19th May 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=664 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

The Independent The Government failed in its duty of care to doctors during the coronavirus crisis a union has said. The British Medical Association BMA launched a scathing attack on the ministerial response to the Covid19 pandemic. The union which has conducted its own review of the Governments handling of the crisis highlighted the lack of personal protective equipment PPE in the early stages of the pandemic. It also pointed to the mental and physical exhaustion felt by most doctors as they cared for hundreds of thousands of patients with Covid all while working in a dystopian reality the union said. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/covid-bma-government-ppe-uk-government-b2082389.html 19th May 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Associated Press North Korea on Thursday reported 262270 more cases of people with suspected symptoms of COVID19 as its pandemic caseload neared 2 million a week after the country acknowledged the outbreak and scrambled to slow the rate of infections despite a lack of health care resources. The country is also trying to prevent its fragile economy from deteriorating but the outbreak could be worse than officially reported because of scarce resources for virus testing and the possibility that North Korea could be deliberately underreporting deaths to soften the political impact on authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un. North Koreas antivirus headquarters reported a single death in the 24 hours to 6 p.m. Wednesday to bring its death toll to 63 which experts have said is abnormally small compared to the suspected number of infections. https://apnews.com/article/covid-politics-health-pandemics-179729d42d62466acc3223dc2b43f0f2 19th May 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Associated Press COVID19 cases are increasing in the United States and could get even worse over the coming months federal health officials warned Wednesday in urging areas hardest hit to consider reissuing calls for indoor masking. Increasing numbers of COVID19 infections and hospitalizations are putting more of the country under guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that call for masking and other infection precautions. Right now about a third of the U.S. population lives in areas that are considered at higher risk mostly in the Northeast and Midwest. Those are areas where people should already be considering wearing masks indoors but Americans elsewhere should also take notice officials said. https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-5bcd49eec7dab5832f2d98f4f9b22be7 19th May 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Wall Street Journal As the disease and corporate sick policies evolve a number of factors have made it less clearcut when workers can or should take a break to recover. Employers such as Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart Inc. have recently cut back the expanded sick leaves they introduced in the early days of the pandemic. The Omicron variants often milder symptoms are also prompting many employees with remotework options to simply power through their illness from home. As cases rise in places with high vaccination rates many say they feel the same pressure to minimize sick days as they did in prepandemic times. A survey of 3600 hourly workers by The Shift Project at Harvard Universitys Kennedy School this spring found that twothirds of those who reported getting sick with Covid19 or otherwise worked through their illness. People cited financial responsibilities as the top reason followed by being afraid they would get in trouble for calling in sick and not being able to get their shifts covered. https://www.wsj.com/articles/sick-leave-paid-covid-19-workers-11652808815?mod=hp_lista_pos4 19th May 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Wall Street Journal The latest Covid19 case surge is expanding beyond the Northeast with places from the Midwest to Florida and California under rising pressure. Fueled by highly contagious versions of the Omicron variant the tide is posing a test of how much new infections matter in a changing pandemic. Though builtup immunity in the population has kept more people out of hospitals federal health officials on Wednesday urged people in hot spots to take precautions from booster shots to pregathering tests and masks to limit the virus spread. Weve got to do what we can to prevent infections said Ashish Jha the White House Covid19 response coordinator. Weve got to do what we can to ensure that infections dont turn into severe illness. https://www.wsj.com/articles/latest-covid-19-wave-expands-to-more-of-u-s-11652903321 19th May 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters North Korea is ramping up production of drugs and medical supplies including sterilisers and thermometers as it battles an unprecedented coronavirus outbreak state media KCNA said on Thursday. The isolated country which has imposed a nationwide lockdown is also increasing production of traditional Korean medicines used to reduce fever and pain KCNA said calling them effective in prevention and cure of the malicious disease. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/nkorea-reports-262270-more-people-with-fever-1-more-death-kcna-2022-05-18/ 19th May 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Independent Germany plans to spend another 830 million euros 872 million to buy new coronavirus vaccines that will allow the country to deal with a series of possible variants this fall the health minister said Wednesday. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said that the government via the European Union already has ordered enough of the existing vaccines and of one that has been developed by Germanys BioNTech to counter the omicron variant. He said the new funding is earmarked for a vaccine being developed by Moderna to tackle both omicron and other variants. We are betting on a broad portfolio of vaccines we must be prepared for all eventualities Lauterbach said. We dont know what variants will confront us in the fall. One lesson from the pandemic is that we never again want to have too little vaccine he added alluding to the sluggish start early last year of the EUs and Germanys COVID19 vaccination campaign. We want to be able to offer all those who need or want it a fourth shot. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-germany-berlin-covid-european-union-b2081847.html 18th May 2022

