8th Aug 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=717 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

U.S. News & World Report Nearly 85 of Americans should be wearing a mask while indoors in public spaces or considering the measure according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over 55 of the U.S. lives in counties that are considered a high COVID19 community level by the CDC. Under the agencys guidance those people should be wearing a mask while inside. More than 29 of the country lives in counties considered a medium level where they should consider the measure based on their risk of severe COVID19. The percentage is a slight decrease over the previous week when nearly 88 of the population was in a high or medium community level. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-08-05/cdc-85-of-americans-should-be-wearing-a-mask-indoors-or-considering-the-mitigation-measure 7th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters U.S. President Joe Biden tested negative for COVID19 for a second consecutive day on Sunday and ended his isolation at the White House with a trip to his vacation home in Delaware and a reunion with his wife first lady Jill Biden. Biden has been holed up at the White House for more than two weeks with COVID leading to canceled trips and events even as his symptoms stayed mild. The president tested negative on Saturday but waited until a second negative test on Sunday before ending his isolation. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-tests-negative-covid-again-will-exit-isolation-white-house-says-2022-08-07/ 7th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

ABC News TGA figures show about 189200 doses of Novavax have been administered in Australia to 24 July 2022. The EMA has requested more data from Novavax about its vaccine. An Australian epidemiologist says a very small number of people have been affected https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-05/novavax-covid-shot-must-carry-heart-side-effect-warning-eu-says/101304518 7th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Straits Times The pandemic has taken a toll on nurses. Across nations nurses are quitting in large numbers. In Singapore they are resigning in record numbers causing a severe shortage at the hospitals. The Straits Times looks at why they quit and where some of them have gone to. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/desperately-seeking-nurses-whats-the-right-prescription-to-heal-the-global-nursing-shortage 6th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Vaccinated and masked college students had virtually no chance of catching Covid19 in the classroom last fall according to a sweeping study of 33000 Boston University students that bolsters standard prevention measures. The researchers screened the colleges health records to find nine sets of students who developed Covid at about the same time were in class together without social distancing and had no known contact outside school suggesting that they might have transmitted it in the classroom. However genome analysis of coronavirus samples from the groups showed that all of them more likely were infected in other places. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-05/covid-in-schools-masks-shots-helped-protect-college-students-from-infection 6th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters The southern Chinese beach holiday city of Sanya imposed a lockdown on Saturday and shut its public transport system to try to stop a COVID19 outbreak during its peak tourist season. Authorities announced the curbs would start at 6 a.m. 2200 GMT saying the COVID situation was very severe and peoples movements were being restricted. It did not say when the measures might be lifted. We urge the general public and tourists to understand and give their support authorities said in a statement on the city governments WeChat account. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/chinese-tourist-hot-spot-imposes-covid-lockdown-shuts-public-transport-2022-08-06/ 6th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

BBC News North Korea says everyone who fell sick since the country confirmed its first Covid19 infections has recovered. On Friday state media reported zero fever cases for a seventh straight day. North Korea refers to fever rather than Covid patients due to a lack of testing equipment. The country announced its first Covid outbreak in May and has reported fever infections and deaths since. But there is widespread doubt over the data especially the number of deaths. No new fever cases were reported during the past week and all those receiving treatment have recovered across the country the Korean Central News Agency KCNA reported on Friday. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-62435809 5th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Independent on MSN.com One in eight adults are likely to develop long Covid symptoms after being infected with Covid19 a new study suggests. New research has compared common symptoms of long Covid such as chest pain breathing difficulties loss of taste and smell in thousands of people who had been diagnosed with Covid19 during the Alpha wave with those who hadnt been infected. Professor Judith Rosmalen from the University of Groningen lead author of the study said There is urgent need for data informing the scale and scope of the longterm symptoms experienced by some patients after Covid illness. However most previous research into long Covid has not looked at the frequency of these symptoms in people who havent been diagnosed with Covid19 or looked at individual patients symptoms before the diagnosis of Covid19. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/medical/long-covid-symptoms-experienced-by-one-in-eight-patients-research-suggests/ar-AA10kTF5 5th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Daily Beast In August 2020 with COVID19 outbreaks proliferating and back to school plans shifting U.S. tech vendors popped up promising a solution. They were selling thermal imaging cameras and scanners that they said could screen large groups of students for virusrelated fevers in real time. The catch they didnt work. The Daily Beast has found over 200 school districts nationwide that were persuaded to buy these devices between 202021 by a number of companies spending a combined total of more than 11 million. Internal emails obtained through public record requests show how districts were sold technology by an industry which experts compare to the wild west and how now in many instances the scanners sit dormant in schools gathering dust. https://www.thedailybeast.com/us-schools-spent-millions-of-dollars-on-faulty-covid-scanners-and-cameras 5th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

