10th Nov 2020 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=136 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

BBC One in every 17 people who have had Covid19 could be diagnosed with anxiety depression or insomnia for the first time a study of millions of US patient health records suggests. That is about double the risk from other illnesses the researchers say. Unexpectedly they also found existing psychiatric patients were 65 more likely to be diagnosed with Covid19. This could be linked to their physical health or drugs prescribed to treat disorders the researchers speculated. They should be given appropriate care the Oxford team said. But they stopped short of asking psychiatric patients to shield or think of themselves as extremely vulnerable. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54874010 10th Nov 2020

Lockdown Exit

The Jerusalem Post Three Israelis who returned from Denmark and were confirmed as infected with the novel coronavirus may have been infected with the new strain discovered among minks in the country recently according to KAN news. The new strain may have decreased sensitivity to antibodies which could impact future vaccines although studies are still being conducted to verify this. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/israelis-may-be-infected-with-new-coronavirus-strain-from-denmark-minks-648513 10th Nov 2020

Lockdown Exit

ABC News With her beaming smile jovial manner and contagious air of enthusiasm its difficult to imagine Gloria Zuluaga ever losing her optimism. Yet in May as COVID19 cases began to surge in Colombia the 52yearold restaurant owner found herself helpless and fearing the worst. Standing outside a hospital in Bogota under one of the capitals infamous tropical downpours she pleaded with hospital staff for help. She felt faint her airways closed up and she choked for breath. I was sweating choking and I started shaking like I had epilepsy Zuluaga recalls. I felt so vulnerable. As she suspected the symptoms were diagnosed as having been caused by the novel coronavirus though not directly. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-09/colombia-six-month-coronavirus-lockdown-price-to-pay/12855242 9th Nov 2020

Lockdown Exit

Newshub The Detail is a daily news podcast produced for RNZ by Newsroom and is published on Newshub with permission. Click on this link to subscribe to the podcast. Taiwan is held up as best in class when it comes to controlling coronavirus and calls are getting louder for New Zealand to follow its lead and end the disruptive lockdowns that are so damaging to the economy. Today The Details Sharon Brettkelly looks at how this country of nearly 24 million people on an island a third the size of the South Island tops the world with around 568 cases and just seven deaths compared with New Zealands 1973odd cases and 25 deaths. Taiwanbased New Zealander Ron Hanson talks to Sharon Brettkelly about the similarities and differences between the two countries strategies https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/11/coronavirus-should-new-zealand-copy-taiwan-s-leading-covid-19-response.html 9th Nov 2020

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian World leaders are running out of time to forge a green recovery from the Covid19 crisis with only a year to go before a crunch UN summit that will decide the future of the global climate leading experts have warned. Progress on a green recovery which would reduce emissions while repairing the damage from the pandemic has been hampered by the need for an emergency rescue of stricken economies around the world and the resurgence of the coronavirus in Europe the US and some other countries. But with global heating showing no sign of slowing and the danger signals of climate breakdown increasingly evident from the Arctic ice to American wildfires the race is on to build the global economy back better. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/09/world-is-running-out-of-time-on-climate-experts-warn?utm_term=Autofeed&ampCMP=twt_gu&amputm_medium&amputm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1604905271 9th Nov 2020

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Positive data on BioNTech and U.S. partner Pfizer Incs COVID19 vaccine is an unlikely success for the married couple behind the German biotech firm who have devoted their lives to harnessing the immune system against cancer.Pfizer said on Monday said its experimental vaccine was more than 90 effective in preventing COVID19 based on initial data from a large study https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-biontech-ceo-newsm/behind-pfizers-vaccine-an-understated-husband-and-wife-dream-team-idUKKBN27P1NX 9th Nov 2020

Lockdown Exit

AlJazeera Presidentelect Biden set to announce a 12member task force to deal with pandemic as US becomes first country to cross 10 million cases. The development on Sunday came as global coronavirus cases exceeded 50 million. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/9/us-crosses-10-million-covid-19-cases-as-biden-sets-up-taskforce 9th Nov 2020

Lockdown Exit

AlJazeera Osmilta Prince sits on a rock beneath a palm tree her homemade mask covering her face. By her feet is a basket of handmade shell bracelets and calabash bowls. Close by a laminated sign reads Stay Apart 6 feet or 9 coconuts. By this time of day the 48yearold single mother will have ordinarily sold enough curios to put food on the table to feed her four sons. But today the sunloungers on this usually popular beach are mostly empty. Its scary to realise that this could go on for another year she says taking in the quiet beach. This is my income and the modest savings I have wont last. I dont want to go and beg. Everything I earn now goes on food because there hasnt been a chance to save since we reopened. https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/11/8/lockdown-in-paradise-antiguas-plea-for 8th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

