Corona disease: China extends Shanghai coronavirus lockdown as frustration mounts over strict "zero-COVID" policy

While most American cities are opening up and lifting COVID-19 restrictions, one of the biggest cities in the world has been shut back down. Shanghai, China's most populous city with some 25 million inhabitants, was largely at a standstill on Friday as China battles its worst wave of coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic.

Read more at: China extends Shanghai coronavirus lockdown as frustration mounts over strict "zero-COVID" policy - CBS News

China - corona virus outbreak:Shanghai Covid: China announces largest city-wide lockdown

China has announced its biggest city-wide lockdown since the Covid outbreak began more than two years ago.

The city of Shanghai will be locked down in two stages over nine days while authorities carry out Covid-19 testing.

The important financial hub has battled a new wave of infections for nearly a month, although case numbers are not high by some international standards.

Read more at: Shanghai Covid: China announces largest city-wide lockdown - BBC News

Russia Crimes Against Humanity: Is Russia committing war crimes by bombing hospitals in Ukraine? - by Dr Amir Khan

Whether in times of peace or conflict, a set of medical ethics and principles guides the work of healthcare workers and hospitals – the commitment to save lives and reduce suffering.

In times of war, to maintain some humanity in armed conflict, certain rules and agreements have been made that mean targeting civilians and civilian buildings – including healthcare facilities – constitute a war crime.

Read more at: Is Russia committing war crimes by bombing hospitals in Ukraine? | Russia-Ukraine war | Al Jazeera

Corona Virus - lasting effects: They contracted COVID more than a year ago. How these 4 people are fighting lasting effects

He suffered two strokes, COVID-induced pneumonia, a medically induced coma and several months wiped from his memory. More than a year after his initial infection, he's still not back to the person he was before the coronavirus. That's the case for many so-called COVID-19 long-haulers in Horry County, South Carolina, and across the country.

Hardee's lung capacity is still only at 38%.

Michelle Ford can't taste or smell her food.

Robert Bellamy was diagnosed with diabetes.

Dr. Lisa Centilli felt depressed, frustrated and alone.

They attribute it all to the coronavirus.

Read more at https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-03-covid-year-people-effects.html

USA: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tells students to take off masks at event - by Zac Anderson

Irked by the sight of high school students wearing masks at his press conference Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis encouraged them to remove the facial coverings, calling their use “COVID theater.”

"You do not have to wear those masks,” DeSantis said in video captured by WFLA News Channel 8, Tampa’s NBC station. “Please take them off. Honestly, it's not doing anything. We've gotta stop with this COVID theater. So if you wanna wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous."

Read more at: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tells students to take off masks at event

Covid 19- Pfizer Covid vaccine may not protect against infection in kids - by Berkeley Lovelace Jr.

Two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine offer almost no protection against coronavirus infection in kids ages 5 to 11, according to new data posted online — a finding that may have consequences for parents and their vaccinated children.

Researchers from the New York State Department of Health found that the vaccine’s effectiveness dropped to 12 percent from 68 percent in the age group in December and January, when the omicron variant of the coronavirus began circulating widely in the United States.

Read more at:Pfizer Covid vaccine may not protect against infection in kids

The Netherlands: Covid: Netherlands to ease restrictions despite rising case numbers

Mr Rutte,DutchPM,who has faced growing calls for a relaxation of restrictions in recent weeks amid falling deaths and admissions to intensive care, added that the new rules will be effective until 8 March.

Cafes, bars and restaurants will be allowed to open until 10pm, though to gain entry patrons will be required to show a negative test result, prove they are vaccinated or have recently recovered from a coronavirus infection.

Read more at: Covid: Netherlands to ease restrictions despite rising case numbers - BBC News

USA - Covid : CDC wants to 'give people a break' from mask wearing - by John Bacon Jorge L.Ortiz Jeanine Santucc

COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths are all declining and federal health officials could ease guidance on masks soon, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, speaking at a White House briefing on COVID-19, said her agency was assessing data and "will soon put guidance in place" that encourages prevention measures while protecting public health and hospitals.

The CDC recommends indoor masking in areas with substantial or high transmission. That includes 97% of U.S. counties, Walensky said.

"We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing when these metrics are better," Walensky said. "And then have the ability to reach for them again should things worsen."

Read more at: CDC wants to 'give people a break' from mask wearing: COVID-19 updates

USA: California’s first surgeon general on Covid: ‘Greatest collective trauma’ of a generation

Burke Harris, who resigned this month, said the pandemic is “probably the greatest collective trauma of our generation,” and she, like all Californians she was sworn to serve – will have a long road ahead processing the last two years.

Reflecting on her three years as surgeon general of the most populous US state, Burke Harris warned that “the health consequences of this pandemic will continue, even after the virus itself is contained.”

