2nd Feb 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=591 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Norway is easing most of the measures to curb infection and aims to remove the rest in a couple of weeks as it bets a high level of vaccination will be enough to shield the health system from overloading. Limits on guests at private gatherings a curb on the service of alcohol in bars and restaurants and testing after arriving at the border have all been removed Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told reporters in Oslo on Tuesday. Face masks will still need to be worn in shops shopping centers and on public transport where a distance of a meter cant be maintained. Norway is joining countries such as neighboring Denmark Ireland and the U.K. in scaling back restrictions expecting the coronavirus to turn endemic. The omicron variant has pushed infection rates to records but hospitalization rates have remained below highs indicating that the milder variant and booster shots will enable the country to return to an everyday without controls. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-01/norway-winds-back-most-covid-19-infection-measures 2nd Feb 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Gilead Sciences Incs COVID19 drug remdesivir last year overtook AbbVie Incs 20yearold arthritis drug Humira as the medicine that U.S. hospitals spent the most on according to Vizient Inc a purchasing group used by about half the nations hospitals. Remdesivir an intravenous antiviral approved early in the pandemic for hospitalized COVID patients and authorized last month for highrisk outpatients could retain the top spot through mid2023 according to Vizients projections. The group purchasing organization said Gileads drug sold as Veklury made up 3.42 of total member spending on pharmaceuticals during October 2020 to September 2021. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/gilead-covid-drug-takes-top-spot-us-hospital-spending-report-2022-02-01/ 1st Feb 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Associated Press Pfizer on Tuesday asked the U.S. to authorize extralow doses of its COVID19 vaccine for children under 5 potentially opening the way for the very youngest Americans to start receiving shots as early as March. In an extraordinary move the Food and Drug Administration had urged Pfizer and its partner BioNTech to apply earlier than the companies had planned and before its settled if the youngsters will need two shots or three. The nations 19 million children under 5 are the only group not yet eligible for vaccination against the coronavirus. Many parents have been pushing for an expansion of shots to toddlers and preschoolers especially as the omicron variant sent record numbers of youngsters to the hospital. https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccine-children-pfizer-07d72ab0b76329d3899c135afd2a93f5 1st Feb 2022

Lockdown Exit

CNN Although its possible that deadly new coronavirus variants could emerge Im more optimistic today than at any point since the Covid19 pandemic began. Heres why. Despite growing pandemic fatigue and rough weeks ahead as the Omicron tsunami recedes were better defended against Covid than ever. Vaccines and prior infection have steadily strengthened our collective immune defenses. We have now built up a wall of immunity although we have lost far far too many people along the way to get here. In 2020 failure to follow public health recommendations greatly increased the death toll in the United States and elsewhere. In 2021 failure to reach people with vaccination largely due to partisan opposition and entrenched resistance in the US and lack of access in many countries had lethal consequences. Weve already lost nearly 900000 people to Covid in the United States alone and are closing in on the grim milestone of a million American deaths. Most could have been prevented. But now we can have the upper hand over Covid because our defenses are multilayered and strong starting with immunity. https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/01/health/cautiously-optimistic-covid-frieden-commentary/index.html 1st Feb 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Independent Denmark on Tuesday became one of the first European Union countries to scrap most pandemic restrictions as the Scandinavian country no longer considers the COVID19 outbreak a socially critical disease. The reason for that is that while the omicron variant is surging in Denmark its not placing a heavy burden on the health system and the country has a high vaccination rate officials have said. Denmark has in recent weeks seen more than 50000 daily cases on average while the number of people in hospital intensive care units has dropped. The most visible restriction disappearing is the wearing of face masks which are no longer mandatory on public transportation shops and for standing clients in restaurant indoor areas. Authorities only recommend mask use in hospitals health care facilities and nursing homes. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/denmark-covid-scandinavian-copenhagen-european-union-b2004824.html 1st Feb 2022

