27th Oct 2021 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=526 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

The Wall Street Journal Each wave of Covid19 patients that has crashed through the doors of Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens has been more manageable than the last. In the spring of 2020 and the following winter the hospital needed extra spaces to care for Covid19 patients in need of oxygen and struggling to breathe. At the height of the Delta surge this summer and fall Covid19 patients didnt fill its ICU. Were seeing it more as a chronic problem than as an immediate huge pandemic problem like we were before said Mangala Narasimhan a criticalcare pulmonologist and director of criticalcare services at Northwell Health a large health system in the New York region that includes Long Island Jewish Medical Center. https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-city-inches-toward-covid-19-becoming-endemic-11635166801 26th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg BioNTech SE said it plans to start construction on its first starttofinish vaccine plant in Africa in the middle of next year aiming to build a manufacturing network that would eventually supply hundreds of millions of doses to the continent. The German company said its developing the plans with the governments of Rwanda and Senegal and initially the factory will have annual capacity of 50 million messenger RNA vaccine doses. The location hasnt been decided yet and the company didnt announce a timeline for completion. The news comes as Moderna Inc. said Tuesday it agreed to sell as many as 110 million doses of its Covid19 shot to the African Union following months of pressure though most of the shipments wont arrive until the second quarter of next year. The purchase was made possible by the U.S. government giving up its place in the supply queue African Union coronavirus envoy Strive Masiyiwa said at a briefing. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-26/biontech-to-start-building-vaccine-plant-in-africa-next-year 26th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Nearly 8000 Nicaraguans received COVID19 vaccines at two customs border crossings with neighboring Honduras in recent days Honduran health authorities said on Monday as supplies of the inoculations in Nicaragua have run low. Promoting the vaccines for Nicaraguans Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez wrote in a post on Twitter that the solidarity and brotherhood of Hondurans crosses borders. He added that up to 500 doses were being given out daily to Nicaraguans. Honduran health authorities also pitched the crossborder assistance as a way to help beat back the risk of more infections at home. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/thousands-nicaraguans-go-honduras-border-vaccines-2021-10-25/ 26th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters The Beijing Marathon has been postponed indefinitely after Sundays race was called off amid rising COVID19 cases in China the BBC quoted organisers as saying. Organisers said they were cancelling next weekends race in order to prevent the risk of the epidemic spreading and effectively protect the health and safety of the majority of runners staff and residents the BBC reported. The marathon was set to return this year after it was suspended in 2020 due to COVID19. The Wuhan Marathon which was due to be held last Sunday was also called off with a new date yet to be determined. https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/beijing-marathon-postponed-indefinitely-due-covid-19-2021-10-26/ 26th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

Reuters The African Union AU intends to buy up to 110 million doses of COVID19 vaccine from Moderna Inc in an arrangement brokered in part by the White House which will defer delivery of some doses intended for the United States to facilitate the deal officials told Reuters. The AUs doses will be delivered over the coming months with 15 million arriving before the end of 2021 35 million in the first quarter of next year and up to 60 million in the second quarter. This is important as it allows us to increase the number of vaccines available immediately AU coronavirus envoy Strive Masiyiwa said in an email. We urge other vaccine producing countries to follow the lead of the U.S. government and give us similar access to buy this and other vaccines. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/exclusive-african-union-buy-up-110-million-moderna-covid-19-vaccines-officials-2021-10-26/ 26th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

The Independent A leaked government document suggests vaccine passports could be counterproductive and fuel the spread of Covid19 it has been reported. The governments impact assessment seen by the Telegraph suggests the passports could be counterintuitive and potentially counterproductive as they may push people from larger venues into poorly ventilated pubs. The newspaper also quoted the impact assessment as saying the policy would slash turnover for organisers of large events. It estimated one month of Covid certification which Boris Johnson has said could be rolled out as part of his plan B if cases continue to rise could see profits of venues where they would be required drop between 345m and 2.067bn. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/covid-vaccine-passport-leaked-report-b1945218.html 26th Oct 2021

