"COVID-19 Lockdown Exit Analysis" 25th Jul 2022
Lockdown Exit
Covid hits a third of Australia’s aged care homes as 6,000 residents infected
Aged care providers are calling for urgent action to protect residents and staff from a winter Covid-19 wave which is hitting more than one-third of the country’s facilities. The Aged and Community Care Providers Association said 6,000 residents and 3,400 staff were infected in 1,013 facilities as of Thursday. The association’s interim chief executive, Paul Sadler, said 10 to 15% of staff were already isolating or quarantining at home, and the coming weeks will put intense pressure on aged care residents and workers.
Recoveries greater than new cases as COVID total drops
After enjoying almost 2 months of being COVID free, Cambodia today again recorded new COVID cases. Today’s official daily new COVID case total (diagnosed by PCR test) was 20, bringing the COVID case total to 136,565 cases. Cambodia announced 0 new deaths, bringing the total to 3,056 direct deaths from COVID-19 in Cambodia.
China considers further easing Covid quarantine rules
China is considering a further reduction in its quarantine requirements to lessen the economic impact of strict Covid-19 controls. The announcement came on the heels of promises by Premier Li Keqiang this week that China would continue to refine its Covid-19 response with more targeted measures in terms of visa access and testing policies as well as allowing more international flights to China.
Wang Liping, an infectious diseases expert with the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, told a media briefing on Thursday that the centre is constantly looking to improve its epidemic control playbook.
NZ has mask mandates and isolation, but the Omicron daily death rate is still 'very concerning'
Across the Tasman, New Zealanders who were once asked to lock down over a single case of COVID-19 are now being urged to wear masks as the country records a seven-day rolling average of nearly 10,000 cases a day. Authorities believe there is widespread community infection in every region of New Zealand, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron BA.5 sub-variant. And for a nation of just 5.1 million people, attention is now turning to New Zealand's daily death rate, which has been among the highest in the world according to one World Health Organization measure.
Biden's Covid Diagnosis Is a Wake-Up Call for America
The news that President Joe Biden has tested positive for Covid should serve as a wake-up call for the rest of us: Almost three years on, the pandemic is still not going very well. Perhaps it’s human nature to put bad news out of mind. Still, one reason so many people have chosen to ignore Covid-19 may be that they are wary, and weary, of public health authorities. If people admit Covid is still a big problem, they are implicitly giving regulators permission to control their lives once again. But people are tired of lockdowns, mandatory testing, canceled school sessions and travel restrictions. And so they are fighting back with the ultimate form of non-violent resistance — forgetting about the issue altogether.
UK Covid Cases Rise to Highest in 3 Months: ONS Data
Covid-19 infections are continuing to rise in England and have reached their highest level for three months, but the trend in the rest of the UK is uncertain, figures show. Hospital numbers also appear to have stopped climbing, though it is too early to say if the latest wave of the virus is starting to peak, experts have cautioned. It comes as a new survey suggests public concern about Covid-19 has dropped to its lowest level since the pandemic began. A total of 3.8 million people in private households in the UK are estimated to have had Covid-19 in the week to July 13/14, up 7% from 3.5 million the previous seven days, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Australia facing nursing shortage as more than two years of COVID takes its toll
Unions say the country is facing a significant nursing shortage and things are only going to get worse. The number of registered nurses in Australia has increased year on year, but the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation said there was still a severe shortage. However, the ANMF cannot put a figure on the actual shortfall
Exit Strategies
Covid-19 Lab Companies Retrench as Rapid Tests Take Over
More people checking for Covid-19 infections are choosing rapid, at-home antigen tests over PCR tests processed at laboratories, making variant-driven waves harder to track and helping to spur a retrenchment in testing capacity that labs had built up over the pandemic. U.S. laboratories currently have the capacity to process the results of about 62 million PCR tests for Covid-19 a month, which is half of what it was in March, researchers at the consulting firm Health Catalysts Group estimate, after demand dropped and government funding diminished. Some laboratories and diagnostic companies have laid off employees or reassigned them to other tasks.
SummerBio LLC, a startup that once processed some 100,000 PCR tests a day, is halting production, putting equipment in storage and laying off some 100 workers. One of its bigger clients, the Los Angeles Unified School District, shifted in June from weekly PCR testing to at-home tests.
Covid hits a third of Australia’s aged care homes as 6,000 residents infected
Aged care providers are calling for urgent action to protect residents and staff from a winter Covid-19 wave which is hitting more than one-third of the country’s facilities. The Aged and Community Care Providers Association said 6,000 residents and 3,400 staff were infected in 1,013 facilities as of Thursday. The association’s interim chief executive, Paul Sadler, said 10 to 15% of staff were already isolating or quarantining at home, and the coming weeks will put intense pressure on aged care residents and workers.
