13th Jan 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=576 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg The highly infectious omicron variant has flushed out the delta strain across the U.S. but the ascendance of the purportedly milder form of Covid19 has done nothing so far to ease the burden on stretched hospitals. The omicron variant represents about 98 of cases Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday. That number is based on data for the week ending Jan. 8 and is a significant increase from just two weeks prior when omicron accounted for 71.3 of cases. Omicrons heightened transmissibility coupled with the immunity some have built to combat the delta through vaccination and exposure have made conditions favor the more mild variant said David Wohl a professor at the Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases at the University of North CarolinaChapel Hill. But experts warn that for those who remain unvaccinated or who suffer from other health concerns infection from any Covid19 variant is a major concern. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-12/omicron-is-dominant-u-s-variant-hospitals-face-dark-days-as-covid-cases-soar 13th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Thirtypercent of people tested for Covid19 in Colorado are receiving positive results the highest of the pandemic as the omicron variant rages officials said Wednesday. The data imply a high level of community spread with the number of Covid19 hospitalizations surpassing an autumn peak according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. There are more hospital beds available in Colorado than during the delta variant peak in late 2021 Scott Bookman the states Covid19 incident commander said during an online briefing. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-12/colorado-covid-19-test-positivity-highest-of-pandemic-at-30 12th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg The vaccine prevented 98 of ICU visits and 94 of Covidrelated hospitalizations in the realworld study of more than 1000 adolescents ages 12 to 18 in 23 states published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. While adolescents can develop severe Covid complications its relatively rare that they do making it harder to study vaccine efficacy than among older adults and leading to some controversy about the use of the shots in younger people. For example the trial data Pfizer submitted for authorization of its shot for 12 to 15yearolds didnt include enough cases to assess efficacy in preventing severe Covid. The research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a network of 31 hospitals is one is one of the most detailed yet showing that vaccines can prevent severe Covid complications in teenagers. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-12/almost-all-teens-needing-icu-care-for-covid-are-unvaccinated 12th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg France on Wednesday registered more than 360000 new Covid19 infections just shy of Tuesdays record highlighting the omicron variants fastpaced spread across the country. New cases totaled 361719 on Wednesday after 368149 on Tuesday according to data from the public health office. The death toll rose by 246 to 126305 while the number of Covid patients in emergency care climbed by 16 of 3985 the highest level since midMay last year. More than half of Europes population may be infected with omicron within weeks at current transmission rates a World Health Organization official said Tuesday. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-12/france-records-more-than-360-000-new-covid-cases-for-second-day 12th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg As Goldman Sachs noted in a Jan. 5 report the economic costs of Beijings Covidzero stance appear to be increasing over time as each new variant is more transmissible than the previous ones. Omicron is a threat of a different magnitude even for a population thats 87 vaccinated because the Chinamade shots appear to provide inadequate protection against it. Expect more citywide lockdowns like the one instituted in Xian a metropolis of 13 million residents. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-12/china-faces-mounting-economic-damage-from-its-covid-zero-policy 12th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg The U.S. government is in talks with AstraZeneca Plc to order 500000 doses of its coronavirus antibody drug used by vulnerable people before exposure to the virus to prevent severe illness. Jeff Zients Bidens Covid19 response coordinator said Wednesday that the administration and AstraZeneca are in the process of ordering the doses which are aimed at immunocompromised people. The new order will push the total U.S. purchase to 1.2 million doses all due by the end of March AstraZeneca said in a statement. The federal government was instrumental in the research and development of this product Zients said. Bottom line weve acted aggressively to support and secure a diverse portfolio of Covid treatments. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-12/u-s-orders-500-000-more-doses-of-astrazeneca-covid-cocktail 12th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Not enough Canadian children are being vaccinated against COVID19 at a time when the Omicron variant threatens to swamp healthcare systems Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday. As of Jan. 1 87.6 of Canadians above the age of 12 had received two shots. But among those aged from 5 to 12 that number dipped to just 2 with 45.6 having received one dose. Almost half of kids across this country have gotten their vaccine. ... We need to get more so please ask your parents if you can get vaccinated Trudeau said addressing children directly during a regular briefing. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/denmark-ease-coronavirus-restrictions-despite-omicron-surge-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Not enough Canadian children are being vaccinated against COVID19 at a time when the Omicron variant threatens to swamp healthcare systems Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday. As of Jan. 1 87.6 of Canadians above the age of 12 had received two shots. But among those aged from 5 to 12 that number dipped to just 2 with 45.6 having received one dose. Almost half of kids across this country have gotten their vaccine. ... We need to get more so please ask your parents if you can get vaccinated Trudeau said addressing children directly during a regular briefing. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/not-enough-children-canada-are-getting-covid-19-jabs-pm-trudeau-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Canada World Health Organization Emergency Director Mike Ryan on Wednesday refuted statements made by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus would be welcome and that it could even bring about the end of the pandemic. In an interview earlier Bolsonaro played down the advance of the new variant in Brazil. During a news conference in Geneva when asked about the statements made by the Brazilian president Ryan affirmed that while Omicron is less severe as a viral infection in an individual that doesnt mean its a mild disease. There are many people around the world in hospitals in ICUs gasping for breath which obviously makes very clear that this is not a mild disease he added. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/whos-ryan-counters-brazils-bolsonaro-says-no-virus-is-welcome-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters UK The British government acted unlawfully by setting up a fasttrack VIP lane to allow ministers and officials to recommend suppliers of personal protective equipment PPE during the coronavirus pandemic a London court ruled on Wednesday. Opposition politicians have accused the government of running a chumocracy awarding deals to those with family or business links to people in power including for what turned out to be unusable PPE in some cases. The campaign groups the Good Law Project and EveryDoctor brought legal action claiming some suppliers were given an unfair advantage in obtaining contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-acted-unlawfully-with-vip-covid-contract-lane-court-rules-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Workers grew more uncomfortable about heading back to the office in the first week of the year and were much more likely to consider quitting if their employer demanded they return a sign that companies efforts to get people back amid rising Covid caseloads face stiff resistance. The share of remote workers who would consider leaving their job if they were asked back to the office before they felt safe rose to 55 as of Jan. 6 up from 45 just a week earlier according to pollster Morning Consult. More than 4 in 10 workers felt unsure about returning to the office compared with 35 who said so on Dec. 30. People were also less likely to want to attend indoor sporting events go to the movies and dine out Morning Consults weekly U.S. survey found. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-12/omicron-has-workers-on-edge-about-returning-to-the-office-poll 12th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Spain is calling for Covid19 to be treated as an endemic disease like the flu becoming the first major European nation to explicitly suggest that people live with it. The idea has gradually been gaining traction and could prompt a reevaluation of government strategies on dealing with the virus. British Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi on Sunday told the BBC that the U.K. is on a path towards transitioning from pandemic to endemic. The omicron variants lower hospitalization and death rates despite record infections prompted Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to hold out the tantalizing prospect of Europe moving beyond pandemicstyle restrictions on normal life. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-11/omicron-has-spain-looking-past-pandemic-as-europe-surge-persists 12th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Yahoo Japan is telling its 8000 employees they can work anywhere in the country and even be flown into work when the job requires it bucking the trend of companies looking to return workers to offices in the third year of the coronavirus pandemic. The program takes effect April 1 and allows employees to commute by plane which wasnt previously an option the company said in a statement Wednesday. While Yahoo is best known for its internet portal in Japan its a unit of SoftBank Group Corp.s Z Holdings Corp. which also owns the Line messaging app and PayPay mobile payments service. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-12/work-anywhere-and-commute-by-plane-yahoo-tells-japan-employees?srnd=premium-europe 12th Jan 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Associated Press For two years coronavirus case counts and hospitalizations have been widely used barometers of the pandemics march across the world. But the omicron wave is making a mess of the usual statistics forcing news organizations to rethink the way they report such figures. Its just a data disaster said Katherine Wu staff writer who covers COVID19 for The Atlantic magazine. The number of case counts soared over the holidays an expected development given the emergence of a variant more transmissible than its predecessors. Yet these counts only reflect what is reported by health authorities. They do not include most people who test themselves at home or are infected without even knowing about it. Holidays and weekends also lead to lags in reported cases. https://apnews.com/article/omicron-changing-news-outlets-covid-data-da9272f7c4c8a109c3bfb56bed9e9c76 12th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg The potential for a new recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is unleashing a scramble for N95 masks and boosting their prices. The agency is considering changing its guidance to advise that people wear higherquality masks according to a Washington Post report. Thats contributing to a surge in prices for goldstandard N95 and KN95 face coverings on sites like Amazon.com. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-12/n95-kn95-or-cloth-masks-prices-surge-as-cdc-weighs-new-recommendations 12th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Brazils President Jair Bolsonaro said the omicron strain thats causing a surge in Covid cases at home and abroad could be called a vaccine virus and is a welcome variant. Some studious and serious people and not linked to pharmaceutical companies say that omicron is welcome and can in fact signal the end of the pandemic Bolsonaro said Wednesday in an interview with Gazeta Brasil website. Bolsonaro has stood out globally for his defiant stance in the face of the pandemic repeatedly dubbing it a little flu despite the more than 600000 Brazilians who have died from the virus in the past two years. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-12/omicron-a-welcome-variant-says-brazil-s-bolsonaro-amid-surge 12th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Chronicle Live As areas of Newcastle city centre continue to see low vaccine uptake the Government minister in charge of the Covid19 jabs programme has said she hopes investing in community champions can help reach people whove previously been hesitant. Speaking to ChronicleLive Maggie Throup MP vaccines minister at the Department of Health and Social Care DHSC said the Government was aware of disparities in vaccine uptake. She said We know there are areas of huge disparity across the country and also in local geographical areas as well. This is why we have been investing in community champions to go out into their communities and give people advice from someone they can relate to. https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/health/covid-vaccines-minister-newcastle-elswick-22718025 12th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Pharmaceutical Technology The US Government has entered an agreement to procure 600000 additional doses of GlaxoSmithKline GSK and Vir Biotechnologys antibody sotrovimab for early Covid19 treatment according to an announcement. An investigational monoclonal antibody sotrovimab attaches to an epitope on SARSCoV2 which is shared with SARSCoV1. In May last year the US Food and Drug Administration FDA granted Emergency Use Authorization EUA to single intravenous IV dose of sotrovimab for mild to moderate Covid19 treatment. The SARSCoV2 neutralising antibody is indicated under EUA for use in adult and paediatric Covid19 patients aged 12 years and above who are at great disease progression risk including hospital admission or mortality. GSK noted that the additional doses will be supplied throughout the first quarter of this year. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/us-gsk-vir-antibody-doses/ 12th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The Central American Bank for Economic Integration said it would give Cuba a loan of 46.7 million euros 53.1 million to help bolster the communistrun countrys COVID19 vaccine program as it seeks to ramp up production for both domestic use and export. The fresh funds will underwrite the production of 200 million additional shots according to a statement from the bank on Monday. Cuba a poor Caribbean island nation hard hit by the pandemic has nonetheless already vaccinated more of its citizens against COVID19 than most of the worlds largest and richest nations. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/central-american-bank-funds-cuban-covid-19-vaccine-drive-2022-01-11/ 12th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Mexico is expecting delivery of nearly 27 million additional COVID19 vaccine doses in the coming weeks Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Tuesday as the Omicron variant fuels a sharp increase in cases. Were going to receive 11.7 million more doses soon ... and before March a further 15 million with which we estimate that the numbers needed by the health ministry will be met Ebrard said during a regular news conference. He did not say what kind of vaccines they would be. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-expecting-nearly-27-mln-covid-19-vaccines-coming-weeks-2022-01-11/ 12th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Germany should make COVID19 vaccinations mandatory for all adults Chancellor Olaf Scholz told parliament on Wednesday. The leader of Scholzs Social Democrats SPD in the legislature had said on Tuesday that he expected a bill on making COVID19 vaccination mandatory to be voted on by parliament in March. Lawmakers from the farright Alternative for Germany AfD heckled Scholz on Wednesday over his governments plans saying they say were splitting German society and held up signs reading freedom instead of division. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germanys-scholz-urges-compulsory-covid-19-jabs-all-adults-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Switzerland will halve its quarantine time to five days to help cope with a wave of coronavirus infections that threatens to hamstring the economy the government said on Wednesday. Health authorities had given their blessing on Tuesday for the move which comes as tens of thousands more people get infected every day due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the virus. Officials worry that the wave could overwhelm the health care system in a country where only twothirds of the population has got two jabs and just 30 has had a booster shot. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/swiss-halve-quarantine-period-five-days-tackle-omicron-wave-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg If maskwearing is an indicator of pandemic alertness Europe is in a state of fatigue. YouGov surveys indicate face coverings have dropped across the continent as vaccinations and booster shots pick up. In Paris where new rules require masks even in the street noses and mouths are regularly on display as a small act of rebellion. Behind the fading fear of Covid is the sense that omicron is not delta and that 2022 is not 2020. Indeed there are signs the latest virus surge is plateauing in some countries and deaths have decoupled from cases thanks to jabs and treatments. The old continent wants to move on. French Health Minister Olivier Veran even reckons this could be Covids last wave. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-01-12/fighting-omicron-we-used-to-clap-for-nurses-now-we-let-them-burn-out-and-quit 12th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The ruling Social Democrats SPD expect a bill on making COVID19 vaccination mandatory in Germany to be voted on by parliament in March the partys leader in the legislature said on Tuesday. Parliament passed a law in December making coronavirus vaccinations compulsory for certain professions from midMarch onwards. The country is now facing a fourth wave of infections and its rate of vaccination remains relatively low compared with some other parts of Europe. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germanys-spd-expects-vote-general-vaccine-mandate-march-2022-01-11/ 12th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The Biden administration on Wednesday announced a new set of measures to keep classes open including doubling COVID19 testing capacity in schools with 10 million more tests as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly through the United States. The United States reported 1.35 million new coronavirus infections on Monday shattering the global record for daily cases in any one country. Omicron is now estimated to account for 98.3 of total new cases circulating in the country the Centers for Disease Control Prevention CDC says. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-govt-increase-covid-19-tests-schools-by-10-mln-per-month-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Ireland should be in a position to start easing restrictions to slow the spread of COVID19 from next month once the number of people requiring critical care remains stable a senior minister said on Wednesday. Ireland has the second highest incidence rate of COVID19 in Europe but also one of the continents highest uptake of booster vaccines helping keep the number of patients in intensive care stable and well below the peak of previous waves of the disease. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/irish-minister-confident-easing-covid-curbs-february-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Volkswagen AG is rolling out Covid19 inoculations to relatives of its German employees a sign of heightened alert as companies join government efforts to head off the fastspreading omicron variant. Vaccinations for workers family members are starting Tuesday according to a spokeswoman. Since June the German auto giant has administered about 100000 doses including first second and booster shots at sites in its home country. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-11/vw-widens-staff-vaccination-drive-to-counter-omicron-risks 12th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg The Philippines has banned unvaccinated individuals from public transport in the capital following President Rodrigo Dutertes order to restrict their movement as Covid19 infections surge. Commuters are required to show proofs of vaccination before riding buses jeepneys trains and other public transport in Metro Manila the transportation department said Wednesday. The no vaccination no ride policy will be in effect while the capital is under Alert Level 3 the thirdhighest in a fivestep scale. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-12/philippines-bars-unvaccinated-from-public-transport-in-capital?utm_source=google&amputm_medium=bd&ampcmpId=google 12th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

