4th May 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=653 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Shanghais final exit from a punishing fiveweek lockdown is being delayed by Covid19 infections persistently appearing in the community despite Chinas hardline strategy of isolating all positive cases and their close contacts. While total cases in the financial hub keep falling 4982 infections were reported for Tuesday down from 5669 on Monday community spread remains stubbornly present. After briefly hitting zero late last week the count has bounced back to more than 50 a day this month. Shanghai authorities have indicated the lockdown will only be lifted once community transmission reaches zero the same path taken in Jilin province in the northeast where a lockdown gradually started to ease once there was no more community transmission. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-04/shanghai-lockdown-end-delayed-by-stubborn-community-covid-spread 4th May 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Guardian Taiwan will not go into a Shanghailike lockdown to control a rise in Covid19 cases as the vast majority of those infected have no symptoms or show only minor symptoms the premier Su Tsengchang has said. Taiwan has been dealing with a spike in local cases since the start of the year but the numbers overall remain small 18436 since 1 January for a population of some 23 million and just four people have died. Backed by a high vaccination rate the government has been promoting the new Taiwan model learning to gradually live with the virus and avoiding shutting down the economy unlike in Shanghai which is in its third week of a lockdown to control the pandemic. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/23/taiwan-wont-go-into-lockdown-like-shanghai-despite-covid-surge-premier-says?fr=operanews 4th May 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Independent Beijing is preparing thousands of hospital beds to deal with a spike in Covid19 cases according to local reports. A 1000bed hospital at Xiaotangshan in the northeastern suburbs built for the 2003 Sars outbreak has been refurbished in case it is needed https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/world/covid-beijing-china-outbreak-shanghai-b2070827.html 4th May 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters India India registered about 475000 more total deaths in 2020 than the previous year government data released months ahead of schedule on Tuesday showed as the World Health Organization readies its estimates of excess COVID19 deaths whose methodology New Delhi has opposed. Some experts estimate Indias actual COVID death toll is as high as 4 million about eight times the official figure especially as a record wave driven by the Delta variant killed many people in April and May of last year. The WHOs estimate will be published on Thursday. https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-releases-2020-death-data-ahead-who-covid-mortality-study-it-objects-2022-05-03/ 4th May 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters The four main parties to negotiations on an intellectual property waiver for COVID19 vaccines have prepared an outcome document for approval by the broader membership the WTO said on Tuesday with its chief hoping for a final deal by June. WTO directorgeneral Ngozi OkonjoIweala who has made vaccine equity her top priority since taking office in 2021 has been working for months to broker a compromise between the United States the European Union India and South Africa to break an 18monthlong impasse. What the discussions were aiming at was coming up with something workable OkonjoIweala told Reuters saying she hoped the WTOs 164 members would finalise and approve the proposal by a major conference in June. This will advance the discussion and dialogue. For the next pandemic or a flare up of this one this is hugely important she said. The document showed that there were still unresolved areas in the draft deal including on the duration of the waivers application which could be either three or five years. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/main-negotiators-reach-outcome-covid-vaccine-ip-waiver-wto-2022-05-03/ 4th May 2022

Lockdown Exit

Bloomberg Vietnam on Tuesday reported its first day without an official death from Covid19 since Aug. 21 as recorded daily infections have dropped significantly in recent weeks the health ministrys publication Suc Khoe Doi Song said on Wednesday. Vietnams sevenday local infection average dropped to 5121 a day on Tuesday down from a sevenday average of 75319 reported on April 3 according to the health ministry. The nations sevenday average of deaths dropped to two a day from 42 a day a month earlier. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-04/vietnam-reports-its-1st-day-without-a-covid-death-since-aug-21?srnd=premium-europe 4th May 2022