The Wall Street Journal One of the most indepth examinations of hotel quarantines since the coronavirus crisis began has concluded that some travellers should be allowed to selfisolate at home. The recommendation from a government panel in Melbourne Australias secondlargest city could offer lessons to other countries seeking ways to reopen their borders. The panel was set up by statelevel authorities to investigate the hotelquarantine program after a secondwave outbreak in Melbourne was linked to hotels where the virus spread from travellers to personnel such as security guards. Allowing people to quarantine at home could make travel more palatable for those who cant afford pricey hotel bills or dont want to spend weeks cooped up in a hotel room. It would also ease the workload for health care workers at quarantine hotels and allow more inbound travellers if hotels are full. https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-quarantine-debate-shifts-from-hotels-to-homes-11604941052 9th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters With COVID19 vaccine trial results looking positive governments and pharmaceutical firms face their next daunting challenge convincing the world to get inoculated. Public resistance to vaccines has been much discussed this year but the issue became very real on Monday when Pfizer and BioNTech announced their candidate was more than 90 effective in large trials hoisting an actual shot onto the horizon. Numerous opinion polls carried out before and during the pandemic showed confidence is volatile and that political polarization and online misinformation threatens uptake. Many people have concerns about the accelerated speed of COVID19 vaccine development. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-vaccine-confidence/we-may-soon-have-a-covid-19-vaccine-but-will-enough-people-take-it-idUSL8N2HU0G5 9th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters Israel said it asked the U.S. government on Monday to help it get access to Pfizers potential COVID19 vaccine. Earlier in the day Pfizer Inc said its experimental COVID19 vaccine was more than 90 effective a major victory in the fight against a pandemic that has killed more than a million people battered the worlds economy and upended daily life. Israels finance minister Israel Katz said he had discussed the vaccine during talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. I asked Mnuchin for help in supplying the vaccine to Israel in parallel with its supply to the United States as part of an agreement signed between the U.S. administration and the company for the immediate delivery of 600 million doses Katz said in a statement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it an important day in the fight against the pandemic and said the end is in site. My goal at the moment is to do one thing to bring vaccines to you citizens of Israel and we will do so he said. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-vaccines-pfizer-is/israel-asks-for-u-s-help-in-getting-potential-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-idUSKBN27P2C0 9th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

BBC Scotlands Covid19 restrictions are highly unlikely to be eased when they are reviewed on Tuesday Nicola Sturgeon has said. Tuesday will mark the first review of local measures under Scotlands new fivelevel alert system. The first minister said the curbs currently in place had undoubtedly had an impact on the spread of the virus. However she said it was important for this to translate into a significant and sustained reduction in cases. Ms Sturgeon said she would not expect areas to go down a level and that careful judgement would be given to whether any councils had to move up a level. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-54873539 9th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

The Scotsman According to the First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford the UK must plan a path to Christmas amid the coronavirus pandemic and he called on the UK Government specifically cabinet minister Michael Gove to make good on the promised meeting of the four nations to discuss a single approach.His comments come as Wales prepares to come out of a 17day firebreak lockdown on Monday while England continues in its monthlong lockdown which ends at the start of December.I really hope that meeting materialises said Mr Drakeford. The restrictions people have had to live with are incredibly difficult and demanding and everybody is tried and fatigued of coronavirus. https://www.scotsman.com/health/uk-must-plan-path-christmas-says-welsh-first-minister-3030064 9th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

The Guardian The next couple of weeks will be crucial in determining what kind of Christmas we have this year a lonely joyless affair in front of our TVs or at best a modest celebration sharing the odd Christmas cracker with one or two close relatives. The arithmetic that will determine the outcome is straightforward say scientists. If we are to have any prospect of getting out of national lockdown in four weeks then case numbers of Covid19 will have to fall significantly. And it will not be obvious that we are succeeding in reaching that goal until we are in the third or fourth week of our 28day seclusion. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/08/how-will-we-know-when-england-can-come-out-of-lockdown 9th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

The New Indian Express Delay in enforcing a strict lockdown and a stimulus equal to 3 per cent of GDP would have helped lessen the economic impact of the pandemic feels economist Abhijit Banerjee who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2019 along with Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer. He was in conversation with Prabhu Chawla Editorial Director The New Indian Express and author and journalist Shankkar Aiyar on TNIEs Expressions a series of live webcasts with people who matter. https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2020/nov/09/cost-of-lockdown-in-india-wasnt-justified-2221259.html 9th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

DW (English) People in India are increasingly lowering their guard during the ongoing festival season despite the high risk of contracting COVID19. Many restrictions have been lifted but the pandemic is far from over. Rudra Nath 42 a factory foreman in Alwar district of northwestern Rajasthan state says he feels exasperated having to tell his coworkers to keep their masks on all the time. It has been over a month since the iron fabrication factory resumed production. Since June the government has been gradually relaxing restrictions on public movement and commerce meant to contain the coronavirus. https://www.dw.com/en/india-coronavirus-fatigue/a-55540955 9th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

New Straits Times South Korea has eased its level of physical distancing regulations even though authorities are concerned that the Covid19 virus could spread more easily during the coming winter season. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency KDCA said the move was made as the average daily number of new cases has remained below 100 over the past week. It has introduced a revised fivetier scheme which took effect on Saturday and is based on the average number of daily infections per week. The new system divides the nation into seven zones and allows provincial governments to decide the level of their own physical distancing regulations in line with the number of new infections in their respective regions. https://www.nst.com.my/world/region/2020/11/639495/covid-19-cases-drop-south-korea-revises-physical-distancing-guidelines 9th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

