31st Mar 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=632 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Daily Mail President Joe Biden will receive his second COVID19 booster shot Wednesday afternoon. On Tuesday the Food and Drug Administration approved a fourth dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines for Americans over age 50. Immunocompromised adults over 12 could get a fourth Pfizer dose while those 18 and older could get a fourth Moderna shot. Biden received his original Pfizer booster in late September rolling up his sleeve in the White House complexs South Court Auditorium. Hell use the same venue Wednesday for his second booster shot receiving the dose after delivering a COVID19 update to the American people https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10668847/Biden-79-receive-second-booster-today.html 30th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg The case of Australias rabbits is particularly instructive. European rabbits brought to Australia by humans overran the country and devoured its farmland. In a desperate attempt to remedy the problem scientists working with the Australian government released a virus called myxoma which is endemic to other animals and was thought to be unlikely to make a jump to humans. It was the biggest most devastating outbreak of virus for any vertebrate that we know of says Andrew Read a Penn State University evolutionary biologist who studies pathogens and their hosts. The virus was extremely virulent it killed 99.9 of rabbits. But a few rabbits carried a winning combination of genes that allowed them to survive the attack. Their descendants armed with better resistance allowed the species to bounce back though the rabbits have never reached their previously copious numbers. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-03-30/is-covid-over-probably-not-just-ask-australian-rabbits 30th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Switzerland is lifting the remaining pandemicrelated restrictions pushing ahead with a plan to return to normal life after two years. A mask mandate on public transport and in healthcare facilities will be abandoned as of April 1 the Swiss government said Wednesday. People who test positive will also no longer have to adhere to a fiveday isolation period. The move comes after the more transmissible BA.2 subvariant of omicron led to a resurgence of cases across Europe though authorities have shrugged off the increase as it has had a less severe impact on hospitals. Switzerland had already scrapped most of its safety measures in February including a workfromhome recommendation and the need for Coviddocumentation to enter the country. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-30/switzerland-abandons-last-covid-restrictions-to-return-to-normal 30th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg More than half of Americans may have never had Covid according to U.S. government data leaving scientists wondering whether those whove avoided the novel coronavirus might actually be immune to the virus altogether. This could offer new clues into how to attack Covid. At this stage in the pandemic people may be immune due to vaccines a past infection or a combination of both. Theres also evidence that in rare instances some people may be Covidimmune without infection or vaccination at all. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-30/never-had-covid-you-may-hold-key-to-beating-the-virus 30th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Shanghai on Wednesday extended its shut downs to some western parts of the city earlier than scheduled as it reported a total of 5982 new local cases. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/shanghai-expands-lockdown-more-areas-new-local-cases-hit-5982-2022-03-30/ 30th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Washington Post Atul Gawande who leads global health and is cochair of the Covid19 Task Force at the U.S. Agency for International Development writes The global battle against covid19 is not done. Instead the challenge has changed. The lowestincome countries where vaccinations have reached less than 15 percent of people are now declining free vaccine supply because they dont have the capacity to get shots in arms fast enough. We must therefore not just provide an arsenal to protect our allies against future variants we must also provide the support they need to ramp up their vaccination campaigns. That effort requires money and despite generously funding our covid19 response up to this point Congress is now failing to provide the resources we need. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/03/30/failure-to-fund-covid-response-bodes-serious-trouble-global-vaccination/ 30th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Wall Street Journal The Covid19 wave that is tearing through South Korea is the largest that any developed country has experienced reaching three times the number of new daily cases per capita than previous peaks in the U.S. and the U.K. Yet South Korea has all but given up on trying to stop the spread of the virus. Health officials recently called such a mass outbreak necessary. It was a test of faith for a health systemand a populationahead of a new pandemic target downgrading Covid19 from the riskiest category of infectious disease. https://www.wsj.com/articles/despite-high-covid-19-case-counts-asian-nations-learn-to-live-with-the-virus-11648643055 30th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Britain may be wasting nearly 3 billion pounds 3.94 billion on contracts for COVID19 gear that have not given value for money with millions spent each month storing unneeded and sometimes outofdate kit a watchdog said on Wednesday. The report by the parliamentsupervised National Audit Office NAO will fuel opposition claims that Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government was wasteful and nepotistic in its allocation of huge contracts during the twoyear pandemic. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britain-may-be-wasting-nearly-3-billion-pounds-covid-gear-2022-03-29/ 30th Mar 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Switzerland will lift the last of its remaining COVID19 restrictions from Friday the government said on Wednesday as the country seeks to live with the virus. The obligation to wear a mask on public transport and at health facilities as well as the requirement to selfisolate for five days after a positive test will be removed the government said. Responsibility for containing the virus will be handed to local authorities it added with a phase of heightened vigilance planned over the next 12 months. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/swiss-lift-last-covid-19-restrictions-april-1-2022-03-30/ 30th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Frustrated and locked down residents of Shanghai have taken to social media to vent questioning the practicality of persisting with Chinas zerotolerance approach to COVID19 in its most populous city. In the home to 26 million people videos and images of crowded quarantine centres were shared as authorities extended lockdown from the east of the city to parts of the west posting calls for help with medical treatment and purchasing food. One video widely shared on Chinese social media featured an angry exchange between a group of patients and hazmat suitclad healthcare workers at the vast Shanghai World Expo Center temporarily converted into a giant quarantine facility. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/we-demand-an-explanation-shanghai-residents-vent-covid-lockdown-irritation-2022-03-30/ 30th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

