerosols but predominantly through larger respiratory droplets expelled among people in close proximity and falling quickly on nearby surfaces. The World Health Organization WHO which sets the tone for many nations early on denied COVID19 was spreading through these tiny aerosols suspended in air. As evidence mounted alongside pressure from scientists like Noakes the agency eventually acknowledged the possibility of airborne transmission but continued to downplay its significance in favour of droplets placing a heavy emphasis on handwashing and disinfecting surfaces instead of more stringent measures. Then as evidence suggesting the virus behind COVID19 was primarily airborne grew to be overwhelming the agency finally admitted in December 2021 that the virus could indeed be spreading via aerosols. https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/3/11/two-years-of-covid-the-battle-to-accept-airborne-transmission 11th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian Australian virologists have uncovered a drugresistant mutation in the Covid19 virus associated with the drug sotrovimab and say without the monitoring of patients given the treatment the mutated virus could spread in the community. The worldfirst findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday are the result of an analysis of the first 100 patients in western Sydney during the Delta outbreak in 2021 to be given sotrovimab. Sotrovimab is a monoclonal antibody that is available in many countries to treat vulnerable patients who are at risk of severe disease and death due to Covid19 infection. Sotrovimab must be administered via infusion within the first five days of Covid19 infection and prevents Covid19 symptoms from becoming severe. It is one of the few humanengineered monoclonal antibodies that can target Omicron. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/10/covid-treatment-sotrovimab-can-cause-drug-resistant-mutation-study-finds 10th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Newshub The number of people with COVID19 who have died in New Zealand has now reached 105 with 14 deaths reported in the past two days. There are more than 206000 active cases of COVID19 in the community https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2022/03/coronavirus-new-zealand-covid-death-toll-spikes-to-105-as-people-losing-years-of-a-potential-healthy-life.html 12th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

ABC News Western Australia has recorded another 4300 COVID19 cases with 103 people in hospital. WA Health Minister AmberJade Sanderson said five people were in ICU on Friday night but three had since been released. Of the positive cases 2339 were detected with PCR tests and 1961 were the result of selfreported positive RATs. The number of active cases in the state has risen to 22757. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-12/wa-records-4300-new-covid-19-cases/100905374 12th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Asia passed the grim milestone of 1 million coronaviruslinked deaths on Friday a Reuters tally showed as a spike in Omicron variant infections spreads across the region after starting in nations such as Japan and South Korea. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/asias-covid-deaths-surpass-1-million-reuters-tally-2022-03-11/ 12th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters South Korea reported a new record daily high of 383665 COVID19 cases the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Saturday amid a surge of Omicron infections. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-reports-record-high-383665-new-covid-19-cases-kdca-2022-03-12/ 12th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Hong Kong health authorities reported 29381 new COVID19 infections on Friday of which 10493 were confirmed via a selfreporting platform where people can register positive results of rapid antigen tests. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/hong-kong-reports-29381-new-covid-cases-friday-2022-03-11/ 12th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters New COVID19 infections in France rose by more than 25 on Friday compared to a week ago after rising more than 24 on Thursday as a downward trend that had started late January reversed. The health ministry registered 72399 new infections on Friday while the sevenday moving average of new infections also rose for the fourth day in a row by nearly 16 to more than 60000. New hospitalisations with COVID19 which tend to lag new cases by about two weeks continued falling by 7 to just over 21000. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/french-covid-19-infections-again-up-25-week-on-week-trend-upward-again-2022-03-11/ 12th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Englands COVID19 prevalence rose to 1 in 25 in the week ending March 5 Britains Office for National Statistics ONS said on Friday up from 1 in 30 recorded the previous week. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/englands-covid-19-prevalence-rises-ons-2022-03-11/ 12th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

York Press As the Covid rate soars in York the age groups being most affected by the coronavirus have been revealed. City of York Councils latest Covid data tracker report says people aged between 30 and 49 are currently experiencing the highest Covid infection rate. It says people aged 40 to 44 had the highest rate of new cases in the week to March 5 with a rate of 801 per 100000 population. The next hardest hit groups were people aged 4549 who had a rate of 655 people aged 3539 with a rate of 561 and people aged 3034 with a rate of 547. The rate for people aged 60 was 392.7. The council ward with the highest rate was Wheldrake with a rate of 695.8 per 100000 and the lowest rate was 257.5 in Clifton. https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/19988625.age-groups-hardest-hit-covid-york-revealed/ 12th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC News Covid infections are increasing across the UK with about one in 25 people infected according to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics ONS. In Scotland 300000 people one in 18 have coronavirus the highest level recorded during the pandemic. A subvariant of Omicron called BA.2 is now thought to be the most common strain in most of the UK. The ONS says its too early to say whats behind the rise in cases. But some scientists believe the BA.2 variants increased transmissibility recent easing of restrictions and waning immunity from the vaccines could all be factors. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-60709712 12th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Guardian One in 25 people in England had Covid last week figures show causing a rise in the rates of hospital admissions. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics based on swabs from randomly selected households reveal an estimated 2073900 people in the community in England had Covid in the week ending 5 March equating to 3.8 of the population or about one in 25 people. The week before the figure was about one in 30. In Scotland the latest ONS figures suggest about one in 18 had Covid in the most recent week continuing a rise in prevalence while in Northern Ireland and Wales it was one in 13 and one in 30 respectively suggesting infection levels are increasing in all countries in the UK. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/11/covid-cases-england-omicron-levels-ons-data 11th Mar 2022

New Lockdown

Sky News A city of 17.5 million people in China has gone into lockdown after a spike in coronavirus cases in neighbouring Hong Kong. Everyone in the business centre of Shenzhen will undergo three rounds of COVID19 testing after 60 new cases were reported on Sunday. All businesses except those providing essential goods such as food and fuel have been ordered to shut or operate from home. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-chinese-city-of-shenzhen-goes-into-lockdown-after-surge-in-hong-kong-coronavirus-cases-12565314 11th Mar 2022