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian Treasury documents have suggested that a return to home working a key plank of Boris Johnsons plan B proposal to deal with rising Covid19 cases would cause up to 18bn of damage to the UK economy over five months. A government source said there was no suggestion restrictions would be that length if they were introduced at all. Johnson has so far resisted a move to plan B in England which would also entail more widespread maskwearing and the extended use of vaccine passports. Instead the government has said it will focus on ramping up booster jabs for the over50s and vulnerable adults as well as the vaccine programme for over12s. The documents leaked to Politico were drawn up by the Treasury and the Cabinet Offices Covid19 taskforce on the basis that a move to plan B would last until March 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/oct/26/covid-plan-b-uk-economy-cost-leaked-documents 26th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Bloomberg Hospital admissions are declining sharply among U.S. children with Covid19 even more than adults quieting concerns for now that the return to school could trigger a major uptick in viral transmission. Daily pediatric admissions with confirmed Covid have fallen 56 since the end of August to an average of about 0.2 per 100000 according to Department of Health and Human Services data. Among adults new admissions fell 54 to 2.1 per 100000 in the same period the data show. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-26/pediatric-covid-hospital-visits-plunge-in-u-s-as-schools-reopen 26th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters The African Union AU intends to buy up to 110 million doses of COVID19 vaccine from Moderna Inc in an arrangement brokered in part by the White House which will defer delivery of some doses intended for the United States to facilitate the deal officials told Reuters. The AUs doses will be delivered over the coming months with 15 million arriving before the end of 2021 35 million in the first quarter of next year and up to 60 million in the second quarter. This is important as it allows us to increase the number of vaccines available immediately AU coronavirus envoy Strive Masiyiwa said in an email. We urge other vaccine producing countries to follow the lead of the U.S. government and give us similar access to buy this and other vaccines. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/exclusive-african-union-buy-up-110-million-moderna-covid-19-vaccines-officials-2021-10-26/ 26th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Evening Standard The continents lifethreatening reliance on imports and donated vaccines has been laid bare by the pandemic with a painfully slow and stuttering rollout of Covid19 jabs. But thats set to change with South Africa Morocco and Rwanda among several African countries forging ahead with the technology and infrastructure to manufacture vaccines. The need to play catchup in this pandemic and to boost resilience against future outbreaks of infectious diseases has catalysed efforts to boost Africas homegrown vaccine production. Relying on the West is not sustainable. Africa will always be at the back of the queue when it comes to accessing vaccines says University of Cape Town senior researcher for the Vaccines for Africa Initiative Dr Benjamin Kagina. https://www.standard.co.uk/optimist/vaccine-world/africa-covid19-vaccine-desert-to-vaccination-hub-b962326.html 26th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

iNews UK residents who were doublejabbed abroad have reported feeling pressured to get a second round of Covid vaccines to avoid having to selfisolate if contacted by Test and Trace. The loophole first came to light after i reported yesterday that people who have received two doses of a Covid vaccine outside of Britain are still being made to quarantine for 10 days if they are pinged by Test and Trace. Selfisolation rules were scrapped on 16 August for people in England who have received both doses of a Covid vaccine and are identified as having come into contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. https://inews.co.uk/news/covid-vaccines-man-forced-to-get-four-covid-vaccines-to-avoid-self-isolation-as-foreign-jabs-not-recognised-1268478 26th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters France has ordered 50000 doses of Merck Cos MRK.N experimental COVID19 antiviral drug for adults the countrys health minister Olivier Veran told a hearing at the French Senate on Tuesday. France positioned itself very early in preordering. France ordered 50000 doses of the drug Veran told lawmakers about molnupiravir which is Merck Cos experimental antiviral pills to treat COVID19 ailments. Governments around the world are preparing to ensure they can cope any pickup in the COVID virus as the winter season approaches in the northern hemisphere. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/france-says-it-has-ordered-50000-doses-mercks-covid-19-antiviral-pill-2021-10-26/ 26th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

