19th Oct 2021 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=520 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Surging Covid cases in the U.K. have left the country behind the rest of Europe with former U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb calling for urgent research into a mutation known as delta plus. Britain faster to reopen and relax restrictions than other European countries reported the highest daily jump in new cases on Sunday since midJuly. Weekly deaths from the virus topped 800 for each of the past six weeks higher than in other major western European nations according to Bloombergs tracker. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-18/u-k-falls-behind-europe-on-covid-19-as-mutation-draws-focus-kuwlrzjo?srnd=premium-europe 18th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian The UK government has been ordered to reveal which companies were given VIP access to multimillionpound contracts for the supply of personal protective equipment PPE in the early months of the Covid pandemic in a ruling from the Information Commissioners Office ICO. The Department of Health and Social Care DHSC has previously refused to disclose the names of 47 companies that had contracts awarded through the privileged fasttrack process allocated to firms with political connections. A report by the National Audit Office NAO last year found that companies referred as possible PPE suppliers by ministers MPs or senior NHS officials were given high priority by the DHSC procurement process which resulted in a 10 times greater success rate for securing contracts than companies whose bids were processed via normal channels. The Good Law Project GLP which first revealed the existence of a VIP lane is together with fellow campaign group EveryDoctor challenging the DHSC over the lawfulness of the VIP lane and large contracts awarded to three companies PestFix Ayanda Capital and Clandeboye Agencies. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/oct/18/uk-government-told-reveal-firms-given-vip-covid-contracts-ppe 18th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

The New York Times After Sofia Kravetskaya got vaccinated with Russias Sputnik V vaccine last December she became a pariah on the Moscow playground where she takes her young daughter. When I mentioned I volunteered in the trials and I got my first shot people started running away from me she said. They believed that if you were vaccinated the virus is inside you and youre contagious. For Ms. Kravetskaya 36 the reaction reflected the prevalent mistrust in the Russian authorities that has metastasized since the pandemic began last year. That skepticism pollsters and sociologists say is the main reason only one third of the countrys population is fully vaccinated despite the availability of free inoculations. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/18/world/europe/russia-virus-vaccine.html 18th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Latvia announced a COVID19 lockdown from Oct. 21 until Nov. 15 to try to slow a spike in infections in one of the least vaccinated European Union countries. Our health system is in danger ... The only way out of this crisis is to get vaccinated Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said after an emergency government meeting blaming low vaccination rates for the spike in hospitalisations. Only 54 of Latvian adults have been fully vaccinated well below EU average of 74 EU figures show. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/latvia-announces-four-weeks-lockdown-covid-19-cases-spike-2021-10-18/ 18th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

ITV News Enforcement of Scotlands controversial Covid19 vaccine passport scheme has come into effect. Proof of full vaccination is required to enter nightclubs and large events as part of the Scottish Governments efforts to limit the spread of coronavirus and increase vaccine takeup. The measures technically came into effect from October 1 but an 18day grace period was announced following backlash from affected industries and significant problems with the new app. The policy will now be enforceable for nightclubs strip clubs and unseated indoor events with more than 500 people unseated outdoor events with over 4000 and any event with more than 10000 people. Scots will have to show proof they have had both vaccine doses with a paper copy of the certificate or a QR code on a new app although the latter has been plagued with problems since its launch. More than 700000 people had downloaded the app and a further 750000 people have a paper copy of their vaccination status. https://www.itv.com/news/border/2021-10-18/enforcement-of-covid-19-vaccine-passports-comes-into-effect-in-scotland 18th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Thousands of children returned to school in Sydney on Monday putting an end to months of home learning as Australias largest city eased more COVID19 curbs thanks to rising rates of vaccinations. Masks are no longer mandatory in offices and larger groups are to be allowed in homes and outdoors after the state of New South Wales home to Sydney hit a doubledose inoculation rate of 80 at the weekend among those older than 16. The latest in a series of planned relaxations is part of a shift in strategy by Australias largest cities towards living with the virus though officials have warned it will bring more COVID19 cases. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sydney-eases-more-covid-19-restrictions-vaccinations-pass-key-milestone-2021-10-17/ 18th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

