Covid-19 News and Discussions

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Rise in King County COVID cases worries locals as busy travel season begins​

 

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Long COVID condition gets a new definition​

 

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Chris Cuomo Confronts COVID-19 Vaccine Myths and Misinformation​

 

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Fauci: Trump got Covid 'miracle cure' idea from Laura Ingraham

 

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Nationals Senator to introduce bill for a ‘commission of inquiry’ into Covid-19​

 

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Think you have COVID? Good luck finding a test kit​

 

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VDH weighs in on COVID summer surge​

 

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Kansas AG Kris Kobach suing Pfizer for ‘misleading Kansans on COVID vaccine’​

 

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New COVID variant emerges as ER visits rise in the US​

 

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COVID-19 sees uptick during summer months, likely due to travel​

 

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First encounter with SARS-CoV-2: immune portraits of COVID susceptibility

Controlled human infection with SARS-CoV-2 to track defence responses.

www.nature.com

 

[Yommie]

Between the flu, COVID and RSV, we have 'so many things circulating simultaneously'. Here's what the data says

It's not an extraordinary year in terms of the flu or RSV "in isolation", but this year's winter season is unusual because there are many things circulating together.

www.abc.net.au

Between the flu, COVID and RSV, we have 'so many things circulating simultaneously'. Here's what the data says​

By Jessica Riga
Posted 16h ago

Actual COVID-19 cases could be "five or 10 times" higher than reported. (Pexels: Mojca J)
abc.net.au/news/flu-whooping-cough-rsv-cases-up-as-covid-cases-unkown/104002964
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If it feels like everyone around you is getting sick, you're probably right.
"We're not seeing a particularly extraordinary year in terms of flu or RSV in isolation," says infectious diseases physician and clinical microbiologist Paul Griffin.
"What we're experiencing, which is perhaps a little different, is we've got so many things circulating in relatively high levels simultaneously.
"It's a very significant thing for us to have to deal with and is creating a burden on our healthcare system."
Here's a snapshot of some of the most common illnesses making the rounds in our communities, and how you can stay safe this winter.

RSV cases have already overtaken the 2022 yearly total​

According to the health department's National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (NNDSS), Australia has already recorded over 100,000 cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
That is already higher than the 2022 yearly total of 95,949 – and we're only halfway through the year.

Dr Griffin says there is a chance 2024 will surpass last year's total as well.
"We're still seeing a lot of RSV around," he told ABC News.
"The great difference this year of course is we have vaccines and antibodies to protect some of the most vulnerable.
"But it's probably too early to see a significant difference as a result of those interventions.
"So I do think there's a chance those numbers could climb."

COVID-19 figures are 'meaningless' now​

While it might look like COVID-19 cases are down significantly, this is because it is no longer a requirement to report positive RAT results.

"COVID case numbers are almost meaningless now because we know so few people are getting tested," Dr Griffin said.
"We know rapid antigen tests are probably still happening but we don't record those results.
"It may well be that our actual case numbers are many folds higher than what's being reported, five or 10 times more, perhaps."
Dr Griffin says the level of hospitalisations is one way of tracking the severity of COVID-19 in the community.
The Department of Health reports a seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 hospitalisations.
Eighty-one cases were admitted to hospital on June 12, however, the data is delayed by up to two weeks.

Influenza cases are on par with the previous two years​

According to the NNDSS, Australia has recorded more than 100,000 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza this year.
The flu saw record low levels in 2021 when pandemic restrictions – such as social distancing and wearing masks – were in place.

"It's really hard to know why we see the rates of all these infections that we do," Dr Griffin told ABC News.
"We know there's year to year fluctuations and some of these things will fluctuate year to year as well as every five years.
"We've also interrupted any patterns we used to have by what we did for COVID.
"We saw extraordinarily low levels of all these respiratory infections for a year and a half, two years, because of our interventions to reduce the spread of COVID.
"How that's altered our subsequent patterns is really hard to know."

Whooping cough is returning to pre-pandemic levels​

Along with the flu, cases of whooping cough also declined significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But by already recording more than 10,000 whooping cough cases, this year's figures are nearly five times greater than the 2023 yearly total.

"I think everyone's fatigue and frustration at being mindful of reducing the transmission of all these things has led to all those good things we did during COVID happening at perhaps the lowest levels we've seen in a long time," Dr Griffin says.
"That's not big lockdowns and border restrictions – that's as simple as hand hygiene and staying home when you're unwell.
"The rates of all those things has declined and that will certainly be part of the explanation."

