12th Jan 2021 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=175 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Al Jazeera English Richard Horton The primary reason why the UK has struggled is because it has not learned the lessons of the first wave of the pandemic in 2020 and it has steadfastly refused to follow the science despite claims that it is doing so. The lessons from the science have been that when there is a rise in infections you need to clamp down immediately to suppress transmission to reduce the prevalence of infection in the community. But at every stage the government has delayed and delayed and delayed locking down with the result that the virus has got out of control. The result of that is increased hospitalisations and deaths. This has been entirely preventable if the government had acted with more decisiveness and sooner. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/11/uk-covid-crisis-qa-with-the-lancets-richard-horton 12th Jan 2021

Lockdown Exit

Al Jazeera English WHO stresses need for measures like physical distancing hand washing and mask wearing to rein in the pandemic. Herd immunity will not be achieved this year despite COVID19 vaccines being rolled out in a number of countries the World Health Organization has warned. Last month the United Kingdom became the first country in the world to start administrating its citizens with a fully trialled and tested COVID19 vaccine. We are not going to achieve any levels of population immunity or herd immunity in 2021 WHOs chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan told a briefing in Geneva on Monday. Even if it happens in a couple of pockets in a few countries its not going to protect people across the world. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/11/despite-vaccines-covid-herd-immunity-wont-happen-in-2021-who 11th Jan 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters A hospital emergency department in Sydney was closed after a patient tested positive for COVID19 Australian authorities said on Monday as the city of Brisbane made face masks compulsory at public venues. A man in his 40s tested positive for the virus on Sunday after coming to Sydneys Mount Druitt Hospital prompting it to close its emergency unit for cleaning with media reports saying ambulances were diverted to other hospitals. Although the unit reopened on Monday health officials said they would investigate the mans movements to determine where he contracted the illness and whether it was linked to a highlycontagious strain that was first detected in Britain. https://www.reuters.com/article/healthcare-coronavirus-australia/australia-closes-hospital-emergency-unit-over-virus-case-as-city-lockdown-lifts-idUSL1N2JM02G 11th Jan 2021

Lockdown Exit

New Zealand Herald New Zealand might need to close its border to the United Kingdom if cases of the new Covid19 variant there continue to skyrocket says a leading public health expert. The comments come in response to news on Sunday of 31 new Covid19 cases in managed isolation over the past 72 hours with 11 of the new highlyinfectious UK variant. One case is linked to the South African strain. I am very concerned and this is possibly the most dangerous phase we have been in since the August Auckland outbreak epidemiologist Dr Michael Baker told the Herald. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-spike-in-border-cases-brisbane-lockdown-shows-need-for-extra-vigilance-expert/M6YZ4POAQKIR2XFCZSCPRUUM2M/ 11th Jan 2021

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian The partner of a Queensland cleaner who tested positive to the UK variant of Covid19 has also tested positive hours before a lockdown of greater Brisbane was lifted. The Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said the partner had been in quarantine since 7 January. She said it was likely that genome sequencing would confirm it was the second case of the UK variant detected in the Australian community. Young said the result was unsurprising given the variant was more contagious. However it highlights the importance of why the greater Brisbane lockdown was so important to ensure any potential spread of the virus is contained she said on Monday evening. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jan/11/nsw-reports-four-new-covid-cases-as-brisbane-to-come-out-of-72-hour-lockdown 11th Jan 2021

Lockdown Exit

The Japan Times On Jan. 1 the world total of coronavirus cases was 83748593 and deaths 1824140. Japans corresponding figures were 230304 and 3414. Unusually in Japan the disease killed more people in autumnwinter than spring. Still for balance and perspective its worth noting that more Japanese died from 25 other causes in 2020. Japan attracted world notice for neither imposing a lockdown nor obsessively testing asymptomatic people. As Tomoya Saito put it in these pages Encouraging people with mild or no symptoms to take PCR tests would have revealed nothing but resulted in isolating falsepositive cases. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2021/01/10/commentary/japan-commentary/west-japan-coronavirus-response/ 11th Jan 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters One of Barcelonas largest parks named after Spanish painter Joan Miro is just a stones throw from the busy crossroads between Consell de Cent and Rocafort streets but here you could be mistaken for thinking nature is a million miles away. That could be about to change under an ambitious new 10year plan unveiled by Barcelona City Hall in November aimed at drastically cutting traffic and expanding green spaces in the central district of Eixample. The 38 millioneuro 46.5million plan aims to turn one in three streets in the densely populated residential and commercial area into green zones. It responds to longstanding problems of air pollution and cramped living conditions in the Spanish region of Catalonias main city brought to the fore by COVID19 said Janet Sanz Barcelonas deputy mayor for ecology urban planning and mobility. Lockdowns imposed to curb the spread of COVID19 made urban residents realise how important nature is to them personally and to their wider communities said Josep M. Pages secretary general of the Belgiumbased European Nurserystock Association https://www.reuters.com/article/us-spain-coronavirus-city-environment-fe/covid-19-pandemic-puts-barcelona-urban-greening-plan-in-the-fast-lane-idUSKBN29G0I2 11th Jan 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Malaysias King AlSultan Abdullah declared a state of emergency across the country on Tuesday to curb the spread of COVID19 after consenting to a request from Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin who is facing a leadership challenge. An emergency would give the prime minister and his cabinet extraordinary powers including allowing the government to introduce laws without the approval of parliament. It was not immediately clear how the emergency would impact day to day activities but the constitution allows for parliament to be suspended during that period which could for now put an end to political uncertainties faced by Muhyiddin. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-malaysia/malaysias-king-declares-state-of-emergency-to-curb-spread-of-covid-19-idUSKBN29H06G?il=0 12th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

