DenisCOVIDinfoguy

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to auscovid19

(1/4) NSW respiratory surveillance reports: Week ending 4 May 2024

⚠️COVID-19 activity low. Influenza activity is low. RSV activity is high⚠️

🔸COVID PCR test positivity rate: 5.4% (-0.9%)

🔹COVID: 2,019 (+34%)
🔹Influenza: 1,526 (+30%)
🔹RSV: 2,429 (-7%)

#COVID19nsw @auscovid19

Source: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/reports.aspx

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DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to auscovid19

‘Fear more deadly than AstraZeneca’s Vaxzevria COVID vaccine’ | The Australian

"A leading infectious diseases physician says overblown fears about the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine probably caused more deaths than the vaccine’s rare ­adverse side effects"

#AstraZeneca #COVIDvaccine @auscovid19

Source: https://archive.md/l0Ifk#selection-439.141-439.167

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to Japan

🇯🇵Japan: "Many still face COVID aftereffects a year after the government lowered the classification of COVID-19 from Category II to Category V, which includes seasonal influenza."

"While the usual hustle and bustle has returned to the streets of Japan, many people are still left with COVID-19 aftereffects — in some cases with symptoms that greatly hamper people's daily activities."

#COVID19 #Japan #COVIDisNotOver @auscovid19

Source: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/05/08/japan/science-health/many-still-suffering-from-covid-aftereffects/

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to auscovid19

"Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is reportedly withdrawing its COVID-19 vaccine worldwide. The vaccine was discontinued by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Authority in April 2023 after findings of adverse side effects."

#AstraZeneca #COVIDvaccine @auscovid19

Source: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/podcast-episode/astrazeneca-covid-vaccine-withdrawn-worldwide/9rorgpds8

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to auscovid19

By Dr Amanda Cohn @DrAmandaCohn

"The latest data shows that almost 6 people are dying per week from COVID that they caught in Victorian hospitals."

"There's nothing to suggest that things are better here in NSW but there's no way of knowing because NSW doesn’t collect hospital acquired COVID infections data."

#COVID19 @auscovid19

Source: https://twitter.com/DrAmandaCohn/status/1787974548912226394

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DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to auscovid19

FLiRT COVID-19 Variants Are Spreading: What to Know About KP.2 and KP.1.1 Strains | prevention.com

"The current COVID vaccine may not protect against them as well as previous variants."

#COVID19 #KP2 #KP11 @auscovid19

Source: https://www.prevention.com/health/health-conditions/a60701402/flirt-new-covid-variants/

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to auscovid19

COVID-19 and flu update Ballarat: Masks Still Matter in 2024 | thecourier.com.au

"MASKS still matter is the advice from the region's public health leader as the community faces rising cases of COVID-19 and influenza."

"If everybody who is symptomatic tests themselves, many will show they have COVID-19." - Dr Rob Grenfell, Grampians Public Health Unit chief strategy and regions officer

#COVID19 #Ballarat #Masks #COVIDisAirborne #COVIDisNotOver @auscovid19

Source: https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/8607418/covid-19-and-flu-update-ballarat-masks-still-matter-in-2024/

COVID-19 cases continue to impact bed availability and staffing at Grampians Health Ballarat Base Hospital with 14 COVID-positive patients in hospital as of Monday morning. This did not include patients with influenza. Dr Grenfell said both viruses were a serious concern, particularly for those at a higher risk of severe outcomes - and many people had loved ones under threat. "The issue for people out there are those with impaired immunity," Dr Grenfell said. "We're continuing to bring outbreaks in aged care centres under control...we're testing inpatients and those across our cancer wards. "If everybody who is symptomatic tests themselves, many will show they have COVID-19." The nation's drug regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administrator, has also been urging people to check their rapid antigen tests (commonly known as a RAT) and to not use a kit after its expiry or use-by date. City of Ballarat's free RAT program finished at the end of 2023. Dr Grenfell said all the health and hygiene lessons from COVID-19 still mattered to prevent viral outbreaks: social distancing; hand hygiene; good ventilation; wearing masks when in closed spaces and unable to social distance; and, keeping vaccinations up to date. He said masks do work as a line of protection and people should consider masking up once more. If sick - even with a sniffle - Dr Grenfell urged people to stay at home.

