Scientists have produced evidence that the pandemic virus is 'uniquely adapted to infect humans', raising fresh questions over whether its origins were natural or could have occurred in a laboratory.
Where did the Coronavirus 19 Originate from? and anything relative to the virus.
Where did the Coronavirus 19 originate from? and anything relative to the virus.
Coronavirus is 'uniquely adapted to infect humans': Top vaccine scientist says it could only have come from an animal through a 'freak of nature' - and the possibility it leaked from Wuhan lab MUST be investigated
2344 comments
Australia COVID-19 update 4 September 2021.
Australia wide — 1,756 new locally acquired cases, 4 new OS acquired cases, 4 deaths.
NEW SOUTH WALES
• 1,534 new from 131,174 tests, 1,533 locally acquired, 1 OS traveller in hotel quarantine, 4 deaths.
• Over 24,000 active cases, 1,041 in hospital, 173 in ICU (137 unvaccinated), 62 ventilated.
• Deaths: A man in his 50s died at Westmead Hospital, a man in 60s died at his Western Sydney home, a man in his 70s died at Liverpool Hospital and a woman in her 80s died at Fairfield Hospital. None were vaccinated.
• There have been 26,517 locally acquired cases reported since 16 June 2021 and 123 deaths.
• New cases by Local Health Districts are 512 Western Sydney, 494 SW Sydney, 150 Sydney, 122 SE Sydney, 90 Nepean Blue Mountains, 38 Western NSW, 36 Northern Sydney, 17 Illawarra Shoalhaven, 15 Central Coast, 15 Hunter New England, 13 in correctional settings, 9 Far West NSW, 22 yet to be assigned an LHD.
• Concerns about wastewater detections in Tamworth, Glen Innes, Port Stephens, Cooma and Kempsey.
• NSW has broken its own COVID records for a second consecutive day.
• In the tiny town of Wilcannia, which has a high Indigenous population, 9 new infections yesterday brought the total number of cases to 97 — that means roughly 13% of people in the town have the virus. There were 38 new infections in the Western NSW LHD, including 22 in Dubbo and nine in Bourke.
• List of exposure sites.
VICTORIA
• 190 new from 49,548 tests, all locally acquired.
• 1,301 active cases, 76 in hospital, 23 in ICU, 14 ventilated. None in hospital fully vaccinated.
• Of the 190 new local cases, 103 are linked to known cases and outbreaks, while 15 are being investigated, 103 were in isolation for their entire infectious period.
• New cases breakdown includes 96 in the northern suburbs (54 in Hume which has become the biggest LGA cluster and 18 in Moreland), 55 in the western suburbs (including 17 in Wyndham), 14 in the south-east suburbs, 11 in the inner south, 6 in the City of Melbourne, 3 in the eastern suburbs, 1 on the Mornington Peninsula, 4 in Shepparton and 25 cases have now been identified as part of the Acquire call centre outbreak.
• CHO Brett Sutton says improper mask use may be contributing to airborne transmission "'A mask on a chin does bugger all".
• List of exposure sites.
ACT
• 32 new from 2,632 tests, all locally acquired.
• 239 active cases, 10 in hospital, 2 in ICU, 1 ventilated.
• Of the new cases, 24 are linked to current exposure sites or identified close contacts, 5 are still under investigation. 19 new cases were in infectious in the community, with only 8 in quarantine for their entire infectious period. The Chief Minister has warned that the high number of people infectious in the community is of concern.
• 32 new cases is a record for the ACT.
• Canberra has listed 25 new exposure sites overnight.
• List of exposure sites.
QUEENSLAND
• 2 new from 9,996 tests, 1 locally acquired, 1 OS traveller in hotel quarantine.
• 18 active cases, 15 in hospital, 0 in ICU.
• The new local case is a four-year-old girl (close contact of a positive Logan truck driver) who attended the Boulevard Early Learning Centre in Logan, south of Brisbane, on Tuesday and Wednesday. The early learning centre is used as after-school care for Windaroo State School. The centre and Windaroo State School are now closed. Children, staff and visitors to both have to immediately come forward for testing, then quarantine at home for 14 days, even if they get a negative result. More than 1,000 Queensland families in home quarantine as a result.