The Guardian The prospect of a global green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is hanging in the balance as countries pour money into the fossil fuel economy to stave off a devastating recession an analysis for the Guardian reveals. Meanwhile promises of a lowcarbon boost are failing to materialise. Only a handful of major countries are pumping rescue funds into lowcarbon efforts such as renewable power electric vehicles and energy efficiency. A new Guardian ranking finds the EU is a frontrunner devoting 30 of its 750bn 677bn Next Generation Recovery Fund to green ends. France and Germany have earmarked about 30bn and 50bn respectively of their own additional stimulus for environmental spending. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/09/revealed-covid-recovery-plans-threaten-global-climate-hopes 9th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

Yahoo News Australia Wales has seen early positive signs in its fight against coronavirus as it comes out of its firebreak lockdown its first minister has said. In a press conference on Monday Mark Drakeford said there had already been signs that COVID19 cases were beginning to fall. The countrys short 17day coronavirus lockdown ended on Monday and was replaced with a new set of national measures. Groups of up to four people can now meet up in cafes pubs and restaurants while shops gyms hairdressers and places of worship will also reopen. https://au.news.yahoo.com/wales-stability-coronavirus-firebreak-lockdown-092756887.html 9th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

AlJazeera Syam Mohan a 33yearold geriatrics nurse took three weeks leave in early February to travel with his wife and threemonthold son from Sydney to Kerala in India for a family wedding. By the time their return date approached coronavirus cases had emerged in Malaysia where the young family had a stopover as part of their journey home. Fearing that their infant son Milan would be at higher risk of infection Mohan made the difficult decision to leave his wife and son with family in Kerala and fly home alone on February 27. He expected they would be able to join him a few weeks later once the crisis calmed. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/9/australians-locked-out-of-their-own-country-thanks-to-covid-19 9th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters Israel said on Monday it would test people arriving from Denmark for a new mutated strain of coronavirus stemming from Danish mink farms and ask them to selfisolate. The health ministry issued the statement after unconfirmed reports by N12 News and other media that three Israelis returning from Denmark were suspected of having been infected with the new strain. The likelihood of a patient carrying the mutation arriving in Israel is low ... At the same time we are exercising extra caution the ministry said. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-israel-denmark/israel-tests-passengers-from-denmark-for-new-mutated-coronavirus-idUSKBN27P1NL 9th Nov 2020

Exit Strategies

Reuters Britain is making good progress with a plan to allow COVID19 tests to cut a 14day quarantine period for those returning from abroad a change which could help fuel a travel recovery once current lockdowns end the transport minister said. Airport bosses welcomed the update from the minister Grant Shapps at an online conference but said more needed to be done. The top priority for them is that the government eliminates the requirement for quarantine through testing for the coronavirus. Were making very good progress on a test to release programme to launch once were out of this lockdown Shapps said on Monday. Once we emerge from the lockdown we can roll out new systems to help get people flying and travelling again. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-britain-travel/update-1-uk-making-good-progress-on-travel-testing-to-cut-quarantine-minister-idUSL8N2HV2SU 9th Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

Reuters UK UK vaccines taskforce chair Kate Bingham is to step down from her post at the end of the year amid criticism that she spent 670000 pounds 881000 on public relations consultants the Financial Times reported on Monday. Binghams use of a private sector company to oversee communications for her task force has caused concern in the government and on Monday government officials said she was not expected to continue in the job into 2021 the newspaper reported. The FT said citing a Sunday Times report that Bingham had used eight fulltime consultants from London PR agency Admiral Associates to oversee her media strategy and has contracted them until the end of the year. Under Binghams vaccine taskforce Britain has secured supply deals for more than 350 million doses of six different COVID19 vaccine candidates. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-britain-bingham-idUKKBN27P2P8 10th Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

Reuters UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain was ready to roll out a mass COVID19 vaccination programme but it was too early to rely on a vaccine as a solution to the coronavirus pandemic. I must stress that these are very very early days and weve talked for a long time right about the distant bugle of the scientific cavalry coming over the brow of the hill Johnson told a media conference after Pfizer said its experimental COVID19 vaccine was more than 90 effective. I can tell you that tonight that today that toot that bugle is louder but its still some way off. We absolutely cannot rely on this news as a solution. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain-johnson-idUKKBN27P2EX 10th Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

Reuters UK Britain expects to have 10 million doses of PfizerBioNTechs candidate COVID19 vaccine available by the end of the year but Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday said there were several hurdles to go after its positive clinical trial results. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-vaccines-pfizer-br/uk-expects-to-get-10-million-doses-of-pfizer-biontech-vaccine-this-year-idUKKBN27P1OT 10th Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

Reuters UK An 80 uptake of a COVID19 vaccine may be needed to protect communities from the novel coronavirus but volatile levels of misinformation and vaccine mistrust could undermine efforts to tackle the pandemic British scientists said on Tuesday. A report by scientific institutions the British Academy and the Royal Society found that in part due to circulating misinformation and behavioural factors around 36 of people in Britain say they are either uncertain or very unlikely to agree to be vaccinated against COVID19. It said an open dialogue is critical to building public support for COVID19 vaccination and called for a frank conversation to manage public expectations that life will not immediately get back to normal when vaccines arrive. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-vaccine-hesitancy/vaccine-hesitancy-may-undermine-fight-against-covid-19-uk-report-says-idUKKBN27Q009 10th Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