Lockdown Exit

iNews Cancer patients and others at highest risk of dying from Covid19 will have quicker access to lifesaving antibody and antiviral treatments on the NHS after the Government quietly altered the rules over PCR tests. It comes after i revealed thousands of cancer and other patients with severely compromised immune systems fear they will die from the virus because delays and bureaucratic chaos is stopping them from getting fastacting drugs in time for them to work. Around 1.3 million people the Government has classified as most at risk from Covid should have received a rapid PCR test and eligibility letter about the targeted NHS treatment programme by January 10 but charity helplines have been flooded with people complaining they have been left out. https://inews.co.uk/news/health/covid-19-highest-risk-patients-to-get-faster-access-to-nhs-treatment-after-testing-rule-change-1433636 1st Feb 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters A global leader in vaccine rollout during early waves of the coronavirus Israels government has adopted Living with COVID as its mantra since a few months before Omicron arrived. The variant is milder than previous incarnations of the virus but thats scant consolation to the medics and nurses staffing COVID19 wards whose workloads have soared again in parallel with case numbers. The staff are exhausted said Yoram Weiss acting director general of Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. Its not like were starting the first outbreak where everybody was full of energy. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-learns-live-with-covid-hospitals-struggle-cope-2022-02-01/ 1st Feb 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters The way we die needs a fundamental rethink according to a group of international experts who say COVID19 has shed a harsh spotlight on care for the dying. Death has been overmedicalized and millions around the globe are suffering unnecessarily at the end of their lives as a result with healthcare workers in wealthy nations seeking to prolong life rather than support death according to an expert panel convened by the Lancet medical journal. At the same time around half of people globally die without any palliative care or pain relief particularly in lowerincome countries https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/covid-shines-spotlight-imbalanced-approach-death-globally-expert-panel-2022-01-31/ 1st Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

Al Jazeera English On January 21 when the number of coronavirus cases hit 20 in the denselypopulated highrise public housing estate of Kwai Fong residents were given two hours to prepare for a fiveday lockdown. Santiago Fungs family focused on the essentials. His mother and sister bought lettuce and vegetables. Fung picked up frozen seafood herbs for his two pet tortoises along with two packs of cigarettes and 24 cans of beer. I think for five days thats enough he said as the lockdown began. Challenges mounted by the day. As hundreds of the buildings 2800 residents crammed the lifts and lobby to get tested positive cases zipped into the triple digits. Governmentsupplied meals were tasteless and arrived late. Mostly he endured the challenge of being a 33yearold locked down in a 300squarefoot apartment 27.9 square metres with a younger sister and a mother who insisted they share Chinese herbs with the neighbours. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/31/hong-kong-gloomy-new-year 1st Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

GP online Around 500000 children in England are expected to be eligible for the vaccine which covers those in a clinical atrisk group and children who are household contacts of someone who is immunosuppressed. All GP practices have been asked to identify eligible children on their lists and vaccinations will be delivred at GPled sites and hospital hubs. Parents and guardians have been told to wait until their are contacted by the site for their childs vaccination. Eligible children will receive two 10 microgram doses of the Pfizer vaccine eight weeks apart. The paediatric dose of the vaccine is a third of the 30 microgram dose given to those aged over 12. https://www.gponline.com/nhs-begins-vaccinating-vulnerable-children-against-covid-19/article/1738905 1st Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

iNews A nurse who faced losing her job because she is not vaccinated against Covid19 has welcomed the Governments Uturn on mandatory jabs for frontline NHS staff. Concerns about the impact that dismissing about 80000 unvaccinated NHS employees would have on an already stretched health service contributed to Health Secretary Sajid Javids policy change on Monday. The Government had previously set a 1 April deadline for double vaccination meaning anyone in a patientfacing role who had not received their first dose by 3 February would be notified of their impending dismissal. https://inews.co.uk/news/nhs-vaccine-mandate-staff-covid-jab-rules-nurse-faced-sack-government-u-turn-1433709 1st Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

The Independent A national coronavirus vaccine mandate has come into force in Austria with the unjabbed facing large fines if they refuse to comply. The new law which applies to all over18s except pregnant women and those who are medically exempt makes Austria the first country in Europe to compel all its adult citizens to be immunised against Covid19. Other nations including Germany could soon follow suit. People living in Austria face penalties of up to 3600 3000 if they do not receive the necessary shots. The government has acknowledged that the measure is not universally popular as sizeable antivaxx protests continue. But its insists the step is needed in the interests of public health https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/austria-vaccine-mandate-covid-b2004864.html 1st Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