abc.net.au Unvaccinated teachers and school staff in South Australia as well as public transport workers and taxi and rideshare drivers will be able to return to work tomorrow. Vaccine mandates on workers in the school and passenger transport sectors will lift at midnight Police Commissioner Grant Stevens announced. Both sectors have faced workforce pressures amid escalating COVID19 cases in South Australia. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-30/vaccine-mandate-for-sa-teachers-and-transport-workers-dropped/100951400 30th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

The Washington Post The nearly 17 million Americans who received the oneshot Johnson Johnson coronavirus vaccine are less protected against serious illness and hospitalizations than those who got the PfizerBioNTech and Moderna shots according to federal data released Tuesday. The latest data suggest Johnson Johnson recipients should get a booster with one of the messenger RNA vaccines if they havent already done so and even consider a second messenger RNA booster for the greatest protection. The data come from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that analyzed the results of mixandmatch vaccineandbooster combinations during a fourmonth period when the highly transmissible omicron variant was dominant. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/03/29/messenger-rna-boosters-recommended-johnson-johnson-vaccine/ 30th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Daily Record A second Covid booster dose is now being offered to high risk groups of people across Scotland. Coronavirus infection can be more serious for those who are older as well as those with a weakened immune system meaning it is important to ensure protection levels remain high. To help ensure this a fourth dose of the vaccine is being offered as a precaution to those who are deemed to be at higher risk. This dose which is a second booster is being given to reduce your risk of getting seriously ill from coronavirus requiring hospital treatment or even dying if you become ill with coronavirus. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/who-eligible-fourth-covid-vaccine-26591538 30th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

The Independent Some cancer patients are at risk of being left behind under new guidance which sets out who is eligible for free Covid19 tests a charity has warned. Macmillan Cancer Support said it was welcome that people with symptoms of Covid19 who are vulnerable to the effects of the disease will still be eligible for free tests. But it urged minister to extend the offer of free testing to include immunocompromised people without symptoms. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/macmillan-cancer-support-people-covid-government-england-b2046787.html 30th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters European health ministers urged the blocs executive on Tuesday to back a fourth COVID19 shot for people over the age of 60 to boost immunity in the absence of vaccines that specifically protect against the Omicron variant. Pointing to data from Israel minister Karl Lauterbach said a recommendation was urgently necessary to reduce the risk of death from an infection. He raised the issue at a meeting of health ministers in Brussels on Tuesday and said most of them supported the idea of harmonising European vaccination strategies https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/german-health-minister-wants-eu-recommend-fourth-covid-shot-2022-03-29/ 30th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The Biden administration on Wednesday launched a new website to provide a clearinghouse of information on COVID19 as part of a continuing effort to prepare to live with the coronavirus. The launch of COVID.gov comes a day after U.S. health officials approves a second booster shot for Americans age 50 and older and those who are immunocompromised two years after the start of the pandemic https://www.reuters.com/world/us/white-house-launches-covidgov-amid-push-more-funds-booster-shots-2022-03-30/ 30th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Nineteen million doses of COVID19 vaccines in Indonesias national stockpile have expired this year and 1.5 million more are set to expire next month as donated shots arrive with a short shelf life a health official said on Wednesday. Indonesia and many other developing nations are ramping up their vaccination campaign aided by donations from wealthy countries but they have been calling for donations with a longer shelf life. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/indonesia-seeks-longer-shelf-life-donations-19-mln-covid-shots-expired-2022-03-30/ 30th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters UK Britain said on Tuesday that healthcare workers social care staff and the most vulnerable will still get COVID19 tests without any charge when it ends free testing for the general public next month. When he announced all coronavirus restrictions would be scrapped in February Prime Minister Boris Johnson said free tests would end on April 1 saying the country could not afford their cost https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-says-healthcare-workers-vulnerable-will-still-get-free-covid-tests-2022-03-29/ 30th Mar 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Switzerland will lift the last of its remaining COVID19 restrictions from Friday the government said as the country seeks to live with the virus. The obligation to wear a mask on public transport and at health facilities as well as the requirement to selfisolate for five days after a positive test will be removed the government said. Responsibility for containing the virus will be handed to local authorities it added with a phase of heightened vigilance planned over the next 12 months. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/swiss-lift-last-covid-19-restrictions-april-1-2022-03-30/ 30th Mar 2022

