7th Nov 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=746 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

The Independent Chinese health officials are giving no indication of any relaxation of COVID19 restrictions following several days of speculation that the government was considering changes to a zeroCOVID approach that has stymied economic growth and disrupted daily life https://www.independent.co.uk/news/chinese-ap-beijing-covid-xinjiang-b2218316.html 5th Nov 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg China will unswervingly adhere to its current Covid controls as the country faces increasingly serious outbreaks health officials said damping hopes that Beijing will ease its stringent policies that have put cities and factories under prolonged lockdowns. Previous practices have proved that our prevention and control plans and a series of strategic measures are completely correct Hu Xiang an official at National Health Commissions disease prevention and control bureau said at a briefing Saturday. The policies are also the most economical and effective. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-05/china-to-unswervingly-keep-to-covid-zero-policy-dashing-hopes 5th Nov 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Wall Street Journal The fall is shaping up as a rough and unpredictable one for respiratory viruses as federal health officials warn of an early increase in activity this season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday recommended that healthcare providers offer flu and Covid19 shots to patients use diagnostics to guide patient management and provide treatments as early as possible. Covid19 cases and hospitalizations are simmering at a sustained level with new Omicron subvariants and the coming holiday season threatening to drive them higher. Other viruses including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus or RSV are surging earlier than usual after two years of unusually low or sporadic transmission. https://www.wsj.com/articles/rsv-influenza-covid-19-tripledemic-this-winter-11667560508 5th Nov 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters China will persevere with its dynamicclearing approach to COVID19 cases as soon as they emerge health officials said on Saturday adding that measures must be implemented more precisely and meet the needs of vulnerable people. The countrys strict COVID containment approach is still able to control the virus despite the high transmissibility of COVID variants and asymptomatic carriers an official from the China National Health Commission told a news conference. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-will-not-waver-its-dynamic-clearing-covid-19-strategy-health-commission-2022-11-05/ 5th Nov 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg China is working on plans to scrap a system that penalizes airlines for bringing virus cases into the country according to people familiar with the matter a sign authorities are looking for ways to ease the impact of the Covid Zero policy. The State Council which oversees Chinas bureaucracy recently asked government agencies including the civil aviation regulator to prepare for ending the socalled circuitbreaker mechanism said the people asking not to be identified because the matter is sensitive. The system sees airlines banned temporarily from specific routes into China for onetotwo weeks depending on how many Covidpositive passengers they bring in to the country. A similar mechanism for Hong Kong was halted in July. The request is part of a broader threestep plan devised midyear to normalize Chinas aviation industry the people said with the country effectively cut off from the rest of the world by its pandemic border curbs. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-04/china-considers-ending-covid-flight-ban-system-that-hampers-travel 4th Nov 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Chinese policymakers pledged on Wednesday that growth was still a priority and they would press on with reforms helping further boost stock markets buoyed by hopes that Beijing will ease off on its strict COVID19 measures. The policymakers comments came in an apparent bid to soothe fears that ideology could take precedence as Xi Jinping began a new leadership term and strict COVID curbs exact a growing toll on the worlds secondlargest economy. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-vows-commitment-growth-pressure-economy-mounts-2022-11-02/ 2nd Nov 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Its nearly impossible to eat in a restaurant in Wuhan the central Chinese city where Covid19 was first detected nearly three years ago. There are few flights out of Zhengzhou home to the countrys largest iPhone factory. And many children in the tech hub of Shenzhen havent been inside a classroom in weeks. Sweeping lockdown orders like that deployed in Shanghai earlier this year havent been announced in any of these places yet people businesses and entertainment venues are operating as if theyre in place. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-01/china-covertly-locks-down-cities-as-covid-zero-pushback-rises 2nd Nov 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Macau authorities reinstated tough COVID19 curbs including locking down a major casino over the weekend after a handful of cases were detected even as China announced a loosening of visa rules for visitors to the worlds biggest gambling hub. Authorities locked down the MGM Cotai casino resort owned by MGM China on Sunday with staff and guests ordered to stay inside until Nov. 1. More than 1500 people are sealed inside the property the government said on Monday. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-residents-able-travel-macau-via-e-visa-nov-1-2022-10-31/ 31st Oct 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters China will make substantial changes to its dynamiczero COVID19 policy in coming months a former Chinese disease control official told a conference hosted by Citi on Friday according to a recording of the session heard by Reuters. Separately three sources familiar with the matter said China may soon further shorten quarantine requirements for inbound travellers. Zeng Guang former chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention who has remained outspoken on Chinas COVID fight said the conditions for China opening up were accumulating citing new vaccines and progress the country had made in antiviral drug research. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-make-substantial-changes-covid-policy-soon-former-govt-expert-2022-11-04/ 6th Nov 2022

