26th Aug 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=732 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Nursing Times Nurses and other health workers will no longer be tested for Covid19 unless they have symptoms the government has announced. From 31 August routine asymptomatic testing in England will be paused across health and care settings. https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/coronavirus/free-asymptomatic-covid-19-testing-for-nurses-to-end-in-england-next-week-25-08-2022/ 25th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

MSN.com The second Covid19 booster jab is now available for all people aged over 50 in Ireland. The HSE confirmed that appointments can now be made by anyone within the age bracket online. The jabs are provided at participating pharmacies https://www.msn.com/en-ie/health/familyhealth/covid-19-booster-vaccine-now-available-for-over-50s-in-ireland/ar-AA115ka0 25th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Chinese customs said on Thursday it no longer required crossborder travellers to report certain COVIDrelated information such as tests and previous infections when clearing customs. Mainland China which still has some of the worlds most stringent COVID policies for international travellers has taken steps to make crossborder travel less onerous such as shortening the quarantine period and removing some testing and selfisolation requirements for inbound travellers. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/china-drops-some-covid-reporting-rules-cross-border-travellers-customs-2022-08-25/ 25th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Nikkei Asia The Chinese government will soon start accepting Japanese international students after a twoandahalf year pause caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The Chinese embassy in Japan has made visas for longterm overseas study in China available for applications as of Tuesday. Prospective students are expected to be allowed to sit in university classes after undergoing 10 days of isolation and health observation upon entry. This change which would encourage exchange among the younger generation appears to be a move to ease bilateral tensions ahead of next months 50th anniversary of the two countries normalizing diplomatic relations. https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/China-reopens-to-Japanese-students-after-long-COVID-break 25th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

BBC News The national carriers of Australia and New Zealand say that the worst of the coronavirus crisis is now behind them even as they posted annual losses for a third year in a row. Qantas says it is seeing demand increase with the existential crisis posed by the pandemic now over. Air New Zealand says it has also experienced a very strong recovery in bookings and revenues since March. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62655455.amp 25th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Hong Kong health officials said tighter social distancing restrictions could be considered if rising Covid19 cases increase the pressure on the citys medical system. The financial hub reported 7884 new Covid cases Wednesday the highest number since the end of March and up from fewer than 5000 a month ago. Increasing hospitalizations have put pressure on the healthcare system prompting hospitals to scale back nonemergency services and spurring the reopening of community isolation facilities. Expanding virusrelated restrictions would be seen as a step back for the international city which has struggled to balance reopening its borders with mainland Chinas conservative approach to the virus known as Covid Zero. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-24/hong-kong-could-consider-tighter-curbs-as-covid-cases-rise 25th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Life expectancy in New York plummeted by three years in 2020 the biggest decline among all states in the first year of the Covid19 pandemic the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Residents of the state are expected to live to just under 78 the 15thhighest life expectancy in the country and a steep drop from 2019 when they had the thirdhighest ranking the health authority said in statelevel data published Tuesday. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-23/new-york-state-led-us-life-expectancy-drop-in-2020-cdc-says 23rd Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Uruguay News Paraguayan health authorities have expressed their concern over a slowdown in vaccination against COVID19 with very few booster doses applied. According to official data released Saturday 47 of the population still lacked the first doses since the start of the campaign in March 2021 while 53 were yet to take the third injection although they have been available since October last year. https://en.mercopress.com/2022/08/22/paraguayans-skipping-booster-doses-of-covid-19-vaccine 25th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

ITV News The autumn coronavirus booster vaccination programme is starting in Wales with the first jabs being administered on September 1. The rollout is designed to give extra protection to those who are at increased risk of serious illness if they contract the disease. The Welsh Government says it will also help protect the NHS over winter 202223 by easing pressure on the service. https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2022-08-25/autumn-covid-booster-jabs-who-is-eligible-and-how-to-book 25th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

