News Articles
Vic posts 5645 virus cases, two deaths
Date of Posting: 08-03-2022
Victoria has reported 5646 new COVID-19 infections and another two deaths. Of the new cases reported by the Health Department on Sunday, 4254 were self-reported from rapid antigen tests and 1391 from PCR lab tests.[subscribe] The number of Vict Read More...
SA adds historic deaths to COVID-19 tally
Date of Posting: 08-03-2022
South Australia has added 23 deaths to its COVID-19 toll along with 1577 new infections. SA Health says the deaths occurred between December 31 and March 3 and have come to light following the latest release of information from births, deaths and Read More...
Getting urgent medicines in a flood zone can be a life or death challenge
Last Updated: 08-03-2022
I’m writing this from the flooded far north coast of New South Wales, where all around me people are contending with the awful and unexpected consequences of a catastrophic flood. I have worked in rural health for a long time and this Read More...
Torn between worlds, Ukrainian Australians are feeling the mental health impacts of war
Last Updated: 08-03-2022
Australians of Ukrainian heritage are bearing witness to heartbreaking scenes and ongoing uncertainty about the safety of family and loved ones. European agencies are warning of an impending humanitarian crisis. Although communications can be Read More...
Australia is failing marginalised people, and it shows in COVID death rates
Date of Posting: 08-03-2022
Newly released Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data show people living in poverty or disadvantage are three times more likely to die from COVID than the wealthy. This statistic is alarming, but it gets worse when we begin to loo Read More...
Even mild COVID can cause brain shrinkage and affect mental function
Last Updated: 08-03-2022
Most of what we know about how COVID can affect the brain has come from studies of severe infection. In people with severe COVID, inflammatory cells from outside the brain can enter brain tissue and spread inflammation. There may be changes to blo Read More...
Australian obesity attitudes exposed in new poll
Last Updated: 08-03-2022
The birth of Mandy Strickland's first son was one of the happiest moments of her life, but a throwaway remark from a midwife about her weight tainted it. The Bendigo woman had always struggled with her weight before she gave birth to a 4.54 10 Read More...
NSW records 9017 COVID-19 cases, 5 deaths
Date of Posting: 07-03-2022
NSW has recorded 9017 new COVID-19 cases and another five virus-related deaths as primary school staff and childcare workers no longer have to wear masks. There are 1066 COVID patients in hospital, 43 of them in ICU and 15 are on ventilators.[subs Read More...
Qld records one virus death, 3,677 cases
Date of Posting: 07-03-2022
One person has died with COVID-19 in Queensland as the state records 3,677 new virus cases following the scrapping of mask rules. A total of 267 patients are in hospital with the virus, 20 of whom are in ICU.[subscribe] The state now has 30,557 Read More...
Job ads jumped as Omicron wave receded
Date of Posting: 07-03-2022
Demand for workers spiked after the COVID-19 Omicron wave receded, pointing to an even lower unemployment rate in the months ahead. The ANZ job advertisement series jumped 8.4 per cent in February to be 31.5 per cent higher than a year earlier.[su Read More...
NT mask mandate ends, one COVID-19 death
Date of Posting: 07-03-2022
A man in his 60s is the latest person to die with COVID-19 in the Northern Territory, as the toll since the start of the pandemic climbs to 29. The Darwin man suffered from underlying health conditions and died at Royal Darwin Hospital, NT Health Read More...
Burnout and abuse rife among GPs
Date of Posting: 07-03-2022
GPs are burning out, their staff are copping abuse, and patients are waiting weeks for an appointment due to changing rules governing the employment of doctors in regional areas, a Senate inquiry has been told. The inquiry into GP services heard s Read More...
Global COVID-19 death toll nears 6 million
Date of Posting: 07-03-2022
The official global death toll from COVID-19 is on the verge of eclipsing six million - underscoring that the pandemic, now in its third year, is far from over. The milestone is the latest tragic reminder of the unrelenting nature of the pandemic Read More...