BBC The organiser of an antilockdown demonstration attended by 600 people in Manchester has been fined 10000. The protest in Piccadilly Gardens was condemned by Greater Manchester Police GMP as irresponsible after new Covid rules came into force. Police officers suffered minor injuries at Sundays event which included protesters who had travelled from Cumbria said GMP. The force said the organiser ignored its pleas to call off the event. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-54870378 9th Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

Metro.co.uk Boris Johnson felt pushed into a second lockdown by misleading data a Government source has suggested. It comes as some of the figures backing up strict new measures this month have started falling apart in the last week particularly the 4000 potential deaths a day warning. The early leak of the lockdown plans may also have escalated the situation the source claimed. One Cabinet minister told the Daily Mail I think he is concerned that he may have been bounced into it. https://metro.co.uk/2020/11/09/coronavirus-uk-boris-johnson-feels-bounced-into-second-lockdown-13561052/ 9th Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

NBC News For President Donald Trump 2020 will be defined by his coronavirus response. And in recent weeks he has sought to deflect the mountains of criticism he has received by pointing to the escalating Covid19 outbreaks across Europe. Our numbers are much better than Europe the president said in September. He said during the final presidential debate last month that its all over the world you see the spikes in Europe and many other places right now. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/trump-tried-justify-rising-covid-cases-pointing-europe-experts-say-n1246786 9th Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

Euro Weekly News Protests in Germany over national lockdown as thousands call for Merkel to quit Protests have erupted in Germany as thousands took to the streets all around the country on Saturday November 7 after the country entered into a fourweek partial lockdown on Monday. Bars restaurants gyms and theatres have all been closed but schools remain open. https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2020/11/08/protests-in-germany-over-national-lockdown/ 9th Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

Sky News Australia Melbourne restaurateur Chris Lucas says the Victorian government needs to be sensitive that the decision to lockdown the state went too far crushed businesses caused hundreds to lose their jobs and took away the futures of so many people. His comments come regarding the recent develops to Victorias reopening with the ring of steel surrounding the city coming down. Pubs cafs and restaurants can now serve up to 40 people inside and 70 outside with increases to 100 patrons indoors and 200 outside expected from the 23rd of November. The government needs to be a little bit sensitive about what is going on with regards to these reopening plans Mr Lucas told Sky News host Peta Credlin. https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6208287094001 9th Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

Reuters UK Italy won plaudits for its discipline and unity in fighting the Western worlds first coronavirus outbreak in the spring but that sense of common purpose is unravelling in the face of the second wave. Despite a surge in infections and deaths Italians who stoically accepted a blanket national lockdown in March are now less willing to respect far less rigid restrictions egged on by local politicians at odds with the government in Rome. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-italy-disunity-idUKKBN27P1JP 9th Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

AlJazeera US Presidentelect Joe Biden addressed the nation after meeting with his transition coronavirus advisory board on Monday calling for unity and simple steps to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Biden said Please I implore you wear a mask during the speech in Wilmington Delaware. He noted masks could save the lives of older people children and teachers and added It could even save your own life. Biden became the projected winner of the US presidential election on Saturday after Pennsylvania was called for the former vice president. Biden is currently projected to have 290 Electoral College votes more than the 270 required for victory according to The Associated Press news agency. Trump currently sits at 214 with Alaska and North Carolina still not called but favouring the president. Georgia too close to call and the small margin will trigger an automatic recount. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/9/biden-asks-people-wear-a-mask-to-contain-coronavirus 9th Nov 2020

Partisan Exits

Metro Hundreds of antilockdown protesters gathered in Manchester city centre this afternoon amid chants of take of your masks. Around 600 people congregated in Piccadilly Gardens not complying to social distancing and few wearing masks. Among them were a group of people who had travelled on a coach from Cumbria. Many of them carried placards one of which read Fear is the currency of control. One speaker using a loudhailer told the crowd Those 300plus politicians that voted for the lockdown are treasonous. https://metro.co.uk/2020/11/08/anti-lockdown-protesters-chant-take-off-your-masks-at-600-strong-march-13559732/ 8th Nov 2020

Continued Lockdown

Leeds Live Speciallytrained dogs that can sniff out coronavirus could soon be spotted in Leeds. The clever canines which have been trained by the charity Medical Detection Dogs can detect Covid19 on people. The adorable Labradors were put through the paces at London Paddington train station in a trial earlier this month where health secretary Matt Hancock was joined by the Duchess of Cornwall to see them in action. There are suggestions the sniffer dogs could be deployed in busy areas such as train stations and shopping centres to try and find people with Covid19 and therefore minimise the risk of asymptomatic people mixing with others. https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/leeds-news/covid-19-sniffer-dogs-can-19247313 9th Nov 2020

