1/7 - “The UK, Ireland, Germany, Denmark and some northern Italian regions have all ordered schools to shut for several weeks to try to contain #COVID19 infections, in some cases on the back of extended Christmas holidays.” ft.com/content/8121ca…
2/7 - “We know how important it is for parents to have to look after
children and how important learning is for children . . . and how important educational qualifications are in our country,” said Markus Söder, prime minister of Bavaria, “It was a “difficult decision”
3/7 - “European countries largely kept schools open last autumn even as they imposed a second lockdown, shutting bars, restaurants, leisure venues and non-essential shops. It was a stark contrast with the first lockdown in the spring when many switched to remote learning.”
4/7 - “The comparatively consistent European commitment to keeping schools open had also stood in contrast to the US, where a debate about whether to reopen or keep schools closed raged all year in school districts across the country.”
5/7 - “Mr Johnson took the decision following findings from the UK gov’s scientific advisers on Dec 22 that a new more transmissible #SARSCoV2 variant meant it was “highly unlikely” the R of the virus could remain below one without closing primary and secondary schools.”
6/7 - “An Imperial College London paper published last month found the new variant of #SARSCoV2, known as B. 1.17, was most prevalent among the under-20s, but was spreading quickly to other age groups.”
7/7 - “In much of Europe, bars and restaurants had already been shut for weeks leaving schools as one of the few remaining transmission routes.”
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1/9 - “Beijing has barred the entry of a 10-member World Health Organization team investigating the origins of the #COVID19 pandemic after their visas were not approved.” ft.com/content/7e9ce6…
2/9 - “The slow progress of the WHO probe and its lack of access into the origins of the pandemic have drawn criticism from the US and calls for greater transparency from some western governments.”
3/9 - “China maintains that it welcomes the investigation, which will be primary focused on identifying when, where and how the #SARSCoV2 virus that causes #COVID19 made the jump from animals to humans.”
2/9 - Valais is experiencing a surge again in its #COVID19 epidemic activity (R-eff=1.22), at high levels, with very high levels of mortality, for 7 more days.
3/9 - Geneva will be slowly landing towards its #COVID19 safety zone (R-eff=0.95), at high levels, with low levels of mortality, for 7 more days.
2/21 - Belgium is landing towards its #COVID19 safety zone (R-eff=0.87), at medium levels of activity, with very high levels of mortality, for 7 more days.
Vaccine campaign has started. No data reported.
3/21. Germany is plateauing in its #COVID19 epidemic activity (R-eff=0.97), at high levels, with very high levels of mortality, for 7 more days.
Soft lockdown.
316,962 vaccinated as of Jan 04.
1/9 - ““The estimates on the transmission advantage are tightening,” said Professor Neil Ferguson, of Imperial College London. “A 60 to 70 per cent increase is now [scientists’] central estimate.” ft.com/content/24743a…
2/9 - “Scientists said there was no evidence that B.1.1.7 is transmitted in a significantly different way from previous #SARSCoV2 strains or that it spreads more easily among children. The variant is just more contagious in every setting where people meet.”
3/9 - “Scientists’ conclusions about the increased transmissibility of the B.1.1.7 variant have been drawn primarily from epidemiological modelling of the way the strain has rapidly supplanted existing forms of coronavirus since its first known appearance in Kent in late Sept.”
2/21 - Belgium is landing towards its #COVID19 safety zone (R-eff=0.86), at medium levels of activity, with decreasing very high to high (from Thursday) levels of mortality, for 7 more days.
Vaccine campaign has started. No data reported.
3/21. Germany is slowly landing towards its #COVID19 safety zone (R-eff=0.94), remaining at high levels, with increasing very high levels of mortality, for 7 more days.
Soft lockdown.
265,610 vaccinated as of Jan 03.
1/9 - “Boris Johnson ordered a third economically disastrous national lockdown for England as the prime minister warned that the NHS risked being overwhelmed by a surge in cases of the new #COVID19 strain.” ft.com/content/016f2d…
2/9 - “In a sharp switch in position, Mr Johnson ordered the immediate closure of all primary and secondary schools until mid-February as he imposed a version of the lockdown that shut down England last March.”
3/9 - “The government is once again instructing you to stay at home,” [Boris Johnson] said in a televised address. “Our hospitals are under more pressure from Covid than at any time in the pandemic.”