The Associated Press When Chicago teachers went on strike last week to protest COVID19 safety protections in the nations thirdlargest school district Democratic Party officials leapt into action. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker pushed for a quick end to the job action and helped secure rapid tests to entice teachers back to work. Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the strikers abandoned their posts in an illegal walkout. White House press secretary Jen Psaki stressed that students should be in school. The standoff ended with a tentative agreement late Monday. Nearly two years into a pandemic that shows no signs of waning Democrats are speaking out more forcefully against COVID19 school closures recognizing a rising anger among parents worried that their kids are falling behind. But in doing so Democrats risk angering some teachers unions which are advocating for more protections for educators as the omicron variant takes hold and whose support helped get Democrats elected. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-chicago-jen-psaki-illinois-0972717a6783074840c52805796bbfdc 12th Jan 2022

Exit Strategies

The Wall Street Journal About 3000 employees with United Airlines Holdings Inc. UAL 0.77 have tested positive for Covid19 but no vaccinated staffer has died from the disease over the past eight weeks the companys top executive said. United the first major airline to implement a Covid19 vaccine requirement was reporting about one Covid19 death per week among staffers prior to the mandates implementation Scott Kirby chief executive of United wrote in a letter to employees on Tuesday. The companys vaccine mandate which was announced in August and went into effect this past fall has likely saved the lives of eight to 10 employees he said. I know that some people still disagree with our policy Mr. Kirby said while adding United is proving that requiring the vaccine is the right thing to do because it saves lives. https://www.wsj.com/articles/united-airlines-reports-no-covid-19-deaths-among-vaccinated-employees-in-past-eight-weeks-11641936765 11th Jan 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters A senior official in Tunisias main opposition Ennahda party told Reuters it planned to go ahead with a protest against President Kais Saied on Friday in defiance of a new COVID19 ban on gatherings. The government said earlier it was reimposing a night curfew banning all gatherings for two weeks and discouraging people from travelling abroad to stop the rapid spread of COVID19 cases. Ennahda and other parties accuse the government of using the rules to stop protests against Saied who in July sacked the prime minister suspended parliament and assumed broad powers in moves they call a coup. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/tunisian-ennahda-official-says-party-will-defy-covid-rules-protest-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022

Partisan Exits

The Independent Spains medical community has scored a victory after a court ordered that a regional government must compensate doctors with up to 49000 euros 56000 for having to work without personal protection suits during the devastating early months of the pandemic. The lawsuit brought by a doctors union is the first of its kind to be won in Spain whose health care system was pushed to the brink when COVID19 first struck. This ruling is groundbreaking in Spain doctor Vctor Pedrera secretary general of the Doctors Union of Valencia CESMCV that filed the suit told The Associated Press by phone on Wednesday. Pedrera a family doctor said that he got ill with the coronavirus shortly after it hit Spain in March 2020 and spent two months at home quite badly off and with no idea of what was being done for treatment. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/spain-covid-barcelona-valencia-alicante-b1991528.html 12th Jan 2022

Partisan Exits

Bloomberg Boris Johnson is facing opposition calls for his resignation as his office confirmed officials are talking to U.K. police over an alleged drinks party at his Downing Street office while pandemic curbs were in place in 2020. The British premiers hopes of a reset after a turbulent end to 2021 were ruined after it emerged members of his team were invited to a drinks party in his office garden on May 20 2020 according to an email seen by ITV News. Social gatherings were banned during the first wave of Covid19 infections. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-11/boris-johnson-urged-to-quit-over-new-pandemic-drinks-party-claim 12th Jan 2022

Partisan Exits

Bloomberg Students at Brooklyn Technical High School in New York City staged a walkout today in protest of the schools inperson teaching mandates during the omicronfuellde Covid surge. The walkout which went viral on Twitter happened at the largest inperson high school in the state. Brooklyn Tech had 6043 students enrolled during the 20202021 school year. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-11/brooklyn-technical-high-school-students-stage-walkout-over-nyc-covid-protocols 12th Jan 2022

Partisan Exits

The Associated Press Novak Djokovic has acknowledged that his Australian travel declaration form contained incorrect information as the government nears a decision on whether to deport the Serbian tennis star who is not vaccinated against COVID19 on public interest grounds. The mens tennis No. 1 had his visa canceled on arrival in Melbourne last week when his vaccination exemption was questioned but he won a legal battle on procedural grounds that allowed him to stay in the country. He still faces the prospect of deportation a decision that is entirely at the discretion of Australias Immigration Minister Alex Hawke if deemed to be in the public interest for health and safety reasons. https://apnews.com/article/immigration-coronavirus-pandemic-novak-djokovic-sports-health-591c103de643abc147b0fb7e2703afc2 12th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg Cannabis compounds prevented the virus that causes Covid19 from penetrating healthy human cells according to a laboratory study published in the Journal of Nature Products. The two compounds commonly found in hemp called cannabigerolic acid or CBGA and cannabidiolic acid or CBDA were identified during a chemical screening effort as having potential to combat coronavirus researchers from Oregon State University said. In the study they bound to spike proteins found on the virus and blocked a step the pathogen uses to infect people. The researchers tested the compounds effect against alpha and beta variants of the virus in a laboratory. The study didnt involve giving the supplements to people or comparing infection rates in those who use the compounds to those who dont. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-12/cannabis-compounds-prevented-covid-infection-in-laboratory-study 12th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

