Australia is quickly working towards 80% of over-16s getting vaccinated, now with the added pressure of vaccine mandates and passports. However, there is a very small group of people who can’t get a COVID-19 vaccine for medical reasons – so who can get a medical exemption, and how?
Trial results for a new COVID-19 treatment have been described as ‘impressive’ by America’s leading infectious diseases expert, Dr Anthony Fauci. The Merck pill is an oral antiviral pill, and could be a crucial tool for fighting the pandemic. According to a press release from Merck, the trial found that the drug cut the risk of hospitalisation or death by 50%.
Adults need seven to nine hours of sleep every night, however studies show most of us aren’t getting enough sleep. The consequences can be severe – here’s how:
Sleep allows our bodies to repair muscles, grow bones, manage hormones and sort memories. When you’re sleeping, your body cycles through different sleep stages multiple times – broadly categorised as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM (NREM) sleep.
Melbourne could face an extension of their lockdown as cases spike after the AFL grand final weekend. Victoria recorded 1438 new cases on Thursday, and 1143 cases today, with around 30% of cases on Thursday already linked to gatherings over the weekend. Premier Daniel Andrews has warned that if case numbers and hospitalisations continue to increase, the lifting of restrictions could be delayed.
NSW residents over the age of 60 can now access Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, as well as the AstraZeneca vaccine. Nearly all states and territories have now opened the mRNA vaccines to those over 60. More than half a million people aged 60-69 are yet to have a single jab, and there is hope this move could encourage more to get vaccinated.
Australia is now set to surpass America’s vaccination rate thanks to increasing vaccine uptake. Even though Americans have had access to abundant vaccine supplies since January, only around 63.5% of the total population has had at least 1 dose. By comparison, around 62% of Australians have now received their first dose, despite issues with vaccine supply. And that number continues to rise quickly, soon to surpass the US.
Many people have been waiting for home rapid antigen tests to be made available in Australia, given their use in other areas like the UK. However, Deputy Secretary John Skerritt from Australia’s medical regulator has revealed that they are still waiting for the federal government to give the green light to begin the approval process. Professor Skerritt said, “They have to make a decision, you know, when is it less of a big deal to start missing some positive cases, because we know these rapid antigen tests are pretty good, but they’re not as good as the gold standard PCR test.”
A new antibody treatment for COVID-19, sotrovimab, is showing early success in preventing serious illness. The monoclonal antibody treatment is being offered to patients who meet criteria in major hospitals across Sydney. Clinical trials have found that a single dose reduced the risk of hospitalisation or death by 79%.