Lockdown Exit

CNN Covid19 surveillance is at a crossroads in the United States. With athome tests now outnumbering those done in laboratories official case counts are more incomplete than ever as the nation and world faces down increasingly transmissible coronavirus variants. Wastewater surveillance is poised to fill in the gaps and help avoid the threats that an invisible wave of the virus could bring. This surveillance can help identify trends in transmission a week or two earlier than clinical testing giving public health leaders the chance to focus messaging and resources. It can be used as a tool to sequence the virus and find new variants sooner too. But eagerness to use this tool is stifled by uncertainty about exactly how to do so along with a lack of resources and support to learn. Testing sewage for virus particles can provide early warning signs of increased transmission in a community capturing even those who have asymptomatic infections or arent being tested. https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/18/health/covid-wastewater-data-not-understood/index.html 18th May 2022

Lockdown Exit

CNN Covid19 infections are on the rise with most US states reporting an increase in cases. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the highly contagious BA.2.1.21 subvariant of Omicron is now the dominant strain of coronavirus nationwide. Two years into the pandemic many arent sure what to do after testing positive for Covid19. Should they isolate and if so for how long How important is it to see a doctor What therapies are available and who is eligible To help answer these and other questions I spoke with CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. She is also author of Lifelines A Doctors Journey in the Fight for Public Health and the mother of two young children. https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/18/health/coronavirus-omicron-masking-vaccines-wellness/index.html 18th May 2022

Exit Strategies

South China Morning Post In the past two weeks nucleic acid test booths have sprung up in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai part of Chinas plan to make tests routine and require residents to show negative Covid19 test results when they go to work school or use public transport. It involves enormous resources. These test booths are open long hours and there are many because the authorities want to ensure every citizen has access within a 15minute walk. Ma Xiaowei head of National Health Commission NHC wrote in Qiushi journal this week the government planned to set up separate teams to do nucleic acid tests so healthcare workers would not be called on to do the task but it would take time to form the teams. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3178111/coronavirus-if-china-willing-go-big-testing-booths-why-not-do 18th May 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters As North Korea battles its first known COVID outbreak a lack of storage chronic power shortages and inadequately trained medical staff pose acute challenges to inoculating its 25 million people even with outside help analysts said. North Korea has not responded to offers of aid from South Korea and international vaccinesharing programmes but prefers U.S.made Moderna and Pfizer over Chinas Sinovac or BritishSwedish Astrazeneca shots according to South Korean officials. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/storage-transport-hurdles-getting-covid-vaccine-nkoreans-2022-05-18/ 18th May 2022

Exit Strategies

The Pharma Letter Extending its leadership in coronavirus vaccines New Yorks Pfizer has widened its emergency authorization for Comirnaty in 511 year olds to include a booster dose. Discovered and developed by German firm BioNTech Comirnaty is an innovative mRNAbased vaccine and by far the most commercially successful coronavirus jab available. https://www.thepharmaletter.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-booster-for-children-authorized-in-the-usa 18th May 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Shanghai health authorities warn of risks of COVID rebound. Some migrant workers looking to leave Shanghai. Goldman cuts China GDP forecast warns of further slip Ecommerce giant JD.com says consumers losing https://www.reuters.com/world/china/huge-pressure-shanghai-remains-covid-free-end-lockdown-looms-2022-05-18/ 18th May 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters China has removed certain COVID19 test requirements for people flying in from countries like the United States and shortened the predeparture quarantine period for some inbound travellers as it finetunes its stringent measures to cope with the Omicron variant. The slight relaxations were made in response to factors including the characteristics of coronavirus variants according to notices from Chinese embassies and consulates that did not provide further details. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/china-removes-some-covid-test-rules-travellers-us-2022-05-18/ 18th May 2022