New Scientist Vaccinations will not be a condition of employment for NHS workers in England. NHS staff in England will not be required to have coronavirus vaccinations health secretary Sajid Javid announced yesterday. The move will be subject to a government consultation. Regulations for mandatory vaccines were due to come into effect for NHS staff on 1 April which would have made 3 Feb the last day an unvaccinated worker could start a course of vaccinations. Javid says mandatory vaccines are now less important because omicron which is currently the dominant variant appears to be more transmissible and less severe than the earlier delta variant. Its only right that our policy on vaccination as a condition of deployment is reviewed Javid said. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2237475-covid-19-news-mandatory-vaccines-scrapped-for-nhs-workers-in-england/ 1st Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

Evening Standard Researchers in London have developed a Covid19 testing lab that fits into a backpack which they say could offer poorer nations and remote communities a cheap and accessible way of detecting the virus. In a new study in the scientific journal PLOS ONE scientists from Queen Mary University of London show that their labinabackpack approach is as effective as PCR tests at detecting Covid infections. The cost price of each test is just 3.50 2.60 said Stoyan Smoukov Professor of Chemical Engineering at Queen Mary University of London. If scaled up the backpack kits could not only slash the price of commercial testing for travel but could also help poor communities where vaccine rates are low and testing is inaccessible or too expensive. https://www.standard.co.uk/optimist/vaccine-world/lab-backpack-covid-test-help-vaccine-poor-b979754.html 1st Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The New Zealand Open golf championship has been cancelled for the second year running due to ongoing travel restrictions to protect the country from the pandemic the organisers said on Tuesday. New Zealands borders have been shut to foreigners since March 2020. The government pushed back plans for a phased reopening from midJanuary to the end of February out of concern about a potential Omicron outbreak as in neighbouring Australia. We have done everything within our power to make this event happen tournament chairman John Hart said on the events website. https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/new-zealand-open-scrapped-over-covid-travel-restrictions-2022-02-01/ 1st Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters South Africa no longer requires those who test positive for COVID19 without symptoms to isolate and has also reduced the isolation period for those with symptoms by three days as the country exits its fourth wave of the coronavirus a government statement said on Monday. Following a special Cabinet meeting held earlier to decide on the amendments the country made the changes based on the trajectory of the pandemic and levels of vaccination in the country according to a press release issued by Mondli Gungubele a minister in the presidency. South Africa is currently at the lowest of its fivestage COVID alert levels. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/south-africa-scraps-isolation-covid-19-positive-people-with-no-symptoms-2022-01-31/ 1st Feb 2022

Exit Strategies

The Associated Press When President Joe Biden met with U.S. governors at the White House on Monday he was the only one given a glass of water lest anyone else remove their mask to take a drink. The president was seated more than 10 feet from everyone including Vice President Kamala Harris and members of his Cabinet. A White House staffer who was wearing a surgical mask when Biden entered the room was quickly handed an N95 version. These are just some of the extraordinary efforts on the part of the White House to keep the president from getting COVID19 even though hes gotten both of his regular vaccinations and his booster. Its no surprise that unusual steps are taken to protect any president. But the strict precautions could also threaten to undercut the Biden administrations own efforts to tell Americans especially those who are vaccinated and boosted that they can get on with something closer to their normal lives in the face of the omicron wave. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-pandemics-kamala-harris-648f64eafd0b4f58e05f75e236b65e00 1st Feb 2022

Partisan Exits

CNN What started as a convoy of truckers protesting Covid19 mandates has snowballed into a blockade in the Canadian capital and the obstruction of a USCanadian border crossing. Some protesters pressured staff at a homeless shelter to give them food the facility said. And criminal investigations are underway after the alleged desecration of monuments during weekend protests that spilled into Monday. The protests stemmed from the Freedom Convoy of truckers that traveled across Canada for several days before arriving in the capital city of Ottawa on Saturday. The drivers oppose a recent vaccine mandate requiring truckers entering Canada to be fully vaccinated or face testing and quarantine requirements. Downtown Ottawa remained packed with rigs and cars Monday morning as protesters rallied against Covid19 mandates and some legislators were set to return to Parliament Hill. https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/31/americas/canada-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-trucker-protests/index.html 1st Feb 2022

Partisan Exits

The Conversation The current political landscape has become increasingly intertwined with vaccine policy. Platforms from political parties have included vaccine mandates thirddose policies and mandatory vaccination proposals aimed at children. Qubec has even proposed taxing people who remain unvaccinated. This is concerning particularly given that vaccination efforts are driven by the combined efforts of healthcare providers public health agencies and community leaders. https://theconversation.com/politicizing-covid-19-vaccination-efforts-has-fuelled-vaccine-hesitancy-175416 1st Feb 2022