Record private health sign-up to beat wait
Date of Posting: 06-03-2022
Australians are signing up to private health insurance in record numbers to avoid hospital waiting lists. Six consecutive quarters of membership growth has resulted in almost 55 per cent of the population - 14.12 million people - having some level Read More...
Vics take lead on virus variant research
Date of Posting: 06-03-2022
Victoria has taken the lead on attempting to anticipate the next step in the fight against COVID-19, asking people awaiting booster doses to donate blood to aid research. Innovation Minister Jaala Pulford says up to 1500 donors are being sought.[s Read More...
Free tampons and pads for NSW students
Date of Posting: 06-03-2022
NSW public schools will begin providing free tampons and pads for students. The state wide rollout, due to be completed by the end of June at a cost of $30 million, comes after a trial in 31 schools across south west Sydney and Dubbo.[subscribe] Read More...
Australians urged to get their flu jab
Date of Posting: 06-03-2022
While Australians may be tired of rolling up their sleeves for COVID vaccines, there is another jab they should get this year. Influenza case numbers hit record lows in 2020 and 2021 as lockdowns limited movement and international borders remained Read More...
Half of eligible NSW population boosted
Date of Posting: 06-03-2022
More than half the eligible population in NSW have received booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as the state reports 10,017 new cases and 10 virus-related deaths. The number of positive cases is up by 551 from Friday when 9466 people tested posi Read More...
Latest on worldwide spread of coronavirus
Date of Posting: 06-03-2022
WASHINGTON, D. C., RAW - EUROPE * COVID-19 cases in Sweden are falling sharply, even as nearly all pandemic-related restrictions were lifted less than a month ago.[subscribe] * France will on March 14 lift rules requiring people to show a vacci Read More...
Vic calls for COVID biobank blood donors
Date of Posting: 05-03-2022
Victorians awaiting their third COVID-19 vaccine are being asked to donate blood to aid research, as the state posts 5721 virus infections and 24 deaths. Of those deaths reported by the Health Department on Saturday, only four occurred in the past Read More...
Aust bolsters Japanese encephalitis plan
Date of Posting: 05-03-2022
Australia's chief medical officer has beefed up the nation's response to the Japanese encephalitis virus as NSW reports its first case. Acting Chief Medical Officer Sonya Bennett on Friday declared the mosquito-borne virus a Communicable D Read More...
Qld to ditch mask mandates, density limits
Date of Posting: 05-03-2022
Queenslanders will ditch indoor face masks and density limits from 6pm as the state records another seven deaths and 5446 cases. The mandatory requirement for masks at indoor workplaces and workplaces will be officially scrapped from 6pm Friday.[s Read More...
Victoria reports 26 COVID-19 deaths
Date of Posting: 05-03-2022
Victorian health authorities have confirmed 18 newly-reported COVID-19 deaths actually occurred in January. The state reported 26 new deaths on Friday, with the health department later clarifying most happened two months ago.[subscribe] Four de Read More...
Austrian health minister resigns
Date of Posting: 05-03-2022
Austrian Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein has resigned, the second top official to step down within a year under the strain of tackling the coronavirus pandemic. Mueckstein, a member of the Greens party that is junior partner to Chancellor Karl Read More...
The power of podiatry - it can change people's lives
Last Updated: 05-03-2022
Maria Latemore, Director and Podiatrist at Podiatry Services SA based in South Australia, wishes that there was greater community awareness about the broad range of issues that podiatry can help with. [subscribe] “Many people just assume th Read More...
Life changing bowel cancer treatment added to PBS benefitting thousands of Australians
Date of Posting: 04-03-2022
The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) supports the move to add Braftovi, a targeted therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS) this year, improving health outcomes for potentially t Read More...