Continued Lockdown

BBC When Covid struck noone quite understood how ruinous its ripples would be. As England begins a new lockdown Michael Buchanan has been in Wales which has emerged from a short sharp shutdown to see the effect of the economic shock. While thousands of families grieve lives abruptly ended by Covid others mourn the lives they once led. For Dorne Williams the pandemic has been calamitous. It has cost me my relationship my mental health and my friends who are too frightened to visit. Were talking on the doorstep of her small terraced house in Pontypool. First came the nasty virus she says. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-54833709 9th Nov 2020

Continued Lockdown

Daily Mail Psychiatrist has warned Australia faces a dangerous new mental health crisis Called for policymakers to turn society upside down to flatten the new curve The COVID19 pandemic has left many unemployed and struggling to cope https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8927687/The-real-cost-lockdown-Australia-faces-mental-health-crisis.html 9th Nov 2020

Continued Lockdown

Reuters UK Britains poppy appeal when tens of millions buy a red paper or metal poppy to remember the war dead and help armed forces families is facing a battle of its own collecting money amid the strictest lockdown in peacetime history. Charities across the world are struggling after the novel coronavirus lockdowns closed swathes of the economy drove millions out of work and shuttered normal life including many traditional ways of giving. Even the hardy Remembrance Poppy has been threatened. Red poppies sprang up beside the fallen amid the carnage of World War One trench warfare in the fields of Flanders a contrast that swiftly graced some of the griefstricken poetry of the socalled Great War. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-britain-charities/in-britain-the-poppy-appeal-grapples-with-covid-19-lockdown-idUKKBN27P0K3 9th Nov 2020

Continued Lockdown

Reuters UK Frances economic activity is 12 lower than normal this month after the country entered a coronavirus lockdown for the second time this year the central bank said on Monday. The government imposed the new lockdown on Oct. 30 to rein in a surge in new cases although the restrictions were softer than the first time to limit the impact to the euro zones secondbiggest economy. The Bank of France said economic activity was expected to be reduced by 12 of normal levels as a result worse than the 4 drop in October but far better than the 31 loss seen in April during one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-france-economy-idUKKBN27P0IH 9th Nov 2020

Continued Lockdown

The Guardian Rising stress levels have taken a toll on the mental and emotional health of young people since the first coronavirus lockdown was imposed in March childrens charity the NSPCC has warned. Calls to the charitys ChildLine service reached nearly 43000 between March and October with mental health worries making up more than a third of all its counselling sessions new figures showed. The NSPCC said its counsellors had heard from children who were feeling isolated anxious and insecure after being cut off from their usual social support networks. Some children had developed eating disorders such as binge eating and bulimia for the first time while others with existing eating disorders had reported worse symptoms or had relapsed the charity found. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/nov/09/nspcc-warns-of-lockdowns-toll-on-childrens-mental-health?utm_term=Autofeed&ampCMP=twt_b-gdnnews&amputm_medium=Social&amputm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1604905646 9th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters UK High levels of socalled T cells that respond to the coronavirus could be sufficient to offer protection against infection an English study said on Tuesday adding to the evidence of the crucial role they play in immunity to COVID19. T cells a type of white blood cell that makes up part of a healthy immune system are thought to be essential to protect against infection from the SARSCOV2 coronavirus and could provide longer term immunity than antibodies. The study on nearly 3000 people conducted by Oxford Immunotec and Public Health England PHE found that no participants with a high T cell response developed symptomatic SARSCoV2 infection when researchers followed up with them. https://uk.reuters.com/article/instant-article/idUKKBN27Q001 10th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Financial Times The US Food and Drug Administration has given Eli Lilly the first emergency use authorisation for a Covid19 antibody treatment which the drugmaker hopes will help vulnerable people avoid hospitalisation. Eli Lillys bamlanivimab therapy has been authorised for mildtomoderate patients who are at risk for developing a more serious condition such as the elderly or those with chronic illnesses. The treatment designed to boost the immune system of patients with artificially engineered antibodies is the first drug developed for use this early in the disease. David Ricks Eli Lillys chief executive said it was a valuable tool for doctors fighting the nowincreasing burden of this global pandemic. https://www.ft.com/content/bebd0345-f5d3-40b1-af3c-059b8c7099a2 10th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters India Work to distribute the experimental COVID19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech is gearing up after the companies announced successful interim data earlier on Monday but it will not be coming to local pharmacies for the general public any time soon. https://in.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-vaccines-distribution-idINKBN27Q094 10th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail on MSN.com Scientists have released the most uptodate illustration of the coronavirus ever made mapping both its external appearance and internal structure. The visualisation was created via a 3D model and combines the latest data on the structure of the SARSCoV2 virus which is causing the Covid19 pandemic. Experts at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology KAUST in Saudi Arabia created the model and hope it can help create treatments for Covid19. In a video the academics showcase their model which includes the protein spikes on its surface as well as the genetic material wound up inside the viral membrane. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientists-reveal-the-most-accurate-image-of-the-covid-19-coronavirus/ar-BB1aPXqB 9th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