MSN.com Covid19 testing among NHS and care home staff with no symptoms in England is to be paused at the end of August officials have announced. The Department of Health and Social Care said the decision to stop all asymptomatic testing comes as cases of the virus continue to fall. But the Royal College of Nursing RCN said nurses must continue to have access to free testing and highquality personal protective equipment. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/covid-19-testing-for-people-without-symptoms-to-be-e2-80-98paused-e2-80-99/ar-AA113q61 25th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

The Straits Times In Singapore in an advisory on its Facebook page the Land Transport Authority encouraged drivers and passengers to continue wearing masks to protect one another. Ridehailing operators Gojek and Grab echoed this call saying drivers and passengers should mask up if they feel unwell. Grab also advised its drivers to wind down windows to improve ventilation if passengers are agreeable. However drivers interviewed felt that many passengers will not heed this call. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/taxi-and-private-hire-drivers-surprised-at-change-in-mask-wearing-rule-worried-about-covid-19-transmission 25th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

The Straits Times Singapore needs to be prepared for a possible Covid19 wave at the year end said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Wednesday Aug 24. A few scenarios were outlined by the Covid19 multiministry task force on Wednesday at a press conference. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/3-possible-covid-19-scenarios-for-singapore-in-the-months-ahead 25th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

CNN The Chinese metropolis of Chongqing has rolled out mass Covid testing in its central area amid a record heat wave leaving millions of residents standing under the sun for hours as they struggle with extreme temperatures and power shortages. Stringent zeroCovid measures enacted by the southwestern mega city to contain an emerging outbreak are the latest hardship for residents already reeling from a crippling heat wave a severe drought and blazing wildfires. Chongqing reported 40 Covid19 infections Wednesday bringing the total to 146 cases since midAugust. https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/25/china/china-chongqing-mass-covid-test-heat-wave-intl-hnk/index.html 25th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Chinas state media defended the countrys increasingly costly zero tolerance approach to Covid19 saying inactivity from lying flat would be disastrous as outbreaks in its tourism hotspots abate. The dynamic Covid Zero method created a safe and stable environment for Chinas development and brings greater certainty to the world economy the State Councilaffiliated newspaper Economic Daily said in a column on Thursday. The recent damage to the countrys growth stems from Covid itself not measures to contain it the paper said. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-25/chinese-state-media-defend-covid-zero-warn-against-lying-flat 25th Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The United States plans to roll out an updated COVID19 booster vaccine to include Omicron subvariants of the coronavirus. Regulators are reviewing the shots and could give the goahead as soon as next week. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/updated-covid-19-vaccines-are-coming-us-should-you-get-one-2022-08-25/ 25th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

The Wall Street Journal Novak Djokovic spent his summer closely monitoring news about restrictions related to the U.S. border. His hope was that the country might relax certain rules about admitting noncitizens unvaccinated against Covid19 in time for him to play at the U.S. Open. But on Thursday Djokovics time ran out. Three days before play is due to start he said that he would not be flying to New York. Though the 21time Grand Slam champion skipping the U.S. Open will change the complexion of the tournament Djokovics withdrawal hardly came as a surprise. Even he had been pessimistic about his chances. https://www.wsj.com/articles/novak-djokovic-us-open-vaccination-11661440850 25th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

The Washington Post Trump officials repeatedly stalled the Food and Drug Administrations plan to extend safety studies of coronavirus vaccines in fall 2020 as President Donald Trump pressed the agency for a faster timeline so the vaccines could be authorized before Election Day according to emails text messages and interviews by a congressional panel probing the pandemic response. White House officials such as trade adviser Peter Navarro and outside allies such as TV host and physician Mehmet Oz also pressed federal officials in 2020 to authorize the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus treatment with Navarro and a deputy working behind the scenes to have a hospital craft a request to the FDA for widespread access to the debunked therapy touted by Trump the House select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis concluded in a report released Wednesday. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/08/24/trump-fda-pressure-covid-vaccines-treatment/ 25th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