iNews It was no accident that Downing Street drafted in Englands chief medical officer for the round of broadcast interviews usually faced by ministers. Chris Whitty used his appearances to hammer home a bleak warning that Britain has reached the worst moment in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic with one in 50 of the population believed to be infected. And he delivered a fresh plea for the public to stick to the latest lockdown restrictions and social distancing rules to prevent the superinfectious strain of the disease advancing further. Prof Whitty has become a familiar face alongside ministers at Downing Street press conferences but is being promoted to the forefront of efforts to jolt the public out of any sense of complacency. https://inews.co.uk/news/health/chris-whitty-scientists-lockdown-public-complacency-vaccine-824788 11th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

Australian Broadcasting Corporation on MSN.com As Australians navigate lockdowns border closures hotel quarantine and COVID19 testing queues the wait for the vaccines that will protect the population is slowly shortening. But before the largest vaccination program in the countrys history can kick off next month many of the details have to be decided implemented and communicated to the public. Last week the Federal Government outlined its plan to administer the Pfizer vaccine to firstpriority groups because Australia will get that drug first but only in a limited supply. Over the weekend Chief Health Officer Paul Kelly said most Australians would receive the AstraZeneca drug as part of the Governments strategy because we are making it here. https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/most-australians-will-get-the-astrazeneca-coronavirus-vaccine-but-priority-groups-will-receive-the-pfizer-drug-whats-the-difference/ar-BB1cEUju 11th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

BBC News Everyone aged 80 or over in Scotland will be given the Covid vaccine by February the health secretary has said. Jeane Freeman also said care home staff and residents as well as frontline health and social care staff would be vaccinated in the next few weeks. As of Sunday 163377 Scots had been given a first dose of vaccine. Ms Freeman told BBC Scotland that just under 560000 people will have been vaccinated by the end of the month. The Oxford vaccine will be available at more than 1100 locations from Monday. Scotland has been given an initial allocation of more than 500000 doses to use in January. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-55612735 11th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

BBC News Wales has received 275000 doses of the two Covid19 vaccines to deal with the pandemic. About 70000 people received a first dose after the first month of the vaccine rollout. The Welsh Government confirmed it has had more than 250000 doses of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine and 25000 doses of the OxfordAstraZeneca jab. The health minister promised a really significant stepup in the rollout after opponents criticised its speed. The Pfizer jabs were first administered in early December at seven sites across Wales as part of the UKwide immunisation programme. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55605111 11th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

POLITICO.eu Delegating coronavirus vaccine procurement to the European Commission was the right approach even if there are kinks to work out according to French Europe Minister Clment Beaune. In an interview with POLITICO setting out Frances EU priorities for the year ahead Beaune said the vaccination effort would dominate the first six months of 2021. The Commission and its president Ursula von der Leyen have been accused by critics in recent days of not buying enough doses not buying enough of the right vaccine and not getting the doses fast enough. The criticism has included unusually blunt attacks on the EU from some German politicians and media outlets as the controversy has become caught up in the contest to succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor. https://www.politico.eu/article/clement-beaune-interview-coronavirus-vaccines-defends-eu/ 11th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

The Times They travelled many miles for their chance at immunity against a virus which isolated from friends and family for months.Hundreds of over80s some with the aid of their children and carers flocked https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hundreds-of-over-80s-queue-as-covid-19-mass-vaccination-centres-open-fb89nptt6 11th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

The Times Almost two million people have been vaccinated against the coronavirus but the epidemic has never been so dangerous according to Englands chief medical officer. Professor Chris Whitty warned people that there was a very high chance that someone with whom they have had unnecessary contact had Covid19 adding This is the most dangerous time. Boris Johnson has begged people to follow rules particularly in supermarkets and at takeaway venues as part of a drive to counter faltering compliance and lockdown fatigue. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/two-million-receive-covid-19-vaccination-as-boris-johnson-urges-maximum-vigilance-wpcffzv6w 11th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters The head of a global travel organisation on Monday opposed making COVID19 vaccinations a requirement for travellers in the fight against the pandemic despite scepticism about reaching herd immunity this year. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-global-vaccines/reuters-next-travel-body-rejects-compulsory-covid-19-shots-as-experts-say-herd-immunity-not-close-idUSL1N2JM0N8 11th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

Sky News Some 2.6 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been given to 2.3 million people the health secretary has said as an NHS boss warned the jab is not a free pass to ignore national guidance. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-26-million-jabs-given-to-23-million-people-but-uk-warned-vaccine-not-a-free-pass-to-ignore-rules-12185221 11th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

Sky News Convoys containing food and the coronavirus vaccine are being sent by the Spanish government to reach areas cut off by record snowfall. Army emergency brigades have focused on clearing access to Madrids main fresh food distribution centre and to hospitals as COVID19 infections rise across Spain. Interior minister Fernando GrandeMarkaska said the government will take extra steps to ensure that the countrys weekly shipment of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine arriving on Monday can be distributed to regional health authorities via policeescorted convoys. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-convoys-deployed-to-dispense-coronavirus-vaccine-and-food-in-spain-after-record-snowfall-12184061 11th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