ABC News There are calls for awareness of COVID antivirals and easier access to the treatments in Australia. Pharmacy experts suggest looking to New Zealand where the drugs are available without a prescription. As well as reducing the severity of disease emerging research suggests the medications can help reduce the risk of long COVID https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-06/covid-antiviral-treatments-nz-does-not-require-prescription/101290888 7th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

News24 While Covid18 grabs global headlines and funding HIV infections rise https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/while-covid-18-grabs-global-headlines-and-funding-hiv-infections-rise-20220807 7th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Perth Now WA has recorded a dip below 3000 in daily recorded COVID cases with 2911 new infections to 6pm Friday night. Hospital admissions have remained steady at 346 with 14 people needing to stay in the intensive care unit. Two new virusrelated deaths dating back to August 2 were recorded in todays numbers. They were two men in their 80s. The new infection bring the States active caseload to 20078 as WA marks 1085331 cases since the COVID19 pandemic began. A total of 5276 PCR tests were conducted at either State https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/coronavirus/covid-in-wa-new-covid-cases-drop-below-3000--c-7780249 6th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

The Indian Express With cases of Covid19 on the rise again in the national capital over 2000 cases have been recorded over the last three days the number of deaths with the infection are also on the rise. There have been 16 deaths in the first five days of August. Delhi reported 2419 cases and a positivity rate of 12.9 on Friday according to the governments daily health bulletin. Most of the Covid19 deaths recorded in the governments health bulletin are of people who incidentally test positive for the infection say doctors from big government hospitals. Two of the four havent seen a death yet as cases continue to increase. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/new-delhi-uptick-in-covid-cases-comorbidities-8074102/ 6th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

CBC.ca Articlee reports that all kids in Manitoba six months and older will be eligible to get a COVID19 vaccine starting Friday morning the province says in a news release. Previously only Indigenous kids and those with certain health conditions were eligible to get their shots. Parents and caregivers can start booking appointments for newly eligible kids at 9 a.m. Children need to be at least six months old at the time of their appointment the release said. Health Canada approved the twodose Moderna vaccine for kids ages six months to four years old in July. So far Manitoba has gotten 14900 doses the release said. Its shipped more than 3700 of them to regional vaccine sites and medical clinics and another 2100 to First Nations medical leadership to distribute in their communities. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-kids-vaccine-eligibility-six-months-and-up-1.6541316 5th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The United States has administered more than 7300 doses of Novavax Incs COVID19 shot which health officials hope will convince more people to opt for vaccinations as it is based on a technology that has been in use for decades. Over 330000 doses of Novavaxs COVID19 vaccine have been distributed in the United States and more than 2300 people have been fully vaccinated according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC updated on Thursday. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-administers-over-7300-novavax-vaccine-doses-cdc-2022-08-05/ 5th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Japanese companies are temporarily shutting offices or suspending production as they battle a record wave of COVID19 disrupting businesses in a country that has until now weathered the pandemic better than most advanced economies. Automakers Toyota Motor Corp and Daihatsu Motor Co last week halted production line shifts because of employee infections. KFC Holdings Japan Ltd has had to shut some fastfood restaurants and move staff to fill gaps while Japan Post Holdings Co has temporarily shut more than 200 mailing centres. https://www.reuters.com/business/work-stoppages-no-chatting-lunch-japan-inc-grapples-with-covid-2022-08-05/ 5th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Hong Kong may announce a reduction in the amount of time international travelers need to spend in mandatory hotel quarantine as soon as Monday according to people familiar with the matter with discussions over the scale of the change still ongoing. While officials had anticipated making an announcement on Friday it has been pushed back to Monday at the earliest since no firm decision has yet been made on the parameters of the cut according to one person who asked not to be identified discussing internal deliberations. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-05/hong-kong-to-announce-hotel-quarantine-cut-as-soon-as-monday 5th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