Partisan Exits

ABC News Article reports that Chapel Hill woman Susan Louise Clarke 52 is accused of paying a vulnerable woman a sum of money to receive a COVID19 vaccine in her name in the Adelaide Hills in early January. Police said Ms Clarke accompanied Tania Marshall to the Mount Barker vaccination clinic and deceived SA Health workers into giving the 57yearold the vaccine in her name by pretending to be her carer. Police said Ms Clarke needed evidence of the vaccination for her employment. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-30/woman-accused-of-paying-woman-to-have-covid19-vaccine-for-her/100952556 30th Mar 2022

Partisan Exits

Sky News Billions of pounds worth of taxpayers money is still at risk as the government continues to deal with issues with personal protective equipment PPE stocks and contracts according to the spending watchdog. The National Audit Office NAO found the Department of Health and Social Care DHSC was being charged millions of pounds to store PPE equipment it has purchased for longer than expected.It also found there were inconsistencies between the volume of PPE ordered and what was actually received and that billions of items were not suitable for frontline use. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-billions-of-pounds-of-taxpayers-money-still-at-risk-as-a-result-of-governments-handling-of-ppe-contracts-spending-watchdog-warns-12577377 30th Mar 2022

Partisan Exits

Metro on MSN.com Bereaved relatives tearfully called on Boris Johnson to hold his head in shame and resign over lockdownbreaking parties in Whitehall. They called for the Prime Minister to stand down as they led a silent procession to Downing Street for coronavirus victims. Hundreds of griefstricken families gathered at the National Covid Memorial Wall in London on Tuesday to mark its first anniversary and pay tribute to those they lost during the pandemic. Those attending joined by politicians including Labour MP Afzal Khan and shadow health minister Rosena AllinKhan then walked to No 10 to hand in a petition to make the mural permanent. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/boris-should-hang-his-head-in-shame-and-quit-relatives-of-covid-dead-say/ar-AAVDdRv 30th Mar 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters Article reports that Chinese truck drivers hoping to outwit COVID19 inspectors are faking travel histories to get through checkpoints or avoid quarantine state media reported as weary citizens struggle with restrictions more than two years after the pandemic began. While some truckers try to use hitech sleight of hand to dodge the restrictions some desperate travellers are simply trying to hide in their cars to get where they want to go. Authorities across China have tightened COVID curbs this month as the highly transmissible Omicron variant spreads triggering lockdowns in Shanghai and the whole province of Jilin. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-truckers-use-fake-travel-records-clean-drivers-dodge-covid-rules-2022-03-30/ 30th Mar 2022

Continued Lockdown

BBC News After weeks of isolated compound lockdowns the city of 25 million has been split into two. Earlier this week those living in Shanghais eastern half were told to stay home with the western half due to enter a lockdown on Friday. The move comes as the city battles a surge in Omicron Covid cases. The city has reported around 20000 Covid19 infections since 1 March registering more cases in four weeks than in the previous two years of the pandemic. Chinas zeroCovid strategy has been increasingly challenged by the highly infectious Omicron variant. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-60912846?at_medium=RSS&ampat_campaign=KARANGA 30th Mar 2022