BBC News Health workers have been among the first to receive a Covid19 jab at a mass vaccination centre. The site at Birminghams Millennium Point is one of seven across England and will offer about 2500 vaccinations a day when it is fully operational. It comes as Englands chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty warns the coming weeks will be the most dangerous time of the pandemic. One of the first patients said she had been so excited to get the vaccine. Olga LeachWalters is an endoscopy nurse at Birminghams Queen Elizabeth Hospital. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-55620244 11th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

Sky News Some 2.4 million coronavirus jabs have been administered across the UK the prime minister has said. Speaking from a vaccination centre in Bristol Boris Johnson said Today I think I can confirm that weve done roughly 40 of the 80yearolds in this country already. Weve done about 23 of the elderly residents of care homes. Seven new mass vaccination sites in England have been opened today joining hundreds more GP sites and a small number of new pharmacyled centres opening this week. Officials are racing to vaccinate as many people as possible while COVID19 cases continue to rise and hospitals come under extreme pressure. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-2-4-million-coronavirus-jabs-given-out-in-uk-says-boris-johnson-12185070 11th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

Sky News Israels health minister has urged countries simply to get out there if they want to replicate his countrys vaccination success. Speaking to Sky News Yuli Edelstein said that expert logistics early procurement close cooperation with the manufacturer and Israeli innovation had all been combined to make the country a clear leader in the global vaccination race. The faster we get the vaccine into their arms the less cases well see in our hospitals and God forbid deaths Mr Edelstein said. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-israel-urges-world-to-follow-its-rapid-vaccine-rollout-but-palestinians-are-left-waiting-12184489 11th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

GP online Health and social care secretary Matt Hancock told the BBC on Sunday that around 2m doses of vaccine had now been delivered and that around a third of over 80s had received at least one dose. His comments came as the government prepared to set out its full COVID19 vaccine deployment plan on 11 January which Mr Hancock said would be the keystone of our exit out of the pandemic. The government has already said it hopes to deliver 13.9m doses of COVID19 vaccine UKwide by mid February covering the first four priority groups identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation JCVI. https://www.gponline.com/third-80s-vaccinated-government-unveil-covid-19-vaccine-deployment-plan/article/1704120 11th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

iNews England has entered a third period of national lockdown restrictions to replace the fourtier system as Covid cases continue to rise at an alarming rate. The rules were announced by Boris Johnson on Monday 6 January and were enshrined in law two days later ahead of a retrospective Commons vote. Under the measures people are only allowed to leave their homes for certain specific reasons with schools closed to the majority of pupils and all nonessential businesses closed in an attempt to ease pressure on the embattled NHS. While the legislation on the new restrictions lasts until 31 March the speed that the measures can be eased depends on how quickly the UK can continue its rollout of Covid19 vaccination. https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/lockdown-when-end-date-how-long-covid-restrictions-england-last-first-review-rules-819127 11th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

The New York Times Across the country many big cities like New York have struggled to resume even limited inperson instruction while a number including Los Angeles have simply given up on the idea choosing to stick with allremote education into the spring. Few places have seen as much acrimony over the issue as Chicago whose public school system is the nations thirdlargest. Now with 6000 prekindergarten and special education students preparing to return to the citys public school buildings on Monday for the first time since March a question looms How many of their teachers will be there to greet them https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/10/world/covid19-coronavirus 11th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Britain is on course to have immunised its most vulnerable people against COVID19 by midFebruary and offering a shot to every adult by autumn with some 2 million people having already received a first dose its health secretary said on Sunday. Over the last week weve vaccinated more people than in the entirety of December so were accelerating the rollout Matt Hancock told BBC TV. Britain is battling surging infections but is pinning its hopes on rapid immunisation to enable life to start returning to some degree of normality by the spring. Hancock said around 2 million people had already received a first shot of the PfizerBioNTech or the OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain-hancock/uk-on-course-for-covid-19-vaccination-target-as-shots-reach-200000-a-day-hancock-idUSKBN29F09N 11th Jan 2021

Exit Strategies

Sky News Teachers could be next in line for the second wave of COVID19 jabs a member of the group advising on the vaccine rollout has suggested. Professor Adam Finn told Sky News Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme that while no decisions had been taken on future prioritisation of the coronavirus injections the critical role played by the profession would figure in the discussions of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation JCVI. The professor of paediatrics at the University of Bristol said committee members had been instructed to come up with a plan by the middle of February to determine the priority order of who should be vaccinated against COVID19 next. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-teachers-to-be-considered-for-next-vaccination-wave-12184134 10th Jan 2021

Partisan Exits

Daily Record on MSN.com They said the protest planned for Holyrood later today was unlawful under current level 4 restrictions. And they warned that where their officers encounter wilful breaches they will act decisively to enforce the law. Superintendent David Robertson said The Scottish Governments message is clear stay at home. We understand people want to make their voices heard but they must do so lawfully and safely. Under the current level 4 restrictions such gatherings are not permitted. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/police-warn-protesters-to-stay-away-from-illegal-anti-lockdown-demo-in-edinburgh/ar-BB1cDU3v 11th Jan 2021

Partisan Exits

Financial Times In his Christmas Eve video message Rod Phillips finance minister of Canadas largest province sat next to a crackling fireplace and commiserated with the people of Ontario that they could not be in person with as many family and friends as wed like to. In reality Mr Phillips was on vacation at a luxury resort on the Caribbean island of St Barts. Despite rushing back after his trip was exposed he resigned on New Years Eve. The daily tally of politicians and government officials who have flouted stayathome recommendations to travel abroad over the holidays has sparked outrage in a country that places a premium on following rules and has a low tolerance for hypocrisy in public life. https://www.ft.com/content/306410b2-60b7-482f-bd08-972e43156997 11th Jan 2021