BBC The first effective coronavirus vaccine can prevent more than 90 of people from getting Covid19 a preliminary analysis shows. The developers Pfizer and BioNTech described it as a great day for science and humanity. Their vaccine has been tested on 43500 people in six countries and no safety concerns have been raised. The companies plan to apply for emergency approval to use the vaccine by the end of the month. No vaccine has gone from the drawing board to being proven highly effective in such a short period of time. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54873105 9th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

New Scientist A coronavirus vaccine candidate being developed by Pfizer is more than 90 effective in preventing covid19 according to early results the company announced today. The results have been described as reason for optimism for 2021 by Chris Whitty Englands chief medical officer. Joe Biden US presidentelect said this was excellent news but warned that the end of the battle against covid19 is still months away as it will take many more months before there is widespread vaccination. Pfizer said that an early analysis of the results from the phase III trial found more than 90 per cent fewer symptomatic coronavirus cases among trial participants who received two doses of the vaccine candidate three weeks apart compared to those who received a placebo. So far in the trial 38955 people have received two doses of either vaccine or placebo as of 8 November and there have been 94 confirmed coronavirus cases in total among them. The results have not been peerreviewed or published in a scientific journal and Pfizer said further analysis will occur once there have been 164 confirmed coronavirus cases among the participants. Pfizer is developing the vaccine in partnership with German biotechnology company BioNTech. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2237475-covid-19-news-pfizer-coronavirus-vaccine-is-more-than-90-effective/ 9th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian Doctors in Italy have warned there will be an additional 10000 Covid19 deaths in a month in the country unless a national lockdown is imposed. The government is moving toward placing further restrictions in four more regions considered high risk Campania Liguria Abruzzo and Umbria. The Italian Order of Doctors however has urged tougher action as hospitals struggle to find space for coronavirus patients. Ambulances have been queuing outside emergency units from Turin in the north to Naples in the south. People were treated for Covid19 in their cars outside Cotugno hospital in Naples the capital of Campania over the weekend. One 78yearold woman waited in an ambulance for 26 hours before being admitted to hospital. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/09/italy-faces-10000-covid-deaths-in-a-month-with-no-lockdown-medics 9th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Residents of the Indian capital are enduring one of the worst spells of air pollution in years data released on Monday showed raising the risks to city residents posed by the novel coronavirus doctors said. Pollution in New Delhi had almost disappeared earlier this year when the government imposed a nationwide lockdown to stop the coronavirus. But the curbs have been lifted and the pollution and the virus are back with a vengeance. Delhis overall air quality index AQI which includes the concentration of PM2.5 particles as well as bigger pollutants has stayed above 400 on a scale of 500 for five consecutive days government data showed. The tiny PM2.5 particles can cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases including lung cancer and pose a particular risk for people with COVID 19. https://www.reuters.com/article/india-pollution-idUSKBN27P0WK 9th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Japan Times Are children a major source of contagion for COVID19 Ten months into a pandemic that has claimed 1.2 million lives experts are still divided on the question even as governments must decide whether to keep classrooms open or shut. During the first wave of infection scientific consensus formed around the concern that children might be a crucial vector as they are for the flu in spreading the novel coronavirus. And then moving into the summer the opposite idea took hold Children especially young ones did not infect others that much several studies suggested. If you look at the scientific literature its really not very clear said Dominique Costagliola an epidemiologist at the Marie and Pierre Curie Faculty of the Sorbonne University in Paris. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/11/07/world/science-health-world/children-with-coronavirus/ 9th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

CNN Presidentelect Joe Biden and Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris say they will move the US Covid19 pandemic response in a dramatically different direction. The pandemic is getting significantly more worrisome all across the country Biden said on Friday. I want everyone to know on day one were going to put our plan to control this virus into action. There were dauntingly high new case numbers last week and by the time Biden takes office January 20 the influential University of Washington Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation model projects there will be more than 372000 Covid19 deaths thats 135000 more than the current total. https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/08/health/biden-pandemic-plan/index.html 9th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