• A lockdown may be considered if further community cases emerge. CHO Dr Jeanette Young very concerned about the risk of the Beenleigh Marketplace, where the Logan driver was on Monday morning.
• List of exposure sites.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
• 2 new from 5,527 tests, both OS travellers quarantined in medi-hotels, and both under age 10.
• 5 active cases, 1 in hospital.
• List of exposure sites.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
• 0 new from N/A tests.
• 9 active cases, 0 in hospital.
NORTHERN TERRITORY
• 0 new from 1,570 tests.
• 3 active cases, 0 in hospital.
TASMANIA
• 0 new from N/A tests.
• 0 active cases, 0 in hospital.
NEW ZEALAND
• 22 new from 11,037 tests, 20 locally acquired, 2 OS travellers in managed isolation, 1 death.
• 751 active cases, 43 in hospital, 7 in ICU, 3 ventilated.
• A woman in her 90s with a number of underlying health conditions died last night in Auckland's North Shore Hospital.
• All new local cases were in Auckland bringing the total outbreak to 782, including 17 in Wellington. 70% were in isolation for their whole infectious period with 30% infectious in the community.
• List of exposure sites.
AUSTRALIA VACCINES
• The TGA has announced it has provisionally approved the use of Moderna’s Spikevax vaccine for people aged 12 years and older. This reduces the age cap from a previous 18 years, set early last month.
Moderna vaccine approved for children 12 years and older, in line with Pfizer vaccine (msn.com)
Moderna vaccine approved for children 12 years and older, in line with Pfizer vaccineby political reporter Tom Lowrey 23 hrs ago Family fears missing autistic 3yo boy has been abducted
© Getty The Moderna vaccine is due to arrive in Australia later this month.
Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by Australian health authorities for children as young as 12.
The vaccine was already approved for adults 18 and over, and the Therapeutic Goods Administration has now extended that approval down to teenagers.
It brings the vaccine into line with the extremely similar Pfizer vaccine. Both are based on MRNA technology.
The two vaccines are the only vaccines available to children, with the AstraZeneca vaccine only available to adults over 18.
While both are approved for children aged 12 and over, there is no vaccine for children under 12, and no country in the world has made COVID-19 vaccines broadly available for that age group.
The Moderna vaccine is due to arrive in Australia later this month.
It will likely be made available primarily in pharmacies, and will only be made available to people under the age of 60.
While the TGA has approved the vaccine for those 12 and over, vaccine expert advisory body ATAGI will also provide its advice on Moderna's use.
All children from 12 to 15 years of age can book a Pfizer appointment from September 13, and those in a priority group can book now.
Australia COVID-19 update 9 September 2021.
Australia wide — 1743 new locally acquired cases, 6 new OS acquired cases, 5 deaths.
NEW SOUTH WALES
• 1,407 new from 156,481 tests, 1405 locally acquired, 2 OS travellers in hotel quarantine, 5 deaths.
• Over 28,250 active cases, 1,175 in hospital, 202 in ICU, 80 ventilated.
• There have been 33,296 locally acquired cases reported since 16 June 2021 and 153 deaths.
• Deaths: A woman in her 40s died at Liverpool Hospital, 2 women in their 70s died at Ryde Hospital and Concord Repatriation Hospital, 2 men in their 80s died at Nepean and Westmead Hospitals.
• New cases by Local Health Districts are 450 SW Sydney, 394 Western Sydney, 211 Sydney, 118 SE Sydney, 74 Nepean Blue Mountains, 34 Northern Sydney, 24 Western NSW, 22 Central Coast, 23 Illawarra Shoalhaven, 12 Hunter New England, 4 Far West NSW, 3 Southern NSW, 9 in correctional settings, 27 yet to be assigned an LHD.
• Concerns about wastewater detections in Tamworth, Lightning Ridge, Glen Innes and Culburra Beach and Moruya in southern NSW.
• First Nations fears grow in Western NSW with one family reporting 40 members infected.
• Premier unveiled the NSW recovery roadmap. Most freedoms will be granted only to the fully vaccinated and will trigger the Monday after NSW reaches its 70% double dose target. The first stage will see homes reopen for up to five visitors at a time and outdoor gatherings of up to 20 people. Retail stores, gyms, nail salons, hairdressers and hospitality venues will reopen at reduced capacities with the return of the one person per 4 square-metre rule. Full details.
