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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We have all heard the stories of that one unlucky person we know who has managed to contract COVID-19, not once but twice.
Last month, Newcastle man Will Benson, 20, shared with 9News his nightmarish experience of testing positive to COVID-19 twice in one month.
Overseas, where the first waves of the pandemic saw large numbers of infections, there have been reports which seem even more extreme - of people contracting the virus three or even four times.
For those who have felt on somewhat safer ground because of a previous infection, these reports can seem discouraging, but are reinfections something to worry about?
A fourth 'winter dose' of COVID-19 vaccine has been recommended by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) for four at risk groups.
Adults aged 65 and over, First Nations Australians aged over 50, residents in aged care and disability settings, along with immunocompromised people over the age of 16 will be eligible, as reported by 9News Federal Political Reporter Chris O'Keefe.
Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt confirmed "winter doses" will commence from April 4; the same day the flu vaccine program will begin.
Mr Andrews said he would now isolate for seven days.
"So far, Cath and the kids have tested negative. As they are close contacts, they will also isolate for the next seven days," he said.
Having COVID-19 appears to raise a person’s risk of developing diabetes within the next year by about 40%, according to a very large new study of patients treated at U.S. Veteran’s Administration health systems.
The study, based on records from more than 8 million people and 180,000 who had COVID-19, was published this week in Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology by Yan Xie MPH, of Veterans Research and Education Foundation of Saint Louis, MO, along with Al-Aly.
The findings align with those from another study based on data from primary care in Germany. That study was smaller and of shorter length than the new VA study, but the results were consistent.
COVID-19 increased the diabetes risk by 59% even for people who were not overweight, and by 38% among those with the lowest diabetes risk.
The risk of developing diabetes was higher for people with more severe cases of COVID-19 who had been hospitalized or in the ICU, but even people with mild cases had a higher risk for diabetes than people who hadn’t had COVID-19.
Hong Kong has registered the most deaths per million people globally in recent weeks — more than 24 times that of Singapore.
The increase in COVID-related deaths in the city is due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant spreading through aged care homes since February, with a large population of the elderly unvaccinated.
The densely packed city has recorded more than 1 million infections since the pandemic started and about 5,000 deaths — most of them in the past month.
The rising number of deaths from COVID-19 has seen the city's funeral industry experience a shortage of coffins, and mortuaries have been so full of bodies that they have been temporarily stored in refrigerated containers.
The Omicron wave has also stretched the city's hospitals, with many operating beyond their capacity, and patients forced to wait outside in beds.
Estimates from health experts suggest as many as 4 million people could be infected with the virus, as many of the city's residents have contracted COVID-19 and isolated at home without notifying authorities.