Continued Lockdown

The Guardian A rap about food shortages has become a hit in Shanghai with the artists behind the song describing it as an attempt to cheer up tens of millions of residents locked down in Chinas largest city amid a surging Covid outbreak and increasing restrictions. The song Grocery Shopping laments empty shelves and fights in the supermarket aisles and is set to footage of residents crowding around market stalls or lining up for PCR tests. Set your alarm wake up food fight the lyrics say. Order that tofu but the sauce all gone. The songs release comes as Shanghai authorities expanded some lockdown measures and the city reported record daily case numbers in an outbreak citywide frustrations. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/30/pick-the-shelves-clean-food-shortage-rap-helps-cut-through-gloom-of-shanghai-lockdown 30th Mar 2022

Continued Lockdown

Reuters As Shanghai enters a twostage COVID lockdown some residents are struggling with the new restrictions. Rachel Judah has more. https://www.reuters.com/video/watch/idRCV00AWA7 30th Mar 2022

Continued Lockdown

Reuters Authorities began locking down some western areas of Shanghai two days ahead of schedule as new COVID19 cases in Chinas most populous city jumped by a third despite stringent measures already in place to try to stop the virus spreading. Home to 26 million people Chinas financial hub is in the third day of a lockdown officials are imposing by dividing the city roughly along the Huangpu River splitting the historic centre west of the river from the eastern financial and industrial district of Pudong to allow for staggered mass tests. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/shanghai-expands-lockdown-more-areas-new-local-cases-hit-5982-2022-03-30/ 30th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg Commenting on Britains nearrecordhigh number of Covid cases the U.K.s chief medical officer Chris Whitty said last Wednesday that we should expect seasonal peaks for the next few years interspersed with new variants of SARSCoV2. As we move into the postpandemic livingwiththevirus era more research is surfacing about the ways even mild Covid cases leave lingering effects on health in some people. Three conditions in particular are capturing scientists attention due to the large number of sufferers increased rates of diabetes neuropsychological problems and the illness known as long Covid. Researchers have found associations between Covid infections and each of these issues but we dont know enough yet to establish causality. Bloomberg Opinion columnist Therese Raphael and Bloomberg Intelligence senior pharmaceutical analyst Sam Fazeli look at why the long tail of Covid is hard to pin down. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-03-30/how-does-covid-affect-diabetes-the-brain-and-long-covid 30th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

PharmiWeb CureVac N.V. a global biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on messenger ribonucleic acid mRNA today announced that the first participant was dosed in a Phase 1 study of COVID19 secondgeneration mRNA vaccine candidate CV2CoV developed in collaboration with GSK. The clinical trial is expected to provide valuable data to further evaluate the performance of CureVacs secondgeneration mRNA backbone which has the potential to be applied broadly in future vaccines against COVID19 variants and other pathogens. A preclinical study of CV2CoV in cynomolgus macaques published in Nature in November 2021 demonstrated rapid induction of higher antibody titers better induction of immune memory and stronger protective efficacy of CV2CoV compared to CureVacs firstgeneration vaccine candidate CVnCoV. The same study demonstrated comparable neutralizing antibody titers in animals fully vaccinated with either 12g of CV2CoV or a 30g standard dose of a licensed mRNA COVID19 vaccine.. https://www.pharmiweb.com/press-release/2022-03-30/curevac-and-gsk-start-clinical-development-of-second-generation-covid-19-vaccine-candidate-cv2cov 30th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