News-Medical.Net The study results showed that two doses of an mRNA vaccine in older adults produced significantly lower levels of humoral response in terms of both binding and neutralizing antibodies as compared to younger people throughout the period of assessment. After a twodose mRNA vaccine regimen the predictors of weak binding antibody response included having more concomitant illnesses. Conversely having a longer gap between the first and second doses was linked to a superior binding antibody response confirming earlier reports. However binding antibody levels fell faster in older adults which is likely due to the more significant number of health conditions in this group. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220111/Third-dose-of-mRNA-COVID-vaccine-induces-strong-immunity-in-older-adults.aspx 12th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Independent Dr Anthony Fauci warned at a Senate committee hearing that the US faced an urgent need for a socalled super vaccine that would be more effective at preventing new variants of Covid19 and other coronaviruses. Looking ahead in the context of the inevitable continual emergence of new variants the importance of developing a pancoronavirus vaccine namely one that would be effective against all SARSCOVID2 variants and ultimately against all coronaviruses becomes even more apparent he told the senators on Tuesday. He added that there was an urgent need for such an effort and added that NIAID was making significant progress on the issue. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/fauci-super-vaccine-covid-omicron-b1990899.html 12th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Washington Post South Koreas drug regulator on Wednesday granted final authorization to Novavaxs coronavirus vaccine for use in adults health officials said in a news release making it the fifth coronavirus vaccine available in the country. Although the authorization is conditioned on the Marylandbased companys submission of the final results of clinical studies regarding its vaccine the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Novavaxs coronavirus vaccine has received final approval in South Korea. The vaccine which will be produced locally is effective and safe the regulator said. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/01/12/novavax-vaccine-south-korea-authorization-covid/ 12th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Pfizer Inc said on Wednesday booster doses of its COVID19 vaccine can be administered along with its pneumonia vaccine and produced strong safety and immune responses in people aged 65 and above in a latestage study. The study initiated in May tested the companys nextgeneration pneumococcal conjugate vaccine PREVNAR 20 with a third dose of the PfizerBioNTech COVID19 shot in 570 participants. The aim of the study was to test the safety of the combination and the immune response after adding the pneumonia vaccine to the existing COVID19 vaccine. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/pfizer-study-shows-covid-19-booster-can-be-co-administered-with-pneumonia-shot-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters South Korea is turning to additional pharmaceutical tools as it looks to preempt a surge of COVID19 omicron infections authorising the use of Novavax Incs vaccine on Wednesdayand preparing to distribute the first of Pfizers antiviral pills. At least 21000 of Pfizers antiviral pills called Paxlovid will arrive in South Korea on Thursday with another 10000 more expected to arrive by the end of the month the health ministry said. The pills which were authorised for emergency use in December will begin being used in treatments for more than 1000 people per day starting on Friday the ministry added https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/skorea-authorises-use-novavax-covid-19-vaccine-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Wall Street Journal An honest summary of the study might have said There is a low transmission rate of the virus among students even when unmasked at lunch or during sports. But a summary like that wouldnt have reinforced the politically acceptable message of publichealth authorities today and so unfounded points had to be fashioned to fit the narrative. This isnt a first for the ABC collaborative and the Duke press office. In July they made a series of bold claims about the efficacy of masking children in schools based on a study that didnt include an unmasked control group. Scientific communication should limit itself to the communication of science rather than to the manipulation of human behavior. https://www.wsj.com/articles/deceptive-covid-study-unmasked-abc-misleading-omicron-north-carolina-students-duke-mask-test-to-stay-11641933613 12th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The New York Times A new study of nearly 70000 Covid patients in California demonstrates that Omicron causes less severe disease than other coronavirus variants results that align with similar findings from South Africa Britain and Denmark as well as a host of experiments on animals. Compared with Delta Omicron infections were half as likely to send people to the hospital. Out of more than 52000 Omicron patients identified from electronic medical records of Kaiser Permanente of Southern California a large health system the researchers found that not a single patient went on a ventilator during that time. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/01/11/world/omicron-covid-testing-vaccines 12th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg European Union regulators warned that frequent Covid19 booster shots could adversely affect the immune response and may not be feasible. Repeat booster doses every four months could eventually weaken the immune response and tire out people according to the European Medicines Agency. Instead countries should leave more time between booster programs and tie them to the onset of the cold season in each hemisphere following the blueprint set out by influenza vaccination strategies the agency said. The advice comes as some countries consider the possibility of offering people second booster shots in a bid to provide further protection against surging omicron infections. Earlier this month Israel became the first nation to start administering a second booster or fourth shot to those over 60. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-11/repeat-booster-shots-risk-overloading-immune-system-ema-says 12th Jan 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg A South African Covid19 vaccine trial will assess the safety and impact of varying doses of Johnson Johnson and Pfizer Inc. shots as boosters for those infected with HIV as well as the wider population. The study being carried out by the Johannesburgbased Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute will recruit about 300 health workers of which about a third will be HIV positive said Lee Fairlie head of child and maternal health at the institute. With about 8.2 million people in South Africa or 13 of the population infected with HIV the effectiveness or immunogenicity of Covid19 vaccines in generating an immune system response in immunocompromised individuals has been a key concern. HIV causes AIDS which weakens the immune system. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-12/covid-study-to-assess-pfizer-j-j-suitability-for-hiv-infected?srnd=premium-europe 12th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Daily coronavirus infections in Bulgaria reached a record high of 7062 on Wednesday largely fuelled by the highly contagious Omicron variant official data showed. New cases on the rise since the beginning of the year surpassed a previous peak set in late October when the European Unions least vaccinated member state grappled with the Delta variant. The virus has killed 89 people in the past 24 hours in the Balkan country according to official figures bringing the total death toll to 31761. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/bulgarias-daily-coronavirus-infections-record-high-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Russia has so far recorded 698 cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant and will prepare new measures by the end of the week to combat its spread Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said on Wednesday. Omicron has pushed COVID19 case figures to record highs in parts of western Europe and the United States but the variant has been slower to hit Russia where daily COVID cases have fallen from a peak of 41335 registered in early November. Data compiled by the Reuters COVID19 tracker show Russias reported pandemic death toll stands at more than 666000 the second highest in the world behind the United States. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/russias-omicron-cases-hit-nearly-700-govt-ponders-new-measures-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Japan recorded a surge in new coronavirus cases on Wednesday with infections reaching fourmonth highs in the major metropolitan areas of Tokyo and Osaka as the Omicron variant spreads. New cases totalled 2198 in the capital of Tokyo while the western prefecture of Osaka recorded 1711 nearly tripling from the day before. Those marked the highest levels since early September. COVID19 cases across Japan will exceed 10000 on Wednesday according to a tally by broadcaster TBS. That tally would be the highest number of infections in Japan in a single day since Sept. 9. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/coronavirus-infections-japans-osaka-nearly-triple-1700-nhk-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Central Asian neighbours Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan reported jumps in new COVID19 cases on Wednesday as both countries said the Omicron variant of the virus was now spreading on their territories. Kyrgyzstan reported its first cases of the variant on Wednesday while Kazakhstan confirmed its first last week. The Kyrgyz healthcare ministry said on Wednesday it has registered 465 new COVID19 cases a fivemonth high. Kazakh Healthcare Minister Azhar Giniyat told a government meeting on the same day that the country has registered over 8000 cases over the last seven days almost three times more in the previous seven days. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/kyrgyzstan-reports-first-cases-omicron-covid-19-variant-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Germany reported 80430 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday the highest recorded in a single day since the pandemic began as the contagious Omicron variant rips through a population with lower vaccination rates than some other parts of Europe. The previous daily record on Nov. 26 was more than 76000 https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/germanys-covid-19-cases-hit-daily-record-more-than-80000-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Austrias daily coronavirus infections have hit a new record as cases continue to surge while the extremely contagious Omicron spreads government data showed on Wednesday. Austria is bracing for infections to rise far above previous records in line with what has happened elsewhere in Europe recently. The conservativeled government wants to avoid reintroducing a full lockdown like the one the country emerged from last month its fourth of the pandemic. New daily coronavirus infections rose above 17000 for the first time on Wednesday to 17006 data from the interior and health ministries showed. The previous peak was 15809 on Nov. 19 though figures vary by source public health agency AGES lists the previous peak as 16474 on Nov. 16. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/austrias-daily-covid-19-infections-hit-record-newspaper-says-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Wall Street Journal The Covid19 surge fueled by the Omicron variant is hitting nursing homes hard with the highest number of cases ever documented among staffers and a nearrecord tally of residents also testing positive according to new federal data. The increases among staff are posing an operational challenge for facilities that have been struggling with worker shortages for months while a surge in patient cases threatens a return of serious illness and death among residents. In the week ending Jan. 9 there were 32061 new confirmed Covid19 cases among nursinghome residents up from 18186 a week earlier and 6406 the week before that according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-cases-surge-at-nursing-homes-11641924320 12th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg More than half of Europes population may be infected with omicron within weeks at current transmission rates a World Health Organization official said. The fastspreading variant represents a westtoeast tidal wave sweeping across the region said Hans Kluge the regional director of the WHO for Europe at a briefing Tuesday. He cited forecasts by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation that the majority of Europeans could catch it in the next six to eight weeks. he latest Covid surge has so far resulted in fewer symptomatic cases and lower death rates than in previous waves fueling optimism the pandemic may be easing. However the WHO has repeatedly warned against underestimating the omicron strain as mild. Kluge said hospitalization rates are increasing in Europe which is putting pressure on health systems. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-11/omicron-may-infect-half-of-europeans-within-weeks-who-says 12th Jan 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg Australia was already facing a record shortfall of workers before spiraling omicron infections triggered the widespread absenteeism that is causing the country more acute pain from the variant than its global peers. Official data Wednesday showed job vacancies climbed to a record up 18.5 to almost 400000 in the three months through November. With the virus now raging a key industry body is warning that firms in food and logistics are reporting 1050 of their workers are sick or in isolation leaving supermarket shelves empty. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-12/australia-suffers-more-omicron-pain-as-worker-shortage-spirals 12th Jan 2022

