News Articles
New year, new COVID records for Victoria
Date of Posting: 31-12-2021
Victoria's record-breaking COVID-19 case numbers are expected to continue into the new year as the Omicron variant spreads. There were 5919 new infections announced on New Year's Eve, another daily record, and seven deaths.[subscribe] T Read More...
More changes to COVID-19 isolation rules
Date of Posting: 31-12-2021
Less than a day after announcing new COVID guidelines, the federal government has scrapped the need for infected people to take a day-six rapid test. On Friday the government announced positive cases - regardless of vaccination status - will be ab Read More...
WHO fears 'tsunami' of COVID cases
Date of Posting: 30-12-2021
The simultaneous circulation of the Delta and Omicron variants of the coronavirus is creating a "tsunami of cases", World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says. "Delta and Omicrom are now twin th Read More...
'Balanced approach' as NSW cases surge
Date of Posting: 30-12-2021
NSW has recorded 12,226 new cases of coronavirus as the premier charts a new "balanced approach" to surging case numbers while pathology labs catch up on testing. The state's new infections came as the results of 97,201 tests were re Read More...
New bowel cancer treatment on the PBS
Date of Posting: 30-12-2021
Australians living with aggressive bowel cancer will have access to a more affordable treatment after it was added to the medicine benefits scheme. More than 15,000 Australians are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year, 10 per cent of whom have a Read More...
Queensland scraps pre-travel PCR tests
Date of Posting: 29-12-2021
Queensland has caved to mounting political pressure and will allow interstate hotspot travellers to enter with a negative COVID-19 result from a rapid antigen test. "From January 1 travellers into Qld from interstate hotspots can use a negati Read More...
Victorians to get free rapid antigen tests
Date of Posting: 29-12-2021
Victorians will get access to 34 million free rapid antigen tests by the end of January. On the same day the state posted its highest COVID-19 daily infection tally, with 3767 new cases, the state government announced it will ramp up access to at- Read More...
Omicron may enhance Delta immunity
Date of Posting: 29-12-2021
Research by South African scientists suggests that Omicron infection enhances neutralising immunity against the Delta variant of the coronavirus. The study, which has not been peer-reviewed, found that people who were infected with Omicron develop Read More...
Spain COVID-19 infections soar after Xmas
Date of Posting: 28-12-2021
Spain's COVID-19 infection rate has exceeded 1000 cases per 100,000 people for the first time, stoked by the fast-spreading Omicron variant, although hospitals were under much less strain than in previous waves of the pandemic. The rate, measu Read More...
Push for rapid tests as queues continue
Date of Posting: 28-12-2021
States are being urged to use rapid antigen tests to screen cross border travellers amid continued congestion at COVID-19 clinics, as Queensland announces it will scrap a day five testing requirement. Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath an Read More...
Victoria records 2738 new COVID-19 cases
Date of Posting: 28-12-2021
Victorian travellers getting tested to cross state borders are being asked not to show up at testing sites until after midday in an effort to ease pressure on the system. The request comes as the state experienced a sharp uptick in COVID-19 infect Read More...
Tas seeks advice on rapid tests at border
Date of Posting: 27-12-2021
Tasmania will announce whether interstate travellers can take rapid antigen COVID-19 tests at its border instead of a pre-travel PCR test. The state recorded 35 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, a slight drop on the 44 reported on Boxing Day.[sub Read More...
WA detects new case linked to backpacker
Date of Posting: 27-12-2021
Western Australia has detected one new local COVID-19 case linked to an infected French backpacker who arrived in the state from Queensland. The new case also attended an busy event at Perth Mess Hall in Northbridge a week ago and was staying at a Read More...
Mystery COVID-19 case detected in Darwin
Date of Posting: 27-12-2021
The Northern Territory has detected 12 new COVID-19 cases as health authorities investigate a mystery case in Darwin. It was diagnosed overnight with NT Health saying little except the source of infection is under investigation.[subscribe] Two Read More...
Another COVID Christmas brings anxiety
Date of Posting: 26-12-2021
Christmas has been marked around the world amid a surge in COVID-19 infections that kept many families apart, overwhelmed hospitals and curbed religious observances as the pandemic was poised to stretch into a third year. Yet, there were homilies Read More...
Push for more skin cancer research dollars
Date of Posting: 26-12-2021
Investing in skin cancer prevention not only saves lives but could also significantly cut Australia's almost $2 billion treatment bill, experts say. While systemic melanoma treatments cost the federal government about $500 million in 2020-21, Read More...
Environmental link strong in Alzheimer's
Date of Posting: 26-12-2021
Knowing about abnormally configured proteins called amyloid plaques that gather in the spaces between nerve cells and how they come to aggregate there, probably isn't everyone's cup of tea. Thankfully though, researchers from the Universit Read More...
COVID disrupts Victorian Xmas Eve flights
Date of Posting: 24-12-2021
Dozens of domestic flights have been cancelled due to COVID-19, as Victoria records 2095 new cases and eight deaths. The flights, axed on Christmas Eve, will mean last-minute disappointment for thousands of travellers.[subscribe] About a dozen Read More...
Qld has 589 cases, told 'get COVID ready'
Date of Posting: 24-12-2021
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath has asked residents to "get ready for COVID" and prepare a care plan, after the state reported 589 new virus cases. A new COVID-19 care pathway was announced on Friday, with advice on how peopl Read More...
Third of junior doctors consider quitting
Date of Posting: 24-12-2021
Almost a third of junior doctors in Victoria's public hospitals have considered quitting during the pandemic, a survey has found. According to the snapshot by the Victorian branch of the AMA, 32 per cent of 1100 doctors surveyed have considere Read More...