Exit Strategies

Australian Broadcasting Corporation Shanghai health authorities warn of risks of COVID19 rebound. Some migrant workers are looking to leave Shanghai. Ecommerce giant warns consumers losing income and confidence https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-18/huge-pressure-shanghai-to-stay-covid-free-as-end-to-lockdown/101078590 18th May 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Its noisy inside the Mamprobi clinic in Accra as kids clamber over their mothers while they wait to get their measles vaccines. Outside an area reserved for COVID19 shots is empty. A health worker leans back in his chair and scrolls on a tablet. One woman waiting to get her daughter inoculated is fully aware of the dangers of measles the high fever the rash the risk to eyesight. But COVID19 She has never heard of a single case. The perception that COVID19 doesnt pose a significant threat is common in Ghanas capital and elsewhere in Africa whose youthful populace has suffered a fraction of the casualties that have driven vaccine uptake in places like Europe and America where the disease tore through elderly populations. I mean Ghana has been spared up until now doing just what were doing said Nana Kwaku Addo a 28yearold construction worker in Accra. Ive heard people say its common sense to get vaccinated but what about all the other countries that have taken it and still put people in lockdown. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/when-africans-asked-covid-shots-they-didnt-get-them-now-they-dont-want-them-2022-05-18/ 18th May 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Shanghai authorities have granted approval to 864 of the citys financial institutions to resume work three sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday as it gradually eases a citywide lockdown that began seven weeks ago. The move is part of the financial hubs plan to reopen broadly and allow normal life to resume after the lockdown was enacted to curb Chinas worst outbreak since the coronavirus was discovered in Wuhan in late 2019 halted most economic activity. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/shanghai-authorities-allow-some-financial-firms-resume-work-sources-2022-05-18/ 18th May 2022

Partisan Exits

Al Jazeera English The United States has become the first country in the world to surpass one million deaths from COVID19. The nation hit the tragic mark on Tuesday according to data from Johns Hopkins University renewing a deep sense of grief felt by countless families that have lost loved ones during the pandemic. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/17/one-million-empty-chairs-the-us-families-torn-apart-by-covid 19th May 2022

Partisan Exits

Al Jazeera English Holmes County in northeastern Ohio is a typical Midwestern community in the United States. Large red barns dot the rolling landscape. Trucks carrying freshly cut lumber boom through village streets. Woods and lakes dominate the landscape between villages named Berlin Strasburg and Dresden. But in many ways this is a place far from typical At a time when approximately 77 percent of the wider United States population has received at least one dose of a COVID19 vaccine only about 19 percent of Holmes County residents have one of the lowest countylevel rates in the country. Approximately half of Holmes Countys 50000 residents are members of the Amish community a traditional Christian group that largely eschews modern technology and farms land in rural areas mainly in Ohio Pennsylvania and New York. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/17/inside-the-us-communities-where-few-people-are-vaccinated 19th May 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters North Korean leader Kim Jong Un slammed his countrys response to its first confirmed COVID19 outbreak as immature accusing government officials of inadequacies and inertia as fever cases swept the country state media reported on Wednesday. North Korea reported 232880 more people with fever symptoms and six more deaths after country revealed the COVID outbreak last week. It did not say how many people had tested positive for COVID19. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/nkorea-reports-232880-more-people-with-fever-symptoms-amid-covid-19-outbreak-2022-05-17/ 18th May 2022