Lockdown Exit

Daily Mail The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended on Tuesday that Americans age two and older wear masks while on planes trains and buses. It comes after the Department of Justice filed an appeal at the request of the CDC over a Florida judges decision to strike down the mandate on April 18. The CDCs recommendation does not have to be enforced after many airlines opted to drop the masking and let passengers and employees do as they please. United Airlines said it would not reimpose its masking requirements following the CDCs latest recommendation. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg suggested on Tuesday that the administration may not want to bring back the mask mandate https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10779437/CDC-restates-recommendation-masks-planes-trains.html 3rd May 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Independent US Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative on Monday for COVID19 six days after she tested positive for the virus and has been cleared to return to the White House on Tuesday. Harris press secretary Kirsten Allen said Harris who was prescribed the antiviral treatment Paxlovid last week was negative on a rapid antigen test. Allen said Harris would continue to wear a wellfitting mask while around others in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines until through her tenth day after her positive test. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-washington-white-house-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-b2070054.html 3rd May 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters Costa Rica will offer a fourth dose of the COVID19 vaccine to the immunocompromised and to those over 50 the countrys Health Ministry said. The fourth dose will be optional and can be applied three months after the third shot said Dr. Roberto Arroba secretary of the National Commission for Vaccination and Epidemiology at the Ministry of Health. More than 85 of the Central American countrys population has received at least one shot while 79 have had two doses and 41 have received a third vaccine according to official data. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/costa-rica-roll-out-fourth-covid-shot-some-2022-05-02/ 3rd May 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Some of Shanghais 25 million people managed to get out on Tuesday for short walks and shopping after enduring more than a month under a COVID19 lockdown while Chinas capital Beijing focused on mass tests and said it would keep schools closed. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/some-shanghai-come-out-air-beijing-resumes-mass-covid-tests-2022-05-03/ 4th May 2022

Exit Strategies

GP online NHS commissioners will consider closing or pausing hundreds of COVID19 vaccination sites across England as the pandemic jab programme winds down. https://www.gponline.com/nhs-consider-closing-hundreds-covid-19-vaccination-sites/article/1754658 3rd May 2022

Exit Strategies

CNBC Countries are beginning to offer a fourth dose of the Covid19 vaccine to vulnerable groups but medical professionals are undecided on whether it would benefit the wider population. The U.S. FDA has so far authorized a fourth shot only for those aged 50 and above as well as those who are immunocompromised. And the U.S. CDC was skeptical of the need for a fourth dose for healthy adults in the absence of a clearer public health strategy. Those decisions came as a study from Israel found that although a fourth dose of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine offers protection against serious illness for at least six weeks after the shot it provides only shortlived protection against infection which wanes after just four weeks. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/02/medical-professionals-are-skeptical-on-a-fourth-covid-vaccine-dose.html 3rd May 2022

Exit Strategies

ABC.Net.au Workers in healthcare and education settings across Canberra will soon no longer be required to be vaccinated against COVID19 the ACT Health Minister has announced. Speaking in the ACT Legislative Assembly Rachel StephenSmith flagged the changes would come into place on May 13 and would no longer require healthcare workers or teachers to be vaccinated against COVID19. She said the move was based on advice provided by Chief Health Officer Kerryn Coleman. But Ms StephenSmith said the mandatory vaccination requirements would still remain in place for workers in aged care and disability settings. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-03/covid-vaccination-mandates-dropped-education-healthcare-canberra/101033420 3rd May 2022

Exit Strategies

EURACTIV Serbia will lift all pandemicrelated entry restrictions for all travellers from Tuesday the government has announced. Travellers will no longer be required to present a negative PCR rapid antigen test proof they had COVID19 or a vaccination certificate when entering the country from Tuesday 3 May the governments statement reads. https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/serbia-lifts-covid-19-entry-restrictions/ 3rd May 2022

Exit Strategies

CNN The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lowered the Covid19 travel risk for one of the most popular destinations in the Western Hemisphere. Mexico was moved down a level on the CDCs scale from high risk to moderate risk on May 2 along with four other places around the world. Tourism is an important segment of the nations economy and Mexico has had some of the worlds loosest border restrictions throughout the pandemic. There are no vaccination or testing requirements to visit. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/cdc-covid-travel-risk-destinations-may-2/index.html 3rd May 2022

Exit Strategies

Al Jazeera Danish health officials say that 1.1 million excess COVID19 vaccines will be discarded in the coming weeks because their expiration date is near and efforts to donate them to developing countries have failed. Statens Serum Institut SSI a government agency that maps the spread of infectious diseases including COVID19 in Denmark said the epidemic in the Scandinavian country is currently under control and the vaccine coverage in the Danish population is high. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/2/denmark-to-destroy-excess-soon-to-expire-covid-19-vaccines 3rd May 2022