Singapore reports 7889 new COVID-19 cases
Singapore reported 7,889 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the total tally to 1,652,981. Of the new cases, 804 cases were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 7,085 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health. Among the PCR cases, 763 were local transmissions and 41 were imported cases. Among the ART cases with mild symptoms and assessed to be of low risk, there were 6,829 local transmissions and 256 imported cases, respectively.
China Says Xi, Other Leaders Got Local Shots in Rare Disclosure
China said all its leaders received locally-made Covid-19 shots, the first time a confirmation was made in the absence of a vaccine mandate for the country with the world’s strictest controls against the virus. The Chinese leadership is “highly confident” in domestic vaccines, National Health Commission official Zeng Yixin said at a briefing on Saturday. The department also addressed concerns surrounding the shots, saying the vaccines won’t trigger illnesses such as leukemia and diabetes.
South Australian COVID-19 acute commander appointed as new measures taken to free up hospital beds
A record number of people with COVID-19 are in South Australia's hospitals. New wards for patients with the virus are opening in Adelaide hospitals. Agency and student nurses will be recruited to replace some of the 1,200 infected SA Health staff.
Covid-Hit LA on Track to Reinstate Indoor Mask Mandate Next Week
The Los Angeles health authority cautioned that an indoor masking mandate is on track to be reimposed next week, even for the fully vaccinated, unless Covid-19 cases take a sharp drop. A universal mandate will be put in place across the US’s most-populous county after a “high” level of community-transmission for two straight weeks. If the current trends hold, a new mandate would go into effect on July 29, according to Barbara Ferrer, the county’s public health director.
Opinion | China's 'zero covid' policy has been a nightmare for U.S. diplomats
For the past two years, U.S. diplomatic personnel in China have been forced to confront the risk of being detained or separated from their family members for either testing positive for the coronavirus or being deemed a “close contact” of someone who has. In fact, 16 U.S. diplomatic personnel or their family members have been sent, against their will, to Chinese government medical quarantine centers since the pandemic began, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing confirmed to me.
Partisan Exits
Biden's health improving, no close contacts tested positive for COVID
U.S. President Joe Biden's health has improved considerably and his predominant symptom now is a sore throat, his physician said on Sunday. Biden's cough and body aches have diminished since he tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday and he is not experiencing any shortness of breath, the physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, added. "His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature all remain normal," the physician said in a memo released on Sunday. His predominant symptom now is a sore throat .... His voice remains a bit deep."
Does Joe Biden Still Have Covid? President Continues to Improve
President Joe Biden continues to improve with mild symptoms as he isolates with Covid-19 at the White House. White House physician Kevin O’Connor wrote in a memo on Saturday that the president -- who is being treated with Pfizer Inc.’s drug Paxlovid -- is “responding to therapy as expected.” “His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain entirely normal,” though Biden now has body aches among his symptoms, O’Connor said in the note. “His lungs remain clear” and he’s “experiencing no shortness of breath at all,” the doctor said.
Doctor: Biden likely has highly contagious COVID-19 strain
Joe Biden was likely infected with the BA5 subvariant of Omicron, the current dominant Covid-19 variant in the US, according to his physician, who reported that the US president’s symptoms “continue to improve” after he tested positive on 21 July. The BA5 subvariant of the highly contagious disease accounts for nearly 80 per cent of recent infections in the US, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mr Biden has completed a second full day of the antiviral treatment Paxlovid and will contine the treatment regimen “as planned,” Physician to the President Dr Kevin O’Connor reported on 23 July.
Biden has sore throat and body aches, but COVID symptoms improving -physician
President Joe Biden's COVID-19 symptoms continue to improve and now include "less troublesome" sore throat, runny nose, loose cough and body aches, his physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, said in a memo on Saturday. Biden's lungs remain clear and his oxygen saturation "continues to be excellent on room air," the doctor said.
Vigorous but coughing, COVID-postive Biden appears virtually at White House meeting
U.S. President Joe Biden appeared virtually at a White House meeting of economic advisers on Friday to highlight his good health a day after testing positive for COVID-19. Speaking remotely at the meeting to discuss White House efforts to lower gas prices, Biden appeared vigorous and in good spirits but with a noticeably deeper voice, hours after his doctor released a statement saying his symptoms had improved.
Vigorous but coughing, COVID-postive Biden appears virtually at White House meeting
U.S. President Joe Biden appeared virtually at a White House meeting of economic advisers on Friday to highlight his good health a day after testing positive for COVID-19. Speaking remotely at the meeting to discuss White House efforts to lower gas prices, Biden appeared vigorous and in good spirits but with a noticeably deeper voice, hours after his doctor released a statement saying his symptoms had improved.
