4th Aug 2022 https://nfind.uk/lockdown_exit/index.php/newsletter=715 lockdown_exit

Lockdown Exit

The Hill New research from scientists from Kings College London supports the idea that there are three different types of long COVID each with their own symptoms. Researchers studied over 1000 people suffering from postCOVID syndrome and found that there are three different subtypes of the condition. The first subtype consisted of respiratory symptoms the second neurologic and third autoimmune. https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/prevention-cures/3586890-long-covid-comes-in-three-forms-study/ 4th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters The European Medicines Agency EMA is recommending Novavaxs COVID19 vaccine carry a warning of the possibility of two types of heart inflammation an added burden for a shot that has so far failed to win wide uptake. The heart conditions myocarditis and pericarditis should be listed as new side effects in the product information for the vaccine Nuvaxovid based on a small number of reported cases the EMA said on Wednesday. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/eu-regulator-says-novavax-covid-vaccine-should-carry-side-effect-warning-2022-08-03/ 4th Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

The Japan Times Japans residents are flocking to tourism hot spots and snapping up normally hardtoget restaurant reservations even as COVID19 infections surge to a record in a sign one of the slowest major economies to fully reopen is adjusting to life with the virus. Domestic travel is booming as people enjoy their first restrictionfree summer since 2019 and as stilltight border rules keep away the hordes of foreign visitors that typically crowd popular attractions. Most residents are shaking off concerns about the current wave of virus cases with travel agencies H.I.S. and JTB reporting no obvious rise in cancellations. Nippon Travel Agency Co. says any spots that become available are quickly booked. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/08/03/national/domestic-tourism-rebound/ 3rd Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Time Out Article reports that with the current surge in Covid19 infections across Japan the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is now providing free rapid antigen selftest kits to those with Covid19 symptoms. This new initiative is exclusive to Tokyoites in their 20s born between August 2 1992 and August 1 2002. https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/tokyo-is-giving-out-free-covid-19-self-test-kits-to-residents-in-their-20s-080322 3rd Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

Reuters U.S. President Joe Biden continued to test positive for COVID19 on Tuesday and will maintain his isolation procedures but he is feeling well and does not have a fever his physician said in a memo released by the White House. The President continues to feel well though he is experiencing a bit of a return of a loose cough his physician Kevin OConnor said. He remains feverfree and in good spirits. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-continues-test-positive-covid-his-doctor-says-2022-08-02/ 3rd Aug 2022

Lockdown Exit

CIDRAP More than one third of US children used media addictively in fall 2020 a finding tied to family stressors but not a decrease in the number of screentime rules implemented finds a survey of US parents published today in Pediatrics. Investigators from Seattle Childrens Research Institute surveyed 1000 US parents who had at least one child aged 6 to 17 years to evaluate how COVID19 pandemicrelated family stressors and the number of screentime rules affected their childrens media use in October and November 2020. The sample included 500 parents each with children in the 6 to 10yearold group and in the 11 to 17yearold group. Parents completed the Patient Health Questionnaire4 PHQ4 and the Problematic Media Use Scale and were asked about parental employment status demographic characteristics and whether their child attended school in person or remotely. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/08/survey-third-us-kids-had-excessive-screen-time-amid-covid 2nd Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Medical Xpress A new study coauthored by Michigan State University economics professor Scott Imberman Ph.D. and doctoral student Wenjia Cao found that university vaccine mandates were effective in reducing new COVID19 cases in communities. Their research The Effect of Vaccine Mandates on Disease Spread Evidence from College COVID19 Mandates will be published by the National Bureau of Economic Research and is the first of its kind to provide direct evidence of the positive impact university and college vaccine mandates have had on community health outcomes. While there is evidence that vaccines improve health outcomes for individuals our analysis showed that college and universityimposed COVID19 vaccine mandates also benefited the community beyond the campus Dr. Imberman said. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-08-evidence-university-college-vaccine-mandates.html 3rd Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

iNews Thousands still live in fear of the virus because their immune system doesnt respond to vaccines. A drug to protect them Evusheld has been approved but the Government has not procured it despite patients pleas https://inews.co.uk/news/covid-drug-evusheld-protect-immunocompromised-uk-government-not-procured-1774497 3rd Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