AlJazeera The Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca Saudi Arabia has returned to operating at full capacity with worshippers praying shouldertoshoulder for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. On Sunday floor markings that guide people to social distance in and around the Grand Mosque were removed. This is in line with the decision to ease precautionary measures and to allow pilgrims and visitors to the Grand Mosque at full capacity the official Saudi Press Agency SPA reported. Pictures and footage on Sunday morning showed people praying side by side in straight rows of worshippers the formation revered in Muslim prayers for the first time since the COVID19 pandemic took hold last year. While social distancing measures were lifted authorities said visitors must be fully vaccinated against coronavirus and must continue to wear masks on mosque grounds. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/17/grand-mosque-in-mecca-drops-social-distancing 17th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg About onethird of Chicago Police Department employees have not reported their Covid19 vaccination status to the city defying Fridays deadline to provide the information or risk unpaid leave. About 64 of the departments 12770 employees have reported their vaccine status with about 36 of police staffers not providing the required information according to data released by city officials on Monday. Thats the lowest reporting rate among the citys departments. The figures show that 6894 say theyre fully vaccinated and 1333 report they are not according to the data. About 4500 from the department have not responded as mandated by the city amid a standoff between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge 7 President John Catanzara Jr. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-18/third-of-chicago-police-department-defies-vaccine-status-mandate 18th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Many Russian regions on Monday announced plans to keep cafes museums and other public venues open only to those who have recently recovered from COVID19 have proof of inoculation with a Russian vaccine or a negative coronavirus test as new cases in the country hit a record. The round of unpopular measures that limits freedoms in Russia comes as the number of daily COVID19 infections reached an alltime high of 34325 despite the statedriven vaccination programme. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-regions-introduce-qr-codes-entry-public-venues-covid-19-cases-hit-record-2021-10-18/ 18th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

The Associated Press President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden hosted a White House ceremony Monday to recognize the 2021 and 2020 national teachers of the year the state teacher finalists for those years and teachers nationwide all of whom had to work longer and harder during the pandemic. The president was a surprise guest walking out onto the South Lawn after the first lady Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and both national teachers had spoken at the ceremony. Biden said teachers are the single most consequential people in the world beyond ones parents because of the influence they have over their students. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-education-jill-biden-ab7820e91a3c7bcd08263b393482dc9a 18th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Burundi on Monday rolled out its first COVID19 vaccines months after most African countries the latest step in the East African nations shift towards a more active approach to containing the pandemic. The vaccination campaign started in the commercial capital of Bujumbura without fanfare. Dozens of city residents queued quietly at a vaccination site telling Reuters they heard about the drive through word of mouth. No government officials were present to officially inaugurate the launch. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/burundi-launches-covid-19-vaccination-drive-2021-10-18/ 18th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

ABC News Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has outlined a roadmap to reopen the states borders to COVID19 hotspots for fully vaccinated people by Christmas. Fully vaccinated travellers will be allowed to enter Queensland without the need to quarantine from December 17. It comes as the state recorded zero new locally acquired COVID cases in the past 24 hours while more than 8000 people remain stranded interstate having applied for border passes to enter Queensland. Ms Palaszczuk said Queensland would begin a phased border reopening for fully vaccinated people from November 19. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-18/qld-coronavirus-covid-border-date-roadmap-cases/100547720 18th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters The plan to roll out Merck Cos MRK.N promising antiviral pill to treat COVID19 risks repeating the inequities of vaccine distribution potentially leaving the nations with the greatest need once again at the back of the line international health groups say. For example only about 5 of Africas population is immunized creating an urgent need for therapeutics that could keep people out of hospitals. That compares with more than a 70 inoculation rate in most wealthy nations. Merck on Oct 11 applied for U.S. emergency clearance of the first pill for COVID19 after it cut hospitalizations and deaths by 50 in a large clinical trial. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/merck-covid-19-pill-sparks-calls-access-lower-income-countries-2021-10-17/ 18th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

