Public sector aged care workers in Victoria will now have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 if performing front-line duties. Any frontline staff who haven’t been vaccinated will be stood down from front-line duties to protect Victoria’s most vulnerable amidst the latest COVID-19 outbreak. Currently, two aged care facilities have recorded cases amongst workers: Arcare Maidstone and BlueCross Western Gardens.
Australia’s slow vaccine rollout has been caused by many things – supply issues, changing eligibility, side effects and complacency. In the face of these issues, mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines could help boost vaccination rates and solve many rollout issues.
Do you feel guilty when taking an afternoon snooze? Don’t. Research shows napping can benefit our cognitive function – Here’s how.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines are used to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) – a common sleep disorder linked to a range of health problems. Patients with OSA have a higher risk of developing heart problems, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and strokes. Thankfully, research has shown that CPAP treatment helps lower these risks by preventing apneas during sleep.
Victoria is waking up to the first full day of lockdown, as a highly infectious COVID-19 strain continues to spread across the state. Epidemiologists such as Professor Neil Ferguson are concerned that under 21s seem to be more likely to be infected by this strain, B.1.617. Patients with this variant have reported unusual viral symptoms, including abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
Another lockdown was announced by the Victorian government today to combat the growing cluster of COVID-19 cases. All Victoria will enter a 7-day circuit breaker lockdown at 11:59pm tonight. This comes as over 150 exposure sites around Victoria have been identified, along with 11 new cases overnight. Over 10,000 primary or secondary contacts have been identified.
Melbourne’s current COVID-19 outbreak has now grown to 9 cases, with key infection links still missing. One case attended the MCG AFL game on Sunday, with 23,000 other fans now on high alert. A snap lockdown has not been ruled out by acting Victorian Premier James Merlino.
All Australians over 50 are now eligible for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. However, many are waiting for an alternative vaccine. Director of Infectious Diseases at Mater Health Services, Paul Griffin has warned that we won’t be able to control COVID-19 forever with border closures. He has cautioned that anyone waiting for a different vaccine is not only putting themselves at the back of the queue, but is also subjecting everyone to unnecessary risk.
Skateboarding is making its debut at the Olympics this year, but unfortunately 2 members of the Australian Olympic team are now out of the running after testing positive to COVID-19 before the qualifying event. One of the athletes is only 13 years old, and one coach also tested positive.