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Moderna Inc. earnings offered a preview into the future of Covid19 vaccine sales and so far it doesnt look pretty. The company cut its vaccine sales forecast for the year and gave its first hint at 2023 as interest in immunization fades amid the fading pandemic concerns. While analysts were largely anticipating a disappointing quarter the miss comes only days after rival Pfizer Inc. raised its vaccine guidance for the year. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-03/moderna-cuts-sales-forecast-as-customers-push-orders-to-2023 5th Nov 2022

Exit Strategies

The Guardian Despite driving an increase in cases the World Health Organization WHO says XBB and BQ.1 are not different enough from each other or from other Omicron lineages to warrant labelling them new variants of concern. Variants of concern are those that show increased transmissibility virulence or change in clinical disease and a decreased effectiveness of public health and social measures. XBB and BQ.1 are subvariants of Omicron which continues to be a variant of concern. Examining global data available to date WHO said there is early evidence that there is a higher risk of Covid19 reinfection from XBB and BQ.1 compared to other circulating Omicron subvariants. However cases of reinfection appear to be largely occurring in those previously infected with preOmicron strains such as Delta WHO says. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/03/new-covid-variants-are-circulating-what-do-we-know-and-will-the-omicron-specific-booster-be-effective 5th Nov 2022

Exit Strategies

Evening Standard Vaccine apathy is slowing down the rollout of Londons Covid19 booster jab a top health professor has warned as figures revealed that the capital continues to lag behind other regions on vaccination. Just over a third 33.2 per cent of people aged 50 and over had received their autumn booster jab in London as of October 26 by far the lowest proportion in England. In comparison over half of adults aged over 50 in the South West had received their booster. London was at least ten per cent behind every other region according to Government statistics. Azeem Majeed professor of primary care and public health at Imperial College London warned that patients were displaying signs of vaccine apathy and had complained they have already had enough Covid19 jabs. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/covid-vaccine-apathy-slowing-down-london-booster-rollout-b1037568.html 5th Nov 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The father of a 3yearold boy who died on Tuesday from carbon monoxide poisoning in northwest China said strict COVID19 policies indirectly killed his son by causing delays obtaining treatment in a case that has sparked social media outrage. The boys death is the latest incident to trigger blowback over Chinas strict zeroCOVID policy with one critical hashtag racking up 380 million reads on Wednesday on the Twitterlike Weibo platform. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/father-blames-chinas-covid-policy-sons-death-that-sparked-online-anger-2022-11-02/ 2nd Nov 2022

Exit Strategies

BBC News on MSN.com The UK Covid public inquiry will do all it can to ensure all issues the people of Wales want covered are investigated its chair has said.Baroness Hallett made the pledge as it was revealed the inquiry will hold public hearings in Wales next autumn. https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/covid-inquiry-promises-to-cover-key-welsh-issues/ar-AA13CKco 2nd Nov 2022

Exit Strategies

The Independent As immunocompromised people and their families face a third housebound winter Charlotte Lytton asks why the government is dragging its feet when it comes to the possibly lifealtering drug Evusheld. It remains punishingly out of reach unless you cough up the money for it https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/covid-evusheld-nhs-uk-government-b2214261.html 2nd Nov 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters A record 3.3 billion in aid flowed to the Pacific islands in 2020 as the COVID19 pandemic hit a 33 increase on the previous year according to a report released by the Lowy Institute thinktank on Monday. The pandemic led to border closures confronting governments reliant on tourism with economic crisis. It also brought a shift in how aid was delivered with more loans than grants made and more direct funding to help deliver critical services. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/aid-spending-soared-record-level-pacific-islands-covid-19-hit-2022-10-30/ 30th Oct 2022

Partisan Exits

Bloomberg The Beijing marathon is back. Probably. No one will really be certain until the starting gun goes off on Nov. 6. The race once one of the worlds top city marathons has been on hiatus for two years and with China sticking to its CovidZero policies the marathons return has been marked with delays and uncertainty. Runners didnt even know if theyd be competing until results of the entrance lottery were announced a week ago. Even though theres a short time to prepare and my condition may not be as good as before its good for it to be held said Tao Zhan 49 an office worker who started running marathons six years ago and broke the threehour mark in the 2019 Chicago Marathon. This is very good news for runners. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-05/the-beijing-marathon-is-nov-6-and-covid-zero-precautions-will-apply?srnd=premium-uk 6th Nov 2022