Exit Strategies

Hong Kong Free Press Hong Kong will reopen beaches and pools masks will no longer be required during outdoor exercise and restaurants will be allowed to sit eight people to a table from Thursday as the city prepares to further ease Covidrelated restrictions. Bars and clubs will also be allowed to reopen on May 19 Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced during a press conference on Tuesday. https://hongkongfp.com/2022/05/03/breaking-covid-19-hong-kong-to-reopen-beaches-pools-on-thur-no-masks-for-outdoor-exercise-bars-to-reopen-may-19/ 3rd May 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Hong Kong will further ease COVID19 restrictions allowing bars to open until 2 a.m. and raising the number of diners permitted at a table to eight from four as cases in the global financial hub continue to ease leader Carrie Lam said. Beaches and swimming pools would reopen from Thursday when restaurants could also cater to four more people at each table Lam said at a regular news briefing. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/hong-kong-further-ease-covid-curbs-bars-stay-open-until-2-am-2022-05-03/ 3rd May 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters Taiwan announced on Tuesday it was cutting to seven days from 10 mandatory quarantine for all arrivals its latest relaxation of the rules to try to live with COVID19 and resume normal life even as the number of domestic infections spikes. Taiwan has kept its quarantine rules in place as large parts of the rest of Asia have relaxed or lifted them completely though it had already reduced the time spent in isolation from two weeks to 10 days in March. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taiwan-cuts-covid-quarantine-arrivals-even-cases-rise-2022-05-03/ 3rd May 2022

Partisan Exits

The Washington Post For much of the pandemic there has been a tidy pattern to Christiane Northrups days. A retired celebrity doctor with a New Age fandom she would take her position at a sunny desk in coastal Maine snap on a camera and hold forth on spiritual topics such as chakra alignment and energy fields. With a flowery dress and glittering jewelry she sometimes serenaded her online audience of half a million or so by plucking an enormous harp. Then Northrup would land on a gloomier theme covid19. Northrup would claim that the virus was part of a plot involving Deep State brainwashing and treacherous depopulation schemes. She encouraged fans to check out QAnon called the Centers for Disease Control a covid death cult and described the vaccines as crimes against humanity. https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2022/05/03/covid-christiane-northrup/ 3rd May 2022

Partisan Exits

The Japan Times In Japan a panel of experts set up by the central government will begin discussions shortly to review its response to the COVID19 pandemic with a report expected as early as June. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said he plans to use the outcome of the review by the the eightmember panel to make improvements on the governments strategy in the fight against the deadly virus. High on the panels agenda will be how authorities and hospitals should cooperate. Health care systems have been strained across the country at times during the pandemic though Japan is among countries with large numbers of hospitals and hospital beds. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/05/03/national/japan-covid-response-review/ 3rd May 2022

Partisan Exits

The Atlantic Dylan Smith watched in dismay. Was everyone else ignoring reality That March New York City hesitated to close its schools during the citys first COVID wave. Smith was horrified. A major pandemic was arriving and softening its blow would require closing schools which he believed was the best way to protect kids. There were a lot of suggestions that kids would be these supercarrier vectors he says where they would come home and they would infect Mom and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa and they would infect teachers at school. Now two years later Smith has changed his mind. He thinks schools shouldve reopened much soonerby early 2021 at the latest. In other words Smith admits to rethinking one of his positions on COVID19 an act that sometimes feels as risky as telling 17thcentury Florentines that Earth revolves around the sun. Not everyone will agree with Smiths reassessment. But maybe we can learn something from his willingness to do it. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2022/05/covid-opinions-school-closures/629736/ 3rd May 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters A former Amazon.com Inc employee sued the online retailer on Monday saying it wrongly fired her and demanded she repay wages after she contracted long COVID. Brittany Hope 29 a former brand manager for Amazons fashion line The Drop in Manhattan is seeking damages for alleged violations of federal state and New York City disability laws. The Brooklyn resident said she was hospitalized after being diagnosed with the flu on Feb. 3 2020 four months after being hired and a few weeks before the coronavirus started taking hold in the United States https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/woman-says-amazoncom-fired-her-because-she-got-long-covid-lawsuit-2022-05-02/ 3rd May 2022