How to avoid getting sick (or infecting others) this winter​

Dr Griffin recommends "staying home if you're unwell, and particularly staying away from vulnerable people."
Hand hygiene and cough and sneeze etiquette are also "really important and effective," as is air quality and ventilation.
"Mask wearing does make a difference as well," Dr Griffin says.
"And, not suggesting we have widespread mandates, but we know if worn correctly they help, and of course vaccination.
"At the moment our flu vaccine rates are some of the worst we've seen in a long time.
"We've seen whooping cough come back, partly due to low vaccination rates, so we need to remind people of the importance of those."
Dr Griffin adds that vulnerable people need to make sure they are boosted against COVID-19.
"I think there's not enough messaging about the importance of vaccination."

 

[Yommie]

https://www.reddit.com/r/CoronavirusDownunder/comments/1dkszvh

Weekly case numbers from around Australia: 10,914 new cases (11%)​

Australia: Case Update

• NSW 5,236 new cases (4%)
• VIC 1,438 new cases (44%)
• QLD 2,180 new cases (3%)
• WA 407 new cases (14%)
• SA 1,223 new cases (21%)
• TAS 152 new cases (14%)
• ACT 190 new cases (1%)
• NT 88 new cases (13%)

These numbers suggest a national estimate of 220K to 330K new cases this week or 0.8 to 1.3% of the population (1 in 95 people).
There seems to be a bit of inconsistently with the Victorian reporting recently and they had an unusually big drop this week, but hospitalisations and wastewater readings are showing decreasing trends.

Flu tracker tracks cold and flu symptoms (fever plus cough) and is another useful tool for tracking the level of respiratory viruses in the community. This decreased slightly to 2.3% (0.1%) for the week to Sunday. These are on par with the seasonal average.

• NSW: 2.6% (0.1%)
• VIC: 2.3% (NC)
• QLD: 2.4% (0.1%)
• SA: 1.7% (0.8%)
• WA: 1.8% (0.2%)
• TAS: 1.3% (1.2%)
• ACT: 2.3% (0.5%)
• NT: 1.4% (2.2%)

Based on the testing data provided, Flu Tracker is suggesting around 236K new symptomatic covid cases this week (0.9% or 1 in 110 people).
The National Dashboard was finally updated this week for May, so a peek at the deaths that are continuing to decrease with time.

If you look really hard you may notice that we seem to have registered our first death doughnut day since Omicron arrived in late 2021. The 7 day average at the time was 13 deaths per day.

Finally, a quick look across the ditch, where NZ seems to be well past their peak. Their numbers often mirror what is happening here, and their wave was caused by the same variant soup that we have (KP.*)
They had 4,788 cases this week, down from their peak of 6,142 cases three weeks back.

Reinfections are now the norm in NZ, even with the likely lack of testing in children and young adults skewing the results. (i.e. they are the cohort that is exposed the most and are likely to get reinfections.)

 

[Yommie]

COVID vaccine mandate scrapped for these NSW workers

The update was made following consultation with staff and unions.

7news.com.au

Published: 16.05.2024
Updated: 16.05.2024
2 min read

COVID-19 vaccine mandate scrapped for healthcare workers in NSW​

The update was made following consultation with staff and unions.
By Molly Magennis

Healthcare workers in NSW will no longer have to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The state’s health department updated its rules on Thursday, following a consultation process with staff and unions back in March.
Vaccination against COVID-19 for all health workers is now “strongly recommended” rather than required.

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NSW Health introduced mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for healthcare workers in August 2021.
Workers were required to have had at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, unless they had a medical exemption.
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Nurses’ Professional Association of NSW (NPAN) secretary Anita Scutts said she was relieved the mandates had been lifted and was hopeful experienced healthcare professionals could now return to work to help with ongoing shortages.
“NPAN has been fighting the mandates since 2021 and currently has hundreds of accepted discrimination complaints in the Australian Human Rights Commission, some of which are against NSW Health,” she told 7NEWS.com.au.
“Owing to the government’s decision to rip thousands of experienced nurses out of hospitals, years of experience and knowledge have been lost to the detriment of patients.
“NPAN has been calling for experienced healthcare professionals to return and alleviate the healthcare crisis, regardless of vaccination status. NSW hospitals are in crisis, it’s time to let them return.”

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In March, NSW Chief Health Officer Doctor Kerry Chant said COVID-19 remained a “serious public health issue”.
“COVID-19 vaccination continues to provide strong protection against severe illness, particularly for people at higher risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19, including older adults and those with underlying health conditions,” she said.
As of September 2023, COVID-19 vaccination mandates for healthcare workers in Queensland were scrapped.
Mandates for WA healthcare workers were also revoked in 2023, while the same was done in the NT in June 2022.
Some healthcare workers in prescribed settings in Victoria and South Australia are still required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

 

[Yommie]

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