Partisan Exits

Business Insider The leader of Germanys largest antilockdown movement Querdenken711 has asked supporters to stop protesting until the spring. Michael Ballwegs announcement comes after the German media reported he shared the profits from Querdenken merchandise and directed donations to the movement into his personal bank account. Ballweg never registered the group as an association a company or a foundation and is exempt from issuing invoices for donations. Querdenken 711 gained international media attention after organizing some of Europes largest antilockdown protests which some experts believe were infiltrated by farright extremists. Ballwegs slogan for the group is Where we go one we go all lifted directly from the QAnon conspiracy theory. https://www.businessinsider.com/leader-of-german-anti-lockdown-group-accused-making-unfair-profit-2021-1 11th Jan 2021

Partisan Exits

TimesLIVE Police used rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse a group of about 250 people who had gathered for a church service in Sebokeng Zone 7 in the Vaal area on Sunday. Two church leaders aged 47 and 69 were arrested for contravening level 3 lockdown regulations which do not allow for church services to be held. A 62yearold woman was arrested for a similar contravention and for an additional charge of public violence. https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2021-01-11-police-use-force-to-disperse-churchgoers-violating-lockdown-regulations/ 11th Jan 2021

Partisan Exits

The Wall Street Journal Claudio Zanon has seen firsthand how less spending on health care in recent years left Italy exposed when the coronavirus began sweeping through his country early last year. Dr. Zanon who until the end of December was the medical director at a hospital in Como in Italys hardhit Lombardy region says when the pandemic arrived he didnt have enough doctors and nurses. Intensivecare unit beds were scarce and there wasnt a large network of local clinics to help take the strain. With money tight technology used in the hospital had also fallen behind. Italy was unprepared when the first coronavirus wave hit because the healthcare system hasnt received adequate funding in recent years said Dr. Zanon who practiced as a surgeon for three decades. If investments dont keep up you will inevitably see the negative results at a certain point. https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-hit-hardest-where-financial-crisis-led-to-health-care-cuts-11610372026 11th Jan 2021

Partisan Exits

The West Australian The coronavirus is wreaking havoc across Europe but in some cities some people are fighting the stayathome message. Thousands turned out in central Prague on Sunday to protest against recently extended restrictions designed to contain the coronavirus. Footage of the demonstration in Prague showed many protesters not wearing masks and standing close to one other. A day earlier in Denmark protesters became violent and lit fireworks as police arrested nine people in the capital Copenhagen and northern city Aarhus. The demonstrators who call themselves Men in Black gathered at the town hall square in Copenhagen and clashed with police in the wintry conditions. Denmark and Czech Republic are among the nations to extend lockdown measures in the fight against soaring COVID19 infections and a new more infectious variant. https://thewest.com.au/news/health/lockdown-protests-erupt-in-europe-cities-ng-s-2044864 11th Jan 2021

Partisan Exits

Sky News Australia Protesters in the Czech Republic have taken an unconventional approach to challenge the nations COVID19 lockdown measures which have seen the closing of hotels bars and restaurants around the country. Hundreds of demonstrators recently descended on the nations capital of Prague waving empty beer glasses to protest the nations strict measures. Protesters then placed lit candles in the empty glasses and positioned them in a kilometrelong chain from the government building to the citys historic Old Town Square. The glasses were placed roughly twometres apart. https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6221658382001 11th Jan 2021

Partisan Exits

The Guardian Business owners at Frances Chamonix ski resort their earnings slashed because of the COVID19 lockdown are worried they might not be able to welcome back skiers at all before the snows melt and the season ends. French ski resorts were prevented from opening their cable cars and ski lifts at the start of the season driving away the large portion of their visitors who come for downhill skiing. The French government had discussed the possibility of reopening the ski lifts of Jan. 7 but last week it said that with virus cases still high that would be premature. A decision is now due on Jan. 20 leaving little time before the season ends. If we have to close to the end of season thats going to cost us several billion euros said Mathieu Dechavanne Chairman and CEO of Compagnie du MontBlanc which operates cable cars in the region. The economic impact will be catastrophic. https://www.theguardian.pe.ca/business/french-resorts-ask-will-covid-write-off-whole-ski-season-539432/ 11th Jan 2021

Continued Lockdown

Metro The Prime Minister is believed to have spoken with senior ministers on Sunday about whether or not the current lockdown rules are working to reduce the spread of the virus. A further 54940 cases were confirmed on Sunday https://metro.co.uk/2021/01/11/covid-lockdown-more-face-masks-and-exercise-limits-being-considered-13881283/ 11th Jan 2021

Continued Lockdown

The Independent The UKs largest student accommodation provider has offered a 50 per cent rent discount in light of the new lockdown. It comes after students were told to remain where they were while many were still at family homes for the Christmas break until at least midFebruary https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/lockdown-unite-students-rent-discount-b1785383.html 11th Jan 2021