The Guardian Novak Djokovic has announced that he will not play at the US Open due to his vaccine status. The world No 6 who has not been vaccinated against Covid19 said last month that he was hoping for some good news from USA with the country requiring noncitizens to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus to enter. However a recent update on the US Centers for Disease Control website confirmed the rule will remain in effect for the immediate future. On Thursday the Serb confirmed he will not play in the tournament. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/aug/25/novak-djokovic-misses-us-open-after-deciding-against-travelling-to-new-york-covid-vaccine 25th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

The Washington Post Over the past week Twitter has flagged dozens of tweets with factual information about covid19 as misinformation and in some cases has suspended the accounts of doctors scientists and patient advocates in response to their posts warning people about the illnesss dangers. Many of the tweets have since had the misinformation labels removed and the suspended accounts have been restored. But the episode has shaken many scientific and medical professionals who say Twitter is a key way they try to publicize the continuing risk of covid to a population that has grown weary of more than two years of shifting claims about the illness. In interviews with The Post Twitter acknowledged the problem. The company removed the labels and restored the accounts after queries about 10 specific tweets and accounts. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/08/25/twitter-factual-covid-info-labeled-misinformation/ 25th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

Bloomberg Scientists on the Governments Sage advisory committee were given too much influence over decisions on coronavirus lockdowns and not enough consideration was given to the social and economic impact Rishi Sunak has claimed. The former chancellor said he wasnt allowed to talk about the tradeoff during the early phases of the pandemic and suggested the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies edited its minutes to hide dissenting opinions. Mr Sunak said we shouldnt have empowered the scientists in the way we did and suggested he had been left furious during a meeting because colleagues refused to acknowledge the wider impact lockdowns was having. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-25/empowering-sage-scientists-over-covid-lockdown-left-us-screwed-claims-sunak 25th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters UK Former finance minister Rishi Sunak one of two candidates vying to be Britains next premier criticised the way outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson handled the COVID19 pandemic saying it had been a mistake to empower scientists and that the downsides of lockdowns were suppressed. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-leadership-candidate-sunak-attacks-covid-lockdown-response-2022-08-25/ 25th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Physicians Weekly The Pfizer modified COVID19 vaccine for use in children younger than 5 years was 73 percent effective in shielding them from infection during the omicron surge this spring company data released Tuesday show. The specially formulated doses for Americas youngest children were approved for distribution in June although the American Academy of Pediatrics says uptake has been low. Just 6 percent of children younger than 5 years had gotten immunized by midAugust the group said. At the time of approval the only studies supporting their use in small children were based on levels of antibodies triggered by the shots. The new data show that the Pfizer vaccine does appear to protect young children well against symptomatic COVID19. https://www.physiciansweekly.com/pfizer-covid-19-vaccines-73-percent-protective-in-under-5s/ 25th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Pharma Letter Indias Bharat Biotech has recently completed the Phase III trials of its COVID19 intranasal vaccine BBV154 and submitted the data to the Drug Controller General of India DCGI for approval both as a primary twodose vaccine and a heterologous booster dose. However the company has not yet made clinical trial results publicly available. https://www.thepharmaletter.com/article/clinical-data-disclosure-critical-for-bharat-biotech-covid-19-intranasal-vaccine-success-in-india-says-globaldata 25th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Scientific American Thanks to COVID vaccines more people were immunized in 2021 than in any other year in history. Yet that same year with tragic irony more children ended up at risk of highly preventable infectious diseases than before the pandemic began. This is because of what the World Health Organization and UNICEF have described as the largest backslide in childhood vaccinations in three decades. It means that for the second year in a row after 2019 at a time when the COVID pandemic has focused the worlds attention on the need for vaccination the number of children missing out on basic vaccines has increased. This is particularly the case in lowerincome countries. Given the enormous toll COVID is having on the worlds poorest economies an overall decline in childhood vaccinations is not unexpected. But we cant let these numbers slip further. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/covid-has-set-back-childhood-immunizations-worldwide/ 25th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Jerusalem Post A study by Clalit Health Services on the success of treating atrisk COVID19 patients with the antiviral drug Paxlovid has shown an impressive 81 reduction in the risk of death from complications of the virus and a 73 decrease in hospitalizations among those aged 65 and older compared to a control group who did not want to take the medication. Generically known as nirmatrelvirritonavir the oral protease inhibitor was granted emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration FDA in December 2021. It was authorized for treatment of mildtomoderate COVID19 in people aged 12 years of age and older weighing at least 40 kilograms with positive results of direct SARSCoV2 testing and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID19 including hospitalization or death. It should be taken within five days of the onset of symptoms. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/coronavirus/article-715572 25th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The New England Journal of Medicine A total of 109254 patients met the eligibility criteria of whom 3902 4 received nirmatrelvir during the study period. Among patients 65 years of age or older the rate of hospitalization due to Covid19 was 14.7 cases per 100000 persondays among treated patients as compared with 58.9 cases per 100000 persondays among untreated patients adjusted hazard ratio 0.27 95 confidence interval CI 0.15 to 0.49. The adjusted hazard ratio for death due to Covid19 was 0.21 95 CI 0.05 to 0.82. Among patients 40 to 64 years of age the rate of hospitalization due to Covid19 was 15.2 cases per 100000 persondays among treated patients and 15.8 cases per 100000 persondays among untreated patients adjusted hazard ratio 0.74 95 CI 0.35 to 1.58. The adjusted hazard ratio for death due to Covid19 was 1.32 95 CI 0.16 to 10.75. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2204919 25th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