CNN Were all triplyvaccinated friends gleefully told me last week as they invited me to their home for dinner. They were thrilled. I had rarely seen such big smiles since the Covid19 pandemic began. These are important developments but they arrive at a time when major challenges remain since about 66 million American adults have still not yet been fully vaccinated. Fortysix percent of Whites 49 of Hispanics and 54 of Blacks in the country have not yet gotten a single shot. While my friends were delighted to receive extra protections and invite other people to dinner much of the country remains wary. To overcome the growing pandemic we as a nation must all now push to address this widening gap. https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/17/opinions/covid-19-vaccine-booster-klitzman/index.html 18th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters The United States has administered 408265959 doses of COVID19 vaccines as of Sunday morning the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The figures are up from the 407446961 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by Oct. 16. The agency said 218805579 people had received at least one dose while 189141481 people were fully vaccinated as of 6 a.m. ET Sunday. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-administers-4083-mln-doses-covid-19-vaccines-cdc-2021-10-17/ 18th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters More than a billion COVID19 vaccines produced in the European Union have been exported since December 2020 making the bloc the biggest exporter of the shots European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday. The vaccines had gone to more than 150 countries and the EU had exported as many doses as it had distributed to its own citizens von der Leyen added in a statement. The bloc started exporting vaccines at the start of the global roll out at a time when other major producers such as the United States were building up their own supplies and restricting exports. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-has-exported-over-1-billion-covid-19-vaccines-since-start-rollout-2021-10-18/ 18th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Al Jazeera English Governments across the world are turning to vaccine mandates as the Delta variant continues to wreak havoc and vaccine uptake in some communities begin to slow down. New Zealand which has abandoned its COVIDZero strategy amid persistent infections introduced last week a no jab no job policy for doctors and teachers while neighbouring Fiji says all of its public and private sector workers are liable to lose their jobs if they fail to get fully inoculated by November. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/18/should-covid-19-vaccines-be-mandatory 18th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Yahoo News Thailand will stop using the COVID19 vaccine of Chinas Sinovac when its current stock finishes a senior official said on Monday having used the shot extensively in combination with Westerndeveloped vaccines. Thailand used over 31.5 million Sinovac doses since February starting with two doses to frontline workers highrisk groups and residents of Phuket a holiday island that reopened to tourists early in a pilot scheme. https://news.yahoo.com/thailand-cease-sinovac-vaccine-stocks-082710604.html 18th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

The Associated Press Almost overnight Japan has become a stunning and somewhat mysterious coronavirus success story. Daily new COVID19 cases have plummeted from a midAugust peak of nearly 6000 in Tokyo with caseloads in the densely populated capital now routinely below 100 an 11month low. The bars are packed the trains are crowded and the mood is celebratory despite a general bafflement over what exactly is behind the sharp drop. Japan unlike other places in Europe and Asia has never had anything close to a lockdown just a series of relatively toothless states of emergency. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-business-lifestyle-japan-e60d760da11f9cadda1d8acab2a6fbf5 18th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

The Associated Press One of the worlds last three countries to administer COVID19 vaccines started giving out doses on Monday as the East African nation of Burundi launched its national campaign. The vaccinations started in the commercial capital Bujumbura though health workers told The Associated Press that barely more than a dozen people had received doses by midafternoon. Recipients included the ministers of health and security. Only North Korea and the Horn of Africa nation of Eritrea have not administered any COVID19 vaccines according to the World Health Organization. Burundis previous government under the late President Pierre Nkurunziza had been criticized for taking the pandemic lightly. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-kenya-eritrea-east-africa-1614de45dfae8b438aecd264515f520a 18th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Al Jazeera English Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for an immediate airlift of unused COVID jabs to countries in the global south. Brown an adviser to the World Health Organization WHO is pressing the leaders of Canada the European Union the United Kingdom and the United States to hold an emergency summit to agree on the airlift ahead of the G20 meeting later this month. He said an airlift of 240 million doses this month could save 100000 lives. It would be the first part of a plan to transfer a billion vaccine doses from rich countries to lowerincome countries over several months a plan he says could prevent many of the one million COVIDinduce deaths projected over the next year. While vaccines have been pledged for donation from all donors we are not getting the vaccines into peoples arms and urgently need a monthtomonth timetable to meet our interim targets and prevent further loss of lives Brown was quoted as saying by the Observer newspaper. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/17/gordon-brown-calls-for-airlift-of-240-million-covid-19-vaccines 17th Oct 2021