Partisan Exits

The Independent Matt Hancock is coming under fire for a deal worth a reported 400000 to appear on Im a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here during the cost of living crisis. The West Suffolk MP and former health secretary has landed in Australia for the reality TV show which starts on Sunday. Reports say Mr Hancock will pocket around 400000 to appear on the popular show and the payday has sparked a backlash among some of the constituents facing higher food and energy bills. Sharon Twite 50 landlady of The White Swan in Exning in Hancocks constituency voted for him at the last election but hit out at him for letting us all down. Hes getting 400000 to go and eat grubs in the jungle Jesus Christ the mumoffour told The Sun. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/matt-hancock-rishi-sunak-braverman-news-b2215212.html 2nd Nov 2022

Partisan Exits

Daily Mail Wuhan lab at centre of Covid leak theories was run on a shoestring budget under huge pressure to deliver results quickly new analysis suggests. Staff complained of lack of expertise running such a highsecurity environment. Reports suggest they also had problems with disinfectant corroding equipment. Lab may have suffered a broken air filter just before Covid emerged expert said https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11377667/Wuhan-lab-centre-Covid-claims-worked-shoestring-budget.html 2nd Nov 2022

Partisan Exits

BBC News The Covid public inquiry has asked to see Boris Johnsons WhatsApp messages during his time as prime minister as part of its probe into decisionmaking. Counsel for the inquiry Hugo Keith KC said the messages had been requested alongside thousands of other documents. He said a major focus of this part of the inquiry was understanding how the momentous decisions to impose lockdowns and restrictions were taken. The revelations came as he set out the details of how this module will work. The inquiry is being broken down into different sections or modules as they are being called. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63403844 2nd Nov 2022

Partisan Exits

Bloomberg China lashed out at a report about a lab in the city of Wuhan where the coronavirus first appeared saying it was driven by politics in the US. US politicians are rehashing the lableak theory to smear China in disregard of facts Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Monday at a regular press briefing in Beijing. Such acts are driven by illintentions. This will only hamper sciencebased origins tracing and undermine international antiCovid cooperation. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-31/china-dismisses-fabricated-virus-leak-theory-revived-by-report 1st Nov 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters China reported 2105 new COVID19 infections on Oct. 29 of which 401 were symptomatic and 1704 were asymptomatic the National Health Commission said on Sunday. That compared with 1658 new infections on Oct. 28 of which 377 were symptomatic and 1281 were asymptomatic which China counts separately. There were no new deaths the same as a day earlier keeping fatalities at 5226. As of Oct. 29 mainland China had confirmed 259438 cases with symptoms. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-reports-2105-new-covid-cases-oct-29-vs-1658-day-earlier-2022-10-30/ 30th Oct 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC on Friday estimated that Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 accounted for about 35 of coronavirus cases in the country in the week ending Nov.5 compared with 23.2 in the previous week. The subvariants made up nearly 9 of total cases in the week of Oct. 15 and their proportion has been rising steadily among circulating cases since then. The two variants are descendants of Omicrons BA.5 subvariant and have been spreading rapidly in Europe. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/covid-variants-bq1bq11-make-up-35-us-cases-2022-11-04/ 6th Nov 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CNBC White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci on Thursday said the U.S. is at a crossroads in the Covid19 pandemic as new omicron subvariants are gaining ground across the country. Fauci in a radio interview Thursday said the pandemic has clearly eased since last winter but deaths which average more than 2600 per week remain far too high. At the same time the new omicron variants are knocking out key tools used to protect the most vulnerable. Were really at a point that may be a crossroads here. As were entering into the cooler months we are starting to see the emergence of sublineage variants of omicron Fauci said on the Conversations on Health Care radio show. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/03/fauci-us-at-crossroads-with-covid-deaths-too-high-and-omicron-variants-emerging.html 5th Nov 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

