1st Sep 2021 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=474 lockdown_exit

Israel Reports Record New Covid Cases as Booster Drive Expands

Bloomberg Israel an early leader in Covid19 inoculations reported a record number of daily infections giving fresh impetus to the vaccine booster drive the country began in early August. The country recorded 10947 new cases on Monday surpassing the previous high of 10118 daily infections reached in January according to health ministry figures. Testing for the virus has been especially high in the past week as students prepared to return to school. The portion of positive tests reached about 7.7 high for the current wave but only around half the rate at the end of last September. Serious cases have risen but remain well below January levels. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-31/israel-reports-record-new-covid-cases-as-booster-drive-expands 31st Aug 2021

South African Scientists Say New Variant May Have 'Increased Transmissibility'

Bloomberg South African scientists said they identified a new coronavirus variant that has a concerning number of mutations. The socalled C.1.2. variant was first identified in May in the South African provinces of Mpumalanga and Gauteng where Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria are situated the scientists said in a research paper. By August 13 it had been found in six of South Africas nine provinces as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo Mauritius Portugal New Zealand and Switzerland. The mutations on the virus are associated with increased transmissibility and an increased ability to evade antibodies the scientists said. It is important to highlight this lineage given its concerning constellation of mutations. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-30/new-covid-variant-found-in-south-africa-has-concerning-mutations?sref=eo0IIyEe 31st Aug 2021

Covid-19 Infection Rates in Colorado Are Highest Among Children

Bloomberg Children account for the fastest rate of new Covid19 infections in Colorado Rachel Herlihy state epidemiologist told an online news briefing Tuesday. The trend started in July before schools opened she said and officials are encouraging schools to require face masks though there is no mandate. Colorado has significant hospital capacity for children and adults said Scott Bookman the states Covid19 incident commander who called vaccines the ticket out of this pandemic. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-31/covid-19-infection-rates-highest-among-children-in-colorado 31st Aug 2021

Mauritius Reaches 60% Vaccination Goal a Month Ahead of Schedule

Bloomberg Mauritius vaccinated 60 of its population a month ahead of target and now plans to halve the number of days tourists will need to isolate on the island nation after arrival. The milestone comes ahead of two major steps to reduce restrictions on inbound international travel the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority said in an emailed statement Tuesday. Inoculated tourists will have to spend seven days in a a socalled resort bubble hotel from Wednesday down from 14 days now before they can travel freely. From Oct. 1 they will be free to explore the Indian Ocean Island nation without restrictions. Thats provided they submit a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before arrival the agency said. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-31/mauritius-reaches-60-vaccination-goal-a-month-ahead-of-schedule?utm_source=google&amputm_medium=bd&ampcmpId=google 31st Aug 2021

‘Stop being selfish’: Africans decry ‘vaccine apartheid’

Al Jazeera English A prominent Kenyan pathologist has warned of vaccine apartheid in Africa amid the slow rollout of COVID19 jabs echoing condemnation from senior World Health Organization WHO officials. Less than 2 percent of Africas population of 1.3 billion has been fully vaccinated against COVID19. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/31/prominent-kenya-health-expert-warns-against-vaccine-apartheid 31st Aug 2021

This is how to prevent another 100,000 Covid deaths by December, Fauci says

CNN With nearly 100000 Americans hospitalized with Covid19 and infections surging among the unvaccinated population its possible another 100000 people could die from the virus by December according to a recent University of Washington model. What is going on now is both entirely predictable but entirely preventable Dr. Anthony Fauci director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told CNNs Jake Tapper Sunday saying the outcome of the model is possible. We know we have the wherewithal with vaccines to turn this around. https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/30/health/us-coronavirus-monday/index.html 31st Aug 2021

Fury as Covid crisis hits Australia's Aboriginal communities

BBC News Dr Kada lists some reasons why a significant outbreak in remote Aboriginalmajority communities is a recipe for disaster Basic health facilities are not suited to a proper Covid response. There are staffing problems People have disproportionately high chronic disease rates and a low vaccine uptake There is often a social makeup that doesnt allow for proper isolation. Currently most of the hundreds of people infected in the western NSW outbreak are Aboriginal. Its first death an Aboriginal man was confirmed on Monday. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-58380827 31st Aug 2021

Australia’s Canberra extends COVID-19 lockdown

Al Jazeera English Australias Canberra has extended its hard lockdown by a further two weeks as the capital city struggles to contain a surge in the highly infectious Delta variant. Much of Australias east coast has been under strict movement restrictions for weeks hitting the local economy. With cases still rising Canberra said on Tuesday that it will remain in lockdown until at least September 17. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/31/australias-canberra-extends-covid-19-lockdown 31st Aug 2021