South China Morning Post Hongkongers suffering from allergies should not be afraid of getting a Covid19 vaccine medical experts said on Wednesday citing a poll revealing only a small number of such patients reported adverse reactions after receiving jabs. Only eight out of 161 respondents with allergies said they had experienced a negative reaction and needed to consult a doctor after receiving at least one dose of a vaccine according to a survey conducted by the Hong Kong Allergy Association in March. The group said the eight people had recovered after treatment. The figure is not alarming. The reason why the respondents consulted doctors may not be due to their allergies said Dr Philip Li Hei a specialist in immunology and allergy adding that even those who experienced a reaction could still get the second and third dose. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3172454/those-allergies-should-not-fear-covid-19-vaccines?module=live&amppgtype=homepage 30th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News In many ways the two mRNA COVID19 vaccinesBNT162b2 made by Pfizer and mRNA1273 by Modernaare very similar. But realworld vaccine efficacy has begun to show subtle differences across the two approved mRNA platforms. A new study has investigated the variation in immune responses induced by the BNT162b2 and mRNA1273 vaccines. To do this the researchers profiled the postboost binding and functional capacity of humoral immune responses induced by the two vaccines in a cohort of hospital staff. The study found that both vaccines induced robust humoral immune responses to SARSCoV2 and to variants of concern. https://www.genengnews.com/news/moderna-covid-19-vaccine-boosts-some-antibodies-more-than-pfizer/ 30th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Nature A rare headtohead comparison shows that the COVID19 vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna outperform those from Johnson Johnson and Novavax1. The data also provide a finely detailed picture of the immune protection that each vaccine offers information that could be useful for designing future vaccines. The research was posted on the preprint server bioRxiv on 21 March. It has not yet been peer reviewed. The study assessed the 4 vaccines using 14 metrics including levels of several types of immune cell such as T cells and B cells as well as immune molecules called neutralizing antibodies. Such investigations are sorely needed to sort through the flood of COVID19 vaccines in the research pipeline and on the market researchers say. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00885-y 30th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

News-Medical.Net The researchers observed antibodies against the S1 and NC antigens in all the animals except those controlled negatively. However the serological responses varied significantly. Serum IgG titers were significantly elevated in mice receiving vaccines with N3 adjuvant and exhibited nearly a 10fold increase and increasing the concentration of anionic L3 to 2 resulted in comparable antibody titers. A similar trend was observed only after the second vaccination for IgA titers nearly 10fold higher than the first dose. Microneutralizing antibody titers differed variably across mice receiving different vaccine doses. Mice in groups 5 1 g dose N3 adjuvant and 6 0.1 g N3 adjuvant exhibited significantly higher antibody titers. At the same time those with L3 adjuvants had higher antibody titers than the positive control group. All immunized mice produced IgA antibodies against the SARSCoV2 antigens in the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220330/Preclinical-investigation-of-intranasal-adjuvanted-COVID-19-vaccine.aspx 30th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

ABC News Throughout the COVID19 pandemic disease surveillance efforts that rely on testing and variant sequencing have been critical tools in the global efforts to fight the virus. Without these tools experts said the spread of COVID19 could have been exponentially greater potentially resulting in many more deaths. Testing and sequencing have been critical to understanding where the virus is and how it is evolving. This is critical information for response and mitigation efforts Dr. Rebecca Katz professor and director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University told ABC News. Surveillance tools have helped health officials make important recommendations throughout the pandemic including the decision to green light booster doses for extra protection and decision to pull back on some monoclonal antibody treatments authorized for COVID19 following concerns that it was not effective against certain variants. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/decline-testing-sequencing-hinder-search-future-covid-19/story?id=83727646 30th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Conversation For some parents of young children the wait for COVID19 vaccines has been long and agonizing. Throughout 2021 vaccines against COVID19 emerged as the most effective way to prevent severe forms of the disease. Vaccines are currently recommended for everyone 5 years and older in the United States but are not yet available for younger age groups. Though more rare in young children severe disease leading to hospitalization and even death from COVID19 can occur. Recent U.S. rates of COVID19associated hospitalization in those under 5 have been the highest on record as a result of the surge in cases from the highly transmissible omicron variant. https://theconversation.com/covid-19-vaccines-for-the-youngest-children-may-be-inching-closer-to-authorization-a-pediatrician-explains-how-theyre-being-tested-176774 30th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