Partisan Exits

The Guardian The private laboratory that is under investigation for potentially issuing more than 40000 false negative Covid tests was not fully accredited to perform the work contrary to assurances made by health officials. The UKs independent accreditation service Ukas told the Guardian on Monday that neither Immensa Health Clinics Ltd nor its sister company Dante Labs had ever been accredited by the service and that it had informed the Department of Health that statements suggesting otherwise were incorrect. The UK Health Security Agency announced on Friday that it was suspending operations at Immensas laboratory in Wolverhampton pending an investigation into concerns that at least 43000 people with coronavirus had been wrongly told their swabs tested negative for the virus. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/18/uk-lab-immensa-false-negative-covid-tests-not-fully-accredited 18th Oct 2021

Partisan Exits

Yahoo News UK Many men must choose between hustling to find something that will put bread on the table or going to queue at a health facility. Laura Lopez Gonzalez explores South Africas efforts to persuade men to get the jab. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/reluctant-men-reaching-south-africa-141715018.html 18th Oct 2021

Partisan Exits

Sky News Italian police used water cannon and tear gas to break up a demonstration in the port of Trieste where workers protested against the governments mandatory COVID pass. Under the new rule workers will be suspended without pay and could face a fine of up to 1500 euros if they try to work without the COVID pass. https://news.sky.com/video/covid-19-italian-police-use-water-cannon-to-disperse-workers-protesting-against-mandatory-covid-pass-12437450 18th Oct 2021

Partisan Exits

NPR The science is clear Vaccines are a safe and effective way to prevent serious illness hospitalization and death from the coronavirus and vaccine mandates are an effective tool in promoting widespread vaccinations. Still the battle to inoculate the nation against the coronavirus has reached a fever pitch in recent months. President Biden has focused on getting as many Americans as possible vaccinated against the coronavirus most notably rolling out widereaching vaccine mandates for government employees and for businesses with more than 100 workers. https://www.npr.org/2021/10/17/1046598351/the-political-fight-over-vaccine-mandates-deepens-despite-their-effectiveness 18th Oct 2021

Continued Lockdown

Reuters New Zealands biggest city of Auckland will retain its lockdown for two more weeks in the battle on the Delta variant of coronavirus as the country pushes to step up vaccinations Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern said on Monday. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/new-zealand-pm-ardern-extends-covid-19-lockdown-auckland-2021-10-18/ 18th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg President Joe Bidens chief medical adviser said he expects U.S. regulators to consider whether people who got the onedose Johnson Johnson vaccine should get an mRNA shot against Covid19 as a booster. If you boost people who have originally received JJ with either Moderna or Pfizer the level of antibodies that you induce in them is much higher than if you boost them with the original JJ Anthony Fauci said on ABCs This Week on Sunday. But the data of boosting the JJ first dose with a JJ second dose is based on clinical data he said. So whats going to happen is that the FDA is going to look at all those data look at the comparison and make a determination of what they will authorize. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-17/fauci-says-mix-and-match-booster-shots-will-be-considered 18th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg Former U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb called for urgent research into a mutation of the delta variant known as delta plus following a surge in Covid19 cases in the U.K. We need urgent research to figure out if this delta plus is more transmissible has partial immune evasion Gottlieb said in a tweet. Theres no clear indication that its considerably more transmissible but we should work to more quickly characterize these and other new variants. We have the tools. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-17/u-k-covid-case-load-prompts-gottlieb-call-for-urgent-research 18th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