The Mirror Tahlia McGrath was allowed to play for Australia in their Commonwealth Games T20 cricket final against India despite testing positive for Covid19. The allrounder is the No1 ranked sides hottest property and Aussie chiefs were desperate that she started the Edgbaston showpiece. Despite experiencing mild symptoms and following consultation with health experts team and match officials delaying the toss by 10 minutes the International Cricket Council gave her the green light. Under Games Covid rules affected players across all disciplines are assessed on a casebycase basis. McGrath who contributed 126 runs and eight wickets to Australias previous four matches sat apart from her teammates in the dressing room wearing a mask. https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/cricket/tahlia-mcgrath-cricket-covid-commonwealth-27681363 7th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

The Wall Street Journal President Biden tested negative for Covid19 Saturday after a rebound case but will remain in isolation until he has a second negative test his physician said in a letter. Dr. Kevin OConnor said in a letter made public by the White House that Mr. Biden tested negative on an antigen test and continues to feel very well. A White House official said a second test was planned for Sunday morning. Mr. Biden first tested positive for Covid19 on July 21 and tested negative five days later following treatment with the antiviral drug Paxlovid. But he tested positive again on July 30 in what his doctor described as a rebound case. Following the positive test Mr. Biden returned to isolation at the White House residence. https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-tests-negative-for-covid-after-rebound-case-white-house-doctor-says-11659805008 7th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters President Joe Biden has tested negative for COVID19 after testing positive with a breakthrough case for days the White House physician said on Saturday. The Democratic president in an abundance of caution will remain in isolation until he tests negative on a second test Dr. Kevin OConnor said in a memo released by the White House. Biden 79 emerged from isolation at the White House on July 27 after testing positive for COVID19 for the first time on July 21. He tested positive again on July 30 in what OConnor described as a rebound case seen in a small percentage of people who take the antiviral drug Paxlovid. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-tests-negative-covid-white-house-physician-says-2022-08-06/ 7th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

U.S. News & World Report Prada on Friday became the first major luxury house to host a show in China this year navigating strict COVID curbs to send models down a catwalk in a historic Beijing mansion hotel a move aimed at underscoring its commitment to the market. Livestreamed on multiple online platforms including Weibo more than 400 celebrities and customers attended the event held by the Italian group in the Prince Juns Mansion Hotel where it showcased its men and womens fall and winter collections. Shows in Chinese cities by global luxury giants from Prada to LVMHs Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior used to be a familiar sight and continued even in 2020 and 2021 after China curbed the spread of the virus relatively quickly thanks to tough border curbs. But much has changed in 2022 with Chinas continued insistence on a dynamic zero COVID policy that uses harsh measures to cut any virus transmission chain even as the rest of the world opens up in the face of infectious Omicron variants. https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-08-05/prada-navigates-tricky-covid-curbs-to-hold-beijing-show 6th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

News24 A West Virginia man has been sentenced to three years in prison for threatening top US Covid19 advisor Anthony Fauci and other officials over their handling of the pandemic. Thomas Connally 57 of Snowshoe pleaded guilty to making email threats between December 2020 and July 2021 the US attorneys office for Maryland said. One of the emails threatened that Fauci and his family would be dragged into the street beaten to death and set on fire the attorneys office said in a statement. US District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Connally on Thursday to 37 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. https://www.news24.com/news24/world/news/three-years-in-prison-for-man-who-threatened-us-covid-19-advisor-fauci-20220805 6th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters A Pennsylvania gas well service company will pay 184000 to settle claims that it unlawfully fired a longtime employee because his cancer made him more vulnerable to COVID19 the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said on Thursday. The settlement with Gas Field Specialists Inc GFS was announced by the EEOC a day after it was filed in Scranton Pennsylvania federal court ending a 2021 lawsuit by the agency. The company denied wrongdoing. https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/gas-company-pay-184000-worker-with-cancer-fired-over-covid-risk-2022-08-04/ 5th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Saturday he will reshuffle his cabinet next week to address mounting issues including Taiwan tensions COVID19 and economic stimulus measures to counter inflation. We need to set off a new formation as soon as possible considering the various issues he told a news conference in Hiroshima after attending a commemoration for the 77th anniversary of the worlds first atomic bombing in the city. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-pm-kishida-replace-defence-minister-kishi-wednesday-yomiuri-2022-08-06/ 5th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Montreal Gazette As of Friday there were 2109 COVID19 hospitalizations 716 of them specifically due to the disease a decrease of 27 compared with Thursdays total. Of those patients 57 were in intensive care a drop of 10 from a day earlier 27 were in the ICU specifically because of COVID19. The number of healthcare workers absent because of COVID19 either due to being in isolation or as a precaution stood at 4910. Quebecs COVID19 death toll is now 16024. https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/quebec-records-14-new-covid-19-deaths-as-hospitalizations-drop-slightly 7th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

