The Australian government has secured 25 million Moderna COVID-19 vaccine doses, with 10 million to be delivered this year. The Moderna vaccine is a 2 dose, mRNA vaccine that has been shown to be 94.1% effective at preventing COVID-19 in clinical trials. Here’s what you need to know:
A new University of NSW study has found that viral misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines is spreading extremely quickly on online platforms. The research team reviewed over 600 pieces of misinformation, written in 24 different languages, originating from over 50 countries, which over 100 million people shared, liked, re-tweeted or reacted to. 17 rumours were found to be coming from Australia, although most false claims were found to be originally from the United States.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths around the world is plateauing. In most areas the pandemic is declining, including in the Americas and Europe. Currently, approximately 5.4 million cases and 90,000 deaths are being reported a week – still an alarmingly high number.
Early results from an Australian study have shown that most COVID-19 patients are still experiencing symptoms 6-12 months after infection. The COVID Recovery Study has tracked around 200 patients around Australia, finding that 30% of people were ‘alive and disability free’ 6 months after contracting the virus. 70% of patients were still experiencing symptoms including shortness of breath, weakness, tiredness, coughing or headaches 6 months on.
For adults suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), how consistently you use your CPAP machine could have a significant effect on your weight, not just your sleep. Researchers have found that patients who used CPAP for 5 hours or less per night had an increased BMI compared to patients who used CPAP for more than 5 hours per night. You can view more details of the study here: https://bit.ly/33romtE
Some people fall asleep instantly where as others will toss and turn for hours. The time it takes you to fall asleep is called “sleep latency.” But is there an optimal sleep latency?
Sleeping can be a real struggle as you age, especially for those over 60 who suffer from a sleep disorder such as insomnia or sleep apnea.
A range of restrictions have been reintroduced in NSW after 2 community COVID-19 cases have arisen in the past 48 hours. Restrictions came into effect yesterday at 5pm across Greater Sydney, including Wollongong, Central Coast, and Blue Mountains. Restrictions will be in place at least until 12am Monday May 10.
New research suggests there may be a link between a DNA marker for longevity and excessive daytime sleepiness – a condition that affects about 20% of the population.