Moderna Creates Twice as Many Antibodies as Pfizer, Study Shows

Bloomberg Moderna Inc.s Covid vaccine generated more than double the antibodies of a similar shot made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE in research that compared immune responses evoked by the two inoculations. The study is one of the first to compare levels of antibodies produced by the two vaccines which are thought to be one of the important components of the immune response. It didnt examine whether the antibody differences led to a difference in efficacy over time between the two shots which both were more than 90 effective in finalstage clinical trials. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-31/moderna-jab-spurs-double-pfizer-covid-antibody-levels-in-study 31st Aug 2021

Thailand's elderly lag behind in COVID vaccination drive, data show

Reuters Just two weeks before her longawaited vaccine appointment in Bangkok Anyamanee Puttaraksas 62yearold mother became feverish. Three days later her mother tested positive for COVID19. Four hours afterward she died. Alongside Anyamanees grief is anger at a vaccine rollout that has left the elderly among Thailands leastvaccinated groups a contrast to much of the rest of the world where vulnerable older people have been a priority. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/exclusive-thailands-elderly-lag-behind-covid-vaccination-drive-data-show-2021-08-31/ 31st Aug 2021

Effectiveness of the Covid vaccines against hospitalizations has waned over time, CDC says

Daily Mail on MSN.com Effectiveness of the COVID19 vaccines in keeping recipients out of the hospital drops as low as 75 over time the CDC reports. Panel met this week to advise the CDC on its decision whether to approve COVID19 vaccine booster in the U.S. White House officials announced earlier this month that they plan to roll out boosters starting September 20. Israel has already begun the rollout of booster shots and has found that the shots are effective https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/medical/cdc-effectiveness-of-vaccines-against-hospitalizations-has-waned/ar-AANWAWe 31st Aug 2021

Side effects feared from vaccine are more common in COVID cases — Israeli study

The Times of Israel Research on 2 million Israelis fails to find high incidence of any serious side effect postinoculation coronavirus patient 4 times more likely to get myocarditis than vaccinee https://www.timesofisrael.com/side-effects-feared-from-vaccine-are-more-common-in-covid-cases-israeli-study/ 31st Aug 2021

WHO says C.1.2. COVID-19 variant does not seem to be spreading

Reuters A new coronavirus variant that was first detected in South Africa in May does not appear to be spreading the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday adding it was monitoring the variant as the virus evolves. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-says-c12-covid-19-variant-does-not-seem-be-spreading-2021-08-31/ 31st Aug 2021

Another 1M Moderna coronavirus vaccine doses halted in Japan as officials probe 2 deaths

FiercePharma Manufacturing issues and safety concerns have unraveled the bestlaid plans for COVID19 vaccine makers AstraZeneca and Johnson Johnson. Now its Moderna facing serious questions about its vaccine after two people in Japan died after receiving the shot from a contaminated batch. No link between the vaccine and the fatalities has been established Moderna said in a joint statement with its Japanese COVID19 vaccine distribution partner Takeda. But over the weekend another one million doses of the vaccine were suspended over concerns of possible contamination found in two additional vaccine lots. https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/moderna-suspends-1m-more-vaccine-doses-after-death-2-japan-and-more-contaminants-found 31st Aug 2021

Israel registers record daily coronavirus cases

The Guardian Israel has recorded its highest daily number of coronavirus cases with nearly 11000 new infections amid a surge caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant as schools prepare to reopen. The previous high came on 18 January with 10118 cases. Despite Tuesdays 10947 confirmed cases Israel is pressing ahead with plans to fully open its school system on Wednesday as it tries to boost vaccination rates. The prime minister Naftali Bennett a critic of the cycle of lockdowns implemented by his predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that the surge can be controlled through vaccination and protective measures such as masks. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/31/israel-registers-record-daily-coronavirus-cases 31st Aug 2021

Perspective | Coronavirus vaccines work. But this statistical illusion makes people think they don't.

The Washington Post In reallife Israel as of Aug. 15 using Morriss summary of official data 301 fully vaccinated people had an illness severe enough to require hospitalization. They represented just 53 out of every million fully vaccinated Israelis. At the same time 214 hospitalized people were not vaccinated. Those people made up a much bigger fraction of the smaller population of unvaccinated people 164 out of every million. So an unvaccinated Israeli is about three times as likely to end up in the hospital as their vaccinated compatriot. https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/08/31/covid-israel-hospitalization-rates-simpsons-paradox/ 31st Aug 2021

We Don't Know Enough About Risks to the Vaccinated

Bloomberg The New York Times recently reported that in a limited number of states that do such reporting 12 to 24 of people hospitalized for Covid19 are fully vaccinated. Weve heard that the vaccine is wearing off fast in Israel where Covid19 is in a raging surge and that in the U.K. the majority of recent deaths have been among the vaccinated. And yet the Centers for Disease Control has used data from Los Angeles County to produce the more reassuring statistic that unvaccinated people are 29 times more likely to be hospitalized than the vaccinated. Part of the problem is that numbers can be spun different ways depending on whether the object is to persuade people to get the vaccine or to persuade the vaccinated to wear masks in public. The other part of the problem is that the data are much more limited than they should be. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-08-31/we-don-t-know-enough-about-covid-risks-to-the-vaccinated 31st Aug 2021