WA to tighten restrictions, 1140 new cases
Date of Posting: 01-03-2022
Western Australia will move to the nation's toughest COVID-19 public health restrictions despite having just 11 people in hospital with the virus. Year three students and above will be required to wear face masks in public and home gatherings Read More...
Virus vaccine milestone for Aussie kids
Date of Posting: 01-03-2022
Australia's COVID-19 vaccine rollout has passed another milestone, with 50 per cent of children aged five to 11 having received their first dose. The figure was reached on Monday, with more than 1.1 million children in the cohort being vaccina Read More...
Rise in gastro outbreaks in Vic childcare
Date of Posting: 01-03-2022
Victorians should turn to soap and water rather than hand sanitiser to combat a growing number of gastro outbreaks in childcare centres. So far this year, there have been 104 confirmed viral gastroenteritis outbreaks in the state's early child Read More...
Victoria has 5052 virus cases and 17 deaths
Last Updated: 01-03-2022
Victoria has recorded another 5052 COVID-19 infections and 17 deaths. The new cases include 3372 detected via rapid antigen tests and 1680 from PCR lab tests, the health department said on Sunday.[subscribe] There are 41,038 active cases in the Read More...
Aussie trial offers hope for brain cancer
Date of Posting: 28-02-2022
Father of two Jim Shaw had been suffering "rotten headaches" for more than a month when his wife dragged him to the emergency department in his home town of Traralgon in Victoria. Doctors quickly discovered a massive brain tumour and Mr Read More...
Japanese encephalitis warning for Victoria
Date of Posting: 28-02-2022
Victorians are being warned of possible cases of Japanese encephalitis in the state, after several animals were treated for the virus in the past month. There are no confirmed cases of the Japanese strain of the virus in Victorian patients yet.[su Read More...
New vaccine program successful in Vic
Date of Posting: 27-02-2022
The Victorian government has vaccinated more than 10,000 people living with a disability against COVID-19 with an Australian-first liaison program. The program, open to people five years and older, pairs up officers with people and their families Read More...
Melbourne scientists snare killer molecule
Date of Posting: 27-02-2022
Few would disagree that too much of a good thing is not such a good thing. It's a conclusion some of Australia's brightest scientific minds are running with as they strive to advance treatments for asthma, bowel disease, COVID-19 and other Read More...
SA rally calls for mental health reforms
Date of Posting: 27-02-2022
A cultural shift is needed to better care for South Australian children with serious mental health issues, with thousands being let down by the state's health system, an advocacy group says. Parents for Change founder Kate Stephens said every Read More...
NSW Premier upbeat on new mask rules
Date of Posting: 26-02-2022
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet says new relaxed mask rules shows the state is "moving forward" as it continues to record thousands of new COVID-19 infections daily. NSW on Friday reported 7583 new cases and six more deaths as compulsory m Read More...
Hospital virus cases fall again in SA
Date of Posting: 26-02-2022
South Australia has reported 1714 new COVID-19 infections along with two more deaths, as hospital admissions continue to fall. SA Health said the latest deaths involved a woman in her 60s and a woman in her 90s, taking the toll since the start of Read More...
'Challenging' flu season as Vic rules ease
Date of Posting: 26-02-2022
Health authorities are warning Victorians to brace for a "challenging" winter flu season, as most of the state's COVID-19 restrictions ease. Victoria recorded another 11 deaths and 6580 COVID-19 infections on Friday, including 4263 f Read More...
Very small AZ jab blood clot risk
Last Updated: 25-02-2022
A large study into rare blood clots linked with AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine has found between just one and three cases per million, and only after the first dose, shedding fresh light on the side-effects from the shot. Researchers have soug Read More...
Discrim ups LGBTIQ dementia challenges
Last Updated: 25-02-2022
Those in the LGBTIQ+ community who are living with dementia may experience greater challenges because of the discrimination they faced in their early years. That's according to a new guidebook from LGBTIQ+ Health Australia and Dementia Support Read More...