Continued Lockdown

Reuters The central Chinese city of Zhengzhou announced on Tuesday it would impose new COVIDrelated movement curbs for May 410. Schools in the main city district will go online while employees with government organisations and companies in the area must work from home during that period according to a statement on the citys official WeChat account. The new measures would be subject to adjustment after May 10 in accordance with the COVID19 outbreak situation the notice said. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/central-chinese-city-zhengzhou-imposes-new-covid-movement-curbs-may-4-10-2022-05-03/ 3rd May 2022

Continued Lockdown

Reuters Some of Shanghais 25 million people managed to get out on Tuesday for short walks and shopping after enduring more than a month under a COVID19 lockdown while Chinas capital Beijing focused on mass tests and said it would keep schools closed. Beijing is desperate to prevent an outbreak now numbering in the dozens of new cases a day from spiralling into a crisis like the one in Shanghai. Most people in the financial hub of Shanghai are still unable to leave their homes after more than a month of confinement https://www.reuters.com/world/china/some-shanghai-come-out-air-beijing-resumes-mass-covid-tests-2022-05-03/ 3rd May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Globe and Mail Pfizer Incs increase maintained its sales forecasts for its pandemic products on Tuesday after a series of hikes to revenue projections for its COVID19 vaccine last year in a sign that dizzying growth has slowed. Several countries have eased pandemic restrictions relaxing rules on masking and quarantines even as cases rise in some regions. The company said it expects 22billion in sales from its COVID19 treatment Paxlovid this year compared with analysts average expectation of 26.1billion according to Refinitiv. Pfizer had previously said its 22billion forecast for sales of the pills only represents a fraction of the 120 million courses the company is able to manufacture this year. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/international-business/article-pfizer-maintains-sales-forecasts-for-its-covid-19-vaccine-pill-in-sign/ 3rd May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CIDRAP Relative to the PfizerBioNTech COVID19 vaccine the Moderna version confers slightly more protection against infectionbut not hospitalization intensive care unit ICU admissions or death90 days after the second dose suggests a modeling study of more than 3.5 million fully vaccinated Americans published today in Nature Communications. Optum Labs scientists in Minnesota compared the effectiveness of the Moderna and Pfizer COVID19 vaccines by analyzing healthcare claims from fully vaccinated Americans insured by a single US insurer Medicare Advantage and commercial insurance. Among 8848 infected participants 35 had received the Moderna vaccine and 65 had received Pfizer. Followup was 14 to 151 days after the second vaccine dose. The researchers also analyzed data from those younger and older than 65 years who had never been infected. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/05/moderna-covid-vaccine-may-have-slight-edge-over-pfizer-infections-only 3rd May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