New Scientist A covid19 vaccine made by Valneva produced stronger antibody responses and fewer side effects than the OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine in a clinical trial the French company has announced. The trial included more than 4600 participants in the UK who were randomly allocated one of the two vaccines while delta was the predominant coronavirus variant in circulation. The rate of covid19 cases was similar in the two groups and no participants developed severe illness from covid19. Valnevas experimental vaccine VLA2001 consists of inactivated whole virus particles in combination with two adjuvants drugs given to augment the immune response. This is a much more traditional approach to vaccine manufacture than the vaccines so far deployed in the UK Europe and North America and these results suggest this vaccine candidate is on track to play an important role in overcoming the pandemic said Adam Finn at the University of Bristol UK chief investigator for the trial in a press release. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2237475-covid-19-news-valneva-reports-positive-results-from-vaccine-trial/ 18th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Associated Press More COVID19 booster shots may be on the way but when its your turn youll get an extra dose of the original vaccine not one updated to better match the extracontagious delta variant. And that has some experts wondering if the booster campaign is a bit of a missed opportunity to target delta and its likely descendants. Dont we want to match the new strains that are most likely to circulate as closely as possible Dr. Cody Meissner of Tufts Medical Center an adviser to the Food and Drug Administration challenged Pfizer scientists recently. I dont quite understand why this is not delta because thats what were facing right now fellow adviser Dr. Patrick Moore of the University of Pittsburgh said last week as government experts debated whether its time for Moderna boosters. He wondered if such a switch would be particularly useful to block mild infection. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-business-health-1810900835cdc9f58cb4384ca5fcf03e 18th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The New York Times The death of former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell on Monday from complications of Covid19 has provided fuel for vaccine skeptics and opponents who immediately seized on the news that Mr. Powell had been vaccinated to stoke doubts about the effectiveness of the vaccines. But Mr. Powells immune system had most likely been weakened by multiple myeloma a cancer of white blood cells. Both the disease and the treatment can make people more susceptible to infections. His age 84 may also have increased his risk scientists said. Mr. Powell received his second dose of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine in February said Peggy Cifrino his longtime aide. He had been scheduled for a booster last week but fell ill before he received it she said. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/10/18/us/colin-powell/breakthrough-covid-deaths 18th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Belfast Telegraph French pharmaceutical firm Valneva whose UK contract for vaccines was cancelled last month has reported positive results from its Covid19 trial. Last month the UK Government scrapped a deal for Valnevas Covid19 vaccine with the firm saying the UK Government had served notice over allegations of a breach of the agreement which Valneva strenuously denied. The UK had about 100 million doses on order and Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Valnevas Scottish manufacturing site in Livingston in January. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/valneva-reports-positive-results-from-covid-19-vaccine-trial-40958716.html 18th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian It is unclear why the WHO definition snubs and does not embrace the term long Covid. The term was coined by patients who also refer to themselves as longhaulers. These patientsadvocatesresearchers galvanized attention around the existence of this disease and brought long Covid to the spotlight. In a short few months they created a formidable patientled advocacy and research movement that changed the arc of medical history. They were the first to survey their membership and catalogue the broad array of clinical problems caused by Covid19. Their contributions will go down in the annals of history as an important inflection point. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/17/who-long-covid-patients 18th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters South Africas drugs regulator said on Monday that it was not approving an emergency use application for Russias Sputnik V COVID19 shot for now citing concerns about its safety for people at risk of HIV. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/south-africa-regulator-not-authorising-russian-covid-19-vaccine-now-2021-10-18/ 18th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The World Health Organization on Monday asked for further data from Indias Bharat Biotech to consider the companys request for an emergencyuse listing for its COVID19 shot saying the WHO could not cut corners in making a decision. Bharat Biotech which developed Covaxin with an Indian state research body started sharing data with the WHO from early July. The vaccine was given emergencyuse authorisation in India in January even before the completion of a latestage trial which later found the shot to be 78 efficacious. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-expects-more-information-indias-bharat-biotech-its-covid-19-vaccine-2021-10-18/ 18th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian A Sydney gastroenterologist who has been enthusiastically promoting an unapproved Covid19 treatment including to Australian politicians and general practitioners has filed a patent in the US for the same treatment allowing him to commercialise and profit from it if approved. Prof Thomas Borody has been quoted in medical newsletters and publications and in news outlets including the Financial Review the Daily Telegraph and the Australian promoting what he describes as a triple therapy protocol to treat and cure Covid19. The protocol involves a combination of the antiparasitic drug ivermectin zinc and the antibiotic doxycycline. In December 2020 Borody filed a patent in the US for therapeutic combinations of drugs including a combination of ivermectin an antibiotic and zinc. Patenting a treatment means the owner of the patent is allowed to exclusively manufacture market and profit from the drug until the patent expires usually after 20 years. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/oct/18/doctor-who-advocated-covid-19-therapy-including-ivermectin-applied-for-patent-on-same-unproven-treatment 18th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Guardian Downing Street has warned of challenging months ahead as UK coronavirus cases reached their highest level since midJuly. The reported number of Covid cases in the UK increased steadily through October and reached 49156 on Monday the highest reported since 17 July and a 16 rise in new cases over the past week. The figure is only 19000 cases short of the peak number of cases ever recorded in the UK. On 8 January 2021 68053 new cases were reported at the height of the most devastating wave of the pandemic last winter. The prime ministers official spokesperson said a rise in coronavirus cases was expected over the winter and that the government would keep a close watch on the statistics. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/18/uk-covid-cases-50000-in-one-day-no-10-challenging-winter 18th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters UK Britain reported the highest number of new COVID19 cases in three months on Monday as the number of infections reached levels last seen when lockdown restrictions were in place in England during the summer. Infection numbers in Britain are currently much higher than in other western European countries and have risen more 60 in the last month. Government data showed there were 49156 new cases of coronavirus up from 45140 on Sunday and the highest daily total since July 17. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-records-49156-new-covid-cases-45-deaths-2021-10-18/ 18th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Washington Times Colin L. Powell the first Black secretary of state and a key figure in Republican administrations died Monday of complications from COVID19 his family said. The 84yearolds family announced the news on Facebook saying he was fully vaccinated. We have lost a remarkable and loving husband father grandfather and a great American the family said on Facebook about the retired fourstar Army general. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/oct/18/colin-powell-dies-covid-19/ 18th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