New Zealand Herald Two hundred Kiwis may have died had the Government held off ordering our nationwide lockdown for another three weeks while nearly 12000 people may have been infected. Thats the stark upshot of newlypublished modelling thats underscored how crucial New Zealands go hard go early response to Covid19 was in sparing the country a calamity and putting it on path to elimination. The paper by researchers at University of Aucklandbased Te Punaha Matatini also suggested a slightly earlier lockdown may have spared several hundred infections but added that might have been impractical at the time anyway. The modelling took a sweeping look at New Zealands initial approach to the pandemic to find that the lockdown proved a much stronger driver in bringing down daily cases than border closures. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-later-lockdown-could-have-spelt-200-deaths/VO77X4E3QNIY7NHJI6JOCO43TY/ 9th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Business Insider A 71yearold hospital patient with leukemia tested positive for the novel coronavirus in March. She was thought to have remained infectious for at least 70 days according to the lead author of a recent case study about the woman. The case study indicates that immunosuppressed people who get the coronavirus could remain contagious for longer than previously thought. https://www.businessinsider.com/patient-with-coronavirus-shed-virus-for-70-days-2020-11 9th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail General Gus Perna was two months from retirement in May when Donald Trump asked him to head up Operation Warp Speed which aims to get 300 million Americans vaccinated for COVID. It is the largest and most expensive vaccination program ever with 12billion already spent. 60 Minutes showed footage of vials rolling off the line at a facility in Baltimore but did not say which of several competing coronavirus vaccines were being produced there. Perna would not say how many doses had already been prepared but said the vaccine could be rolled out immediately if approval granted. The leading candidate by Pfizer could be approved as soon as next month https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8928281/COVID-vaccine-rolls-production-lines-ahead-approval-general-charge-fears-anti-vaxxer.html?ito=social-twitter_dailymailus 9th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Sky News The coronavirus vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech has been found to be 90 effective in preventing people from getting the virus. Phase 3 of Pfizers trial involved 43538 participants from six countries. They received two doses of either the immunisation or a placebo with 90 protected from the virus within 28 days of having their jabs. Only 94 people who took part in the trial developed coronavirus and no serious safety concerns were reported the US pharmaceutical firm said. https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-pfizer-vaccine-found-to-be-90-effective-in-great-day-for-science-and-humanity-12128452 9th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The New York Times The drug maker Pfizer announced on Monday that an early analysis of its coronavirus vaccine trial suggested the vaccine was robustly effective in preventing Covid19 a promising development as the world has waited anxiously for any positive news about a pandemic that has killed more than 1.2 million people. Pfizer which developed the vaccine with the German drugmaker BioNTech released only sparse details from its clinical trial based on the first formal review of the data by an outside panel of experts. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/09/health/covid-vaccine-pfizer.html 9th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian Hopes are soaring that a Covid vaccine is within reach following news that an interim analysis has shown PfizerBioNTechs candidate was 90 effective in protecting people from transmission of the virus in global trials. The vaccine performed much better than most experts had hoped for according to the companies analysis and brings into view a potential end to a pandemic that has killed more than a million people battered economies and upended daily life worldwide. The data is from an interim analysis and the trial continues into December but the headline results were emphatic. Regulators will be looking to process an emergency licence application at record speed. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/09/covid-19-vaccine-candidate-effective-pfizer-biontech 9th Nov 2020

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Many COVID19 survivors are likely to be at greater risk of developing mental illness psychiatrists said on Monday after a large study found 20 of those infected with the coronavirus are diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder within 90 days. Anxiety depression and insomnia were most common among recovered COVID19 patients in the study who developed mental health problems and the researchers also found significantly higher risks of dementia a brain impairment condition. People have been worried that COVID19 survivors will be at greater risk of mental health problems and our findings ... show this to be likely said Paul Harrison a professor of psychiatry at Britains Oxford University. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-mental-illness/one-in-five-covid-19-patients-develop-mental-illness-within-90-days-study-idUKKBN27P34P 9th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

BBC The total of confirmed coronavirus cases has surged past 50 million following record numbers of new cases in several countries. More than 1.25 million people have now died after contracting the virus according to Johns Hopkins university. But the numbers are thought to be higher because of insufficient testing in many countries. A second wave of the virus has accounted for a quarter of all cases Reuters reported. Europe with more than 12.5 million cases and 305700 deaths is again a hotspot after being the first epicentre of the pandemic earlier this year. In the US just under 10 million have tested positive. It has seen more than 125000 cases per day three days in a row. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-54867793 9th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

CNBC The U.S. can expect increased Covid19 testing a national mask mandate and the possibility of nationwide lockdowns once Presidentelect Joe Biden takes office Jan. 20. Biden has also said he plans to repair the U.S. relationship with the World Health Organization. The transition team wasted no time naming its own Covid19 advisory board on Monday. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/05/coronavirus-this-is-how-joe-biden-plans-to-fight-the-pandemic-.html 9th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Daily Mail Health expert Massimo Galli has backed calls for a second national lockdown Italy recorded 32616 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday and 331 more deaths Health service is under strain with some patients being treated in corridors Government is desperate to avoid an economicallycrippling full lockdown https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8929639/Italys-COVID-19-situation-control-lockdown-needed-health-chiefs-warn.html 9th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

The New York Times As winter approaches Europe is struggling with a brutal resurgence of the virus one that along with the U.S. surge has helped push the global case count over 50 million according to a New York Times database. France and Italy have reported record daily case totals in recent days as both countries have moved to lock down some regions. In Italy where the devastation of the first wave in the spring looms large 39809 new coronavirus cases were reported on Saturday a new daily record. Its daily average has increased by 119 percent over the past two weeks. Deaths in Italy have increased by a staggering 232 percent over the past two weeks with 425 deaths reported on Saturday. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/09/world/europe/france-and-italy-report-record-cases-as-virus-ravages-europe.html 9th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Financial Times In a typical year Australia makes as many ripples in British public life as you would expect from a rich warfree country of 25m people at the other end of the world which is to say not many. As a transplanted antipodean in London this year has not felt typical. It began with news from Prime Minister Boris Johnson that it did not matter if Britain failed to get the EU trade deal it wanted by the end of the year because it could always have what he called an arrangement like Australias. This idea of an Australianstyle trade deal took off like a dingo strapped to a Saturn V rocket. There were only four days in the entire month of October when the term did not appear somewhere in the British media news databases show. That is even more astonishing considering Australia does not actually have a comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU. And it was just the start of it. https://www.ft.com/content/ce4cbbd9-085d-4b44-8962-0b1eb346c9ca 9th Nov 2020