Read more at: California’s first surgeon general on Covid: ‘Greatest collective trauma’ of a generation | California | The Guardian

Germany- Coronavirus restrictions: Germany announces end to most COVID restrictions on March 20

Germany's leaders on Wednesday announced plans to end most of the country's coronavirus restrictions by March 20, a decision that coincided with moves by neighboring Austria and Switzerland to drop many of their curbs sooner.

Read more at: Germany announces end to most COVID restrictions on March 20 - ABC News

USA - Covid Immunity: Nearly three-quarters of Americans have some Covid immunity, experts say

Almost three-quarters of Americans are now estimated to have some level of immunity to the Omicron Covid variant that created havoc after it emerged late last year just as people hoped the pandemic was finally waning.

The subsequent Omicron wave that assaulted the US this winter has, however, bolstered its defenses, leaving enough protection against the coronavirus that future surges will probably require much less – if any – dramatic disruption to society, experts reckon.

Read more at: Nearly three-quarters of Americans have some Covid immunity, experts say | Coronavirus | The Guardian

Health and the Olympics: Top 10 Health Concerns for Olympic Athletes

Janeiro, Brazil, and they’ve got more on their minds than just the competition. The first Olympic Games to be held in South America come with some unique challenges, along with the usual threats to health and safety that every Olympic Game presents.

“Approximately 10 percent of Olympians get hurt during their days at the games, either while training on site or in actual competition,” reports Scientific American. In addition to injuries, viral, and bacterial infections are creating a serious international buzz. Let’s look at 10 health concerns each athlete in attendance faces this year.

Read more at Top 10 Health Concerns for Olympic Athletes | University of Utah Health

Covid Test Cost: How much does a Covid test cost around the world?

In Australia, a federal scheme introduced at the end of January allows pensioners and concession card holders to access up to 10 free rapid antigen tests over three months through their chemist. But the scheme got off to a difficult start, with supply issues hampering attempts to procure the tests. In January the competition regulator raised concerns that rapid antigen tests often cost between A$20 and A$30 (£15-£20) per test and sometimes more than A$70 a test through smaller retail outlets, despite wholesale costs ranging from A$3.95 to A$11.45.

In Belgium the price of an antigen self-test sold in pharmacies is around €6-€8 (£5-£7), more expensive than in neighbouring countries, such as France and the Netherlands, although they are available in Belgian supermarkets for about €3. Prices have come down and are expected to fall further: one big pharmacy chain announced this week they had begun selling tests for €1.99. While a PCR test, which costs about €41, is free for people with symptoms, or may be reimbursed by health insurance, self-tests usually have to be funded by individuals. The Belgian consumer association Test-Achats/Test Aankoop estimated this week that a family of four could spend €250 a month on Covid tests, hand sanitiser and face masks.

Read more at: How much does a Covid test cost around the world? | Coronavirus | The Guardian

Big Pharma and Corona vaccinations: Putting big pharma in charge of global vaccine rollout was a big mistake : by Nick Dearden

Pfizer has had an exceptionally good pandemic. Today it announced that its Covid-19 vaccine brought in $37bn billion last year, making it easily the most lucrative medicine in any given year in history.

That isn’t all. For a company that was until recently the least trusted company in the least trusted industrial sector in the United States, Covid-19 has been a PR coup. Pfizer has become a household name over the last 12 months. The company was toasted on nights out in Tel Aviv, and there are cocktails named after its vaccine in bars across the world. The US president referred to Pfizer’s chief executive, Albert Bourla, as a “good friend”, and the great man parked his jet next to Boris Johnson’s at last year’s G7 summit in Cornwal

The global vaccine rollout has created levels of inequality so great that many call it a ‘vaccine apartheid’. Pharmaceutical corporations like Pfizer have led this rollout, setting the terms by which they sell vaccines and deciding who to prioritise. Ultimately, their approach affects who does, and does not, receive vaccines. Right from the start, Pfizer was clear that it wanted to make a lot of money from Covid. The company claims that its vaccine costs just under £5 per dose to produce. Others have suggested it could be much cheaper. Either way, the company is selling doses at a huge profit – the UK government paid £18 a shot for its first order, £22 for its most recent purchase. That means the NHS has paid a mark-up of at least £2bn – six times the cost of the pay rise the government agreed to give nurses last year.

It has been claimed that the company initially tried to pitch their medicine to the US government for an eye-popping $100 a dose. Tom Frieden, a former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accused the firm of “war profiteering”.

Pfizer has sold the vast majority of its doses to the richest countries in the world – a strategy sure to keep its profits high. If you look at its global distribution, Pfizer sells a tiny proportion of its vaccines to low-income countries. By last October, Pfizer had sold a measly 1.3% of its supply to Covax, the international body set up to try to ensure fairer access to vaccines.

Pfizer wasn’t selling many doses to poorer countries, but neither would it allow them to produce the life-saving vaccine on their own, through licensing or patent sharing..