GSK and SK Bioscience start late-stage trial of Covid-19 vaccine

The Independent on MSN.com GlaxoSmithKline GSK and South Korean pharmaceutical firm SK Bioscience have started a Phase 3 trial of their Covid19 vaccine combination. GSK told the stock market on Tuesday that the advance follows positive interim results in the Phase 1 and 2 studies. https://www.msn.com/en-gb/finance/other/gsk-and-sk-bioscience-start-late-stage-trial-of-covid-19-vaccine/ar-AANVAcq 31st Aug 2021

South African researchers keep wary eye on yet another new coronavirus variant

CNN Genetics researchers who have been watching for new coronavirus variants say theyve seen a troubling new lineage that carries many of the same hallmarks as other strains including Alpha Beta and Gamma. The variant they are watching called C.1.2 has popped up across South Africa as well as in seven other countries in Africa Asia and the Pacific the researchers report. Theyre not sure whether its constellation of mutations will make it more dangerous but it carries changes that have given other variants increased transmissibility and the ability to evade the immune systems response to some degree. https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/30/health/new-coronavirus-variant-maybe/index.html 31st Aug 2021

Covid-19 Booster Shots Get Support From Expert Panel

The Wall Street Journal Health experts advising the U.S. government on vaccines expressed initial support for giving booster shots to people vaccinated against Covid19 starting with healthcare workers nursinghome residents and others immunized earliest. Members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or ACIP on Monday indicated their agreement with the Biden administrations plans to offer the extra doses. Yet they said the priority should remain increasing vaccinations of unvaccinated people and that boosters shouldnt distract or impede from doing that. https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-booster-shots-get-support-from-expert-panel-11630361918 31st Aug 2021

These 5 states have less than 10% of ICU beds left as Covid-19 overwhelms hospitals

CNN As Covid19 cases surge across the US particularly among unvaccinated Americans hospitals have been pushed to their limits treating the influx of patients and five states are nearly out of ICU beds. Alabama Georgia Texas Florida and Arkansas have less than 10 left of their ICU bed capacity according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services. In Georgia the CEO of Northeast Georgia Health Systems said it had 287 Covid patients Monday morning which is more than the hospital has had since January. https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/31/health/us-coronavirus-tuesday/index.html 31st Aug 2021

Covid outbreak on cruise ship docked in Liverpool

Liverpool Echo A cruise ship docked in Liverpool was hit by a coronavirus outbreak as staff members were told to selfisolate. Three crew members onboard the Celebrity Silhouette cruise liner had to leave the ship after testing positive for the virus. The cruise liner which has the capacity to carry 2902 passengers arrived in Liverpool on Monday and is making its way over to Southampton where its due to arrive on Saturday September 4. liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/covid-outbreak-cruise-ship-docked-21444912#ICID=Android_EchoNewsApp_AppShare 31st Aug 2021

Philippines: Nurses threaten mass resignation amid COVID surge

Deutsche Welle on MSN.com Saying they are overworked and underpaid health care workers across the Philippines are threatening to walk off the job unless they receive benefits promised by the government. The Philippines is currently experiencing recordhigh COVID caseloads driven by the highly transmissible delta variant. As hospitals fill up overworked nurses have staged protests and are threatening mass resignations if government benefits are not paid by September 1. https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/philippines-nurses-threaten-mass-resignation-amid-covid-surge/ar-AANTXZ1 31st Aug 2021

NSW records 1,164 COVID-19 cases as Premier makes plea for Christmas re-opening

ABC News NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the whole nation needs to move forward together so families can reunite for Christmas as the state recorded 1164 locally new COVID19 cases. Ms Berejiklian said she did not understand why some states and territories were walking away from the national plan to end lockdowns once 80 per cent of the Australian population was vaccinated. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-31/nsw-records-1164-covid-19-cases/100420642 31st Aug 2021

Indonesia probes suspected data breach on COVID-19 app

Reuters Indonesia is investigating a suspected security flaw in a COVID19 testandtrace app that left exposed personal information and the health status of 1.3 million people a health ministry official said on Tuesday. Researchers from encryption provider vpnMentor said personal information in the Indonesia Health Alert Card eHAC app often required to be used by travellers was accessible due to the lack of protocols put in place by the apps developers. https://www.reuters.com/technology/indonesia-probes-suspected-data-breach-covid-19-app-2021-08-31/ 31st Aug 2021