News-Medical.Net In the present study researchers estimated the ChAdOx1S booster vaccine effectiveness VE against SARSCoV2 symptomatic disease and related hospitalization postinfection with the SARSCoV2 Delta or Omicron variants. A negative casecontrol design was employed to estimate the VE of the ChAdOx1S booster vaccine. The team compared the likelihood of vaccination in symptomatic polymerase chain reaction PCR positive cases to that in symptomatic individuals who tested SARSCoV2 negative. Data related to all positive PCR and liver function tests LFTs and negative PCR tests were obtained from symptomatic persons with a diagnosis reported between 25 November 2020 and 17 February 2022. For individuals who reported more than one negative test result one was selected for further analysis. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220503/Effectiveness-of-ChAdOx1-S-COVID-19-booster-vaccine.aspx 3rd May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Scientific American The relentless evolution of the COVIDcausing coronavirus has taken a bit of the shine off the vaccines developed during the first year of the pandemic. Versions of the virus that now dominate circulationOmicron and its subvariantsare more transmissible and adept at evading the bodys immune defenses than its original form. The current shots to the arm can still prevent serious illness but their ability to ward off infection completely has been diminished. And part of the reason may be the location of the jabs which some scientists now want to change. To block infections entirely scientists want to deliver inoculations to the site where the virus first makes contact the nose. People could simply spray the vaccines up their nostrils at home making the preparation much easier to administer. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nose-spray-vaccines-could-quash-covid-virus-variants/ 3rd May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Guardian Pfizer has made nearly 26bn 21bn in revenues in the first three months of the year the bulk from its Covid19 vaccine and new pill to treat the virus prompting fresh accusations of pandemic profiteering. Covid vaccines have saved many lives around the world and relieved the pressure on health systems but Pfizer has faced criticism over its vaccine pricing and its refusal to waive patent protection to enable others to make the jab. Last week 35 campaigners from Global Justice Now ActUp London Just Treatment and Stop Aids protested against what they call pandemic profiteering and delivered wheelbarrows full of fake money to Pfizers UK headquarters in Surrey on the day of the companys annual shareholder meeting. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/may/03/pfizer-covid-sales-pricing-vaccine-paxlovid-pill 3rd May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Wall Street Journal Pfizer Inc. expects demand for its Covid19 antiviral drug to increase as governments return to replenish their supplies and seek to thwart surges as the pandemic virus continues to evolve. The treatment a pill called Paxlovid brought in 1.5 billion in sales during Pfizers first quarter while its vaccine totaled 13.2 billion reflecting the need for tools to combat the virus despite a slowdown in cases and a growing sense of life trying to return to normal. The company said Tuesday it is on track to deliver between 98 billion and 102 billion in revenue for the year with 32 billion coming from its Covid19 vaccine Comirnaty and 22 billion from Paxlovid. We remain bullish on Paxlovid said Chief Financial Officer Frank DAmelio on a call discussing earnings with analysts. The rhythm of that product looks very good. https://www.wsj.com/articles/pfizer-sales-soar-on-covid-19-vaccine-sales-11651581988?mod=hp_lista_pos2 3rd May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CNN While its tempting to say much of life is getting back to normal its probably more accurate to say it feels more comfortable and normal living alongside Covid19. For many of those who are vaccinated or were previously infected learning of a close contact with the disease is less frightening than frustrating. https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/02/politics/covid-vaccine-booster-pandemic-surge-what-matters/index.html 3rd May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

New Scientist People hospitalised with covid19 may lose 10 IQ points equivalent to the natural cognitive decline that occurs between 50 and 70 years old. Covid19 can cause lasting cognitive and mental health issues including brain fog fatigue and even posttraumatic stress disorder. To better understand the scale of the problem researchers at the University of Cambridge analysed 46 people who were hospitalised due to the infection between March and July 2020. The participants underwent cognitive tests on average six months after their initial illness. These results were compared against those of more than 66000 people from the general population. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2237475-covid-19-news-cognitive-impairment-equivalent-to-20-years-of-ageing/ 3rd May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Pfizer Inc maintained sales forecasts for its pandemic products on Tuesday after a series of hikes to revenue projections for its COVID19 vaccine last year in a sign that dizzying growth has slowed. Several countries have eased pandemic restrictions relaxing rules on masking and quarantines even as cases rise in some regions. The company said it expects 22 billion in sales from its COVID treatment Paxlovid this year compared with analysts average expectation of 26.1 billion according to Refinitiv. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/pfizer-keeps-sales-forecast-covid-19-antiviral-pill-unchanged-2022-05-03/ 3rd May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Pfizer Inc maintained sales forecasts for its pandemic products on Tuesday after a series of hikes to revenue projections for its COVID19 vaccine last year in a sign that dizzying growth has slowed. Several countries have eased pandemic restrictions relaxing rules on masking and quarantines even as cases rise in some regions. The company said it expects 22 billion in sales from its COVID treatment Paxlovid this year compared with analysts average expectation of 26.1 billion according to Refinitiv. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/pfizer-keeps-sales-forecast-covid-19-antiviral-pill-unchanged-2022-05-03/ 3rd May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

STAT News Hours after a federal judge struck down the federal mask mandate covering air travel and other public transportation last month Delta Airlines celebrated the move in a statement saying that Covid19 has transitioned to an ordinary seasonal virus. By the next day after an intense backlash from public health experts Delta had taken the offending language down. Ordinary viruses dont cause 1 million deaths in one country in just 2 years tweeted epidemiologist Jessica Malaty Rivera a senior adviser at the Rockefeller Foundations Pandemic Prevention Institute. SARSCoV2 remains a long way from being ordinary. It has not yet found seasonal cadence take the recent surge in Europe and the U.K. which comes just weeks after the initial Omicron wave subsided and its still capable of inflicting mass death and disability see Hong Kongs lethal last few months. https://www.statnews.com/2022/05/03/more-uniformly-infectious-more-treatable-more-genetically-predictable-how-coronavirus-is-getting-closer-to-flu/ 3rd May 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