Partisan Exits

Sky News Nearly 9bn spent by the government on personal protective equipment PPE during the coronavirus pandemic has been written off annual accounts have shown. Department for Health and Social Care DHSC figures show huge amounts were wasted on useless equipment while millions of pounds has been spent getting out of contracts or storing PPE at ports. Some 673m worth of equipment was found to be totally unusable according the 202021 accounts while 750m was spent on items that expired before being used. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-nearly-9bn-spent-on-ppe-during-coronavirus-pandemic-written-off-accounts-show-12530502 1st Feb 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday said Canadians were disgusted by the behavior of some people protesting against COVID19 vaccine mandates in Ottawa and said he would not be intimidated. Dozens of trucks and other vehicles have jammed up the city center since Friday. Thousands descended upon Parliament Hill to complain about Trudeau COVID19 vaccine mandates and masking requirements but by midMonday afternoon many had left. Police said most demonstrators have been peaceful but local residents complained about blaring truck horns and some demonstrators using the streets as a toilet. Some also harassed a homeless shelter and demanded staff give them food the shelter said on Twitter while others flew Nazi flags. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/police-say-ottawa-truck-protest-dwindle-demonstrators-remain-stubborn-2022-01-31/ 1st Feb 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters Italys national Catholic military chaplain has hit back at a renegade vaccinedenying archbishop accusing him of inciting insubordination among the armed forces and police over their role in enforcing COVID19 laws. The national chaplain Archbishop Santo Marciano issued a statement to all military and law enforcement personnel on Monday night hours after Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano made a statement urging them to disobey orders and not be automatons. Vigano a former Vatican ambassador in Washington has been in hiding for more than three years since issuing a broadside against Pope Francis demanding his resignation. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italy-chief-chaplain-condemns-call-covid-disobedience-by-police-2022-02-01/ 1st Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg New studies are emerging that suggest the latest version of the highlyinfectious omicron variant is transmitting even faster than the original and mild cases of the first may not offer much protection against future infections. The findings cast doubt on hopes that the wave of omicron thats sweeping the world may help hasten the end of the pandemic. Calls for governments to treat Covid19 as endemic like influenza are rising globally as people grow tired of pandemic restrictions vaccines become more accessible and deaths remain relatively low. The production of neutralizing antibodies during an omicron infection appears related to the severity of the illness according to one report from researchers at the University of California San Francisco that was published online before being peerreviewed. The milder form of most omicron cases in vaccinated people may leave those who recover from them still vulnerable to existing virus and future variants that emerge the researchers said. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-01/fast-spreading-omicron-variant-less-likely-to-stop-reinfection 2nd Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The emerging BA.2 form of the Omicron coronavirus variant does not seem to be any more severe than the original BA.1 form an official of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. Vaccines also continue to provide similar protection against the different forms of Omicron Dr. Boris Pavlin of the WHOs COVID19 Response Team told an online briefing. The comments come as the BA.2 subvariant begins to replace Omicrons more common original BA.1 subvariant in countries such as Denmark. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/omicron-subvariant-ba2-likely-have-same-severity-original-who-2022-02-01/ 1st Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CNN Novavax announced Monday that it has formally submitted a request for the US Food and Drug Administration to authorize its coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in the United States. The request is based on data that includes the results of two large clinical trials that demonstrated an overall efficacy of about 90 and a reassuring safety profile according to the company. We believe our vaccine offers a differentiated option built on a wellunderstood proteinbased vaccine platform that can be an alternative to the portfolio of available vaccines to help fight the COVID19 pandemic Stanley Erck Novavaxs president and chief executive officer said in the announcement Monday. https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/31/health/novavax-fda-eua-request/index.html 1st Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CIDRAP A study on how Omicron subvariants transmit in Danish households found that the BA.2 subvariant is substantially more transmissible than the original variant researchers reported yesterday in preprint findings. BA.2 is now dominant in Denmark with levels rising in other countries raising questions about how fast current surges will decline. In South Africa which first reported the original Omicron variant BA.2 levels are increasing but against the backdrop of decreasing infections Tulio de Oliveira PhD who directs South Africas Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation said yesterday. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/01/study-suggests-ba2-covid-19-subvariant-more-contagious 1st Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The Spanish medicines agency said on Tuesday it had authorised pharmaceutical firm Hipra to carry out phase III trials of the COVID19 vaccine it is developing Phase III is the last round of testing prior to seeking authorisation to market a drug. Hipra began phase II trials in November that involved testing the vaccine on 1000 volunteers across ten hospitals in Spain. Hipra has said on its website that it anticipates being able to produce 600 million doses in 2022 and double that figure the following year. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/spanish-regulator-authorises-phase-iii-trials-hipras-covid-vaccine-2022-02-01/ 1st Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Chinas two most widely used COVID19 vaccines developed by Sinovac and Sinopharm were shown to be effective against the Delta variant of the coronavirus a study based on realworld data in the country showed on Tuesday. The two vaccines were 52 effective against Delta infection and 60 for symptomatic disease researchers wrote in a peerreviewed paper. The study did not generate sufficient data to deliver effectiveness readings for the two vaccines separately or by age groups researchers from a local disease control authority and two Chinese universities said in a paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/chinas-most-used-covid-shots-effective-against-delta-variant-study-2022-01-31/ 1st Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Discarded syringes used test kits and old vaccine bottles from the COVID19 pandemic have piled up to create tens of thousands of tonnes of medical waste threatening human health and the environment a World Health Organization report said on Tuesday. The material potentially exposes health workers to burns needlestick injuries and diseasecausing germs the report said. We found that COVID19 has increased healthcare waste loads in facilities to up to 10 times Maggie Montgomery a WHO technical officer told Genevabased journalists. She said the biggest risk for affected communities was air pollution caused by burning waste at insufficiently high temperatures leading to the release of carcinogens. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/huge-volumes-covid-hospital-waste-threaten-health-who-2022-02-01/ 1st Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Associated Press U.S. regulators are urging drugmaker Pfizer to apply for emergency authorization for a twodose regimen of its COVID19 vaccine for children 6 months to 5 years old while awaiting data on a threedose course aiming to clear the way for the shots as soon as late February a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The companys application is expected to be submitted as soon as Tuesday. Early Pfizer data has shown the vaccine which is administered to younger kids at onetenth the strength of the adult shot is safe and produces an immune response. But last year Pfizer announced the twodose shot proved to be less effective at preventing COVID19 in kids ages 25 and regulators encouraged the company to add a third dose to the study on the belief that another dose would boost the vaccines effectiveness much like booster doses do in adults. https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccine-children-pfizer-07d72ab0b76329d3899c135afd2a93f5 1st Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Associated Press More than a year after a bout with COVID19 Rebekah Hogan still suffers from severe brain fog pain and fatigue that leave her unable to do her nursing job or handle household activities. Long COVID has her questioning her worth as a wife and mother. Is this permanent Is this the new norm said the 41yearold Latham New York woman whose three children and husband also have signs of the condition. I want my life back. More than a third of COVID19 survivors by some estimates will develop such lingering problems. Now with omicron sweeping across the globe scientists are racing to pinpoint the cause of the bedeviling condition and find treatments before a potential explosion in long COVID cases. https://apnews.com/article/long-covid-omicron-research-45986f5b42e47e656d5b385bd51b2bb2 1st Feb 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Associated Press U.S. health regulators on Monday granted full approval to Modernas COVID19 vaccine a shot thats already been given to tens of millions of Americans since its emergency authorization over a year ago. The action by the Food and Drug Administration means the agency has completed the same rigorous timeconsuming review of Modernas shot as dozens of other longestablished vaccines. The decision was bolstered by realworld evidence from the more than 200 million doses administered in the U.S. since the FDA cleared the shot in December 2020. The FDA granted full approval of Pfizers vaccine last August. Public health advocates initially hoped the regulatory distinction would boost public confidence in the shots. But there was no discernable bump in vaccinations after the Pfizer approval which was heavily promoted by President Joe Biden and other federal officials. Still regulators said Monday they hoped the extra endorsement would encourage more people to get vaccinated. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-moderna-vaccine-approved-dc6f5ac9eeb31667d5a28f0954335b65 1st Feb 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Associated Press Athletes and team officials are testing positive for COVID19 at much higher rates than other people arriving in China for the Beijing Olympics organizers said Tuesday. Figures released by local organizers showed 11 positive tests for COVID19 among 379 athletes and officials arriving Monday. They have been taken into isolation hotels to limit the spread of the infection and could miss their events. The positive test rate of 2.9 for athletes and officials compared to 0.66 for Olympic stakeholders a group which includes workers and media in the same period. There were 1059 people in that category. Over a threeday period from Saturday through Monday the positivity rate for athletes and officials was 40 higher than other Olympic arrivals. The rates were confirmed in PCR and other followup tests for tens of thousands of people at the Beijing Olympics who will live work and train in closedoff communities separated from the general public. The Chinese government is pursuing a zerotolerance public health strategy. https://apnews.com/d6de53686069e3802940e09a71df68eb 1st Feb 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Sky News The UK has recorded another 112458 coronavirus cases in the latest 24hour period according to official data. That compares to 92368 cases on Monday a sharp rise on Sundays figure because reinfections in England and Northern Ireland were included for the first time. Data for Scotland and Wales will be added in the days ahead the government website said. A further 219 coronavirusrelated deaths have been recorded in the UK compared to 51 announced on Monday. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-uk-records-another-112-458-cases-and-219-more-coronavirus-related-deaths-daily-figures-show-12530453 1st Feb 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters The number of new coronavirus infections in Romania reached a record high of 40018 in the past 24 hours government data showed on Tuesday with hospitalisations on the rise as the countrys vaccine uptake lags. Romania is the European Unions secondleast vaccinated country after Bulgaria with roughly 41 of the population fully inoculated reflecting mistrust in state institutions and poor vaccine education. On Monday there were 903 COVID19 patients in intensive care units across the country of which 84 are not vaccinated official data showed. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/romania-daily-covid-19-cases-new-record-high-2022-02-01/ 1st Feb 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Russia reported a record daily number of COVID19 cases on Tuesday as the Omicron variant of coronavirus spread across the country authorities said. New daily cases jumped to 125836 up from 124070 a day earlier. The government coronavirus task force also reported 663 deaths in the last 24 hours. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-reports-new-record-daily-covid-cases-2022-02-01/ 1st Feb 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters More than half of Tokyos hospital beds set aside for COVID19 patients were occupied on Tuesday a level that officials have previously flagged as a criterion for requesting a state of emergency. The capital and most of Japan are now under curbs to contain record coronavirus cases driven by the contagious Omicron variant. Tokyo has set aside almost 7000 hospital beds for COVID patients and admissions have risen sharply this month reaching 50.7 on Tuesday. New infections numbered 14445. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/tokyo-covid-19-hospital-bed-usage-rate-reaches-50-2022-02-01/ 1st Feb 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters The COVID19 situation at the Beijing Winter Olympics is within the expected controllable range despite increasing positive cases being detected a senior official at Chinas Olympics Pandemic Prevention and Control Office said on Tuesday. The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Organising Committee has reported 200 COVID cases since Jan. 23 among airport arrivals and those in the Games closed loop bubble that separates all event personnel including athletes from the public. As more people are entering China the imported COVID19 cases are increasing Huang Chun deputy director general of the committees Pandemic Prevention and Control Office told a news briefing. https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/beijing-olympics-says-24-new-covid-cases-detected-among-games-related-personnel-2022-02-01/ 1st Feb 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Suspected reinfections account for around 10 of Englands COVID19 cases so far this year a Reuters analysis suggests after the UK Health Security Agency UKHSA changed how it calculates coronavirus data. With increased numbers of people catching the disease again since the Omicron variant began to predominate at the end of 2021 Britain on Monday started incorporating possible COVID19 reinfections into its daily data. Reinfection remained at very low levels until the start of the Omicron wave. It is right that our daily reporting processes reflect how the virus has changed said Steven Riley UKHSAs Director General of Data and Analytics. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/britain-adds-possible-reinfections-covid-case-numbers-2022-02-01/ 1st Feb 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Associated Press An 11th pediatric coronavirus death in Mississippi was confirmed Tuesday by state health officials. The Mississippi State Department of Health said none of the patients who died had been vaccinated. Since the first COVID19 case was diagnosed in Mississippi in March 2020 the department has reported one death in an infant under one year of age three deaths in the 15 year age range one death in the 610 year age range six deaths in the 1117 year age range State epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers encouraged parents to discuss childhood vaccination with their health care provider. Vaccination is the best protection for our children who are eligible to receive it. For those under 5 years of age it is critically important that everyone around the infant or child are vaccinated Byers said. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-mississippi-99fdcf55c9f33c97522950eab7b9b0da 1st Feb 2022