EastMojo Sikkim now has 559 active cases while 40863 people have recovered from the disease and 778 patients have migrated to other states so far https://www.eastmojo.com/northeast-news/2022/08/07/80-fresh-covid-19-cases-in-sikkim/ 7th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Nation Thailand The Public Health Ministry reported on Wednesday August 3 that over the past 24 hours 2432 Covid19 patients have been admitted to hospitals one of whom has arrived in Thailand from abroad. The death toll has risen by 32 while 2472 patients have recovered and discharged from hospitals. The number of cumulative cases in the country since January 1 2022 stands at 2373124 with 9765 deaths. https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018445 7th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Indian Express After witnessing the flattening of the Covid19 pandemic curve for nearly a month for the last four days Mumbai is witnessing a sudden surge in the number of infections with the city registering 446 cases on Friday which is the highest singleday count recorded in the past 18 days. In the past two weeks the average daily Covid19 cases were hovering around 200 in Mumbai. But since August 2 when the city reported 329 cases the numbers are witnessing an upward spiral. The next day the cases further climbed to 434 cases and one death was also reported. On August 4 the cases saw a slight dip with 410 infections and two deaths. On Friday the daily caseload again surged to 446. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/covid-cases-rise-sharply-446-infections-recorded-8073720/ 6th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CBC.ca The latest provincial report on COVID19 in Manitoba suggests an uptick in some severe outcomes for the second week in a row including more people landing in hospital due to the coronavirus. The report says 53 COVID19 patients were hospitalized during the week ending July 30 compared to 45 one week earlier. Slightly fewer people ended up in intensive care units there were seven ICU admissions down from eight ICU admissions during the week ending July 23. There were six deaths associated with coronavirus up from five the week before. So far 2067 people have died due to COVID19 since the beginning of the pandemic. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-epidemiological-report-covid-19-1.6541013 5th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Independent Covid19 infections in the UK have fallen for the second week in a row in a fresh sign that the current wave of the virus has peaked new figures show. The number of patients in hospital with the virus is also on a clear downwards trend. A total of 2.6 million people in private households are estimated to have had Covid19 in the week to July 2526 down 19 from 3.2 million in the previous week according to the Office for National Statistics ONS. Infections have now dropped by more than a million in the space of a fortnight. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ons-england-covid-infections-northern-ireland-b2138949.html 5th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Russia has registered a total of 820307 COVIDrelated deaths since the start of the pandemic in the country in April 2020 the state statistics service Rosstat said on Friday. It said 4991 people had died of COVID19 or related causes in June down from 7098 in May. Russia recorded more than 965000 excess deaths between April 2020 and June 2022 compared with the average mortality in 20152019 Reuters calculations showed. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russias-official-toll-covid-related-deaths-exceeds-820000-2022-08-05/ 5th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Indian Express Tamil Nadu logged 1094 new Covid19 cases including two returnees from Maharashtra and Karnataka pushing the tally to 3551641 till date the Health Department said on Saturday. There were no fresh fatalities and the death toll remained unchanged at 38033 a bulletin said. As many as 1431 people have recuperated from the virus in the last 24 hours aggregating to 3503347 leaving 10261 active cases. Two districts accounted for most of the new cases with Chennai recording 239 Coimbatore 127 and the rest were spread across other districts. The neighboring Chengalpet which has been reporting fresh cases in three districts till Friday has added 94 new infections indicating a decline in the cases. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chennai/tamil-nadu-sees-1094-new-covid-19-cases-8075664/lite/ 7th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Independent Covid19 infections in the UK have jumped by around 7 per cent with the ongoing rise still driven by the newest Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5. Hospital numbers are also continuing to increase with early signs of a rise in intensive care admissions among older age groups. A total of 3.8 million people in private households are estimated to have had in the week up to 14 July according to the latest Office for National Statistics ONS figures. The previous week there were around 3.3 million cases across the UK. That is the highest estimate for total infections since late April but is still some way below the record high of 4.9 million seen at the peak of the Omicron BA.2 wave at the end of March. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/covid-symptom-sore-throat-treatment-b2138901.html 5th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