Continued Lockdown

The Guardian Halfway through a walk early last summer I noticed a change around Peckham Rye train station in southeast London. Before the pandemic there had been a semipermanent cluster of men and women who would sleep by the entrance. Their makeshift shelters had become increasingly elaborate over the years. Mattresses duvets and the occasional tent were common enough sights a damning indictment of the UKs spiralling homelessness crisis. But I couldnt see any trace of them that afternoon. A few months had passed since the implementation in March of Everyone In the scheme to temporarily house rough sleepers in selfcontained accommodation during the first wave of the pandemic including in newly deserted hotels and hostels. The homelessness charity Crisis called it extraordinary while others lined up to congratulate the government on its unusually bold course of action to shelter thousands of societys most vulnerable people.An article in the Lancet estimated that the measures prevented more than 21000 infections and 266 deaths. Simply put Everyone In saved lives. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/10/first-lockdown-england-homelessness-everyone-in-streets 11th Jan 2021

Continued Lockdown

The Guardian With hospitalisations and deaths rising sharply and the NHS struggling to cope scientists have called for a tightening of lockdown measures in England. Were in a crisis that crisis is not only killing people its compromising the ability and the effectiveness of the NHS including its ability to roll out the vaccinations said Stephen Reicher a professor of social psychology at the University of St Andrews and a member of a committee advising the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies Sage. We need to act early and act hard halfmeasures really dont work. They give you all the pain but they dont give you the gain. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/11/covid-lockdown-what-can-be-done-tighten-rules-england 11th Jan 2021

Continued Lockdown

BBC News As coronavirus cases continue to rise and strong restrictions continue across the UK people are wondering how it will all end. Vaccinations centres have opened across the UK but who will get the jabs and when Restrictions are being reviewed but what if people dont follow them Were watching very carefully it is early days. We wont really know until next week or maybe the week after whether these restrictions have had the effect that we very much hope for. Every single day these things are reviewed. Its a balance between the need for what human beings want to do with what they we need to do to keep people protected. It will be kept under review. Radio 1 Newsbeat put your questions to Professor Yvonne Doyle who is Public Health Englands medical director and director for health protect https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-55615950 11th Jan 2021

Continued Lockdown

Evening Standard Englands chief medical officer has urged people to stay at home and stop unnecessary contact as he warned of the worst weeks of the pandemic for the NHS. Chris Whitty said that the UK was in an appalling situation with the Covid19 variant causing the virus to spread in a way that the old variant was not able to do. He added that this winter is in a completely different league for the NHS. We got to be very clear that we are now at the worst point of this epidemic for the UK he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme adding that people should really think about unnecessary contact. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/chris-whitty-warning-lockdown-rules-worst-weeks-bbc-b823282.html 11th Jan 2021

Continued Lockdown

Metro Shoppers could once again be faced with long queues outside supermarkets as part of a wider Government crackdown on compliance with the latest lockdown measures. Ministers are said to have agreed to toughen enforcement of the rules amid fears poor compliance could mean the nationwide restrictions fail to bring the soaring coronavirus infection rates under control. The crackdown will focus on the retail sector and the rules allowing people to leave their homes for daily exercise according to The Times. A Government source told the newspaper We need to make sure supermarkets in particular are following the rules given this is one of the few places where you still see people from different households in the same indoor space. https://metro.co.uk/2021/01/11/supermarkets-told-to-limit-customers-over-fears-lockdown-being-broken-13881434/?ico=related-posts 11th Jan 2021

Continued Lockdown

Reuters Greeks headed to beaches and public parks on Sunday as a rare January heat wave offered a respite from the coronavirus lockdown that has thrown life across Europe into disarray. With temperatures in Athens set to reach 23 Celsius 73.4 Fahrenheit people lounged on the sand swam in the sea and strolled on the promenade on the Athens coast while police patrolled to control the crowds. In the last 50 years such high temperatures for January have been seen only twice in 1987 and 2010 the National Observatory of Athens said. It is not normal. This time last year it was cold said 65year old Kyriakos Pitoulis. On the other hand it helps because people are cooped up at home and they want to go somewhere to let off steam. They cannot stay home all the time. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-greece-weather/greeks-escape-lockdown-for-the-beach-as-winter-temperatures-soar-idUSKBN29F0IE 11th Jan 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters on MSN.com Immunity from Moderna Incs COVID19 vaccine should last at least a year the company said on Monday at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare conference. The drugmaker said it was confident that the messenger RNA mRNA technology it used was well suited to deploy a vaccine based on the new variant of the coronavirus which has emerged in a handful of countries. The companys vaccine mRNA1273 uses synthetic mRNA to mimic the surface of the coronavirus and teach the immune system to recognize and neutralize it. Moderna said in December it would run tests to confirm the vaccines activity against any strain. https://www.msn.com/en-au/lifestyle/wellbeing/moderna-says-covid-19-vaccine-immunity-to-stay-at-least-a-year/ar-BB1cFbs8 12th Jan 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Financial Times Vaccine makers and medicine regulators are sketching out plans in case the mutating coronavirus turns vaccine development into a game of cat and mouse. Just weeks after leading manufacturers secured the first regulatory approvals mutations in the virus have forced scientists to retest their Covid19 vaccines and prepare to tweak their formula should the shots prove less effective. At the same time regulators are considering how they could fasttrack new approvals and whether they could use the seasonal flu jab as a model to authorise revised versions without requiring long trials. https://www.ft.com/content/a67d1c2e-9963-4fd0-9ba6-dc677f68a216 11th Jan 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