CNN The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added just one new location to its list of very high risk travel destinations this week. On Monday afternoon architecturally rich Ukraine the secondlargest nation in Europe in land area was moved up from Level 3 or high risk for Covid19 to Level 4 the agencys highest risk category. Its the second week in a row that the CDC has moved only one new nation to the Level 4 ranks. Last week it was the modern citystate of Singapore. These last two updates in October are a far cry from the situation in early August when the CDC added 16 destinations in one week to Level 4 and Delta variant cases were rising rapidly across much of the planet. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/cdc-very-high-risk-travel-destinations-oct-25/index.html 26th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters As ambulance sirens continuously pierce the air of Romanian cities as they rush COVID19 patients to already full hospitals queues are starting to form at vaccination centres. Daily COVID19 inoculation numbers have reached pandemic highs this month in the European Unions secondlowest vaccinated country as Romanians respond to dramatic death rates and newly enforced restrictions. In the capital Bucharest Elena Serban a 51yearold garment worker had postponed getting the vaccine because she did not have health problems that would have threatened her if she got infected. Now she has done it for safety. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/spurred-by-covid-19-onslaught-romanians-make-up-lost-vaccine-time-2021-10-26/ 26th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Ukraines health minister urged more people to get their COVID19 shots as coronavirus deaths hit a daily record of 734 on Tuesday with hospitalisations up more than a fifth on the previous week. One of Europes poorest countries Ukraine fell behind in the race for vaccine supplies this year and so far only around 7 million in a population of 41 million are fully vaccinated. It is one of several countries in former communist eastern Europe where vaccination rates are the continents lowest now experiencing a recordsetting wave of infections with some of the highest death rates in the world. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-urges-citizens-get-vaccinated-covid-19-toll-hits-new-record-2021-10-26/ 26th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Torn between a love of sport public health fears and Novak Djokovics Grand Slam record bid Australia is suffering a bout of hesitancy as it considers whether unvaccinated players should be allowed to compete at the Australian Open. For officials tasked with making such decisions the ball seems to be in everyones court but their own. After months of speculation the position finally seemed clear last week when Australias immigration minister Alex Hawke said athletes would need to be double vaccinated to enter the country https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/australian-open-tiptoes-around-vaccination-minefield-2021-10-26/ 26th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

Reuters Vietnam will begin inoculating children against COVID19 with the PfizerBioNTech vaccine from next month the health ministry said on Tuesday as the Southeast Asian country begins reopening its schools following months of lockdown. Children aged 16 and 17 will be offered the shot with parental consent initially in the areas that had been under movement restrictions and densely populated areas where the infection risks are high the ministry said in a statement. So far just 22 of Vietnams population of 98 million have been fully vaccinated Average daily COVID19 infections have fallen below 3600 over the past week from almost 12000 last month but schools in some areas including in the capital Hanoi and in Ho Chi Minh City an epicentre of the epidemic remain closed. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/vietnam-vaccinate-children-against-covid-19-next-month-2021-10-26/ 26th Oct 2021

Exit Strategies

The Associated Press The latest state and city of Seattle data shows the number of government workers getting vaccinated against COVID19 continues to increase amid mandates. According to updated figures released by the Office of Financial Management about 275 more Washington state employees have been verified as having gotten their shots since last weeks Oct. 18 deadline The Seattle Times reported. Gov. Jay Inslee had ordered state and school employees as well as hundreds of thousands of health care workers to be fully vaccinated by that date or lose their jobs. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and King County Executive Dow Constantine imposed similar policies. The figures released Monday also show slightly fewer state workers left or were fired over the mandate than agencies had originally reported. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-seattle-washington-jay-inslee-3fbb4a871764b0d5ce7116b9b079fcd8 26th Oct 2021