Continued Lockdown
China Snap Lockdown Crimps Beachside Business, Strands Tourists
A Covid outbreak has derailed what is usually the peak season at one of China’s top summer hot spots, with a snap lockdown in the seaside city Beihai shutting hotels and leaving more than 2,000 tourists stranded at one point. The outbreak in the southern city of 1.83 million people nestled into a curve of the South China Sea near Vietnam has grown to over 1,400 cases as of Thursday. The first case was detected a little more than a week earlier, on July 12.
Scientific Viewpoint
Shanghai districts face mass COVID testing round during July 26-28
Shanghai ordered residents across nine of the city's districts and some smaller areas to do COVID-19 tests over July 26-28, the city government said on Monday, as sporadic local cases kept emerging in the Chinese commercial hub. Shanghai lifted a two-month lockdown in June but has registered double-digits daily cases in recent weeks. Officials rely on repeated mass testing rounds to identify infections they quickly quarantine to prevent further spread, in line with China's "dynamic zero" strategy that demands each flare-up be contained as quickly as possible.
Monkeypox 'Can Be Contained' in US, White House Doctor Says
Monkeypox “can be contained” in the US, with the goal of eventually eliminating the illness as testing and vaccinations ramp up, the White House’s Covid-19 response coordinator said. Ashish Jha repeated that, with more than 2,000 cases nationwide, the US Department of Health and Human Services is weighing whether to declare monkeypox a public health emergency. On Saturday, the head of the World Health Organization declared the global outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. “We think we can get our arms around this thing,” Jha said in an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “But obviously, if we need further tools, we will invoke them as we need them.”
WHO Chief Overrules Panel to Declare Monkeypox Global Emergency
The monkeypox outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern, the head of the World Health Organization said, overruling a divided expert panel to issue the group’s highest alert. The move paves the way for stepped-up global cooperation to stop the virus, which has spread to dozens of countries. The last time the WHO made a similar declaration was during the early stages of the Covid-19 outbreak in January 2020. US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra called the WHO decision “a call to action for the global health community.” President Joe Biden’s administration has made vaccines, testing and treatments available and is “determined to accelerate our response in the days ahead,” he said in a statement.
COVID: Is the virus getting smarter?
Coronavirus infections are surging as the virus evolves, becoming "too clever", according to the World Health Organisation's special envoy on COVID-19, David Nabarro. With figures suggesting nearly three million people in the UK are still unvaccinated, what can be done to encourage those people to get their jabs, and is the virus becoming too smart for our vaccines to keep up? On the Sky News Daily with Niall Paterson, the WHO's Mr Nabarro explains why it's still important to keep protected from coronavirus, and vaccination champion Wendy Francis-White shares her experience helping to get jabs in the arms of those who are vaccine hesitant.
Two symptoms that mean you should 'assume you have Covid', professor says
Article reports that a professor has warned people over two symptoms that probably mean they have Covid. With free tests stopped for the majority in April, it is harder for people to spot they have the virus. Omicron BA.5 is now the dominant Covid strain, accounting for approximately 79% of UK cases as of July 18. Professor Tim Spector, who heads up the ZOE Health Study, said people should assume they do have coronavirus if they wake up with a sore throat and fatigue, despite getting a good night's sleep, The Mirror reports. Professor Spector tweeted: "Twice as many covid cases as common colds currently- the ratio has never been so high. Symptoms much the same except generally more fatigue and sore throat - so best to assume it’s Covid!
COVID Virus May Tunnel through Nanotubes from Nose to Brain
SARS-CoV-2, though, may have come up with an ingenious work-around. It may completely do away with the molecular maneuverings needed to attach to and unlock a cell membrane. Instead it wields a blunt instrument in the form of nanotube “bridges”—cylinders constructed of the common protein actin that are no more than a few tens of nanometers in diameter. These tunneling nanotubes extend across cell-to-cell gaps to penetrate a neighbor and give viral particles a direct route into COVID-impervious tissue. Researchers at the Pasteur Institute in Paris demonstrated the prospects for a nanotube-mediated cell crossing in a study in a lab dish that now needs to be confirmed in infected human patients.
Children who suffer four symptoms could develop Long Covid, study finds
Children who show at least four symptoms are most at risk of suffering from Long Covid, according to new research. The international study found the most common symptoms to be fatigue or weakness, cough, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Researchers also found hospitalisations for 48 or more hours and being aged 14 or older are other aggravating factors. These findings could help identify vulnerable individuals who are more susceptible to Long Covid. Lead author Professor Stephen Freedman of the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, explained: "We found in some children, illness with Covid-19 is associated with reporting persistent symptoms after three months. Our results suggest appropriate guidance and follow-up are needed, especially for children at high risk for Long Covid."