Read more at: Putting big pharma in charge of global

USA: Why the CDC’s guidelines on isolation, boosters, and masks are so confusing - by Dylan Scott

The fierce backlash to the CDC’s recent decision to shorten the recommended isolation period for people who test positive for Covid-19 was the latest in a series of communications blunders so severe that they have now become a meme.

Communication is an essential part of any public health response. But US health agencies have struggled with it since the very beginning of the pandemic, when government officials initially advised against wearing masks in early 2020 before reversing themselves to recommend nearly

It appeared the initial guidance may have been issued in order to preserve enough masks for health care workers. Government officials were warning at the time that hospitals’ supplies could be depleted at a critical moment if there was a run on masks. It was the first of the pandemic’s “noble lies,” The Week’s Ryan Cooper wrote in a blistering essay on the paternalistic treatment of the US public that has undermined the country’s Covid-19 response.

America’s public health institutions have failed to communicate effectively with the US public throughout the pandemic for two reasons: either they have been left trying to defend poor policies, or the messaging has taken the place of creating any kind of coherent policy at all

Read more at: Why the CDC’s guidelines on isolation, boosters, and masks are so confusing - Vox

Covid and heart problems: Getting COVID-19 is much riskier for your heart than vaccination

The heart has played a central role in COVID-19 since the beginning. Cardiovascular conditions are among the highest risk factors for hospitalization. A significant number of patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infections have signs of heart damage, and many recover from infection with lasting cardiovascular injury.

Perhaps the most common point of conflict concerning COVID-19 vaccines is the risk of myocarditis following immunization, particularly among young people.

It’s not surprising that debates over COVID-19 vaccines frequently centre around issues involving cardiovascular health. The high-profile collapse of Danish soccer player Christian Eriksen in June initiated a myth about the link between sudden cardiac death and vaccination among athletes that persists several months later.

Read More at: Getting COVID-19 is much riskier for your heart than vaccination | PBS NewsHour

USA: Health experts warn of new COVID variant already making its way across the country

"It looks like this new variant may be slightly more contagious than Omicron, but it does not appear to be more dangerous than Omicron. It does not seem to cause more serious disease," Bailey said.

Bailey said it's more important than ever to be wearing masks because Omicron, and now BA.2, are so easily transmitted from person to person.

"These new variants, because they are so contagious, we get such high viral loads," Bailey said. "It's much more helpful to use an N95 type mask than just a regular surgical type mask or cloth face covering."

Read more at: Health experts warn of new COVID variant already making its way across the country | WCHS

India: COVID: India′s economy battles widespread unemployment, inflation

turned violent, as groups protesting mass unemployment blocked roads and railway lines.

Protester Navin Kumar Jha, 28, told DW he was among 10 million applicants for roughly 36,000 total jobs being offered.

"The authorities had to finally suspend the recruitment. We wanted to draw attention to joblessness that is worsening in the country," Jha said.

Read more at: COVID: India′s economy battles widespread unemployment, inflation | Asia | An in-depth look at news from across the continent | DW | 31.01.2022

Canada: Omicron infections have peaked nationally, Canada's top doctor says - by John Paul Tasker

Canada's chief public health officer said Friday that cases of the Omicron variant have peaked nationwide and the number of new infections has dropped significantly over the past week.

Canada's molecular testing system has been hampered by constrained capacity and staffing issues that have made PCR tests unavailable to many. Dr. Theresa Tam pointed to other indicators — daily case counts, test positivity rates and wastewater surveillance trends — that she said suggest Canada is now through the worst of the Omicron wave.

But the number of people in hospitals with COVID-19 is still at a record high, putting Canada's health care system under severe strain.

Read more at: Omicron infections have peaked nationally, Canada's top doctor says | CBC News

Covid variant or ‘scariant’? Experts warn a future ‘Deltacron’ is possible

Health experts have cast doubt on reports of a possible Covid-19 mutation combining elements of both the Delta and Omicron variants. While the evidence on “Deltacron” remains scarce, French virologists warn that the emergence of such hybrid strains is a distinct possibility.

Talk of a possible new hybrid variant with a name from a Hollywood disaster B-movie spread like wildfire on social media at the weekend, leaving behind the now customary trail of conspiracy theories and black humour. While some prominent scientists rushed to warn against the risk of peddling disinformation, others have argued that rampant variants make the threat of such mutant strains all too real.

The controversy kicked off on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, currently roiled by Europe’s highest Covid-19 rate of infection, where a local team of scientists claimed last week to have discovered the new variant. Led by Leondios Kostrikis, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus, the scientists said the new strain presented Omicron-like genetic signatures within the Delta genomes – hence the name “Deltacron”.

Read more at: Covid variant or ‘scariant’? Experts warn a future ‘Deltacron’ is possible