EURACTIV The EUapproved COVID19 vaccine Nuvaxovid should not be administered to people aged 30 and below due to increased health risks posed by it the Swedish Public Health Agency announced this week. Nuvaxovid was the fifth COVID19 vaccine to be approved by the EU. After initially approving the vaccine for people aged 18 and over the Public Health Agency announced on Tuesday that the vaccine presented a danger for people aged 30 and below as it increases the risk of heart muscle inflammation and pericarditis more commonly known as heart muscle inflammation and pericardial effusion even though the risk remains very low. We are monitoring the situation closely and awaiting more data. But anyone who is younger and has recently been vaccinated with Nuvaxovid need not be concerned. https://www.euractiv.com/section/all/short_news/sweden-against-giving-eu-approved-covid-jab-to-under-30s/ 5th Nov 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Wall Street Journal China agreed to approve BioNTech SEs Covid19 vaccines for foreign residents German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in Beijing on Friday in what would mark the first approval of an mRNA vaccine for Covid19 for use in China. Mr. Scholz and Chinese leader Xi Jinping also discussed a pathway for approving the BioNTech vaccine for the broader population in China Mr. Scholz said in a news conference suggesting that regulators at the European Medicines Agency would be involved. There will be an acceleration of the approval process thats been promised to me Mr. Scholz told German journalists in a questionandanswer session afterward. He said that Europe would speed up applications made by Chinese companies. https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-agrees-to-approve-biontech-s-covid-19-vaccines-for-foreigners-german-chancellor-says-11667556193 5th Nov 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 are among the more than 300 sublineages of the Omicron variant circulating globally 95 of which are direct descendants of BA.5 according to the World Health Organization. In early July BA.5 became the dominant subvariant of the coronavirus circulating in the United States but in October it started giving way to BQ.1 and BQ.1.1. Both contain genetic mutations that make it harder for the immune system to recognize and neutralize the virus. That makes them better at infecting people in spite of immunity from vaccinations and prior infections. Evidence from France however where the variants caused a surge in cases suggests they do not appear to be causing increased rates of hospitalizations and deaths Dr. Eric Topol a genomics expert and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla California said on Twitter. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/what-are-new-bq1-bq11-coronavirus-variants-why-it-matters-2022-11-04/ 5th Nov 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Washington Post Researchers in Britain say they have used genetic sequencing to help cure a man who was infected with the coronavirus for more than 411 days. The 59yearold patient who had a weakened immune system due to a kidney transplant and the use of an immunosuppressant drug initially tested positive in December 2020. After further tests in February 2021 and January 2022 came back positive the team in London carried out a genetic analysis of the virus which showed that the same strain was present at each stage with only minor variations meaning that the patient was suffering from a chronic coronavirus infection rather than multiple new infections. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/11/04/chronic-covid-uk-cure-genomic/ 4th Nov 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Nature.com During the throes of the COVID19 pandemic Anne Moscona didnt feel safe going to a restaurant or catching a flight. And she wished she could feel confident that she could see her immunocompromised relatives without inadvertently spreading the novel coronavirus to them. All this made her work personal for the past decade Moscona a molecular virologist had been hunting for compounds that could stop viruses in their tracks before the pathogens infect even a single cell in a persons body. Now Moscona at Columbia University in New York City and her colleagues have homed in on a compound that might foil SARSCoV2. Even better its simply sprayed up the nose no needle required1. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03341-z 2nd Nov 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Science Daily Research led by The University of Queensland has found COVID19 activates the same inflammatory response in the brain as Parkinsons disease. The discovery identified a potential future risk for neurodegenerative conditions in people whove had COVID19 but also a possible treatment. The UQ team was led by Professor Trent Woodruff and Dr Eduardo Albornoz Balmaceda from UQs School of Biomedical Sciences and virologists from the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences. We studied the effect of the virus on the brains immune cells microglia which are the key cells involved in the progression of brain diseases like Parkinsons and Alzheimers Professor Woodruff said. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221101100735.htm 2nd Nov 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