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to Rats

What are the most reliable rapid antigen tests? | racgp.org.au

"A new study has analysed 26 RATs from Australia and Canada, finding only six could effectively detect the lowest concentrations of COVID-19."

#COVID19 #RATs #rapidantigentests @auscovid19

Source: https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/what-are-the-most-reliable-rapid-antigen-tests

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to Japan

🇯🇵Japan saw over 16,000 deaths from COVID-19 in May-Nov 2023.

"Health experts have stressed the need for a renewed understanding that lives are still being lost to the virus, even after the government reclassified COVID-19 as an infectious disease on par with the seasonal flu on May 8 last year"

#COVID19 #Japan #COVIDisNotOver @auscovid19

Source: https://japantoday.com/category/national/japan-saw-over-16-000-deaths-from-covid-19-in-may-nov.-2023

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to auscovid19

Queensland: Weekly infection surveillance report: 29 April to 5 May 2024

Reported cases:

🔹COVID: 1,116 (+27.5%)
🔹Influenza: 530 (-7.5%)
🔹RSV: 1,140 (+0.5%)

Hospitalisations:

🔸COVID: 180 (+12.5%)
🔸Influenza: 55 (+12.2%)
🔸RSV: 91 (-14.1%)

@qldhealth @ShannonFentiman #PandemicIsNotOver @auscovid19

Source: https://health.qld.gov.au/clinical-practice/guidelines-procedures/diseases-infection/surveillance/reports/flu

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DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to mecfs

Griffith University researchers to trial naltrexone on Long COVID and MECFS patients.

#LongCOVID #MECFS @auscovid19

Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-07/qld-griffith-university-trial-naltrexone-long-covid/103800050

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to auscovid19

As bird flu spreads among dairy cattle, CDC scraps COVID reporting for hospitals.

As of May 1, hospitals in the United States are no longer required to report on hospitalizations from COVID-19 or influenza within their facilities to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). An act that amounts to a final step in the dismantling of all tracking of the COVID pandemic.

The complete scrapping of all mitigation measures has allowed SARS-CoV-2 to continue evolving unimpeded. Although sequencing data remains limited, the KP.2 (JN.1.11.1.2) lineage of Omicron (24.9 percent of sequences) has now outpaced JN.1 (22 percent) as the dominant variant in the US.

Dr. Sato and colleagues noted in their preprint study, “KP.2 shows the most significant resistance to the sera of monovalent XBB.1.5 vaccine without infections (3.1-fold) as well as those with infection (1.8-fold). Altogether, these results suggest that the increased immune resistance ability of KP.2 partially contributes to the higher reproductive number more than previous variants including JN.1.”

#COVID19 @auscovid19

Source: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/05/06/covi-m06.html

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to auscovid19

🇺🇸US weekly COVID update: 47,000 new cases and sadly 557 deaths.

🔸So far this year, more than 3.1 million cases of COVID have been reported in the U.S., causing 277,070 hospitalizations and 28,017 deaths.

#COVID19US #COVIDisNotOver @auscovid19

Source: https://twitter.com/BNOFeed/status/1787262269866295775

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to auscovid19

🇳🇿New Zealand COVID weekly update: 29 Apr to 5 May

🔹New cases: 2,287 (-2.4%)
🔹Reinfections: 1,379 (60.3%)
🔹Deaths: 19 (+72.7%)
🔹Hospital: 116 (-27%)
🔹ICU: 0 (+0%)

🔸60.3% were reinfections

Sadly, 29 deaths being reported today.