News-Medical.Net In a recent study published in Scientific Reports researchers performed a systematic review and metaanalysis to investigate whether influenza vaccinations could reduce coronavirus disease 2019 COVID19 severity outcomes. However results on the potential protection against COVID19 severity by influenza vaccines have been contradictory. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220825/What-is-the-link-between-influenza-vaccination-and-the-severity-of-COVID-19-infection.aspx 25th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

News-Medical.Net To date the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 SARSCoV2 which is the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 COVID19 has infected over 603 million individuals and claimed more than 6.4 million lives worldwide. About 30 of COVID19 survivors continue to experience a wide range of persistent symptoms for several weeks since their initial diagnosis. This condition is commonly referred to as postacute sequelae of SARSCoV2 infection PASC or long COVID. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220824/Severe-COVID-19-increases-risk-of-future-cardiovascular-events.aspx 25th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

MSN Astudy by Clalit Health Services on the success of treating atrisk COVID19 patients with the antiviral drug Paxlovid has shown an impressive 81 reduction in the risk of death from complications of the virus and a 73 decrease in hospitalizations among those aged 65 and older compared to a control group who did not want to take the medication. https://www.msn.com/en-ca/health/medical/paxlovid-reduces-risk-of-covid-19-death-by-81-clalit-study-shows/ar-AA1153OR 25th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Thai PBS World COVID19 vaccine in vials with maroon caps developed by Pfizer are now approved for use in children aged 6 months to 5 years with 3 injections of 3g per dose. The vaccine is 80.3 effective at preventing COVID19. SecretaryGeneral of Thailands Food and Drug Administration TFDA Dr. Paisarn Dunkum said yesterday Wednesday that on August 23rd the TFDA subcommittee considering the registration of modern pharmacopoeia for humans as a vaccine against the virus which causes COVID19 approved the expansion of the use of Pfizers Comirnaty vaccine to include children aged 6 months to 5 years. https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-fda-approves-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-for-children-aged-6-months-5-years/ 25th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Thai drugmaker Siam Bioscience owned by the countrys king reported a near 50fold increase in annual profit in 2021 when it began producing AstraZeneca Plcs COVID19 vaccine government data shows. The company is part of King Maha Vajiralongkorns vast fortune which includes land and property estimated at between 30 billion and 60 billion. Founded in 2009 by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej to produce biopharmaceuticals and improve public health the company had since been lossmaking and reported its first profit only in 2020 of 35.7 million baht 995000. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/thai-kings-medical-firm-reports-record-profit-after-vaccine-deal-with-2022-08-25/ 25th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Independent Deaths involving Covid19 registered in England and Wales have fallen for the second week in a row suggesting they are now on a downward trend. Some 592 deaths registered in the seven days to August 12 mentioned coronavirus on the death certificate according to the Office for National Statistics ONS down 18 on the previous week. Deaths had risen during June and July due to the wave of infections caused by the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants of Covid19. But the latest figures confirm this wave peaked at 810 deaths in the week to July 29. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/office-for-national-statistics-wales-england-omicron-b2150762.html 25th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Independent North Korea on Thursday said it found four new fever cases in its border region with China that may have been caused by coronavirus infections two weeks after leader Kim Jong Un declared a widely disputed victory over COVID19 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/seoul-ap-kim-jong-un-south-korea-china-b2152154.html 25th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters North Koreas state media said on Thursday that a fever outbreak of unknown origin has emerged in a region bordering China but it was not the novel coronavirus over which the country declared victory this month. Four fever cases suspected of being infected with malignant epidemic were reported from Ryanggang Province near the border with China on Tuesday prompting authorities to immediately lock down the area and mobilise medical teams the official KCNA news agency said citing the State Emergency Epidemic Prevention Headquarters. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/nkorea-reports-unknown-fever-cases-near-china-border-denies-covid-2022-08-25/ 25th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

UK in a Changing Europe The first two years of the pandemic brought a tragic loss of life with over 120000 excess deaths almost all of which were a direct result of COVID19. Early in 2022 there were fewer deaths than normal for the time of year. The picture worsened as we moved into spring and summer with the Office for National Statistics reporting 11600 more deaths than average in the last eight weeks only a small fraction of which arose during the heatwave. Excess deaths typically a niche interest for actuaries and demographers have made front page news. Speculation is rife as to the underlying causes with suggestions such as lockdown effects feared to be killing more people than COVID. https://ukandeu.ac.uk/why-have-there-been-excess-deaths-this-summer/ 25th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

New Straits Times The country continued to record twodigit Covid19 fatalities while new daily cases showed a slight dip with 2636 infections on Wednesday Aug 24. Health Ministrys CovidNow portal today reported that five of the new cases were imported while 2631 were locally transmitted cases. On Aug 24 the country reported 2722 daily Covid19 infections and 11 deaths. https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2022/08/825429/malaysia-continues-record-two-digit-covid-19-fatalities-slight-dip-cases 25th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Straits Times With around seven in 10 people here having been infected with Covid19 the next big wave will likely be a wave of reinfections. While Singapore is more resilient now given that its current wave has just subsided the Republic needs to be prepared for a yearend wave that may be caused by a variant of concern that dodges immunity from past infection said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Wednesday morning Aug 24. Mr Ong noted at a multiministry task force MTF on Covid19 press conference that reinfection cases have climbed to about 5.5 per cent of infections here this month compared with about 3 per cent of cases the last time he updated Parliament. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/next-covid-19-wave-will-be-one-of-reinfections-about-70-of-spore-population-has-already-been-infected 25th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Guardian Twice as many deaths involving Covid occurred this summer compared with last summer according to analysis of new data though rates have fallen in recent weeks as the latest wave decreases in severity in the UK. Although the overall number of deaths of people with Covid in 2022 remains far below last year the summer months have bucked that trend. More than 5700 Covid deaths have been registered since 8 June when two Omicron subvariants became dominant. This is 95 higher than in the same period last year when there were 2936 deaths involving Covid across the UK. However the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics ONS also indicate that deaths caused by the latest Covid wave fuelled by the two more transmissible Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 which became dominant in early June are on the wane. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/23/twice-as-many-people-died-with-covid-in-uk-this-summer-compared-with-2021 23rd Aug 2022