Latest on worldwide spread of coronavirus
Date of Posting: 24-12-2021
EUROPE * France had its worst-ever day in terms of new cases, with more than 91,000 being recorded while the number of deaths also climbed.[subscribe] * Britain recorded a record number of new cases as the Omicron variant swept across the count Read More...
Greece bans public Christmas festivities
Date of Posting: 24-12-2021
Greece has banned public Christmas and New Year's Eve festivities and mandated mask-wearing in open spaces to help to curb the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, its health minister says. The measures will be in effect from Friday morn Read More...
Doctor warns of festive season eye hazards
Date of Posting: 24-12-2021
Whether it be flying champagne corks, stray Christmas tree branches or ill-fired toy guns, the outlook for Australian eyes isn't good this summer. Eye injuries typically increase over the holiday period as Australians became more active, Sydne Read More...
Victoria masks up to keep Omicron at bay
Date of Posting: 23-12-2021
Victorians young and old must don masks inside this holiday season under a reinstated mandate to curtail the spread of the Omicron variant. Two days out from Christmas and as the state recorded 2005 new coronavirus cases and 10 deaths, Acting Prem Read More...
Calls grow for faster booster jab rollout
Date of Posting: 23-12-2021
New daily COVID-19 infections have again skyrocketed across Australia's two most populous states as calls grow for booster shots to be sped up. Additional federal payments to GPs and pharmacies of $10 per booster jab will be provided to bolste Read More...
US authorises Pfizer oral COVID treatment
Date of Posting: 23-12-2021
The United States has authorised Pfizer Inc's antiviral COVID-19 pill for at-risk people aged 12 and above, making it the first oral treatment and which can be taken at home, providing a potentially important tool in the fight against the fast-sp Read More...
SA to move on tests as COVID-19 cases rise
Date of Posting: 22-12-2021
South Australia is set to approve the widespread rollout of COVID-19 rapid antigen tests as daily case numbers continue at record levels. The tests are currently used in certain sectors including health and mining, but calls have been growing for Read More...
WHO warns of Omicron 'storm coming'
Last Updated: 22-12-2021
The World Health Organization's European head has warned countries to brace for a "significant surge" in COVID-19 cases as Omicron spreads, and advised the widespread use of boosters for protection. Since it emerged in late November, Read More...
Mutating kidney gene linked to disease
Date of Posting: 22-12-2021
Australian scientists have found a gene in the human body that mutates in some people and accelerates kidney disease. Kidney disease impacts 1.7 million Australians each year, according to Kidney Health Australia.[subscribe] The discovery is ex Read More...
ACT Omicron rise triggers return of masks
Date of Posting: 21-12-2021
Masks will again be mandatory indoors in the ACT as it tightens COVID-19 restrictions due to an increase in Omicron infections. From Wednesday, masks will be required across indoor retail and hospitality venues as well as aged care, workplaces and Read More...
Aust-first women mental health beds in Vic
Date of Posting: 21-12-2021
Dozens of mental health beds specifically for women will be made available in Victoria, in an Australian first. Acting Premier James Merlino announced the $100 million initiative on Tuesday, saying it would support more than 750 Victorian women wi Read More...
Moderna booster protects against Omicron
Date of Posting: 21-12-2021
Moderna says a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine appears to protect against the fast-spreading Omicron variant in laboratory tests and the current version of the vaccine will continue to be Moderna's "first line of defence against Omicron Read More...
Space study to aid longer, healthier lives
Date of Posting: 20-12-2021
Tiny human muscle cells will be blasted into space in an experiment which could help people live longer, healthier lives. The experiment, called MicroAge, is set to be launched to the International Space Station on Tuesday.[subscribe] Space wil Read More...
Vic child disability car restraints tested
Date of Posting: 20-12-2021
Victoria is crash testing vehicle restraints made for children with disabilities and medical conditions. In a world-first program launched on Monday, nine specialised child restraints imported and sold in Australia will soon undergo frontal and si Read More...
Omicron 'less effective attacking lungs'
Date of Posting: 20-12-2021
UK research has found Omicron might be less efficient at attacking the lungs than earlier COVID-19 variants. The Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease study concluded mutations on the virus's spike protein, which Read More...
Five tips for starting your own allied health practice
Date of Posting: 20-12-2021
If you’ve just been certified and ready to ply your trade to as many people as possible, you’ve probably tinkered with the idea of opening your own allied health practice. Though it can be a challenge, especially if you’re more o Read More...
Quality of life must be a key measure for HIV treatment
Date of Posting: 19-12-2021
Advocates and doctors alike have called for quality of life to be a key measure in determining the success of treatment for people with HIV. Sarah Feagan, Vice President of the National Association of People with HIV Australia (NAPWHA) said that w Read More...
NSW residents rush to get booster shots
Date of Posting: 19-12-2021
NSW residents are rushing to get their booster shots as COVID-19 infections continue their surge. Premier Dominic Perrottet says there's no need to reimpose restrictions in the face of record case numbers.[subscribe] "It's a time f Read More...
Victoria has 1240 COVID cases, four deaths
Last Updated: 19-12-2021
The number of Victorian COVID-19 patients in intensive care remains stable despite the state adding 1240 new infections to its caseload. As a result of the continuing high infection rate face masks are here to stay but any return to restrictions o Read More...
Vic finds $41m for mental health job boost
Date of Posting: 19-12-2021
Victoria will spend $41 million to boost its mental healthcare workforce by more than 350 positions as part of a major upgrade for the sector. The "once-in-a-generation" deployment is a key recommendation of the state's mental health Read More...