Partisan Exits

Reuters Raytheon Technologies top boss warned on Tuesday the U.S. aerospace and defense firm will lose several thousand employees who refused to take COVID19 vaccines as it prepares to meet the Biden administrations Dec. 8 deadline for immunization. We will lose several thousand people Raytheon Chief Executive Greg Hayes said in a CNBC interview on Tuesday adding that staff hiring was underway. The company has a total of 125000 U.S. employees https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/raytheon-will-lose-several-thousand-workers-due-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-ceo-2021-10-26/ 26th Oct 2021

Partisan Exits

The Guardian Using Danish witchcraft folklore as a model the researchers from UCLA and Berkeley analysed thousands of social media posts with an artificial intelligence tool and extracted the key people things and relationships. The tool enabled them to piece together the underlying stories in coronavirus conspiracy theories from fragments in online posts. One discovery from the research identifies Bill Gates as the reason why conspiracy theorists connect 5G with the virus. With Gates background in computer technology and vaccination programmes he served as a shortcut for these storytellers to link the two. Gates is a persistent figure in the antivaccine stories. Hes a great villain says the folklorist Prof Timothy Tangherlini one of the authors of the research. Its Gates worldspanning influence in tech and then health that lodges him at the heart of a lot of conspiracies. Bill Gates is in Africa hes in everybodys house because everybodys got computers and then hes pushing these vaccines. https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2021/oct/26/why-people-believe-covid-conspiracy-theories-could-folklore-hold-the-answer 26th Oct 2021

Partisan Exits

The Associated Press In March as claims about the dangers and ineffectiveness of coronavirus vaccines spun across social media and undermined attempts to stop the spread of the virus some Facebook employees thought they had found a way to help. By altering how posts about vaccines are ranked in peoples newsfeeds researchers at the company realized they could curtail the misleading information individuals saw about COVID19 vaccines and offer users posts from legitimate sources like the World Health Organization. Given these results Im assuming were hoping to launch ASAP one Facebook employee wrote responding to the internal memo about the study. Instead Facebook shelved some suggestions from the study. Other changes werent made until April. https://apnews.com/article/the-facebook-papers-covid-vaccine-misinformation-c8bbc569be7cc2ca583dadb4236a0613 26th Oct 2021

Partisan Exits

AlJazeera Facebook and YouTube have removed from their platforms a video by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in which the farright leader made a false claim that COVID19 vaccines were linked with developing AIDS. Both Facebook and Alphabet Incs YouTube said the video which was recorded on Thursday violated their policies. Our policies dont allow claims that COVID19 vaccines kill or seriously harm people a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement on Monday. YouTube confirmed that it had taken the same step later in the day. We removed a video from Jair Bolsonaros channel for violating our medical disinformation policy regarding COVID19 for alleging that vaccines dont reduce the risk of contracting the disease and that they cause other infectious diseases YouTube said in a statement. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS UNAIDS COVID19 vaccines approved by health regulators are safe for most people including those living with HIV the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome known as AIDS. https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/10/26/facebook-youtube-remove-bolsonaro-video-over-vaccine-claims 26th Oct 2021