ABC News BioNTech the German pharmaceutical company that teamed with Pfizer to develop the first widely used COVID19 vaccine on Wednesday reported strong quarterly earnings growth on pandemicfueled demand. The company posted net profit of nearly 3.2 billion euros 3.6 billion for the final three months of 2021 up from 367 million euros in the same period the previous year. Earnings per share rose to 12.18 euros from 1.43 euros a year ago. Quarterly revenue rose to 5.5 billion euros from 345.4 million euros previously https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/biontechs-quarterly-profit-soars-covid-19-vaccine-demand-83759020 30th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Ghana will start producing its own COVID19 vaccines in January 2024 President Nana AkufoAddo said on Wednesday in his State of the Nation Address in parliament. A National Vaccine Institute would be established to lay out a strategy for the West African country to begin the first phase of commercial production for the jabs he said without providing further details. A bill will shortly be brought to you in this House for your support and approval for the establishment of the National Vaccine Institute he said. So far Ghana has fully vaccinated around 21.4 of its 30millionodd inhabitants against coronavirus according to Reuters data. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/ghana-start-producing-own-covid-19-vaccines-january-2024-2022-03-30/ 30th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Independent The BA.2 subvariant of Omicron is now the dominant Covid19 variant in the US estimated to represent more than half of coronavirus variants circulating in the country according to federal health officials. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the socalled stealth Omicron variant was discovered in nearly 55 per cent of samples that underwent genetic sequencing within the last week the agency announced on 28 March. Scientists have attributed BA.2s rapid growth to its several key mutations the gene for the spike protein on its surface has eight mutations not found in BA.1. Researchers have determined that such mutations have made BA.2 more transmissible not that it necessarily evades antibody protection or causes moresevere illness. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ba2-omicron-variant-cdc-b2046762.html 30th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The BMJ Second booster doses against covid19 for Americans aged over 50 and for certain immunocompromised people aged over 12 using either the PfizerBioNTech or the Moderna vaccine may become available as early as later this week after they were authorised in the US. The new recommendations from the Food and Drug Administration FDA1 and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC2 come as the BA.2 omicron variant spreads rapidly in the US and is responsible for about 55 of new infections. The variant seems to be more contagious but does not cause more severe infections. Peter Marks director of the CDCs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research said on 29 March Current evidence suggests some waning of protection over time against serious outcomes from covid19 in older and immunocompromised individuals. Based on an analysis of emerging data a second booster dose of either the PfizerBioNTech or Moderna covid19 vaccine could help increase protection levels for these high risk individuals https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj.o842 30th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters BioNTech has expanded an ongoing clinical trial programme to develop new vaccines and patterns of administration for better protection against the dominant Omicron coronavirus variant as it reported a profit boost from its firstgeneration shot. The enlargement of its trial programme with partner Pfizer initially unveiled in January comes as global COVID19 cases are on the rise and protection against infection from its established Comirnaty vaccine has waned though protection against severe disease remains. BioNtech boosted the number of participants in the trial in which participants blood will be monitored for immune responses to 2150 from the 1420 announced in January. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/biontech-expand-trial-programme-more-anti-omicron-vaccine-options-2022-03-30/ 30th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

FiercePharma Only two weeks after Pfizer and its partner BioNTech asked the agency for an emergency use authorization EUA for a second round of COVID19 boosters in people 65 and older the FDA has granted the nod. The new FDA authorization covers those who have already been boosted with any COVID vaccine and are either 50 and older or 12 and older if they are immunocompromised. At around the same time on Tuesday morning Moderna said the FDA had granted its application for a second booster. The Moderna nod covers adults over 50 who have been boosted once plus immunocompromised adults over 18. Moderna applied for a second booster on March 17. https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/pfizer-moderna-score-fda-nods-second-round-covid-19-boosters-older-adults 30th Mar 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Pharmaceutical Journal Patients infected with both COVID19 and influenza at the same time are more than four times more likely to require ventilation support and more than twice as likely to die compared with just having COVID19 research published in the Lancet has suggested. The study was delivered as part of the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortiums Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation Consortium the largest study to look at COVID19 and other endemic respiratory viruses. The researchers examined the clinical outcomes of 212466 patients coinfected with COVID19 and either influenza respiratory syncytial virus RSV or an adenovirus who were admitted to hospital in the UK between 6 February 2020 and 8 December 2021. https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/news/patients-with-both-covid-19-and-influenza-four-times-more-likely-to-need-ventilation-support-study-suggests 29th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg Covid19 infections in the U.K. have edged back up following the easing of restrictions and rapid spread of a moretransmissible subvariant of omicron. In the U.K. more than 574000 people have tested positive and about 15530 hospitalized in the last week. Still this wave may be close to peaking according to Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance. While omicron has proven to be more mild in general compared to previous strains it would be wrong to assume that the coronavirus will continue evolving into a less severe infection Vallance told the Science and Technology parliamentary committee on Wednesday. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-30/u-k-covid-cases-edge-back-up-as-hospitalizations-rise 30th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg New York City Covid19 cases are rising again particularly among people 25 to 34 years old according to city officials. The surge appears to be concentrated in Manhattan the most vaccinated borough. In an unusual move the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene posted a warning on Twitter on Wednesday saying they strongly recommend New Yorkers maskup indoors and get booster shots. The warning came in contrast to the citys Covid alert system which identifies the Covid alert level as low risk. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-30/nyc-warns-covid-cases-are-rising-mostly-among-those-25-to-34 30th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