New Lockdown

Bloomberg The rapid spread of the omicron variant drove a sharp increase in the number of people missing work in the U.K. during the first week of January according to an analysis of workplace attendance data carried out for Bloomberg News. About 3 million workers were on sick leave from Jan. 3 through Jan. 9 according to GoodShape which tracks workrelated illness and wellbeing at U.K. employers. An estimated 1.6 million new cases of absence began during that period an 18 jump on a year earlier. The snapshot of absences at the beginning of the year is one of the first indications of the impact the omicron surge is having on the U.K. economy. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-12/omicron-surge-meant-three-million-britons-off-work-sick-in-first-week-of-january 12th Jan 2022

New Lockdown

The Associated Press Scientists are seeing signals that COVID19s alarming omicron wave may have peaked in Britain and is about to do the same in the U.S. at which point cases may start dropping off dramatically. The reason The variant has proved so wildly contagious that it may already be running out of people to infect just a month and a half after it was first detected in South Africa. Its going to come down as fast as it went up said Ali Mokdad a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. https://apnews.com/article/omicron-wave-britain-us-160ded1ce8d82075057630e11b610358 12th Jan 2022

New Lockdown

Reuters Tunisia will reimpose a night curfew and ban all gatherings for two weeks starting from Thursday to counter the rapid spread of COVID19 the government said on Wednesday in a move critics decried as aimed at stopping protests. The ban on gatherings and a request to avoid travel within the country except for emergencies comes two days before a planned demonstration against President Kais Saied called by major political parties. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/tunisia-restore-curfew-ban-gatherings-over-covid-2022-01-12/ 12th Jan 2022