POLITICO.eu MEPs will be able to see the CureVac vaccine contract starting Tuesday Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides tweeted Monday. Transparency accountability are core EU values she wrote adding that she has been working with companies to make more information public More companies should follow this example. For months the European Parliament has called for more transparency with the Commissions classified vaccine deals while the Commission has countered its up to the companies to release confidential information. https://www.politico.eu/article/meps-to-view-curevac-coronavirus-vaccine-contract-on-tuesday/ 11th Jan 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Pfizer Incs partner BioNTech SE has boosted the 2021 delivery target for their COVID19 vaccine to 2 billion doses up from 1.3 billion previously as they add new production lines and as more doses can be extracted per vial. Special syringes known as low dead space syringes allow for extraction of six vaccine doses from a standard vial instead of the usual five avoiding wasting unused liquid left in a syringe. That would result in 1 billion people getting the designated twodose regimen BioNTech said on Monday in a presentation for the annual JP Morgan healthcare conference being held virtually this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. https://www.reuters.com/article/BigStory12/idUSKBN29G1DM 11th Jan 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Scotsman on MSN.com The plasma in the blood of those recently recovered from the virus contains antibodies which could save the life of another person. Those giving the donation must have been free of symptoms for four weeks and feel completely fit and well. They are also asked to get in touch withing four months of recovery as antibody levels reduce after that. The convalescent plasma as it is known will be used to treat patients in a major Covid19 treatment trial called RECOVERY. If successful the treatment will be rolled out to hospitals across Scotland. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/medical/urgent-call-for-lifesaving-blood-donations-from-scots-recovered-from-covid-19-to-treat-other-patients/ar-BB1cEGhV 11th Jan 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Medical News Today A new survey indicates that over 31 of individuals queried had no intention of getting vaccinated against infection with SARSCoV2. According to the same source the groups most likely to reject a COVID19 vaccine are Black people women and those with conservative political leanings. The researchers who led the survey emphasize that policymakers must find better ways of communicating with and reassuring the public about the effectiveness and safety of COVID19 vaccines. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/which-us-demographics-are-more-likely-to-refuse-a-covid-19-vaccine 11th Jan 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Associated Press As the director of a large hospital in the Indian state that has seen the countrys most coronavirus cases Dr. S.P. Kalantri had been waiting for the day a vaccine would be approved and bring protection not only to his community but also himself. But now he has his doubts about getting the shots after India took a regulatory shortcut to approve a vaccine by Indian drugmaker Bharat Biotech before late clinical trials showed it was effective in preventing illness from coronavirus infections. Id rather wait and watch said Kalantri who runs a hospital in Maharashtra states Wardha district. https://apnews.com/article/asia-pacific-clinical-trials-india-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-16a4c1cfb1b6b5def70812e638e5fc54 11th Jan 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Quartz We know that the vaccines now available across the world will protect their recipients from getting sick with Covid19. But while each vaccine authorized for public use can prevent well over 50 of cases in PfizerBioNTech and Modernas case more than 90 what we dont know is whether theyll also curb transmission of the SARSCoV2 virus. That question is answerable thoughand understanding vaccines effect on transmission will help determine when things can go back to whatever our new normal looks like. https://qz.com/1954762/can-you-spread-covid-19-if-you-get-the-vaccine/ 11th Jan 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The New York Times At a museum in Wuhan China a sprawling exhibition paints a stirring tale of how the citys sacrifices in a brutal 76day lockdown led to triumph over the coronavirus and ultimately rebirth. No costs appear to have been spared for the show which features a hologram of medical staff members moving around a hospital room heartrending letters from frontline health workers and a replica of a mass quarantine site complete with beds miniature Chinese flags and toothbrush cups. But the exhibition is also striking for what is not included. There is no mention of the whistleblowing role of Ai Fen one of the first doctors to sound the alarm in Wuhan where the virus is believed to have originated or the decision by Zhang Yongzhen a Shanghai doctor to share its genome with the world against official orders. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/10/world/asia/wuhan-china-coronavirus.html 11th Jan 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

FiercePharma Novavax tapped Baxter BioPharma Solutions to crank out its latestage vaccine for European and British markets as Moderna started delivering its vaccine to the continent. Meanwhile Merck KGaA bought out German mRNA manufacturer AmpTec as it looks to expand in the fastgrowing field. Twentytwo Publix pharmacies will start offering pandemic shots in Florida. https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/covid-19-tracker-johnson-johnson-aims-to-test-shot-kids-president-trump-talks-firing-fauci 11th Jan 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

