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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After just 2,239 deaths in 2020 and 2021, Australia now has one of the highest Covid transmission rates per capita in the world, with 5,633 deaths so far this year alone and a seven-day average of 45 deaths a day.
Hours after reciting figures including that 65 people had died in Australia with Covid in the past day, Morrison claimed the government was “putting this pandemic behind us”.
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No sympathy from Morrison.
Pauline Hanson has tested positive to Covid just two days out from the federal election. The One Nation leader is not vaccinated and has previously slammed the Covid vaccine. She is now in isolation. More.
This week Australia became a world leader.
But it wasn't for a feat of engineering or some sort of sporting achievement — it was an unwelcome title.
According to global databases, Australia led the world in per-capita COVID infections (if you ignore the tiny islands of Montserrat, Anguilla and The Falklands).
On Friday, 54,591 cases were reported across Australia, on the back of two consecutive days of about 58,000 cases, with Western Australia bracing for new infection records.
Saturday's numbers moved the official seven-day average to more than 48,000 daily cases, putting Australia behind only Germany and the US in total new daily cases recorded.
Some countries, such as Denmark, have scrapped COVID-19 testing recommendations, and others have scaled back testing regimes, meaning getting like-for-like comparisons across the world is now more difficult.
However in Australia, hospitalisations and deaths are also tracking upwards, with the average number of COVID-related daily deaths hitting 40, doubling since March.
But with the country in the middle of an election campaign — in which COVID barely gets a mention — a war raging in Ukraine, the cost of living rising and following more than two years COVID restrictions, the virus has, understandably to some, dropped off the radar.
Queensland hospitals have been forced to postpone some non-urgent elective procedures due to a worldwide shortage of contrast solutions required for a range of medical imaging.
After a relatively mild first bout of COVID-19, triple-vaccinated Perth teacher Kylie Lund was shocked to catch the virus again so quickly — and so badly — just eight weeks later. She tested positive for the second time last Friday and went downhill quickly, having to call an ambulance on Sunday night after finding it difficult to breathe and swallow.
"I have had worse hangovers than my first COVID but this second just floored me," she said, "It's such a weird virus."
Just one in every 2,000 cases are reinfections. The Omicron variant was about 10 times as likely to be associated with reinfection compared with previous strains of the virus.
A study led by an expert from The University of Western Australia has found a virus-killing nasal spray could be effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19.
Associate Professor Peter Friedland, from UWA’s Medical School, was lead author of the study In vivo (human) and in vitro inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 with 0.5% povidone-iodine nasal spray published in the Australian Journal of Otolaryngology.
“Global management of the COVID-19 pandemic relies on effective community vaccination and preventive strategies to reduce airborne spread of the virus,” Associate Professor Friedland said.
Nasodine Nasal Spray is based on povidone-iodine, the same active ingredient found in Betadine throat gargle, and has been in development for almost a decade as a treatment for the common cold.
Laboratory experiments showed a 15-second exposure to the nasal spray reduced infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 by 99.97 per cent, while a 60-second exposure completely eliminated viral infectivity.
A subsequent pilot study of six COVID-19 patients, who were shedding the virus from the nose, looked at whether the laboratory results translated to people.
The trial showed that a single Nasodine dose (four sprays per nostril) reduced viral shedding in five of the six subjects (83 per cent) at five minutes after the dose, with an overall 79 per cent reduction in viral shedding at one hour after the dose.
• More than 150 Queenslanders have been hospitalised with the flu so far, while 10 are in ICU.
• More than 4,000 flu cases already reported this year.
• The Australian Medical Association says Queensland's current flu trajectory is "frightening".
• Businesses have been warned to prepare for staffing shortages over the winter months.
AMA Queensland's Dr Bav Manoharan described the current flu cases as "astonishing". "We're really worried about the trajectory that this flu season is heading on … it's quite frightening," he said.
The latest Queensland Health data shows 1,008 COVID-19 deaths so far, including at least 500 aged care residents, most occurring during this year's Omicron waves. University of Queensland Associate Professor virologist Ian Mackay warned the pandemic was not over. "Deaths are not dropping off and haven't been for months — they seem to be steadily growing," Professor Mackay said. If the current rate fails to slow down, COVID would sit behind heart disease as the state's leading causes of death.
When it comes to hitting 1,000 deaths, Dr Mackay borrowed a quote others had used: "We are dying from COVID, not living with it."
Australia/New Zealand COVID-19 update 18 May 2022
Australia wide — 56,403 new cases; 381,162 active cases; 3,134 in hospital; 133 in ICU; 53 deaths.
• NSW: 12,297 new cases, 135,294 active cases, 1,395 in hospital, 57 in ICU, 14 deaths.
• VIC: 14,220 new cases, 78,017 active cases, 510 in hospital, 31 in ICU, 22 deaths.
• QLD: 7,082 new cases, 39,304 active cases, 511 in hospital, 16 in ICU, 7 deaths.
• ACT: 1,098 new cases, 6,190 active cases, 74 in hospital, 4 in ICU.
• TAS: 1,179 new cases, 6,366 active cases, 45 in hospital, 1 in ICU, 1 death.
• SA: 4,072 new cases, 25,911 active cases, 247 in hospital, 10 in ICU, 6 deaths.
• WA: 16,253 new cases, 88,100 active cases, 327 in hospital, 12 in ICU, 3 deaths.
• NT: 202 new cases, 1,980 active cases, 25 in hospital, 2 in ICU.
• NEW ZEALAND: 9,661 new cases, 56,146 active cases, 425 in hospital, 9 in ICU, 32 deaths.