Continued Lockdown

Reuters Li Di a senior executive with a global bank knew he had to help when he was admitted to the Nanhui quarantine site in April after testing positive for COVID and was confronted by chaos. There were only 120 to 150 staff to take care of 10000 patients. The staff literally had their hands full said Li. Li set up a team of more than a dozen volunteers to arrange meals distribute various supplies and help elderly patients who were struggling with various quarantine centre requirements. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/shanghai-residents-leverage-excel-skills-management-savvy-navigate-lockdown-2022-05-17/ 18th May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg As Covid19 again surges across the US many people are going without timesensitive therapeutics like Paxlovid because doctors worried about shortages are reluctant to prescribe the drugs. But the situation has changed and supplies are now abundant. Paxlovid a combination of pills taken for five days cuts the risk of hospitalization by nearly 90 according to the manufacturer Pfizer Inc. But to be effective it must be taken within five days of the onset of symptomswhich include everything from a scratchy throat runny nose cough and chills to fever body aches headache nausea vomiting diarrhea difficulty breathing and loss of taste or smell. The Food and Drug Administration has issued emergencyuse authorizations for the drug to treat mild to moderate Covid19 in people who are at high risk. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-18/where-to-find-paxlovid-once-you-ve-tested-positive-for-covid 19th May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters COVID19 is on the rise again in the Americas as many countries have abandoned measures like masking and social distancing and many lag in vaccination rates the Pan American Health Organization PAHO said on Wednesday. Cases in the Americas surged 27.2 last week from the prior one driven primarily by a spike in infections in the United States according to PAHO. More than half of a total 918000 infections came from North America as U.S. cases jumped by 33 to 605000 in the last week. Infections in North America have now been climbing for the past seven weeks. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/covid-19-cases-americas-surge-driven-by-us-paho-says-2022-05-18/ 19th May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Health officials are considering extending the eligibility for a second COVID19 vaccine booster dose to people under 50 amid a steady rise in cases with the United States seeing a threefold increase over the past month. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had in late March authorized a second booster dose of the Moderna and PfizerBioNTech SE vaccines for people aged 50 and older citing data showing waning immunity and the risks posed by Omicron variants of the virus. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-covid-19-cases-increased-threefold-over-past-month-walensky-2022-05-18/ 19th May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CBS News New FDA approved COVID19 test detects multiple viruses a video on CBSNews.com. https://www.cbsnews.com/dfw/live/video/20220518132556-new-fda-approved-covid-19-test-detects-multiple-viruses/ 18th May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Independent A new pandemic science hub is being created to develop treatments for lung infections such as Covid19. The hub at the University of Edinburgh will use translational genomics following clues from the human genome to identify and rapidly test new treatments along with experimental medicine methods to quickly evaluate and develop drugs for lung inflammation and injury caused by infection. Independent investment partnership Baillie Gifford is supporting the launch with a philanthropic gift of 14.7 million and the university aims to secure 100 million worth of investment in total. As well as accelerating discoveries of treatments for Covid19 and other human lung diseases the Baillie Gifford Pandemic Science Hub aims to help prepare for future pandemics. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/university-of-edinburgh-edinburgh-covid-scientists-innovation-b2081662.html 18th May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CIDRAP Women who received prescriptions for hormone replacement therapy HRT with estrogen within 6 months of a COVID19 diagnosis had reduced mortality according to a new study in Family Practice. The findings coupled with data on sex differences between male and female COVID19 severity suggest estrogen may have a protective role against the virus. The study was based on medical records gathered from the OxfordRoyal College of General Practitioners Research and Surveillance Centre primary care database. Researchers looked at women ages 18 and older who received prescriptions for HRT or combined oral contraceptive pill which contains estrogen. A total of 1863478 women from 465 general practices in England were included in the study. The main outcome was mortality among those with confirmed COVID19 during the first 6 months of the pandemic in 2020. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/05/estrogen-treatment-linked-reduced-covid-19-mortality 18th May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