Partisan Exits

STAT News Already the federal governments failures to prepare for a pandemic cost more than 700000 American lives over the last 18 months. Public health experts have decried outdated data systems and supply chain vulnerabilities and warned that without legislative action all those problems will persist until the next crisis. They see a rare but fleeting opportunity to break the cycle of ignoring public health funding until times of crisis. https://www.statnews.com/2021/10/26/congress-effort-address-next-pandemic-falling-behind/ 26th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Australias drugs regulator on Wednesday provisionally approved a booster dose of Pfizer Incs COVID19 vaccine for people above 18 years old as firstdose vaccination levels in the countrys adult population neared 90. The booster dose can be administered at least six months after the second shot the Therapeutic Goods Administration TGA said in a statement. Further advice on the use of booster shots will be provided to the federal government soon by the countrys vaccination technical advisory group TGA said. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/australia-drugs-regulator-approves-booster-doses-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-2021-10-26/ 26th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Wall Street Journal Moderna Inc.s Covid19 vaccine was generally safe and induced the desired immune responses in children ages 6 to 11 in a clinical trial according to the company. The Cambridge Mass. company said Monday that it would submit the results to health regulators in the U.S. Europe and elsewhere in seeking authorization to widen the use of its shots to include this younger age group. The company announced the interim data in a press release and results havent yet been published in a peerreviewed medical journal. Modernas vaccine is currently authorized for use in adults 18 years and older in the U.S. https://www.wsj.com/articles/moderna-data-shows-covid-19-vaccine-produced-strong-immune-response-in-6-to-11-year-olds-11635173936?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f 26th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The New York Times Vaccines to protect young children from Covid19 are likely soon on their way. An advisory panel for the Food and Drug Administration voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to recommend that the agency authorize the use of the PfizerBioNTech Covid19 vaccine for those ages 5 to 11. Why do we need to vaccinate young children against Covid19 Its an understandable question. While many parents have anxiously awaited the opportunity to get their children vaccinated others are hesitant. There are questions about side effects as with any drug especially considering the lower risk of severe disease for children with Covid19 compared with that of adults. But just because Covid19 is sickening and killing fewer children than adults does not mean that children are or have been free from risk. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/26/opinion/covid-vaccine-kids.html 26th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg Pfizer Inc.s lowerdose Covid19 vaccine for kids under 12 appears to offer protection across the board company officials said and the drug giant may look into offering lower doses for teens who now get the adult dose. A scientific advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration is deliberating Tuesday on whether to recommend the vaccine which Pfizer makes with partner BioNTech SE for 5 to 11yearolds. If cleared by regulators it would make a Covid19 vaccine available to all schoolage children for the first time. The proposed pediatric dose is 10 micrograms or a third of the adult Pfizer dose everyone 12 and older currently receives. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-26/pfizer-says-lower-vaccine-dose-could-also-work-for-older-kids 26th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters on MSN.com Becton Dickinson and Co has partnered with Amazon.com Inc to begin shipment of a new athome rapid COVID19 test that can confirm results using an entirely automated smartphone app. The BD Veritor AtHome COVID19 Test which was authorized by U.S. regulators in August also automatically reports results to federal and state public health authorities. One of the unique things about this test is that its really the very first test to actually have an interpreted digital result said Dave Hickey president of Becton Dickinsons life sciences business. https://www.msn.com/en-us/finance/companies/becton-dickinson-begins-selling-new-at-home-rapid-covid-19-test/ar-AAPY2yo 26th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters An expert panel on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to recommend the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorize the Pfizer Inc PFE.N and BioNTech SE COVID19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 saying the benefits of the shot outweigh the risks. An authorization for that age group would be would be an important regulatory step toward reaching about 28 million children for inoculation most of them back in school for inperson learning. The vaccine could be available to the younger age group as soon as next week. The FDA is not obligated to follow the advice of its outside experts but usually does. The vote was 17 in favor with one abstention. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-advisers-weigh-pfizerbiontech-covid-19-vaccine-children-2021-10-26/ 26th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian Independent advisers for the US Food and Drug Administration FDA on Tuesday recommended the PfizerBioNTech Covid vaccine for children aged five to 11 the first vaccine available for younger children in the US. Of 18 members 17 voted yes and one abstained. Vaccines for children have been seen as crucial for protecting kids from the virus as well as slowing its spread in addition to reducing the social and educational effects of school closing and attendance and related economic concerns such as caregivers ability to work. The advisers weighed the vaccines effectiveness the social and physical effects of the pandemic and the potential risk of rare sideeffects like myocarditis a type of heart inflammation. Data from PfizerBioNTech indicate the vaccine is 90.7 effective at preventing symptomatic illness among this age group. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/oct/26/covid-vaccine-children-pfizer-fda-kids-debate-latest- 26th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters South Korean biotech firm GL Rapha has secured regulatory approval from Russia to produce and market the Sputnik family of coronavirus vaccines the company and Russian sovereign fund RDIF said on Tuesday. The certification paves the way for the first overseas production of the shot to ease a supply shortage and allows GL Rapha to carry out the full production cycle as opposed to other foreign manufacturers that rely on Russiansupplied ingredients. This is the first time a foreign production partner of RDIF obtains a Russian GMP good manufacturing practice certificate the two said in a joint statement. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/skoreas-gl-rapha-certified-produce-sputnik-covid-19-vaccines-2021-10-26/ 26th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