STAT News Pfizer released news late Friday that Paxlovid the antiviral currently subject to a big push from the U.S. government failed to prevent people living with Covid patients from catching the infection. The news is one of several bad headlines for the new Covid pill but one experts say doesnt affect the medicines primary use treating people who are already sick. Paul Sax clinical director of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham and Womens Hospital said he would absolutely prescribe Paxlovid to people at high risk of severe disease who have Covid. Without hesitation he said. Because the net benefit in the high risk study was extremely high. https://www.statnews.com/2022/05/02/paxlovid-as-covid-19-prevention/ 2nd May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Guardian Dr Nicole Wolter of South Africas National Institute for Communicable Diseases said the wave was possibly due to BA.4 and BA.5 having mutations in the spike protein meaning the virus might be able to dodge the bodys immunity to some degree as well as waning immunity from previous waves. In addition we have had a relaxing of restrictions as well as moving into winter and therefore experiencing colder temperatures she said. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/02/covid-cases-south-africa-omicron-ba4-ba5-uk 3rd May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

RNZ In a statement the Ministy of Health said 481 people were in hospital including 10 in ICU. The deaths reported today included people who have died over the previous eight days. These deaths take the total number of publicly reported deaths with Covid19 to 777 and the sevenday rolling average of reported deaths is 13. Of the people whose deaths we are reporting today one person was from Northland one from Auckland two from Waikato two from Bay of Plenty four from Tairawhiti four from the Greater Wellington region five from Canterbury and one from Southern. One person was in their 50s three in their 60s three in their 70s eight in their 80s and five were aged over 90. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/466351/covid-19-update-20-deaths-9109-new-community-cases 3rd May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

CIDRAP With Shanghais lockdown in effect for about a month cases are slowly declining but health officials are alarmed about more infections reported outside of quarantine facilities. Meanwhile cases are still rising in Beijing where health officials continue to tighten measures. Meanwhile in the United States cases continue to grow especially in the Northeast though the level of hospitalizations and deaths are still low. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/05/chinas-covid-19-battle-continues-2-key-hot-spots 3rd May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Liverpool Echo The number of people in Wirrals hospitals with Covid19 has fallen massively with cases also down. In March the picture looked worrying. At the start of the month the borough had just 15 patients but by early April around 100 people were being treated for the virus in Wirrals hospitals. In recent weeks things have dramatically improved. On April 12 the borough had 98 covid patients but on the most recent figures for April 26 this had fallen to 58. https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/big-fall-wirrals-covid-19-23848252 3rd May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Independent Beijing is preparing new hospital facilities to deal with a spike in COVID19 cases even though the numbers of new cases remain low. State media reported Tuesday a 1000bed hospital at Xiaotangshan in the northeastern suburbs built for the 2003 SARS outbreak has been refurbished in case its needed. Unofficial reports online say thousands of beds have been prepared in a centralized quarantine center near the airport but state media has not confirmed those preparations in what could be an attempt to avoid stoking public fears. New cases in Beijing have remained steady with another 62 recorded on Monday 11 of them showing no symptoms up just slightly from about 50 per day over the weekend. Beijing has reported about 450 cases in the twoweekold outbreak. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/beijing-ap-china-experts-shanghai-b2070235.html 3rd May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Mainland China reported 6074 new COVID19 cases on May 2 including 384 symptomatic cases and 5690 asymptomatic infections the National Health Commission said on Tuesday. That was down from 7822 new cases a day earlier of which 865 were symptomatic and 6957 were asymptomatic. There were 20 new deaths all in the financial hub of Shanghai taking the toll to 5112. Mainland China had 217836 confirmed infections by May 2 authorities said. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-reports-6074-new-covid-cases-may-2-down-previous-day-2022-05-03/ 3rd May 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Reuters Article reports that Chinas commercial capital of Shanghai was dealt a blow on Monday May 2 as authorities reported 58 new COVID19 cases outside areas under lockdown in a setback following news that no cases had been confirmed outside areas under lockdown for two days at the weekend https://www.reuters.com/video/watch/idsvTe?now=true 3rd May 2022