FiercePharma With its Pfizerpartnered COVID19 vaccine authorized in the U.S. Europe the U.K. and a slate of other countries German mRNA specialist BioNTech is wasting no time scaling up its 2021 pandemic ambitionsnamely 2 billion shots by yearend plus a slate of new approvals and a temperaturestable formulation too. BioNTech set its sights on producing 2 billion doses of its pandemic vaccine now dubbed Comirnaty this year up from a previous estimate of 1.3 billion CEO Uur ahin said at the virtual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. That production boost will rely on six global manufacturing sites tapped in Pfizer and BioNTechs alliance including a facility in Marburg Germany thats expected to go live by the end of February the company said. Besides tapping that site which will have a 75 milliondose capacity the company plans to call on new suppliers and CMOs Sahin said. https://www.fiercepharma.com/manufacturing/jpm-biontech-raises-covid-19-vaccine-output-to-2b-eyeing-label-extensions-and-higher 11th Jan 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Stat News Laura Woerner has diligently managed her type 1 diabetes since she was diagnosed at age 11. Shes remained vigilant about anything that might throw her blood sugar levels out of balance and now at 36 she has had two healthy pregnancies and avoided such severe complications of diabetes as limb neuropathy or eye disease. Woerner knows what she needs to do to maintain her health. What she doesnt know is why the nations leading public health authority places people like her farther down the priority list for receiving Covid19 vaccination than people with type 2 diabetes. As written now the guidelines put her in with the rest of the U.S. population under age 65 despite research showing that people with type 1 diabetes are at just as high a risk of dying from Covid19 as those with type 2 if not higher. https://www.statnews.com/2021/01/11/for-people-with-type-1-diabetes-cdc-guidelines-for-covid-19-vaccine-priority-are-puzzling/ 11th Jan 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Stat News The first phase of the vaccine rollout which is supposed to deliver shots to roughly 24 million health care workers and residents of longterm care facilities has been stymied by poorly conceived distribution plans based on judgement calls. Without better use of sound science and data vaccine plans for the next two phases of the rollout which aim to inoculate nearly 180 million Americans could descend into complete chaos. Most of the missteps so far stem from the same problem prioritization decisions that ignore the science of risk assessment and leave too much to chance. From Stanford Medical Centers reliance on a simplistic and arbitrary distribution plan that kicked frontline health care workers to the back of the line to Massachusetts General Hospitals use of an app that relied on workers to selfreport their level of risk to an Arizona countys misplaced trust in a survey issued to health care workers weve seen that the people who need the vaccine the most tend to get left behind when allocation decisions are made by faulty risk models or are up to the discretion of a handful of individuals despite their best intentions. https://www.statnews.com/2021/01/11/overhaul-vaccine-plans-with-data-before-its-too-late/ 11th Jan 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Daily Mail Scientists running REMAPCAP trial have stopped enrolling Covid ICU patients Found no evidence convalescent plasma therapy boosted their survival chance Will continue to test the antibodyrich plasma on people with moderate illness https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9134277/Convalescent-plasma-does-NOT-work-Doctors-pause-trial-drug-no-proof-works.html 11th Jan 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Mainland China saw its biggest daily increase in COVID19 cases in over five months the countrys health authority said on Monday as new infections in Hebei province surrounding Beijing continued to rise. A county in northeastern Heilongjiang province on Monday moved into lockdown after reporting new coronavirus infections state television also reported separately. Hebei accounted for 82 of the 85 new local infections reported on Jan. 10 the National Health Commission NHC said in a statement with Liaoning province also reporting two new cases and Beijing reporting one new case. The country also saw 18 new imported infections from overseas. The total number of new COVID19 cases stood at 103 the highest since 127 cases were reported on July 30. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-china/china-reports-biggest-daily-covid-19-case-jump-in-over-5-months-idUSKBN29G01P 12th Jan 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Independent Englands chief medical officer has warned the coming weeks are going to be the worst weeks of the coronavirus pandemic for the NHS as he urged the public to minimise unnecessary contacts in order to reduce transmissions. Highlighting the pressure on the health service professor Chris Whitty said that while 18000 people were in hospital with Covid19 during the April peak last year on Sunday there were over 30000 beds occupied by patients with the disease. This is going to be a significant crisis for the NHS unless we take evasive action he warned on BBC Breakfast several days after the government imposed the third nationwide lockdown in England to curb the spread of the virus. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-uk-cases-nhs-chris-whitty-b1785274.html 11th Jan 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

FRANCE 24 More than half a million people were placed under lockdown in Beijing on Monday as the government imposed strict measures to stamp out a handful of Covid19 cases. China has largely brought the virus under control but is tackling a number of local infections with lockdowns and mass testing. Authorities are keen to stem any outbreak in the capital home to over 20 million people particularly ahead of a weeklong national holiday next month. https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210111-over-half-a-million-under-lockdown-as-beijing-outbreak-spreads 11th Jan 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Metro Japan has detected a third mutant strain of coronavirus that is similar to the highly infectious variants spreading across the UK and South Africa. The strain was found in four passengers arriving from Brazil who were quarantined at Haneda Airport in Tokyo when they tested positive Nikkei Asia reports. Three of the group developed symptoms including struggling to breath a fever and a sore throat while one man in his 40s arrived on January 2 without any symptoms. But he was later rushed to hospital with difficulties breathing Bloomberg reports. https://metro.co.uk/2021/01/11/japan-finds-new-mutant-covid-strain-as-infectious-as-variant-in-uk-13881581/ 11th Jan 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

CTV News Worldwide coronavirus cases surpassed 90 million on Monday according to Reuters tally as nations around the globe scramble to procure vaccines and continue to extend or reinstate lockdowns to fight new coronavirus variants. The new COVID19 variants discovered initially in the United Kingdom and South Africa are rapidly spreading globally. The novel coronavirus has picked up pace in the past few months with about onethird of total cases registered in the last 48 days according to a Reuters tally. https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/global-covid-19-cases-surpass-90-million-as-battle-against-new-variant-continues-1.5261424 11th Jan 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Mainland China saw its biggest daily increase in COVID19 cases in over five months the countrys health authority said on Monday as new infections in Hebei province surrounding Beijing continued to rise. A county in northeastern Heilongjiang province on Monday moved into lockdown after reporting new coronavirus infections state television also reported separately. Heibei accounted for 82 of the 85 new local infections reported on Jan. 10 the National Health Commission NHC said in a statement with Liaoning province also reporting two new cases and Beijing reporting one new case. The country also saw 18 new imported infections from overseas. The total number of new COVID19 cases stood at 103 the highest since 127 cases were reported on July 30. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-china/china-reports-most-covid-19-cases-since-july-30-amid-hebei-outbreak-idUSKBN29G01P 11th Jan 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Business Insider Sweden has introduced a law that would allow the government to close restaurants shops and public transport to combat the spread of COVID19. The new legislation signals a major shift away from the countrys initial nolockdown approach to the pandemic. A severe second wave of COVID19 infections has prompted Sweden gradually to abandon the unique approach it first adopted towards the pandemic when it relied on voluntary social distancing measures. Anders Tegnell the architect of Swedens initial nolockdown response said last week that the COVID19 situation showed no signs of improvement in Sweden. https://www.businessinsider.com/sweden-passes-law-to-allow-closures-amid-high-death-toll-2021-1 11th Jan 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

