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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As well as ending quarantine for close contacts, national cabinet also agreed to transition away from doing PCR tests for people who only have mild respiratory symptoms or illness.
Instead, if the AHPPC agrees with the plan, people who do have mild symptoms will be encouraged to voluntarily self-isolate.
NBC NEWS
During at least the first few months following a coronavirus infection, even mild cases of Covid-19 are associated with subtle tissue damage and accelerated losses in brain regions tied to the sense of smell, as well as a small loss in the brain’s overall volume, a new British study finds. Having mild Covid is also associated with a cognitive function deficit.
China has placed about 17 million residents under lockdown, as virus cases doubled nationwide to nearly 3,400 and anxiety mounted over the resilience of its ‘zero-Covid’ approach in the face of the worst outbreak in two years.
The southern tech hub of Shenzhen – home to about 13 million people – told all residents to stay at home as it struggles to eradicate an Omicron flare-up linked to the neighbouring virus-ravaged city of Hong Kong.
The lockdown and a suspension of public transport will last until March 20, a city government notice said, adding that it would launch three rounds of mass testing.
A nationwide surge in cases has seen authorities close schools in Shanghai, China’s biggest city, and lock down northeastern cities, as almost 18 provinces battle clusters of the Omicron and Delta variants.
The city of Jilin – centre of the outbreak in the northeast – was partially locked down on Saturday, while residents of Yanji, an urban area of nearly 700,000 bordering North Korea, were confined to their homes on Sunday.
China, where the virus was first detected in late 2019, has maintained a strict “zero-COVID” policy, enforced by swift lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing when clusters have emerged.
But the latest flare-up, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant and a spike in asymptomatic cases, is testing the efficacy of that approach.
Zhang Yan, a Jilin health commission official, conceded that the response from local authorities had been lacking.
“The emergency response mechanism in some areas is not robust enough,” he said at a press briefing on Sunday.
“There is insufficient understanding of the characteristics of the Omicron variant … and judgement has been inaccurate.”
Residents of Jilin have completed six rounds of mass testing, with the city reporting more than 2,200 cases of the Omicron variant since Saturday.
The neighbouring city of Changchun – an industrial base of nine million people – was locked down on Friday, while at least three other small cities have been locked down since March 1.
The mayor of Jilin and the head of the Changchun health commission were dismissed from their jobs on Saturday, state media reported, in a sign of the political imperative placed on local authorities to contain virus clusters.
Hong Kong currently has one of the world’s highest death rates from the virus, as the Omicron variant cuts through its elderly population among whom vaccine hesitancy proliferates.
New Queensland Health data showing that 1,136 children aged up to 17 years were hospitalised with COVID-19, from when the interstate borders reopened on December 13, and March 10, including 23 who required intensive care.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-16/qld-coronavirus-covid19-child-vaccinations/100847854
Samoa has reported scores of new COVID cases each day since detecting its first case of community transmission last week reporting 95 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday and another 85 on Sunday. The South Pacific island nation of 200,000 people has been in lockdown since Saturday as it deals with its first outbreak of the pandemic.
Australia/New Zealand COVID-19 update 11 March 2022
Australia wide — 34,873 new cases; 261,987 active cases; 1,689 in hospital; 101 in ICU; 30 deaths.
• NSW: 14,034 new cases, 133,783 active cases, 998 in hospital, 39 in ICU, 7 deaths.
• VIC: 6,811 new cases, 46,263 active cases, 185 in hospital, 27 in ICU, 10 deaths.
• QLD: 4,327 new cases, 27,018 active cases, 250 in hospital, 16 in ICU, 8 deaths.
• ACT: 791 new cases, 3,899 active cases, 31 in hospital, 1 in ICU, 3 deaths.
• TAS: 1,129 new cases, 6,192 active cases, 16 in hospital, 4 in ICU.
• SA: 2,503 new cases, 22,054 active cases, 88 in hospital, 10 in ICU, 1 death.
• WA: 5,005 new cases, 20,788 active cases, 92 in hospital, 3 in ICU.
• NT: 273 new cases, 1,990 active cases, 29 in hospital, 1 in ICU, 1 death.
• NEW ZEALAND: 21,012 new cases (20,989 local), 209,754 active cases, 856 in hospital, 20 in ICU, 7 deaths.