India Today India reported 13596 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours the lowest in 230 days according to the latest Covid19 bulletin of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare MoHFW on Monday. It was 3.9 per cent lower than what the country had witnessed a day before. The total caseload in India has now reached 34081315. The top five states which registered maximum cases are Kerala with 7555 cases followed by Maharashtra with 1715 cases Tamil Nadu with 1218 cases West Bengal with 624 cases and Odisha with 443 cases. https://www.indiatoday.in/coronavirus-outbreak/story/covid-19-india-reports-13596-fresh-cases-1865960-2021-10-18 18th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

ABC News The ACT has reached 80 per cent full vaccination coverage of Canberrans aged 12 and over. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr made the announcement this afternoon and said the high vaccination rate will trigger the next stage of the COVID19 roadmap. Details of the next step will be outlined tomorrow he said. The milestone comes as 17 new locally acquired COVID19 cases were recorded in the ACT. Eleven of todays cases can be linked to a known source. There are 17 people in hospital with the virus nine of those are in intensive care with seven people requiring ventilation. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-18/act-records-17-new-cases-of-covid-19/100546882 18th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Daily Mail Victoria has recorded 1903 new Covid19 cases and seven deaths overnight as the state prepares for an early exit from its longrunning sixth lockdown. Phones will be running hot for pubs hairdressers and restaurants on Monday as fully vaccinated Melburnians race for a taste of freedom. From 11.59pm on Thursday all restrictions for leaving home will be abolished along with the citys nightly curfew. The state is also preparing to scrap hotel quarantine for international travellers fully vaccinated against Covid19. However Premier Daniel Andrews says Victoria will not follow NSW in abolishing quarantine altogether for doubledosed international arrivals from November 1. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10101823/Covid-19-Australia-Victoria-records-1-903-cases-state-prepares-leave-lockdown.html 18th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Sky News Russia has reported a record number of new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours with cases hitting 34303 the highest since the pandemic began. It represents a hike of more than 70 when compared with last months figure of 20174. Meanwhile the number of daily COVID deaths in Russia stood at 997 just five fewer than the recordhigh of 1002 seen the previous day. https://news.sky.com/story/russia-covid-19-cases-hit-record-daily-high-as-deaths-spike-with-infection-surge-and-sluggish-vaccine-rollout-12436408 18th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Sky News The UK has recorded 45140 new cases of COVID19 and 57 virusrelated deaths in the latest 24hour period government figures show. It marks the fifth consecutive day the number of people testing positive for coronavirus across the country has exceeded 40000. On Saturday official data showed 148 deaths and 43423 infections had been recorded and this time last week 38 fatalities were reported along with 34574 positive cases. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-uk-records-57-more-coronavirus-related-deaths-and-45-140-new-cases-daily-figures-show-12436619 18th Oct 2021

New Lockdown

Bloomberg Latvia plans to impose a 4week lock down to slow the spread of coronavirus after a surge in cases threatened to overwhelm hospitals Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins said according to the Leta newswire. The Baltic country will impose the stricter measures including restrictions on schools shops and public events from Oct. 21 until Nov. 15 Leta reported. The government still must confirm the decision on the proposed measures. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-18/latvia-plans-to-reimpose-lockdown-after-covid-spike-leta-says 18th Oct 2021