The Associated Press Senegal and Rwanda have signed an agreement with German company BioNTech for the construction of its first starttofinish factories to make messenger RNA vaccines in Africa. BioNTech which developed the PfizerBioNTech COVID19 vaccine said Tuesday that construction will start in mid2022. It is working with the Institut Pasteur in Dakar Senegals capital and the Rwandan government a statement said. Stateoftheart facilities like this will be lifesavers and gamechangers for Africa and could lead to millions of cuttingedge vaccines being made for Africans by Africans in Africa said Matshidiso Moeti the World Health Organizations Regional Director for Africa. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-rwanda-coronavirus-vaccine-f800599b45c433f09a03bdd625c46ddb 26th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

AlJazeera Stuck in a village in southern India for nine months and unable to return to his job in Saudi Arabia Sugathan PR is hoping the World Health Organization WHO will approve the Indian COVID19 shot Covaxin paving the way for his trip back. Like Sugathan millions of Indians have taken Covaxin and many have complained of travel struggles as the vaccine has not been recognised for international travel by several countries. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/26/indian-who-covid-homegrown-covaxin-vaccine-travel-abroad 26th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

FiercePharma BioNTech will construct a facility to make its mRNA vaccines in Africa in mid2022 to scale up production of its COVID19 jab for a continent that has been largely left behind in the global rollout of vaccines. Planning for the facility has been finalized and initial assets have been ordered the German biotech said Tuesday. That timing sets the Pfizer partner up to potentially beat out Moderna in building the first mRNA vaccine manufacturing site on the continent. Moderna said it plans to pump 500 million into such a facility in Africa but timing and location were kept under wraps earlier this month. Mid2022 is quite vague but at least puts pressure on the company to stick to a publicly disclosed time frame. https://www.fiercepharma.com/manufacturing/biontech-to-build-mrna-vaccine-manufacturing-plant-africa-mid-2022-plans-finalized 26th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

Scientific Viewpoint Moderna Inc. has emerged as a biotech power and a household name thanks to its success developing a Covid19 vaccine. But that outcome hides what happened along the way The company came perilously close to being the biggest loser in the race for a Covid19 vaccine. At one point last year Moderna CEO Stphane Bancel was overcome with sadness because he thought he had blown the companys opportunity to produce vaccines to help stop the pandemic. I spent 17 months investigating how the Covid19 vaccines were developed. I spoke with more than three hundred scientists academics executives government officials investors and others who made the Covid19 vaccines possible. Though developing a safe and effective Covid19 vaccine in a timeline that many called impossible was a monumental effort the Moderna story is a stark reminder of how thin the line can be between success and failure. https://www.statnews.com/2021/10/26/how-moderna-nearly-lost-the-race-to-develop-a-covid-19-vaccine/ 26th Oct 2021

Scientific Viewpoint

STAT News Moderna said Monday that a low dose of its Covid19 vaccine is safe and appears to work in 6 to 11yearolds as the manufacturer joins its rival Pfizer in moving toward expanding shots to children. Pfizers kidsize vaccine doses are closer to widespread use. They are undergoing evaluation by the Food and Drug Administration for youngsters in nearly the same age group 5 to 11 and could be available by early November. The companys vaccine already is authorized for anyone 12 or older. Moderna hasnt yet gotten the goahead to offer its vaccine to teens but is studying lower doses in younger children while it waits. https://www.statnews.com/2021/10/25/moderna-low-dose-covid-vaccine-works-kids/ 26th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