• Despite the go ahead, The Australian reports chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant and NSW Health officials advised against opening up at 70% double dose. According to the report, health officials eventually agreed to the target but had advised to reopen the economy when vaccination levels were closer to 85% double dose.
• Parts of regional NSW currently deemed low risk and which have seen zero COVID cases for at least 14 days will emerge from lockdown at 12:01am Saturday 11 September.
• List of exposure sites.
VICTORIA
• 325 new from 54,242 tests, 324 locally acquired, 1 OS traveller in hotel quarantine.
• 2,166 active cases, 111 in hospital, 32 in ICU, 14 ventilated.
• Of today's 324 new cases 107 linked to existing outbreaks and cases, with 217 under investigation.
• New cases include 195 in Melbourne's Northern suburbs, 102 in Western suburbs, 5 Eastern suburbs, 20 in SE suburbs and 2 in regional Victoria (Shepparton and Mitchell Shire).
• Victoria's COVID-19 commander Jeroen Weimar says the spread of the virus in households is one of the major driver’s of the state’s outbreak and a third of current exposure sites are at supermarkets urging people to maintain good habits whilst out shopping for food.
• Doctors call for more Pfizer doses to be urgently allocated in Melbourne's north.
• Regional lockdown lifted except for Greater Shepparton.
• List of exposure sites.
ACT
• 13 new from 3,432 tests, all locally acquired.
• 227 active cases, 9 in hospital, 2 in ICU, 0 ventilated.
• Of the new cases, 13 are linked to known cases or outbreaks with 2 under investigation.
• 5 were in quarantine for their entire infectious period and 8 for part of their infectious period with 2 still under investigation.
• Canberra's lockdown is set to go until September 17, but the high number of cases infectious in the community may mean the lockdown could be extended.
• List of exposure sites.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
• 2 new from 5,537 tests, both returned OS travellers quarantined in medi-hotels.
• 8 active cases, 1 in hospital.
• List of exposure sites.
QUEENSLAND
• 1 new from 13,560 tests, locally acquired.
• 21 active cases, 19 in hospital, 0 in ICU.
• The new local case was detected in home quarantine, a 10-year-old boy, the brother of a 4-year-old who had the virus in Beenleigh who are close contacts of the Logan truck driver who contracted the virus in NSW and tested positive last week. Authorities have "no concerns" about wider transmission.
• List of exposure sites.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
• 1 new from 4,322 tests, a returned OS traveller in hotel quarantine.
• 2 active cases, 0 in hospital.
• Parents of Perth soccer player Danny Hodgson secure flights from UK to WA to be at his bedside. Danny is fighting for his life in a Perth hospital, after he was allegedly attacked by a 15-year-old boy.
NORTHERN TERRITORY
• 0 new from N/A tests.
• 2 active cases, 0 in hospital.
TASMANIA
• 0 new from 1,394 tests.
• 0 active cases, 0 in hospital.
NEW ZEALAND
• 18 new from 17,684 tests, 13 locally acquired, 5 OS travellers in managed isolation (3 historical).
• 625 active cases, in hospital, 5 in ICU, 4 ventilated.
• All new local cases were in Auckland, 9 in isolation with 6 infectious in the community.
• List of exposure sites.
WORLD
• Latest Delta outbreak threatens Singapore’s "living with Covid-19" plan. The number of infections in Singapore has doubled in the past week putting a lid on any further restriction easing, with authorities warning they may need to reimpose measures if the virus can’t be contained.
• John Hopkins snapshot ... sadly the US remains at the top spot for deaths.
VACCINES
• New research from the Doherty Institute shows that you are 86% less likely to be hospitalised by COVID-19 after having your second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The study also found those who had received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine were 92% less likely to die as a result of the virus.
Australia COVID-19 update 10 September 2021.
Australia wide — 1901 new locally acquired cases, 1 new OS acquired case, 10 deaths.
NEW SOUTH WALES
• 1,542 new from 133,226 tests, all locally acquired, 9 deaths.
• Over 28,250 active cases, 1,156 in hospital, 207 in ICU, 89 ventilated.
• There have been 34,804 locally acquired cases reported since 16 June 2021 and 162 deaths.