New Zealand Herald There are 15918 new cases today Covid19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced this afternoon. It comes as a new initiative aimed at improving access to rapidantigen testing to people in rural areas is announced as cases continue to rise in various spots around the country. But Hipkins wouldnt be drawn on Aucklands chances of moving from red to orange under the traffic light system having already passed its Omicron peak. He said he was yet to have a firm leaning for Cabinets review of traffic light settings on Monday. There are 817 people in hospital with the virus including 24 in intensive care the Ministry of Health announced this afternoon. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-omicron-outbreak-15918-cases-14-deaths-as-government-outlines-vaccine-mandates-passes/HFLUMONOXDTSTA7MGEIATWWH5I/ 30th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Business Standard New Zealand reported 15918 new community cases of Covid19 on Wednesday the Ministry of Health said in a statement. There are also 14 new deaths due to Covid in the country fewer than the 34 deaths reported on Tuesday the highest daily fatality number reported by the ministry Xinhua news agency reported. Among the new community infections 2691 were recorded in the largest city Auckland. The rest of the cases were identified across the nation including 2535 in Canterbury according to the ministry. https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/new-zealand-reports-15-918-community-cases-of-covid-19-in-24-hours-122033000262_1.html 30th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

New Scientist Selfisolation rate dropped from 80 per cent to 64 per cent after the legal requirement changed to guidance. Fewer than twothirds of people who test positive for covid19 in England are choosing to selfisolate according to an Office for National Statistics ONS survey. Using the NHS Test and Trace database 1369 adults in England who tested positive for covid19 before 24 February when the legal requirement to selfisolate was dropped were asked about their behaviour while infected. They were interviewed between 28 February and 8 March when selfisolation was advised but not legally required. Fewer than twothirds 64 per cent said they fully selfisolated compared with 80 per cent in a similar survey last month. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2237475-covid-19-news-just-64-per-cent-are-self-isolating-in-england/ 30th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters China reported 1629 confirmed coronavirus cases for March 29 the national health authority said on Wednesday compared with 1293 a day earlier. Of the new cases 1565 were locally transmitted the National Health Commission said versus 1228 a day earlier. The number of new asymptomatic cases which China does not classify as confirmed cases stood at 7196 compared with 5758 a day earlier. There were no new deaths leaving the death toll at 4638. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-reports-1629-new-covid-cases-march-29-vs-1293-day-earlier-2022-03-30/ 30th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters France on Tuesday reported 217480 new COVID19 infections over the last 24 hours a level unseen since early February. 1538 people are currently in intensive care units Frances health ministry said 5 more than on Monday. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-reports-over-217000-new-covid-19-infections-health-ministry-2022-03-29/ 30th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Coronavirus infections in Asia passed 100 million on Wednesday according to a Reuters tally as the region records a resurgence in cases dominated by the BA.2 Omicron subvariant. The region is reporting over 1 million new COVID19 cases about every two days according to a Reuters analysis. With more than half of the worlds population Asia contributes 21 of all reported COVID19 cases. The highly contagious but less deadly BA.2 subvariant of Omicron has pushed the figures to greater highs in recent weeks in countries such as South Korea China and Vietnam. BA.2 now represents nearly 86 of all sequenced cases according to the World Health Organization. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/covid-cases-asia-surpass-100-million-reuters-tally-2022-03-30/ 30th Mar 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Associated Press The number of people killed by the coronavirus surged by more than 40 last week likely due to changes in how COVID19 deaths were reported across the Americas and by newly adjusted figures from India according to a World Health Organization report released Wednesday. In its latest weekly report on the pandemic the U.N. health agency said the number of new coronavirus cases fell everywhere including in WHOs Western Pacific region where they had been rising since December. About 10 million new COVID19 infections and more than 45000 deaths were reported worldwide over the past week following a 23 drop in fatalities the week before. The jump in reported deaths up from 33000 last week was due mainly to an accounting change WHO noted that countries including Chile and the United States altered how they define COVID19 deaths. https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-pandemics-united-nations-world-health-organization-90777e9441ce05a2d4c63476751b7434 30th Mar 2022