The Indian COVID-19 variant, B.1.617.2, has now spread to 48 countries and every continent excluding Antarctica. This variant is thought to be more infectious than previous strains. 2,915 cases of the variant have been recorded in the UK, with 776 in India, although the latter is likely to be much lower than the true number of cases. 74 cases have been recorded in Australia.
Both the New Zealand and Singapore government have rolled out funny and informative ads encouraging citizens to get their COVID-19 jab. Both use every day local language, and address concerns of the community. Should Australia be following suit?
Researchers from Australia and the US have developed a new antiviral that reduced the amount of coronavirus in infected mice by 99%. The antiviral uses gene-silencing RNA technology, which finds the viral genome and destroys it so the virus can’t replicate anymore.
Less than two months ago, Taiwan was thriving. With fewer than 1000 cases in total over 12 months, their world-class quarantine and tracing measures were allowing them to enjoy life with very few restrictions. Now, they are in lockdown. A pilot tested positive for COVID-19 on April 20, leading to over 333 cases as of yesterday. Similar stories have arisen in Japan, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea with 2 key similarities: successful containment of the virus, followed by a complacent and sluggish vaccine rollout.
As of the 17th of May, people aged 50 and over are now eligible to receive the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from selected GPs, respiratory clinics and mass vaccination hubs. Here’s what you need to know:
Sleep is a basic human necessity, despite how often we push it to the side. Study after study has shown that our sleep is intrinsically linked to our overall health – here’s 5 ways your sleep habits could be affecting your health.
A new report in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine has revealed the astounding impact of sleep disorders on the U.S. Health care system. Sleep problems cost the system close to $95 billion a year, and increase health care costs by 60%. Researcher Dr. Neil Bhattacharyya says, “Our estimates are likely low, considering we know there are a large number of patients not yet diagnosed with a disorder like sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome and insomnia.”
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.