PAP.pl Poland will allow a furth dose of coronavirus vaccine to be received by people aged over 18 in September the health minister has announced. Since July 22 a second booster dose has been available for people in the 6070 age group and an additional vaccination for people aged over 12 years with immune deficiency. Before the fourth dose has been offered to everybody over 80. https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/poland-to-offer-fourth-dose-of-covid-19-vaccine-to-adults-in-september-32156 3rd Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

The Associated Press Sinovac Biotech Ltd. a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China announced that based on related clinical trials and studies of vaccination for local children and adolescents the Health Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China has approved the Companys COVID19 vaccine CoronaVac intended for children aged 6 months to 3 years. The vaccination schedule for this age group follows the same vaccination schedule of older children. https://apnews.com/press-release/business-wire/covid-health-clinical-trials-sinovac-biotech-ltd-e8faa40d447b41558ff11864bd2208cd 3rd Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

ABC News The German government on Wednesday said basic coronavirus requirements would remain in place during the coming fall and winter when experts expect COVID19 cases to rise again as people spend more time indoors. Face masks and presenting proof of a negative coronavirus test will be mandatory from October until early April at hospitals nursing homes and similar institutions with vulnerable people. Passengers on airplanes and making longdistance trips by train and bus also will have to wear masks during that period as they do now. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/germany-announces-coronavirus-measures-fall-winter-87871818 3rd Aug 2022

Exit Strategies

Reuters The European Commission said on Tuesday it had signed a joint procurement contract with Spanish pharmaceutical firm HIPRA for the supply of its protein COVID19 vaccine which will be available if approved by the European Medicines Agency EMA. The European Unions executive said in a statement that 14 countries are participating in the agreement under which they can purchase up to 250 million doses. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/eu-signs-joint-procurement-deal-with-hipra-covid-vaccines-2022-08-02/ 3rd Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

The Indian Express The capital reported 2073 fresh cases of Covid19 Wednesday with the incidence crossing the 2000mark for the first time in 71 days since February 4 when there were 2272 cases recorded as the omicron variantdriven wave was receding in the capital. The positivity rate the proportion of samples tested that return positive stood at 11.64 on Wednesday according to the daily health bulletin released by the Delhi government. The average positivity rate over the last three days is 11.23 which is also the highest since the third wave waned in the city. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/capital-records-five-deaths-as-covid-cases-cross-2000-mark-8069086/lite/ 4th Aug 2022

Partisan Exits

Reuters on MSN.com Djokovic has refused to take the COVID19 vaccine yet the 21times Grand Slam winner remains on the entry lists for the ATP 1000 events in Montreal and Cincinnati that serve as tuneups for the Aug. 29Sept. 11 U.S. Open in New York. In the case of the U.S. Open which does not have a vaccine mandate organisers previously said that per the Grand Slam Rule Book all eligible players are entered into the main draw based on their ranking 42 days prior to the first Monday of the event. U.S. Open organisers also said that while they do not have a vaccination mandate in place for players they will respect the U.S. governments position regarding travel into the country for unvaccinated nonU.S. citizens. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/tennis/tennis-djokovic-likely-to-miss-u-s-open-over-covid-19-vaccine-status/ar-AA10ev3l 3rd Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Euro Weekly News The European Medicines Agency EMA is recommending that Novavaxs Covid19 vaccine carry a warning of the possibility of two types of heart inflammation that could be triggered as a side effect. The EMA confirmed that the heart conditions myocarditis and pericarditis should be listed as new side effects in the product information for the vaccine Reuters confirmed on Wednesday August 3. When discussing the Novavax Covid vaccine the American Medical Associations AMA Doctor Sandra Fryhofer who is the liaison to the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices said We now have a third type of vaccine in the fight against COVID. https://euroweeklynews.com/2022/08/03/novavax-covid-19-vaccine-should-carry-warning-for-possible-heart-side-effects/ 4th Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Wall Street Journal Moderna Inc. sales rose 9 in the second quarter but costs tied to a surplus of Covid19 vaccine doses contributed to a profit decline. The Cambridge Mass.based biotechnology companys revenue came in at 4.75 billion for the period ended June 30 topping Wall Street analyst expectations driven almost entirely by sales of Modernas messenger RNAbased vaccine branded as Spikevax. But the pace of Modernas yearoveryear sales growth slowed significantly in the second quarter. The companys firstquarter revenue was more than triple the yearearlier period. Moderna first introduced its Covid19 vaccine in late 2020 and it is the companys only product. At the same time Modernas profit fell 21 to 2.2 billion because of charges tied to expired vaccine doses and changes to purchase commitments. https://www.wsj.com/articles/moderna-revenue-rises-on-strong-demand-for-covid-19-vaccine-11659527439?mod=hp_lista_pos2 3rd Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Independent.ie The European Medicines Agency EMA is recommending Novavaxs Covid19 vaccine carry a warning of two inflammatory conditions of the heart based on a small number of reported cases. The conditions myocarditis and pericarditis should be listed as new side effects in the product information for the vaccine Nuvaxovid the EMA said on Wednesday. The agency has also requested that the US drugmaker provide additional data on the risk of these side effects occurring. https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/eu-says-novavax-covid-19-vaccine-should-carry-heart-side-effect-warning-41887635.html 3rd Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