Coronavirus Resurgence

Financial Times In a typical year Australia makes as many ripples in British public life as you would expect from a rich warfree country of 25m people at the other end of the world which is to say not many. As a transplanted antipodean in London this year has not felt typical. It began with news from Prime Minister Boris Johnson that it did not matter if Britain failed to get the EU trade deal it wanted by the end of the year because it could always have what he called an arrangement like Australias. This idea of an Australianstyle trade deal took off like a dingo strapped to a Saturn V rocket. There were only four days in the entire month of October when the term did not appear somewhere in the British media news databases show. That is even more astonishing considering Australia does not actually have a comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU. And it was just the start of it. https://www.ft.com/content/ce4cbbd9-085d-4b44-8962-0b1eb346c9ca 9th Nov 2020

New Lockdown

EL PAS in English The 8.4 million inhabitants of Spains Andalusia region will be confined to their municipalities from Tuesday November 10 until November 23 as the regional government toughens its coronavirus restrictions. The hospitality sector and all nonessential activity will have to close at 6pm apart from in the province of Granada where the high rates of infection currently at 1194 cases per 100000 inhabitants in the last 14 days have prompted the authorities to implement a total shutdown. The nighttime curfew will be brought forward to 10pm and will last until 7am. Growing pressure on the regions hospitals due to coronavirus cases has prompted the Andalusian government to take this action which also includes obligatory online classes for university students. The plan was announced on Sunday by the regional premier Juan Manuel Romero of the conservative Popular Party PP who explained that over this week a plan will be approved that will help to compensate the losses from the hostelry and retail sector but did not go into detail about the assistance. https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-11-09/andalusia-confines-its-municipalities-and-suspends-all-non-essential-business-activity-from-6pm.html 9th Nov 2020

New Lockdown

BBC Hungary and Portugal are introducing new coronavirus restrictions to stem the second wave of infection now affecting most of Europe. Hungarys partial lockdown will include starting the current night curfew earlier so it runs from 2000 to 0500 local time 1900 to 0400 GMT. Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the monthlong curbs would include limits on public gatherings and closure of schools restaurants and universities. Portugal has imposed a night curfew. Its state of emergency has started and is set to last at least two weeks. The curfew covers 70 of the population including Lisbon and Porto. On weekdays it runs from 2300 to 0500 local time but at weekends it will run from 1300 to 0500. Hungarys state of emergency is expected to get parliamentary approval on Tuesday as Mr Orbans supporters have a majority. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54870636 9th Nov 2020

New Lockdown

Forbes While small business owners across France are feeling the pinch of the nations second COVID lockdown the economic plight of bookstores has taken center stage in the roaring debate about how to fight the pandemic. Late last month President Emmanuel Macron announced the nation would go into confinement again as COVID rates raced out of control. But he also signaled that this second lockdown would be different based on lessons learned from the twomonth shutdown in the Spring. For instance schools that closed earlier this year have remained largely open. https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisobrien/2020/11/08/new-covid-lockdown-triggers-fight-over-fate-of-frances-bookstores/ 9th Nov 2020

New Lockdown

Yahoo News UK The Banque de France predicts economic activity in November will decline by 12 percent under the countrys second Covid19 lockdown. That compares to a 31 percent decline during the first confinement in April with the decision to maintain public services and keep schools open playing a key role in limiting the economic impact. The new figures were published on Monday in Banque de Frances economic forecast under the new lockdown measures. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/france-limit-impact-lockdown-schools-125456038.html 9th Nov 2020

New Lockdown

Reuters India Hungary will close secondary schools universities and restaurants and will impose an extended nighttime curfew as of midnight on Tuesday to curb a fast rise in coronavirus infections Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on Monday on his Facebook page. Orban said sports events will be held behind closed doors and all gatherings will be banned. He said the new lockdown measures were needed because if coronavirus infections rise at the current pace... Hungarian hospitals will not be able to cope with the burden. https://in.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-hungary-lockdown/hungary-announces-lockdown-measures-to-curb-coronavirus-infections-pm-orban-idINS8N2GF01E 9th Nov 2020

New Lockdown

Reuters UK Ukraine may introduce a lockdown at weekends in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus and such a move would not have a serious negative impact on the economy Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday. A temporary lockdown at weekends for about a few weeks can help us to avoid a harder lockdown presidential press service quoted Zelenskiy as saying. https://uk.reuters.com/article/healthcoronavirus-ukraine-lockdown-idUKS8N2ED029 9th Nov 2020

New Lockdown

Reuters India Total shopper numbers or footfall across British retail destinations fell 15.4 in the week to Nov. 7 versus the previous week reflecting the start of Englands new national lockdown market researcher Springboard said on Monday. With COVID19 infections rising at an alarming rate the British government imposed a second national lockdown for England starting last Thursday and running until Dec. 2. https://in.reuters.com/article/britain-retail-springboard/update-1-uk-shopper-numbers-plummet-as-new-english-lockdown-bites-idINL8N2HV3J5 9th Nov 2020