• Deaths: A man in his 30s died at Nepean Hospital, woman in her 40s at Liverpool Hospital, man in 50s at Liverpool Hospital, woman in 50s at Gosford Hospital, 2 men in 60s (one at home, one at Royal North Shore Hospital), 2 men in 70s (one at home, one at Prince of Wales Hospital), woman in 80s at Ryde Hospital.
• New cases by Local Health Districts are 506 SW Sydney, 402 Western Sydney, 199 Sydney, 134 SE Sydney, 88 Nepean Blue Mountains, 38 Illawarra Shoalhaven, 30 Northern Sydney, 28 Western NSW, 26 Central Coast, 13 Hunter New England, 5 Far West NSW, 3 Southern NSW, 49 in correctional settings, 21 yet to be assigned an LHD.
• Patient load has doubled for paramedics in just two weeks with a total of 5,900 COVID or suspect COVID patients transported by NSW Ambulance.
• Towns south of Queensland border to leave lockdown despite recent sewage detections.
• List of exposure sites.
VICTORIA
• 334 new from 42,998 tests, all locally acquired, 1 death.
• 2,426 active cases (85% under 50), 127 in hospital (90% unvaccinated), 33 in ICU, 21 ventilated.
• Of the 334 local cases, 149 linked to known cases and outbreaks, with 185 under investigation.
• New cases include 190 in northern suburbs (including Craigieburn and Roxburgh Park), 109 in western suburbs (including Truganina and Altona North), 16 cases SE suburbs (including Noble Park and Frankston), 9 in eastern suburbs plus 4 in regional LGAs.
• Authorities remain concerned that they are still finding cases where entire households are positive when the first person has come forward to be tested, and others where adjoining household families are all positive at the same time.
• More than 100 V-Line rail staff in isolation after a train driver who worked at Southern Cross Station and visited Traralgon station tested positive. Train line disruptions could last several weeks.
• Regional lockdown lifted except for Greater Shepparton which still has more than 70 active cases.
• List of exposure sites.
ACT
• 24 new from 2,263 tests, all locally acquired.
• 238 active cases, 15 in hospital, 2 in ICU, 1 ventilated.
• Of the new cases, 18 are linked to known cases or outbreaks with 6 under investigation.
• List of exposure sites.
QUEENSLAND
• 2 new from 11,940 tests, 1 locally acquired, 1 OS mariner.
• 21 active cases, 19 in hospital, 0 in ICU.
• The new locally acquired case is a 13 year old girl in Sunnybank. St Thomas More College in Sunnybank has been closed and all students and families put into 14-days of mandatory home quarantine as a matter of precaution. Investigations still underway.
• Restrictions easing for NSW border communities from 1.00am Monday.
• New exposure sites listed in Queensland including a BP service station in Archerfield, and Westfield Garden City Town Square after a truck driver tested positive when returning to NSW.
• List of exposure sites.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
• 0 new from 5,021 tests.
• 7 active cases, 1 in hospital.
• List of exposure sites.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
• 0 new from 2,491 tests.
• 2 active cases, 0 in hospital.
NORTHERN TERRITORY
• 0 new from 1,797 tests.
• 2 active cases, 0 in hospital.
TASMANIA
• 0 new from 824 tests.
• 0 active cases, 0 in hospital.
COVID BREACHES
• Sydney tree loppers arrested for door-knocking in the Hunter region a second time, just one week since they were fined a total of $33,000. Four men were issued with court attendance notices for failing to comply with directions and providing false information to Service NSW.
NEW ZEALAND
• 17 new from 14,181 tests, 11 locally acquired, 6 OS travellers in managed isolation.
• 617 active cases, 27 in hospital, 4 in ICU, 4 ventilated.
• All new local cases were in Auckland, 10 in isolation with 1 infectious in the community.
• List of exposure sites.
As of June 2021 more than 2.33 billion COVID vaccine doses have been administered world-wide. Because so many people have been vaccinated, there is more safety data available than with any other vaccines. The COVID vaccine has proven to have an incredible safety record.
Side effects have occurred in very rare cases, and these have to be weighed against the known high risks from contracting COVID.
(Paul Goepfert, MD, Director of the Alabama Vaccine Research Center, University of Alabama)