ABC News The ATAGI experts have recommended children aged between six months and five years who have a higher risk of developing severe illness from COVID will be able to receive the Moderna vaccine from September 5. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-03/modernas-covid-vaccine-approved-for-vulnerable/14003002 3rd Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Pharmacy Times Pfizer and BioNTech have initiated an activecontrolled observerblind phase 2 randomized study to evaluate the immune response safety and tolerability of an enhanced COVID19 mRNAbased vaccine candidate at a 30g dose level Pfizer said in a statement. The enhanced vaccine BNT162b5 will consist of RNAs encoding enhanced prefusion spike proteins for the SARSCoV2 ancestral strain and an Omicron variant. The enhanced spike protein encoded from the mRNAs in the vaccine has been modified with the aim of increasing the breadth and magnitude of the immune response that could better protect against COVID19. This is the first of multiple vaccine candidates with an enhanced design that the companies plan to evaluate according to the statement. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/pfizer-biontech-initiate-phase-2-study-of-enhanced-covid-19-mrna-based-vaccine 3rd Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CNBC Moderna beat Wall Streets quarterly earnings and revenue expectations. The Boston biotech company generated 4.7 billion in sales for the quarter a 9 increase over the same period last year. Moderna posted adjusted earnings of 5.24 per share an 18 drop from the second quarter of 2021. But the company took a nearly 500 million hit on writedowns for vaccine inventory that has expired or is expected to expire before it can be used. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/03/moderna-mrna-q2-2022.html 3rd Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

SBS News Health authorities no longer force people in Australia to wear face masks except in certain situations but previous studies show how effective wearing a mask can be in stopping you from getting COVID19. From around February this year most states and territories gradually removed requirements for people to wear face masks except in limited circumstances. Current mandates vary slightly across jurisdictions but masks are generally still required while travelling on public transport and planes and when in hospitals and aged care centres. The requirement for people to wear masks in airport terminals was removed after the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee AHPPC said in June it was no longer appropriate. The decision whether or not to wear a mask in most public indoor spaces such as shopping centres and in offices is now down to individual choice. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/the-figures-that-shows-why-masks-still-matter-when-it-comes-to-covid-19/6hpl1u85i 3rd Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

The Wall Street Journal Moderna Inc. sales rose 9 in the second quarter but costs tied to a surplus of Covid19 vaccine doses contributed to a profit decline. The Cambridge Mass.based biotechnology companys revenue came in at 4.75 billion for the period ended June 30 topping Wall Street analyst expectations driven almost entirely by sales of Modernas messenger RNAbased vaccine branded as Spikevax. But the pace of Modernas yearoveryear sales growth slowed significantly in the second quarter. The companys firstquarter revenue was more than triple the yearearlier period. Moderna first introduced its Covid19 vaccine in late 2020 and it is the companys only product https://www.wsj.com/articles/moderna-revenue-rises-on-strong-demand-for-covid-19-vaccine-11659527439 3rd Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Bloomberg Gilead Sciences Inc. raised its sales forecast for the year mostly due to anticipated demand for the Covid treatment Veklury. The drugmaker said Tuesday that it now sees total product sales between 24.5 billion and 25 billion this year up from its April forecast of 23.8 billion to 24.3 billion. That includes about 2.5 billion in Veklury sales compared with a prior forecast of about 2 billion. In the second quarter sales of Veklury also known as remdesivir fell to 445 million from 1.5 billion in the first quarter reflecting the increased availability of other treatments and a drop in Covid19 hospitalizations in the US. Analysts had expected Veklury sales of 376.4 million in the second quarter. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-02/gilead-boosts-sales-forecast-on-demand-for-covid-19-drug 3rd Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