🔸COVID-attributed deaths: 19
🔸Not COVID: 11
🔸Not available: 3

2 were in their 60s
5 were in their 70s
14 were in their 80s
8 were aged over 90

Of these people, ten were women and 19 were men

#COVID19NZ @auscovid19

Source: https://tewhatuora.govt.nz/for-health-professionals/data-and-statistics/covid-19-data/covid-19-current-cases/

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DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to auscovid19

Navigating turbulent times: Gemma Carey's insightful COVID journey.

@gemcarey #COVIDisNotOver @auscovid19

Source: https://canberratimes.com.au/story/8597744/navigating-turbulent-times-gemma-careys-insightful-post-covid-journey/

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DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to Victoria

Victoria: Hundreds of patients died after catching COVID in Victorian hospitals, new data shows

Almost 1 in 10 patients who caught COVID in hospital died.

Documents obtained by ABC News under Freedom of Information laws reveal at least 6,212 patients caught COVID in hospital in 24 months — 3,890 in 2022 and 2,322 in 2023. Of those, 586 died — almost 6 per week, on average — with men dying at a higher rate than women (11 per cent vs 8 per cent).

#COVID19 #Victoria @auscovid19

Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-06/hundreds-died-catching-covid-victoria-hospitals-testing-masking/103784896?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=twitter

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to italy

🇮🇹Italy: COVID infections and deaths on the rise in the last week.

From 25 April to 1 May:

🔹New cases: 618 (+17%)
🔹Reinfections: n/a
🔹Deaths: 9 (+28.6%)
🔹Positivity rate: 0.8% (+0.3%)

🔸Hospitalised: 542 (-4.9%)
🔸ICU: 18 (-5.2%)

#COVID19 #Italy @auscovid19

Source: https://www.adnkronos.com/cronaca/covid-oggi-italia-bollettino-dati-ultima-settimana-contagi-morti_5NX2cWlS5j2WSiOmr8zhGx

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to auscovid19

Small group of scientists, clinicians call for CHO’s sacking, with shock claims of ‘let it rip’ COVID approach. By Jackie Sinnerton

@qldhealth @ShannonFentiman #COVIDisNotOver @auscovid19

Source: https://couriermail.com.au/coronavirus/small-group-of-scientists-clinicians-call-for-chos-sacking-with-shock-claims-of-let-it-rip-covid-approach/news-story/087cf90ce37adf5aca551e0ee8877e3f

A collection of respected scientists and clinicians has made an unprecedented call for the sacking of chief health officer John Gerrard. The group has made shock claims Dr Gerrard’s office adopted an “unscientific let-it rip” approach to the Covid pandemic and these policies cost lives and put many thousands of Queenslanders at risk of serious long-term illness. More than a dozen international, interstate and Queensland academics, researchers and medics have penned a letter to Premier Steven Miles and Health Minister Shannon Fentiman outlining what they claim are several false and uninformed Covid statements from Dr Gerrard that have purportedly minimised the seriousness of the virus. “He has repeatedly made public statements that are objectively untrue and which failed to reflect the substantial scientific evidence available at the time,” the letter, which was sent this week, states. A senior doctor employed by Queensland Health backs the call for Dr Gerrard to be replaced and has signed the letter. “Thanks to his downplaying of the need for basic mitigations in healthcare, we now see patients exposed to infections from staff, visitors and fellow patients, with Australian data demonstrating a 5 to 10 per cent mortality rate from hospital-acquired Covid seemingly being ignored,” the doctor said. “Dr Gerrard has used his position of authority as chief health officer to promote falsehoods about Covid such as droplet mode of transmission
Health Minister Shannon Fentiman stands by her chief health officer and credits him for keeping Queenslanders alive during the pandemic. “Queenslanders can thank both Dr John Gerrard and Dr Jeannette Young for their expertise and leadership during the pandemic. Queenslanders are alive today because of them and their actions,” Ms Fentiman said. “Dr Gerrard is a renowned clinician and continues to provide expert advice around managing Covid-19, in line with agreed national and international approaches. When he says people should get vaccinated, to test if you have symptoms, to stay home if you’re infected and to mask up when needed, I take that advice seriously and so should Queenslanders,” she said.
A Queensland Health spokesman has also rejected the claims in the letter. saying it was important to judge the state’s response to the pandemic by the results. “With more than 20 per cent of Australia’s population, Queensland has fortunately seen only 14 per cent of the nation’s Covid-19 deaths. This is one of the lowest mortality rates in the world,” he said. Dr Gerrard is on leave. Dr Alan Baxter, another registered medical practitioner, and an Emeritus Professor in Cellular and Molecular Biology at James Cook and Monash Universities signed the letter and told The Courier-Mail that Dr Gerrard’s position is one of great responsibility which affects the welfare and longevity of most people in the state. “His recent announcements trivialising and dismissing long Covid, for example, has left many people — and not just in Australia — wondering. In most occupations, this would be more than enough to trigger review of performance; in a position of this nature,” Dr Baxter said. The academic who is living with multiple sclerosis, claims policies adopted by the CHO’s office failed to protect people at high risk of death and disability. Dr Baxter’s view and the views of all signees are entirely their own and not the view of associated institutions. Dr Gerrard was appointed chief health officer for Queensland Health in December 2021. He was the long-term director of Infectious Diseases at the Gold Coast Hospital.

