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
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Three removalists who travelled to central western NSW from Sydney after testing positive to COVID-19 and placing those communities in "extreme risk" have been convicted and fined $1100 each.
Twins Roni and Ramsin Shawka, 28, and Maryo Shanki, 21, were also sentenced to a one-year community corrections order after pleading guilty to not complying with a COVID-19 direction.
"But the risk was incredible," magistrate David Day said on Wednesday in the Orange Local Court.
Had the men of Assyrian background who mostly spoke Chaldean not lacked proficiency in English and better understood NSW health officials' directions, the magistrate said he would have no issue sending them to jail.
Another mitigating factor was the twins' mother dying of COVID-19 not long after the incident occurred.
On July 16 the trio, as directed by their manager at On Time Removals, attended a COVID-19 facility for testing before setting off from West Hoxton, according to the facts of the case.
Major changes to mask and QR code check-in rules will be implemented when NSW reaches its next vaccination milestone as the government announces an overhaul of its COVID-19 roadmap.Masks will only be required on public transport and planes, at airports, and for indoors front-of-house hospitality staff who are not fully vaccinated.
QR codes and check-ins will just be used in "high-risk" settings, such as hospitals, aged and disability care facilities, gyms, places of worship and funerals. Beauty salons, hairdressers, some hospitality settings such as small bars an nightclubs, as well as indoor music festivals will all still require QR code check-ins.
These changes will come into effect when NSW hits 95 per cent fully vaccinated, or December 15 - whichever is first.Currently 92 per cent of people over 16 in NSW are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and the booster program is underway for anyone who had their second shot more than six months ago.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the state is "leading the way" with its vaccination rate.
"The easing of these restrictions will allow people to get out and enjoy summer providing a boost for some of our hardest industries as we do everything we can to ensure we keep people safe as we learn to live with COVID," he said.In addition to these changes, proof of vaccination will no longer be required by Public Health Order for most activities.
However, businesses can still require proof at their own discretion. It will still be needed at indoor music festivals with more than 1000 people.
Density limits will also be scrapped when the state hits the next milestone.
Catching COVID-19 still seemed like a fairly unlikely possibility when Charlotte and her old schoolfriends caught up over dinner in Melbourne's CBD recently, chatting, drinking and laughing together for the first time in many months.
Despite living through the city's lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, the 23-year-old didn't know anyone who had caught COVID.
The group of 13 was fully vaccinated, and they wore masks when they left the table where they spent about four hours together.
They had followed the rules, but a few days after their joyous reunion, 11 of them came down with COVID, making their dinner what one epidemiologist described as a "superspreader" event.
Catching COVID-19 still seemed like a fairly unlikely possibility when Charlotte and her old schoolfriends caught up over dinner in Melbourne's CBD recently, chatting, drinking and laughing together for the first time in many months.
Despite living through the city's lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, the 23-year-old didn't know anyone who had caught COVID.
The group of 13 was fully vaccinated, and they wore masks when they left the table where they spent about four hours together.
They had followed the rules, but a few days after their joyous reunion, 11 of them came down with COVID, making their dinner what one epidemiologist described as a "superspreader" event.
The dinner had taken place on a Saturday night, and by the time Charlotte had developed symptoms and was waiting on test results, her friends had already begun to return positive tests on the Tuesday.
"I knew I was not well so I likely knew my results were coming back positive," she said.
"Still, I absolutely bawled my eyes out when they came back positive.
"I didn't even know anyone who had had COVID.
"Even though we've lived through nearly two years of a pandemic it's been something circulating around me and something I'm aware of, but not something that has really been present in my life."
Ms Webster said in hindsight she would have taken more heed about risks she picked up on, like the restaurant she was in not checking vaccination status, and some wait staff not wearing masks.
"We were all sitting there, fully vaccinated ... at a restaurant, in what we thought was quite a safe environment," she said.
"Nowadays I would definitely be a lot more stringent about where I'm eating out and what I'm doing."