New Scientist Persistent loss of smell is a better predictor of lingering cognitive symptoms after covid19 infection than disease severity. A common symptom of covid19 is a sudden loss of smell. Previous research has found that smell loss can be an early warning sign of Alzheimers disease and other conditions. Evidence suggests that covid19 can also lead to longlasting neurological problems like difficulty concentrating and memory loss. To see if loss of smell due to covid19 is associated with persistent cognitive symptoms Gabriela GonzalezAlemn at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina in Buenos Aires and her colleagues analysed data from 766 adults aged 60 years or older who had no history of cognitive impairment. Each had taken a PCR test at a covid19 testing clinic in Argentina and nearly 90 per cent tested positive. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2331890-memory-problems-after-covid-19-more-common-in-people-with-smell-loss/ 3rd Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

CNN If weve learned anything over the past two and a half years its that Covid19 is one strange disease. The latest case in point the coronavirus rebound. The condition grabbed international attention last week when US President Joe Biden tested positive for the virus six days after testing negative following his first bout of the illness. The White House said Biden who is back in isolation was experiencing a bit of a loose cough but did not have a fever and his lungs were clear. The President tested positive again after being treated with the antiviral Paxlovid. White House officials had previously suggested a rebound case of Covid was unlikely based on reports of cases around the country but Bidens doctors continued to monitor his health and test him. https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/03/world/coronavirus-newsletter-intl-08-03-22/index.html 3rd Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters Moderna Inc on Wednesday maintained its fullyear COVID19 vaccine sales forecast of 21 billion as canceled orders from low and middleincome nations through the COVAX program offset gains from new booster dose orders. Moderna shares jumped nearly 17 in morning trading after the company also announced a 3 billion share buyback plan. Moderna has begun producing a redesigned booster shot targeting both the original coronavirus as well as the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/moderna-retains-covid-vaccine-sales-view-weak-demand-low-income-nations-2022-08-03/ 3rd Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

Reuters The Omicron variant may be more efficient at infecting children through the nose than previous versions of the coronavirus a small study suggests. Earlier in the pandemic childrens noses had been less welcoming to the virus that causes COVID19 than adults noses. Studies of the original SARSCoV2 and some of its variants found the virus was met with stronger immune responses in the cells lining young noses than in adults nasallining cells and it was less efficient at making copies of itself in childrens noses. But recent testtube experiments mixing the virus with nasal cells from 23 healthy children and 15 healthy adults found the antiviral defenses in kids noses was markedly less pronounced in the case of Omicron researchers reported on Monday in PLOS Biology. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/omicron-better-invading-young-noses-than-other-variants-smell-loss-may-predict-2022-08-02/ 3rd Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

FiercePharma Regulators are Europe recommend that Novavaxs vaccine be tagged with warnings about the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis after a small number of cases were recorded Reuters reports. The U.S. FDA reached a similar decision back in June according to the news service. So far just 250000 doses of the shot have been administered in Europe. While around 7 million people in the United States who have weaker immune systems are eligible for AstraZenecas COVID19 antibody Evusheld few are actually receiving it Bloomberg reports. The treatment is intended to help protect people who do not produce a strong response to vaccination. So far health care providers have ordered just 800000 courses of the treatment the news service reports citing federal data. https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/covid-19-tracker-pfizer-targets-variant-specific-vaccines-fall 3rd Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

FiercePharma In a sign of the times Regeneron Pharmaceuticalswhose antibody cocktail REGENCOV once helped form the vanguard of COVID19 therapeuticshas axed a clutch of trials weighing the med across a range of patients and clinical stages. The move comes about half a year after the FDA pulled the cocktail from the market after data suggested its efficacy had waned in the face of the surging omicron variant. Its a fate shared by a number of earlypandemic therapeutics which have largely fallen by the wayside in the U.S. as the virus swiftly evolves. Now Regeneron has terminated four clinical trials of REGENCOV comprising the monoclonal antibodies casirivimab and imdevimab. https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/regeneron-puts-kibosh-4-antibody-studies-pfizers-antiviral-paxlovid-dominates-treatment 3rd Aug 2022