There's a new COVID-19 Omicron subvariant, so what is BA.2.75 and why are some people calling it 'Centaurus'?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic first began, many have become desensitised to these next few words: There's a new Omicron subvariant. BA.2.75 was first detected in India in early May. Since then, it's been found in Europe and the United States. The chief scientist with the World Health Organization (WHO), Soumya Swaminathan, said BA.2.75 appeared to have mutated in a way that could indicate "major immune escape". However, Dr Swaminathan says there isn't enough data to know how severe its impact will be. Here's what we know so far:
WHO Declares Monkeypox a Global Health Emergency
The World Health Organization has declared that monkeypox is a public-health emergency of international concern as global case numbers surpass 16,000. This is the first time the WHO has declared a global health emergency since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in January 2020. The WHO’s director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the emergency committee believes the risk is moderate globally, except in the European region where it assesses the risk as high.
‘Covid is not going to go away’: Australia will require public health measures for foreseeable future, say experts
In May 2021, Australia’s chief medical officer, Prof Paul Kelly, described how Covid vaccines were our “ticket out of the pandemic”. Vaccination, he said, would give Australians “a life with more certainty”. More than one year later, Australia’s Covid-19 vaccination rate is among the highest in the world. Yet daily deaths from the virus remain in the double-digits. Hospitals are overwhelmed, aged care homes and the most vulnerable are struggling with outbreaks, and there is again debate about whether more social restrictions, including mask mandates, are needed to curb virus spread. Infectious diseases expert and director of the Doherty Institute, Prof Sharon Lewin, said: “Last year, I definitely did not think we would be in this position.”
New study estimates how many children will get long Covid
An international study estimates the prevalence of long Covid in children to be anywhere from 5% to 10% — a figure that's far lower than estimates of long Covid in more than a third of adults. The findings, published Friday in the journal JAMA Network Open, also suggested that several factors could predict which children with Covid may have ongoing symptoms or develop new ones in the 90 days following infection. Those include having seven or more symptoms during the initial phase of illness and hospitalization for more than two days. Age was also a factor: Long-term symptoms were more prevalent in children 14 years and older.
WHO Prioritizes Health Care Workers And Older Populations in Latest COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy Update
After missing the target to vaccinate 70% of people in every country against COVID by July 2022, WHO’s new vaccine strategy prioritises 100% coverage for health workers and older people – but admits that every country will have to decide for itself. The World Health Organization has published an update to the Global COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy that preserves its 70% global vaccination target and 100% vaccination targets for health care workers and older populations, but acknowledges that countries will still need to determine their ‘context-specific targets’ for their own COVID-19 national vaccination programmes.
Coronavirus Resurgence
Mask wearing required in Kentucky's largest school district
Kentucky’s largest school district will require universal masking on school property as Jefferson County moves into the highest level of COVID-19 community spread.
The change begins Monday and lasts until Jefferson County comes out of the red, media outlets reported. It comes a little more than two weeks before classes resume in Jefferson County Public Schools. Everyone, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear a mask on district property or on school buses. District policy automatically requires universal masking whenever the county has a high level of COVID-19 community spread. When community spread in Jefferson County drops, masks in JCPS become optional.
China reports 982 new COVID cases for July 23 vs 817 a day earlier
Mainland China reported 982 new coronavirus cases for July 23, of which 129 were symptomatic and 853 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Sunday. That compares with 817 new cases a day earlier - 164 symptomatic and 653 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately. The bulk of the cases were in the northwestern province of Gansu and the southern region of Guangxi.
India logs 21,411 new COVID-19 cases, 67 deaths
India reported 21,411 fresh Covid-19 cases on Saturday with a daily positivity rate of 4.46 per cent. The death toll increased to 5,25,997 as 67 more people succumbed to the disease. The active cases increased to 1,50,100, holding 0.34 per cent of the total infections. The ministry data said that the weekly positivity rate stood at 4.46 per cent and the national recovery rate was recorded at 98.46 per cent. The number of people who have recovered from the disease surged to 4,31,92,379. The case fatality rate was recorded at 1.20 per cent, the ministry data added.
China Reports Fewer Covid Cases as Gansu Outbreak Eases
China said all its leaders received locally-made Covid-19 shots, the first time a confirmation was made in the absence of a vaccine mandate for the country with the world’s strictest controls against the virus. The Chinese leadership is “highly confident” in domestic vaccines, National Health Commission official Zeng Yixin said at a briefing on Saturday. The department also addressed concerns surrounding the shots, saying the vaccines won’t trigger illnesses such as leukemia and diabetes.