One of Charlotte's friends had serious symptoms that led to her calling an ambulance and being checked into a hospital, but luckily, no-one in the group ended up severely ill.
When the Victorian government announced last week that almost all restrictions would lift, it was also revealed that state-managed contact tracing would be wound back, with a focus on high-risk sites.
Dr Gibney said everyone in Australia should work under the assumption that they would likely be exposed to COVID at some point in the next 12 months.
"I'm not saying that every person will definitely be exposed to COVID, but you have to expect you will be exposed to COVID," she said.
"It's out there and it's going to stay circulating in the community."
Scientists believe that its extensive mutations mean it must have originated in a severely immunocompromised patient, possibly an undiagnosed person with AIDS. It has more than 30 mutations, giving it all the transmissibility of the currently-dominant Delta strain and the same ability to escape vaccines as the old South African variant Beta. Experts fear the new variant - called B.1.1.529 - will make the vaccines at least 40 per cent less effective, because it is so well equipped to dodge the protection they provide. Britons have been put on alert that there could be a Christmas lockdown, with one of No10's vaccine advisers warning 'we all need to be ready' for restrictions to be reimposed.
The world shut itself off from Southern Africa today in response to a super mutant variant that was unheard of just days ago. B.1.1.529 was first picked up in Hong Kong on Monday.
European leaders tightened Covid lockdowns today, with the Belgian prime minister warning case totals are 'worse than the worst-case scenario' as the winter wave goes from bad to worse
Any non-Australian citizen or their dependents who have been in nine African countries in the past 14 days will not be able to enter Australia following the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant of concern.
The ban applies to anyone who has been in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, the Seychelles, Malawi and Mozambique.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the ban was because of the emergence of the Omicron variant — originally identified as b.1.1.529 — in those countries.
Australian citizens, residents and their dependents from those countries will need to go into immediate supervised quarantine for 14 days.
International students and skilled migrants who have also been in those countries will also need to quarantine.
Anyone who has been in those countries in the past 14 days will be required to immediately quarantine. All flights from those nations will be immediately suspended for 14 days.
"There are currently no known cases of the Omicron variant in Australia," Mr Hunt said.
"And we'd just note that there are 20 people in quarantine in Howard Springs in the Northern Territory who've arrived from South Africa in the last week.
"One person in Howard Springs from South Africa has tested positive, but it is not known if they have the Omicron variant.
Everyone arriving in Australia from overseas will now need to show their 14-day travel history to ensure they haven't been in southern Africa.
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said there is not yet any clear indication Omicron is more severe than other variants.
"We do know that it does contain a large number of mutations,"
Dr Kelly said."It is quite different to previous variants that we have been watching."
All unvaccinated travellers from any overseas country will continue to enter hotel quarantine.
Public health advice on quarantine arrangements and isolation requirements will be provided as soon as new information emerges on the risk posed by the new variant and the extent of its international transmission.
People can get the latest information by visiting www.nsw.gov.au/COVID-19.
28/11/2021
NSW Health has confirmed two returned travellers have tested positive for the new Omicron COVID-19 variant in Sydney. The two positive cases are in isolation in the Special Health Accommodation. Both people, who are fully vaccinated, arrived in Sydney from southern Africa on Saturday, November 27. They are among 14 people who arrived on Qatar Airways QR908, Doha to Sydney, about 7pm.
The remaining 12 passengers from southern Africa are undertaking 14 days of hotel quarantine, also in the Special Health Accommodation. About 260 passengers and air crew on the flight are considered close contacts and have been directed to isolate.
Australia COVID-19 update 23 November 2021
Australia wide — 1022 new locally acquired cases, 1 new OS acquired case, 21 deaths.
VICTORIA
• 827 new from 48,427 tests, all locally acquired, 19 deaths.
• 9,420 active cases, 303 in hospital, 44 active with 53 cleared in ICU, 23 ventilated.
• Of those in hospital 77% not fully vaccinated and in ICU 80% were unvaccinated.