Scientific Viewpoint

STAT News As an emergency department physician in New York I often field calls about medical issues from family members friends and even friends of friends. Since the Covid19 pandemic began the number of these calls has dramatically increased. The latest slew of these about Paxlovid and rebound Covid19 which President Biden now apparently has has revealed the confusion surrounding this phenomenon for me my physician colleagues and at least one Nobel laureate. I recently got a call from my friend Joachim Frank who shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2017 about his rebound Covid after doing what he was supposed to do taking Paxlovid as his doctor had prescribed. https://www.statnews.com/2022/08/02/paxlovid-rebound-mystery/ 2nd Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Financial Post Eli Lilly and Co said on Wednesday it plans to make its COVID19 antibody drug commercially available to U.S. states as well as hospitals and other healthcare providers from August. The drug bebtelovimab had received authorization in the United States in February for the treatment of mildtomoderate COVID19 among adults and children. Eli Lilly entered an agreement in June to supply an additional 150000 doses of the drug to the U.S. government. The U.S. government will exhaust their supply of bebtelovimab as early as the week of August 22 and without congressional appropriations does not have the funds to purchase more Lilly told Reuters. https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/eli-lilly-to-make-covid-19-antibody-drug-commercially-available-from-august 4th Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

New Zealand Herald There are 6440 new Covid community cases reported today with 704 people in hospital. There were 28 virusrelated deaths reported in the Ministry of Healths latest daily update. The sevenday rolling average of cases is 6355. Last Wednesday it was 8111. After todays update there have been 1589 deaths confirmed to date as attributable to Covid19 in New Zealand either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing factor. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-omicron-outbreak-6440-new-covid-cases-28-deaths-704-in-hospital/CMPD6YB3DOVSBUIRNSOJQZDDBY/ 3rd Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

Kyodo News Plus Japan reported 249830 daily coronavirus cases Wednesday hitting a record tally as the quickly soaring number renewed concerns over a straining medical system. It was the second day running that the country saw over 200000 new cases with the last record reaching 233000 cases Thursday last week as Japan faces its seventh wave of the pandemic. Tokyo saw 38940 new cases while Osaka Prefecture had 24038 cases. Hyogo Prefecture which reported 11201 cases and Aichi Prefecture at 17778 were among 24 areas reporting record infections Wednesday. https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/08/a94fa9df7a97-japans-daily-covid-19-cases-hit-record-high-of-nearly-250000.html 3rd Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

The Independent COVID19 cases and deaths are rising in Sri Lanka and citizens should receive a fourth vaccine dose to prevent a possible surge of the coronavirus the president said Tuesday. President Ranil Wickremesinghe said there were only three reported COVID19 deaths in June. That rose to 35 in July including 28 who succumbed after July 18. There were 283 confirmed cases in June and 1616 in July he said. Wickremesinghe said in a statement that only 22623 people have received a fourth vaccine dose compared to 8 million who received a third dose. Sri Lanka has reported a total of 665847 confirmed cases and 16559 deaths from the virus. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/covid-ap-sri-lankan-ranil-wickremesinghe-b2136655.html 3rd Aug 2022

Coronavirus Resurgence

USA TODAY COVID is over might trend within social media circles but weekly U.S. death tolls tell a different story. The pace of COVID19 deaths has remained relatively steady since May despite an uptick in July to about 400 a day according to a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. Were sitting on this horrible plateau said Dr. Daniel Griffin an infectious disease specialist with Pro Health Care in New York and a clinical instructor of medicine at Columbia University. Its been this way for the past couple of months and were getting used to it. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/08/03/covid-deaths-us-stuck-horrible-plateau-experts-say-heres-why/10202358002/ 3rd Aug 2022

New Lockdown

Reuters The Chinese city of Yiwu in Zhejiang province has suspended some public gatherings and dining at restaurants closed multiple entertainment venues and locked down some areas to cope with COVID19 flareups the city government said on Wednesday. In light of the latest COVID19 infections citywide mass testing will be conducted on Aug. 4 Yiwus health authorities said late on Wednesday. There were 38 new coronavirus cases in Yiwu since Tuesday of which nine were symptomatic and 29 were asymptomatic the citys health authorities said. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/eastern-chinese-export-hub-yiwu-imposes-covid-restrictions-locks-down-some-areas-2022-08-03/ 3rd Aug 2022