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to auscovid19

By Chris Turnbull @EnemyInAState

"New Covid virus found to be extremely vaccine/previously acquired immunity evasive: as expected because these new strains are so diverse they are basically new viruses"

#COVID19 #KP2 @auscovid19

Source: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240429/New-SARS-CoV-2-KP2-variant-defies-vaccines-with-higher-spread-study-warns.aspx

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to auscovid19

When could Australians have access to a new COVID-19 vaccine? | SBS News

On Tuesday, the WHO and EMA recommended an update to COVID-19 vaccines to target the JN.1 variant.

Professor Raina MacIntyre was part of the WHO team which made its recommendation.

Vaccines using mRNA technology can be updated and manufactured in under two months according to MacIntyre and Griffin, but regulatory bodies need to provide the green light, which can lead to delays.

"The speed of the process, from [Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation] recommending it, to [Therapeutic Goods Administration] approvals to roll out is one challenge, which adds to the delay in getting vaccines into arms," MacIntyre said.

#COVID19 #JN1 @auscovid19

Source: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/when-could-australians-have-access-to-a-new-covid-19-vaccine/lyng5ccva

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to Tasmania

TAS weekly infection update: 28 April 2024

🔹COVID: Moderate
🔹Influenza: Low
🔹RSV: Low

#COVID19 #Tasmania @auscovid19

Source: https://health.tas.gov.au/health-topics/infectious-diseases/acute-respiratory-infection-activity/weekly-update-acute-respiratory-infection-activity-tasmania

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DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to auscovid19

COVID-19 outbreaks in Australian residential aged care facilities: 2 May 2024

🔹Active cases: 1,836 (+197)
🔹Active outbreaks: 258 (+46)
🔹Residents: 1,284 (+115)
🔹Staff: 552 (+82)
🔹Reported deaths in 2024: 333 (+16)

🔸6,459 aged care COVID deaths since beginning of pandemic

🔸686 reported deaths in 2020
🔸226 reported deaths in 2021
🔸3,855 reported deaths in 2022
🔸1,359 reported deaths in 2023
🔸333 reported deaths in 2024

@AnikaWells @AlboMP #Nobodyleftbehind @auscovid19

Source: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/covid-19-outbreaks-in-australian-residential-aged-care-facilities-3-may-2024?language=en

DenisCOVIDinfoguy, 1 month ago to auscovid19

WA weekly COVID update: 15 April to 28 April 2024

🔸COVID-19 activity indicators suggest that community transmission increased this fortnight.

🔹PCR cases only: 560 (+7%)
🔹Deaths: 10 (+11%)
🔹Hospital: 98 (+2%)
🔹ICU: 3 (unchanged)

#COVID19WA @auscovid19

Source: https://www.health.wa.gov.au/articles/f_i/infectious-disease-data/covid19-surveillance-report