Bloomberg Denmark which has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world has registered a rise in Covid19 cases with several key indicators showing that the virus has accelerated in the past month. The reproductive rate of the virus known as the R rate is now 1.2 up from 1 a week ago which means the virus is spreading Health Minister Magnus Heunicke tweeted on Tuesday. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-26/danish-covid-contamination-rate-rises-after-restrictions-end 26th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Guardian Many experts have called for the reintroduction of some public health measures to reduce transmission rates. However the government has repeatedly said it is not yet bringing in its plan B for England. Madeleine Finlay speaks to science correspondent Nicola Davis about what it could entail and whether it would help us avoid the need for more stringent and longerlasting measures down the line https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2021/oct/26/covid-19-with-cases-on-rise-will-plan-b-be-enough-england-podcast 26th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

ABC News The Queensland Premier says the new COVID19 cases detected outside hotel quarantine are a reminder the state is not immune to the pandemic. Annastacia Palaszczuk said one of the new cases was an unvaccinated 17yearold boy from the Gold Coast who had contact with a COVIDpositive case that had travelled from New South Wales. Another was a woman in her 30s from Melbourne who was in home quarantine. A third case a truck driver from Gympie who travelled to Bundaberg tested positive in NSW and will be counted as part of that states figures. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-26/qld-coronavirus-covid-cases-home-quarantine-community/100551264 26th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Independent Ukraine reported another record daily number of COVID19 deaths Tuesday as vaccinations in the nation of 41 million people lags. Ukraines Health Ministry registered 734 deaths in 24 hours raising the countrys pandemic death toll to 64936. Ukrainians can freely choose between the PfizerBioNTech Moderna AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines but just about 16 of the population has been fully vaccinated Europe s secondlowest rate after Armenia https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ukraine-kyiv-europe-armenia-astrazeneca-b1945500.html 26th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Independent Coronavirus indicators are shooting upward in Belgium pushing the government on Tuesday to consider reimposing some pandemic measures that it only relaxed a few weeks ago. Daily infections in the nation of 11 million increased 75 to reach 5299 case on a daily basis last week. Hospitalizations have increased by 69 to reach 102 daily cases. Deaths have increased slightly with an average of 13 a day. To turn around this trend the government and regional officials are set to decide later Tuesday to boost measures again although stopping well short of a going into a lockdown. Indications are that authorities are looking at increased mandatory use of face masks and virus passports. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/belgium-brussels-covid-netherlands-kids-b1945441.html 26th Oct 2021

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Scotsman The figures disclosed to The Scotsman via Freedom of Information legislation stem from Public Health Scotlands own analysis of patients in hospital who were considered Covid19 patients. Over ten months between September 2020 and June this year the average percentage of under18s in hospital because of Covid19 rather than simply with the disease sat at 52 per cent. This is defined as being an admission to hospital with Covid19 being the primary diagnostic position within the first episode of the stay with the figure rising to as high as 64 per cent in September and October and as low as 33 per cent in February. In June health secretary Humza Yousaf was criticised for allegedly scaremongering parents around the risk posed by Covid19 to children after he claimed ten children had been hospitalised because of Covid during a row about the reopening of softplay areas in Scotland. He later said he regretted if the statement had caused undue alarm among parents and was slapped on the wrist by the statistics regulator for the use of inaccurate figures which were not available to the public. https://www.scotsman.com/health/coronavirus/half-of-children-in-hospital-in-scotland-with-covid-19-hospitalised-because-of-the-virus-3432332 26th Oct 2021

New Lockdown

The Independent Hong Kong will tighten COVID19 restrictions despite a lack of local outbreaks to better align with Chinas policies and increase chances of quarantinefree travel between the territory and mainland leader Carrie Lam said Tuesday. It will step up contact tracing such as requiring the use of its LeaveHomeSafe app in government premises to record the coming and going of visitors. It will also tighten quarantine rules to exempt only emergency workers or those in essential industries such as logistics. Currently those exempt from quarantine include airline crew banking and insurance executives directors of public companies as well as crew members on cargo and passenger ships among others. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/covid-hong-kong-china-carrie-lam-b1945293.html 26th Oct 2021