J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by SwingBeep

The EMA only received an application for a Conditional Marketing Authorisation for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on Tuesday. An application has to be made before a medicine can be approved for use. The vaccines in use in the UK have only received Emergency Use Authorisation, this allows for the temporary use of a medicine under specific conditions as long as emergency circumstances apply. The vaccines are unlicensed and cannot be put on the market, unlike with a conditional marketing authorisation where the marketing authorisation holder is responsible for the product and its safety.

The UK has carried out most of the genomic sequencing, the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium was set up in March. This is the report for the B.1.1.7 variant: https://cov-lineages.org/global_report_B.1.1.7.html

The B.1.1.7 variant is a game changer. At today's Swiss COVID-19 press conference Martin Ackermann the head of the Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force presented the graph below. "In blue you see the possible evolution of the known variant, with an R-number of 0.9. The case numbers in January are still falling because the proportion of the new corona variant is not yet noticeable." However, Ackermann stressed the word "yet". "The new variant can be seen in orange. The proportion of the new variant is growing exponentially, so new infections will also jump".



Vaccine or no vaccine, sequencing or no sequencing the season is effectively over for UK based skiers.

The Hahnenkamm slalom that normally takes place on the day after the downhill has been replaced by a super-G, the current program is:

Friday, 22nd January 11.30 am: Worldcup downhill (Wengen)
Saturday 23rd January 11.30 am: Hahnenkamm-downhill
Sunday, 24th January 10.20 am: Hahnenkamm-Super-G

The Brits in Jochberg seem to have been on a ski course https://www.tt.com/artikel/17735254/corona-causa-jochberg-nur-skikurs-aber-keine-ausbildung-der-briten

The World Cup slalom races that were moved from Wengen to Kitzbühel have been cancelled and will now be staged in Flachau at a date to be announced. There are no plans to cancel the downhill at the moment.

In Jochberg in the district of Kitzbühel, 17 cases of the new Corona mutation B.1.1.7 are suspected. British ski instructors are said to have introduced the variant, which is said to be significantly more contagious, before Christmas. Sequencing is still underway. The Austrian federal government is calling on all local residents to undergo PCR testing.

Arnold Lunn was very much involved, as well as being the founder of the Kandahar Ski Club he was also a member of the Swiss Academic Ski Club, which was the co-founder of the Lauberhorn race. In 1920s Lunn organised the Anglo Swiss ski races https://www.busc1926.com/history these were the forerunners of the Lauberhorn races. Last year the 'Anglo Swiss' celebrated its 95th anniversary https://sas-ski.ch/events/22607

Over the Christmas holidays a British tourist who failed to go into quarantine managed to infect 27 people in the hotel he was staying at (which has now had to close) with the B1.1.7 variant.

The person concerned was the subject of a question at today's Federal Office of Public Health Corona virus press conference. In answer Linda Nartey the Cantonal Medical Officer for Berne and Vice President of the Association of Cantonal Medical Officers said:

"The regulation was clear: The super spreader from Great Britain in Wengen should have gone into quarantine, but disregarded this regulation. He only went into quarantine later."

I wouldn't like to be in his shoes when the Swiss authorities catch up with him!

A mobile test team is being sent to Wengen and will carry out mass testing from tomorrow, I think the authorities are worried that Wengen could become Ischgl 2. At the moment there are no plans to shut down Wengen, but this might change once they get the results from the mass testing.

The Lauberhorn downhill race was founded by Ernst Gertsch in 1930, he was president of the organising committee for 40 years https://www.lauberhorn.ch/en/about/history/history after he retired his son Viktor Gertsch took over. Victors brother Ulo Gertsch designed the Gertsch plate binding, a touring binding for the Swiss army that became the Fritschi touring binding and the heel hold down mechanism for the Salomon rear entry boot.

According to the latest reports another 100 people tested positive between Sunday and Monday, including race helpers, the race director is also in quarantine. Because it had to be assumed that many more people from the Lauberhorn team were infected with the virus, the danger to the athletes was too great.

As part of the measures to separate the athletes from the general population the Kleine Scheidegg and Lauberhorn sectors were due to be closed to the public from tomorrow.

According to the press release issued by Canton Berne the cancelation was triggered by the rapid spread of the so called 'British' B.1.1.7 variant of COVID-19.

From the German press release:

"The canton is concerned about the dynamic in which the virus is spreading. Based on this fact, the Health Directorate assumes that it is primarily the virus mutation from Great Britain that is leading to this effect.

In consultation with the OC, Swiss-Ski and those responsible for the Ski World Cup, the Health and Economic Directorates have decided to withdraw the permit for the Lauberhorn races. This is also because, after careful evaluation of the special measures announced yesterday, it will not be possible to take all precautions to ensure that the athletes and accompanying teams can be adequately protected in separate zones.

In Wengen, the virus has spread very quickly since mid-December. In just four weeks, over 60 cases have been reported within the Wengen population, after almost no cases before.

The Health Directorate will continuously examine and implement further measures to protect the population and holiday guests. As a first measure, mobile testing teams will be sent to Wengen to increase the testing capacity for the population.

The population of Wengen is asked to stay at home whenever possible and to avoid contacts outside their own household. If this is not possible, hygiene measures, distance rules and the obligation to wear a mask must be strictly observed. A test should be carried out if the slightest symptoms occur and also in the case of contact with people who have tested positive for the Corona virus. The same measures apply to tourists and guests staying in hotels or other holiday accommodation."

https://www.be.ch/portal/de/index/mediencenter/medienmitteilungen.meldungNeu.html/portal/de/meldungen/mm/2021/01/20210111_1504_kanton_bern_sagtinabsprachemitdenbeteiligtendielauberhorn-rennen?cq_ck=1610373974671

According to reports in the local press the closure of schools, hotels, holiday accommodation and other businesses in Wengen is also under consideration.

The UK variant, B.1.1.7 is thought to have been has been circulating in the UK since September, so it will have reached the continent by now. According to the Swiss health authorities, ten people in have tested positive for the UK variant, and three for the South African variant so far.

The COVID-19 restrictions are being extended almost everywhere; it is likely that there will be UK style in lockdowns across Europe in the near future.

The prospect of UK based skiers being allowed to travel to EU and not having to go into quarantine when they get there before the end of the skiing season is very slim.

The Valais cantonal police have provided some more information on the numbers involved. According to the head of information for the Valais cantonal police, they received a list from the Valais public health department that included 454 people from the UK, 231 of whom had given an address in Valais. The cantonal police carried out random checks on 150 of them, 138 were properly quarantined and 12 had left the country.

The cantonal police have now reported the 12 people who left the country to the public prosecutor's office. What awaits them remains to be seen. They could be pursued either by the Swiss attorney general's office, or the Valais cantonal authorities.