HuffPost UK Recently Dr. Leslie Farland an assistant professor at the University of Arizonas Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and a team of her colleagues studied menstruation changes after Covid infections. The research was conducted in 127 people ranging from ages 18 to 45 beginning in May 2020. All participants tested positive for Covid at some point between the beginning of the pandemic and now the study is still ongoing. Approximately 16 of menstruating participants who had Covid19 reported changes to their menstrual cycle following infection Farland tells HuffPost. Participants most commonly reported irregular menstruation an increase in premenstrual syndrome symptoms like mood swings and tiredness and infrequent menstruation. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/how-covid-19-may-affect-your-period_uk_62ebe5c5e4b0c55016181d75 5th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The BMJ One in eight covid19 patients 12.7 is likely to experience long term symptoms a study from the Netherlands has reported. Using digital questionnaires researchers collected data on the frequency of 23 symptoms commonly associated with covid in an uninfected population and in people who had had a covid diagnosis. The findings published in the Lancet1 found that 21.4 3811782 of adults who had had covid experienced at least one new or severely increased symptom three to five months after infection when compared with before. This compared with only 8.7 3614130 of uninfected people followed over the same period. The core long covid symptoms highlighted by the researchers include chest pain difficulties breathing pain when breathing painful muscles loss of taste and smell tingling extremities lump in throat feeling hot and cold heavy arms or legs and general tiredness. https://www.bmj.com/content/378/bmj.o1946 5th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Forbes In previous installments of this series we looked at new research that suggests even mild SARSCoV2 infection can impair cognitive function. The first step in this chain of events happens when the virus sets off an intense inflammatory response that eventually reaches the brain. Once there inflammation triggers reactivity of microglial cells the resident immune cells of the central nervous system which produce yet more inflammation and interfere with the normal functioning of important cells including oligodendrocytes and neural precursor cells Figure 1. Schematic of the pathway through which general inflammation causes cognitive dysfunction. But given that all of this happens off the back of inflammation which we experience during any number of infections or injuries wouldnt we expect to see something similar unfold in other viral diseases As part of their research FernndezCastaeda et al. asked themselves this same question. In the search for an answer they turned to influenza. Like Covid19 the flu has also been associated with cognitive and neurological issues. And like SARSCoV2 influenza is rarely neuroinvasive even though both viruses can infect the brain directly as can many other viruses it seems to happen only infrequently. It could be then that influenza causes cognitive issues through a similar mechanism as Covid. https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2022/08/05/even-mild-covid-19-may-cause-lasting-brain-fog-part-3/?sh=6a110d8e25a6 5th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

News24 The South African patient got vaccinated against the coronavirus choosing the Johnson Johnson Covid19 jab. But what happened soon after had everyone stumped and many health professionals floored. The patient developed Guillain Barr Syndrome GBS one of the possible side effects of the Janssen Covid19 vaccine. A mere 100 000 people globally are affected by this disease a year and few of them die from it. What is even more puzzling about this SA patient whose details were withheld is that they seemed relatively healthy and had no other diseases which could have led to their sudden death. https://www.news24.com/drum/advice/health/what-is-gbs-the-syndrome-behind-sas-first-covid-19-vaccine-related-death-20220805 5th Aug 2022

New Lockdown

Reuters Sanya a top tropical holiday destination on Chinas southern Hainan island began closing its duty free malls on Friday in response to a worsening COVID19 outbreak. Since China shut its international borders in early 2020 to curb the spread of COVID19 Hainans dutyfree industry has boomed becoming a vital channel for global brands from Gucci to Coach La Mer to LOreal to reach Chinese shoppers. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-sanya-holiday-hotspot-shuts-duty-free-malls-venues-curb-covid-2022-08-05/ 5th Aug 2022