• Not all deaths occurred yesterday due to delayed reporting from the coroner. 17 of the 19 deaths were unvaccinated and included people aged in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
• The 10 LGAs with the highest number of new cases are Wyndham, Melton, Casey, Hume, Greater Dandenong, Whittlesea, Brimbank, Glen Eira, Melton and Monash.
• Concerns mounting after 3 people were admitted to the University Hospital Geelong after contracting COVID at a country music gig in western Victoria at the Hamilton Golf Club on November 14 for vaccinated patrons only. The event has since been listed as a high-risk venue by Western District Health Services after 18 people who attended the performance contracted the virus. The confirmed cases are between nine and 86 years old.
• New statewide exposure sites no longer published.
NEW SOUTH WALES
• 173 new from 52,302 tests, 2 deaths.
• 2,632 active cases, 196 in hospital, 34 in ICU, 13 ventilated.
• Deaths: An unvaccinated woman in her 80s died at RPA Hospital. She was a resident of Presbyterian Aged Care nursing home at Ashfield, where she acquired her infection, the second death linked to this facility. An unvaccinated man in his 80s from SW Sydney died at Liverpool Hospital.
• New cases by Local Health Districts are 46 SW Sydney, 25 Western Sydney, 21 Sydney, 20 SE Sydney, 16 Hunter New England, 14 Northern Sydney, 10 Western NSW, 7 Illawarra Shoalhaven, 7 Mid North Coast, 4 Murrumbidgee, 1 Nepean Blue Mountains, 1 Southern NSW LHD and 1 in hotel quarantine.
ACT
• 19 new with 1,556 negative tests, all locally acquired.
• 186 active cases, 6 in hospital, 3 in ICU, 2 ventilated.
• List of exposure sites.
NORTHERN TERRITORY
• 3 new from 1,251+ tests, all locally acquired.
• 39 active cases, 5 in hospital.
• 3 new local cases overnight, Chief Minister Michael Gunner says.
• One of the new cases is an infant from Robinson River, now taken to Royal Darwin Hospital. A man in his 40s who received one vaccine dose and identified as a close contact has also tested positive. The third case is an unvaccinated woman in her 20s.
• Mr Gunner said 1,149 tests were conducted in Katherine yesterday. "We are confident all residents in Warlpiri Camp have now been tested, and all residents in Rockhole and Warlpiri Camp and Binjari, have now received their first dose of the vaccine." All the test results from Rockhole have come back negative so far.
• List of exposure sites.
QUEENSLAND
• 1 new from 7,929 tests, an OS traveller in hotel quarantine.
• 5 active cases, 4 in hospital, 0 in ICU.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
• 0 new from 4,698 tests.
• 2 active cases, 0 in hospital.
• Double-dosed travellers from NSW, VIC and the ACT can now enter SA quarantine free and must complete an application through the EntryCheck website. However, those coming from LGAs with less than 80% vaccination rates and community transmission will need to quarantine.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
• 0 new from N/A tests.
• 9 active cases, 0 in hospital.
TASMANIA
• 0 new from 580 tests.
• 1 active case, 0 in hospital.
NEW ZEALAND
• 218 new from 24,198 tests, 215 locally acquired, 3 OS travellers in managed isolation, 1 death.
• 4801 active cases, 88 in hospital, 6 in ICU.
• A patient in their 50s has died at Auckland City Hospital.
• New cases include 196 in Auckland, 11 in Waikato, 4 in Northland, 2 in Lakes District, 1 in Bay of Plenty, 1 in MidCentral.
• 116 of today’s cases are epidemiologically linked with 99 under investigation.
• 65 of 178 cases reported yesterday were infectious in the community.
• Travel with New Zealand could become more difficult after Air New Zealand announced it's cutting over 1,000 flights to Australia through to the end of December. The airline says that's due to continued border uncertainty, but some quarantine-free flights to Sydney and Melbourne will continue for the fully vaccinated.
• List of exposure sites.