Mormon vaccine push ratchets up, dividing faith’s members

The Associated Press After more than a year of attending church virtually Monique Allen has struggled to explain to her asthmatic daughter why people from their congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints dont wear masks. Allen said shes taught her daughter that wearing a mask is Christlike but now she worries her child feels like an outcast. Church leaders recently issued their strongest statement yet urging people to limit the spread by getting COVID19 vaccines and wearing masks but Allen said she fears its still not enough to convince the many families in her congregation who refuse to wear masks and have succumbed to antivaccine misinformation. https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-health-religion-coronavirus-pandemic-f42772097cf7557086f12b549e03b18a 31st Aug 2021

No 10 to press on with plans for Covid vaccine passports in England

The Guardian Downing Street has said the government will press ahead with plans to introduce vaccine passports for nightclubs and other crowded indoor venues in England from the end of next month. Boris Johnsons official spokesperson was asked on Tuesday about reports suggesting ministers could back away from the proposal in the face of objections from Conservative MPs but said there was no change to the policy. We set out broadly our intention to require vaccination for nightclubs and some other settings. We will be coming forward in the coming weeks with detail for that he said https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/31/no-10-press-on-plans-covid-vaccine-passports-england 31st Aug 2021

'Threat of Long Covid means this is the most worrying start to a new school year'

The Mirror Polly Hudson questions the decision to send children back to school without all the safety measures we had in place before as we still wait to see if vaccines for kids will be approved https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/threat-long-covid-means-most-24879581 31st Aug 2021

France aims to give third COVID-19 vaccine shot to 18 million by early 2022

Reuters on MSN.com France aims to have administered a third shot of a COVID19 vaccine to some 18 million people by early 2022 a health ministry official said on Tuesday. Last week Frances top health advisory body HAS recommended a booster shot for those aged 65 and over and for those with existing medical conditions that put them at risk. Those eligible for a booster shot have been able to make appointments since Monday this week. We see this as a genuine health requirement to extend protection as some studies demonstrate the official said. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/france-aims-to-give-third-covid-19-vaccine-shot-to-18-million-by-early-2022/ar-AANVWbu 31st Aug 2021

BHP considers making COVID vaccinations mandatory at Australian sites

Reuters Global miner BHP Group is mulling whether to make vaccinations for COVID19 mandatory at its workplaces in Australia as the countrys east battles ballooning virus cases. The worlds biggest miner on Monday set out measures it was taking to support vaccination in communities where it operates including onsite jabs at its Mt Arthur Coal Mine in New South Wales state that are to begin this week. https://www.reuters.com/business/bhp-considers-making-covid-vaccinations-mandatory-australian-sites-2021-08-30/ 31st Aug 2021

Australian imports of ivermectin increase tenfold, prompting warning from TGA

The Guardian A national shortage and tenfold increase in Australians importing ivermectin in August has sparked a warning from the Therapeutic Goods Administration against the use of the medicine which is typically used to deworm livestock as a treatment for Covid19. Amid growing reports in the United States in recent weeks of people calling poison information hotlines over selfmedicating with ivermectin as a treatment for Covid19 a spokesperson for the TGA told Guardian Australia there had been a massive increase in people bringing the drug into Australia. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/30/australian-imports-of-ivermectin-increase-10-fold-prompting-warning-from-tga 31st Aug 2021

Sinovac Investor Reports Chinese Coronavirus Vaccine Windfall

Bloomberg An investor in Sinovac Biotech Ltd. reported a nearly sixfold increase in firsthalf profit giving a glimpse into the windfall made during the coronavirus pandemic by the Chinese vaccine developer. Sales of more than one billion doses of the Covid19 shot known as CoronaVac helped Sino Biopharmaceutical Ltd. which holds a 15 stake in a subsidiary of Beijingbased Sinovac register profit of 8.48 billion yuan 1.3 billion in the first six months of 2021 the Hong Konglisted company said on Tuesday. The firm added that its associates and joint ventures including the Sinovac unit contributed 6.91 billion yuan of that amount. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-31/sinovac-investor-reports-chinese-coronavirus-vaccine-windfall 31st Aug 2021

What is C.1.2, the new Covid variant in South Africa, and should we be worried?

The Guardian Australia The C.1.2 strain has scientists attention because it possesses mutations within the genome similar to those seen in variants of interest like Delta. On Monday the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa issued an alert about the C.1.2 lineage saying it had been detected in all provinces in the country but at a relatively low rate. C.1.2 was first detected in May the alert said but Delta is still the dominant variant spreading in South Africa and the world. A preprint non peerreviewed paper published about the variant said C.1.2 has since been detected across the majority of the provinces in South Africa and in seven other countries spanning Africa Europe Asia and Oceania. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/31/what-is-c12-the-new-covid-variant-in-south-africa-and-should-we-be-worried 31st Aug 2021