CTV News More than half a million people were placed under lockdown in Beijing on Monday as the government imposed strict measures to stamp out a handful of COVID19 cases. China has largely brought the virus under control but is tackling a number of local infections with lockdowns and mass testing. Authorities are keen to stem any outbreak in the capital home to over 20 million people particularly ahead of a weeklong national holiday next month. https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/over-half-a-million-under-lockdown-as-beijing-outbreak-spreads-1.5261591 11th Jan 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday Britain was in a race against time to roll out COVID19 vaccines as deaths hit record highs and hospitals ran out of oxygen and his top medical adviser said the pandemics worst weeks were imminent. A new more transmissible variant of the disease is now surging through the population with one in 20 people in parts of London now infected threatening to overwhelm the National Health Service NHS as hospitals fill up with patients. The death toll in the United Kingdom has been soaring and now stands in excess of 81000 the worlds fifthhighest official toll while more than three million people have tested positive. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-britain/update-2-uk-ramps-up-covid-vaccinations-as-it-faces-worst-weeks-of-pandemic-idUSL8N2JM1BA 11th Jan 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Worldwide coronavirus cases surpassed 90 million on Monday according to Reuters tally as nations around the globe scramble to procure vaccines and continue to extend or reinstate lockdowns to fight new coronavirus variants. The new COVID19 variants discovered initially in the United Kingdom and South Africa are rapidly spreading globally. The novel coronavirus has picked up pace in the past few months with about onethird of total cases registered in the last 48 days according to a Reuters tally. Europe which became the first region to report 25 million cases last week remains the worstaffected area in the world followed by Latin America with 22.4 million and 16.3 million cases respectively. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-global-cases/global-coronavirus-cases-surpass-90-million-in-battle-on-new-variant-idUSKBN29G0GB 11th Jan 2021

New Lockdown

DW (English) Harder coronavirus lockdown restrictions came into force across all of Germanys 16 federal states on Monday. Ten states including the most populous North RhineWestphalia Bavaria and Baden Wrttemberg introduced the new rules as of Monday. A number of restrictions were introduced on December 16 in a bid to curb a second COVID19 infection wave. These were originally slated to remain in place until at least January 10 but have had only a moderate impact on caseloads. Some of the measures that were already in place have been extended while other restrictions have been tightened. Health Minister Jens Spahn appealed to the public to stay the course. I know that these are once again particular difficulties hardships for many Spahn said on ZDF television. Also social hardships but at the moment that is the arena in which the virus is spreading above all others. https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-germanys-stricter-lockdown-starts-nationwide/a-56190080 11th Jan 2021

New Lockdown

The Times When the second lockdown was announced in October sceptics were down but not out. The Great Barrington Declaration the formation of the Covid Recovery Group and the widely held view that shutdown 3.0 could trigger the implosion of Boris Johnsons premiership handed them firepower in the fightback against coronavirus authoritarianism. Laws passed in late March marked the greatest restrictions on liberty in modern British history. Worse they could not stop Covid that ship sailed in February with New Zealand and east Asian nations on board. Claims by ministers and scientists that this blunt tool could eliminate the virus were wrongheaded corroded public trust and torpedoed compliance. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/this-lockdown-is-necessary-but-must-not-lead-to-a-permanent-loss-of-liberty-zgcqm0hhj 11th Jan 2021

New Lockdown

Reuters Malaysias Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday announced a fresh lockdown in the capital Kuala Lumpur and five states as the Southeast Asian nations cumulative cases grew to over 135000 as of Sunday. Muhyiddin said interstate travel will also be barred during the twoweek lockdown but assured that five essential sectors will be allowed to continue operating under strict regulations. https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-malaysia/malaysia-to-reimpose-2-week-limited-lockdown-to-stem-virus-spread-idUSK7N29P01N 11th Jan 2021

New Lockdown

Reuters Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told a meeting of ruling party executives on Tuesday he would declare a state of emergency for the three western prefectures of Osaka Kyoto and Hyogo to stem the spread of COVID19 Kyodo news reported. Responding to pressure from Tokyo and three neighbouring prefectures in eastern Japan Suga last week declared a onemonth state of emergency for that region until Feb. 7. But the number of coronavirus cases has also climbed in the west prompting the three prefectures to seek a state of emergency too. The government is finalising plans to declare an emergency there on Wednesday and could also consider adding the central prefectures of Aichi home to Toyota Motor Corp and Gifu Kyodo reported citing government sources. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-japan/japan-emergency-state-to-expand-beyond-tokyo-as-covid-19-cases-climb-media-idUSKBN29H070 11th Jan 2021