STAT News As a primary care doctor in New York City I am grateful to drug companies for providing effective Covid19 therapies for my patients. But I am also frustrated that these companies appear to be completely running the show and believe that Americans could get more from Big Pharma if only our regulators dared to ask for it. This dynamic is on display with Paxlovid which was approved based on a study that seems designed to exaggerate the benefit most Americans can expect from this drug rather than provide us with relevant information about it. Among antiviral agents for Covid19 Pfizers Paxlovid has emerged as the clear winner for two reasons First as a pill Paxlovid is easy to administer compared to the infusions required for monoclonal antibodies and remdesivir. Second Paxlovid appears to be highly effective with a clinical trial showing an 89 relative reduction in hospitalizations or death among highrisk patients who receive it. https://www.statnews.com/2022/05/18/does-paxlovid-help-people-who-have-been-vaccinated-against-covid-19/ 18th May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian How did we get it here How much of this mass death was preventable These are questions that we will be sorting out for many years to come. There are no simple answers. In order to have a fighting chance in the next pandemic though its incumbent to consider just what went horrifically wrong. First it must be noted that America among advanced nations was not alone in enduring terrible loss from Covid. Both the United Kingdom and Italy have comparable death rates. Multiple waves have overwhelmed other European nations with superior healthcare apparatuses. Taming a pandemic is incredibly difficult and few countries emerged unscathed. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/may/18/a-million-have-died-of-covid-19-in-america-how-did-this-happen 18th May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Sky News Goutam Das doesnt remember much about his five weeks in intensive care with COVID19. Mainly the nightmares and struggling to breathe. Its almost like if somebody puts you underwater. Its that kind of feeling... youre just desperate for oxygen. Hes now back at work and putting his ordeal behind him. But while he was in the ICU Goutam did not suffer entirely in vain. Hes one of the thousands of people who became severely ill with COVID who gave a sample of their DNA to researchers based at the University of Edinburgh. Its now become a genetic resource that could be a goldmine for discovering new drugs not just to treat COVID but other forms of severe lung inflammation one of the leading causes of death in intensive care. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-scientists-receive-15m-boost-to-tackle-deadly-respiratory-illnesses-following-covid-study-12615291 18th May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Financial Times A study from Oxford university researchers published in March found tissue damage and shrinkage in parts of the brain related to smell in people. These effects could be associated with a preexisting increased brain vulnerability to the deleterious effects of COVID19. https://www.ft.com/content/37b00a84-5937-4137-ba5f-5aee20bc133c 18th May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters AstraZeneca moved to bolster its COVID19 portfolio of antibodies on Tuesday with a 157 million licensing deal for experimental therapies developed by newlylaunched biotech RQ Bio. In addition to the initial sum the AngloSwedish drugmaker faces possible royalty payments as part of the exclusive licence to develop preclinical COVID antibodies engineered by RQ Bio the startup said. AstraZeneca announced the deal but not its size. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/astrazeneca-wades-deeper-into-covid-therapeutics-2022-05-17/ 18th May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The world is no better prepared for a new pandemic than it was when coronavirus emerged in 2019 and may actually be in a worse place given the economic toll according to a panel set up by the World Health Organization WHO to evaluate the global response. A lack of progress on reforms such as international health regulations means the world is as vulnerable as ever the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response said in its report. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/world-no-better-place-fight-pandemics-than-before-covid-review-panel-2022-05-18/ 18th May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters An antiviral oral drug being codeveloped by Shanghai Junshi Biosciences subsidiary and other Chinese institutes showed early promise in speeding the clearing of virus in COVID19 patients according to a small clinical trial. The drug called VV116 is a derivative of Gilead Sciences Incs COVID drug remdesivir and was approved for use in moderate to severe cases in Uzbekistan last year. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/china-junshis-potential-covid-drug-shows-promise-small-trial-2022-05-18/ 18th May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Stuff New Zealand has now surpassed more than 1000 deaths of people with Covid19. The Ministry of Health reported 32 new deaths in a statement released at 1pm on Wednesday with the total number of reported Covid deaths now sitting at 1017. The rolling sevenday average is 17. It comes as the Ministry announced a new way of reporting deaths with Covid. There were also 9570 new community cases and 425 hospitalisations including nine in ICU. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/128669995/deaths-of-people-with-covid19-top-1000-32-reported-on-wednesday 18th May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

ABC News One government and one private school have had to return to remote learning because of staff shortages. Some schools have experienced a doubling in absenteeism among students because of illness. An infectious diseases expert says schools should remain open. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-18/victorian-schools-deal-with-flu-covid-crisis/101075754 18th May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Mainland China reported 1305 new coronavirus cases on May 17 of which 240 were symptomatic and 1065 were asymptomatic the National Health Commission said on Wednesday. That compares with 1100 new cases a day earlier consisting of 175 symptomatic and 925 asymptomatic infections which China counts separately. There were three new deaths bringing the death toll to 5217. As of May 17 mainland China had confirmed 222370 coronavirus cases. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-reports-1305-new-covid-cases-may-17-vs-1100-day-earlier-2022-05-18/ 18th May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Rising COVID19 cases are driving up the use of therapeutics with Pfizer Incs oral antiviral treatment Paxlovid seeing a 315 jump over the past four weeks U.S. health officials said on Tuesday. The increase in U.S. cases and hospitalizations is starting to affect recommendations on behavior with New York City the nations most populous city advising stricter mask usage but stopping short of new mandates. Apple has scrapped return to office plans https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-use-pfizers-covid-antiviral-paxlovid-up-315-hhs-2022-05-17/ 18th May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Associated Press North Korea on Wednesday added hundreds of thousands of infections to its growing pandemic caseload but also said that a million people have already recovered from suspected COVID19 just a week after disclosing an outbreak a public health crisis it appears to be trying to manage in isolation as global experts express deep concern about dire consequences. The countrys antivirus headquarters announced 232880 new cases of fever and another six deaths in state media Wednesday. Those figures raise its totals to 62 deaths and more than 1.7 million fever cases since late April. It said more than a million people recovered but at least 691170 remain in quarantine. Outside experts believe most of the fevers are from COVID19 but North Korea lacks tests to confirm so many. The outbreak is almost certainly larger than the fever tally since some virus carriers may not develop fevers or other symptoms. https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-government-and-politics-south-korea-north-07e3aa5c1b6bce2323c8621c05a61ea4 18th May 2022