AstraZeneca AstraZenecas COVID19 vaccine Vaxzevria ChAdOx1S Recombinant has been granted full Marketing Authorisation MA in the European Union EU. Vaxzevria was originally granted a conditional Marketing Authorisation cMA due to the urgency of the COVID19 pandemic. As there continues to be sufficient evidence of safety and efficacy confirming the benefits of Vaxzevria the European Medicines Agency EMA has now granted a full MA. This decision follows positive recommendation for a full MA by The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use CHMP of the EMA. The MA covers the use of Vaxzevria in both a primary vaccination series and as both a heterologous with an approved mRNA COVID19 vaccine or homologous all the same vaccine third dose booster. Iskra Reic Executive Vice President Vaccines and Immune Therapies AstraZeneca said The move from conditional to full marketing authorisation for Vaxzevria is an important confirmation by the EMA of the safety and efficacy of Vaxzevria demonstrating that the benefits continue to outweigh the potential risks. Vaxzevria is estimated to have helped save over six million lives in the first year of vaccination which reflects the strength of the evidence showing Vaxzevrias protection against severe disease and death caused by COVID19. https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2022/vaxzevria-receives-full-marketing-authorisation-in-the-eu-for-the-prevention-of-covid-19.html 2nd Nov 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg Britain is in the midst of a fresh Covid19 booster campaign with 26 million people in England alone being called to receive another dose. The socalled autumn booster is being administered at a time when flu cases are rising too and when a number of new omicron variants are circulating that could fuel resurgent waves of Covid infections as winter progresses. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-30/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-uk-s-covid-booster-plan 30th Oct 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters In what is believed to be a world first Chinas commerical capital of Shanghai this week introduced a new type of COVID19 vaccine that is inhaled rather than administered via injection. Chinese regulators approved the vaccine produced by Chinese pharmaceutical firm CanSino Biologics for use as a booster in September. And now the first people are starting to receive the vaccine which is inhaled via the mouth from a vessel that looks like a takeout coffee cup with a short mouthpiece. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-rolls-out-first-inhalable-covid-vaccine-2022-10-28/ 30th Oct 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters China on Sunday reported its highest number of new COVID19 infections in six months a day after health officials said they were sticking with strict coronavirus curbs likely disappointing recent investor hopes for an easing. China recorded 4420 new locally transmitted COVID19 infections on Saturday the National Health Commission said the most since May 6 and compared up from 3659 new local cases a day earlier. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-posts-6-month-high-covid-count-it-sticks-with-strategy-2022-11-06/ 6th Nov 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Guardian Waves of outrage and frustration over Chinas lockdown measures this week have demonstrated widening cracks in the general compliance with the governments zeroCovid policy. Rising anger has been driven by the tragic death of a toddler and highly public problematic lockdowns in the Henan capital Zhengzhou. Officials were left scrambling to control the narrative amid swirling rumours of imminent policy shifts and a former government health expert saying on Friday that substantive changes will happen soon. Chinese authorities have been trying to contain sporadic outbreaks across the country by using the same strict response measures that had been so successful early in the pandemic https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/04/rumours-of-zero-covid-easing-spread-in-china-amid-anger-at-restrictions 5th Nov 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Schools Week Ministers must provide better support for headteachers to shore up sustainable leadership experts said after a report revealed their workrelated anxiety more than doubled at the peak of the pandemic. UCLs Institute of Education IOE researchers also said their study revealed shocking differences in anxiety between leaders and classroom teachers that exposed the additional strain on heads. A survey of more than 13000 teachers and heads shows little difference in the anxiety levels of both during the run up to pandemic between October 2019 and February 2020. One in four 25 per cent of headteachers were highly anxious about work while the level for teachers was 20 per cent. https://schoolsweek.co.uk/headteacher-support-plea-as-anxiety-levels-double-during-covid/ 5th Nov 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Mirror Coronavirus cases in the over70s have risen slightly in the last week as two new mutant variants have been discovered in the UK. More than 1590000 people equivalent to one in 35 tested positive in England in the last week the latest figures released by the Office of National Statistics ONS showed. The figures for Scotland are also equivalent to one in 35 with 141400 positive cases. In Wales one in 40 people 77500 cases have the infection and in Northern Ireland one in 30 61200 cases have Covid. The government data released today showed infections to the week ending Monday October 24. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/covid-infections-over-70s-rise-28409141 5th Nov 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg It was Sunday when Dong Wanwan decided to give up her job at the worlds largest iPhone factory and walk home. The 20yearold had been working for the past three months on the production lines at Foxconn Technology Groups plant in Zhengzhou one of tens of thousands helping put together Apple Inc. iPhones that would be sent around the globe. It was a coveted job among the countrys bestpaid bluecollar gigs. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-31/aapl-iphone-worker-at-china-factory-walked-25-miles-to-escape-covid-lockdown?leadSource=uverify%20wall 1st Nov 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Chinas COVID19 curbs forced the temporary closure of Disneys Shanghai resort on Monday while production of Apple Inc iPhones at a major contract manufacturing facility could drop by 30 in November due to coronavirus restrictions a source told Reuters. In Zhengzhou a Foxconn plant that makes iPhones and employs about 200000 people has been rocked by discontent over stringent measures to curb the spread of COVID19 with numerous staff fleeing the facility prompting nearby cities to draw up plans to isolate migrant workers returning to their home towns. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-covid-curbs-hit-iphone-output-shut-shanghai-disney-2022-10-31/ 1st Nov 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Officials in Chinese cities and provinces across the country are pulling no punches in stamping out sporadic COVID19 outbreaks as winter nears quickly closing venues and enforcing longer temporary lockdowns on millions of people. Cases in mainland China hit 2898 on Sunday topping 2000 for a second straight day and pressuring the countrys controversial zeroCOVID policy which has hamstrung the economy and exasperated its citizens. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/chinese-cities-clamp-down-covid-cases-rise-before-winter-season-2022-10-31/ 31st Oct 2022