Category Archives: Coronavirus

Sydney Covid patient in Westmead hospital after overdosing on ivermectin and other online ‘cures’

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Patient, who suffered vomiting and diarrhoea, part of trend hospital is seeing of people taking unproven substances

A Covid-positive person in Sydney was admitted to Westmead hospital suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea after overdosing on ivermectin and other drugs ordered online, as Australia’s chief medical officer pleads with the public not to take unproven medicine.

Westmead hospital’s toxicologist, Naren Gunja, said the case was part of a growing trend the hospital was seeing of people taking unproven online cures for Covid. The patient didn’t get severe toxicity from taking the ivermectin cocktail, “but it didn’t help their Covid either”, he said.

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Covid and the crisis of neoliberalism | Adam Tooze

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The year 2020 exposed the risks and weaknesses of the market-driven global system like never before. It’s hard to avoid the sense that a turning point has been reached

If one word could sum up the experience of 2020, it would be disbelief. Between Xi Jinping’s public acknowledgment of the coronavirus outbreak on 20 January 2020, and Joe Biden’s inauguration as the 46th president of the United States precisely a year later, the world was shaken by a disease that in the space of 12 months killed more than 2.2 million people and rendered tens of millions severely ill. Today the official death tolls stands at 4.51 million. The likely figure for excess deaths is more than twice that number. The virus disrupted the daily routine of virtually everyone on the planet, stopped much of public life, closed schools, separated families, interrupted travel and upended the world economy.

To contain the fallout, government support for households, businesses and markets took on dimensions not seen outside wartime. It was not just by far the sharpest economic recession experienced since the second world war, it was qualitatively unique. Never before had there been a collective decision, however haphazard and uneven, to shut large parts of the world’s economy down. It was, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) put it, “a crisis like no other”.

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New Zealand police surround address after Covid-positive man escapes quarantine

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Man was arrested later by police in full protective equipment who had sealed off the Auckland property

A Covid-positive man absconded from a managed quarantine facility in central Auckland on Thursday, prompting New Zealand police to respond to the incident in full protective equipment.

Officers surrounded and cordoned off an address in Ōtāhuhu, south Auckland, after being told of the escape from the facility in Ellerslie, about 10km away (six miles) away. The person was was later arrested.

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From vaccine mandates to a chatting ban: how schools in the Asia Pacific are managing Delta

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Outbreaks of the highly infectious Delta variant have led to closures in some countries, while others push to keep classrooms open

As countries across Asia battle worsening Covid outbreaks, schools face particular challenges in keeping children and teachers safe. Some countries – determined that classrooms stay open – are relying on measures like masks, smaller groups and even bans on talking in class to limit infections. In others, schools remain shut.

Here’s a look at what countries around Asia and the region are doing to prevent Covid spread in schools:

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Joe Rogan has Covid – and his treatment will make health experts feel ill

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The media host says he used ivermectin, a medication that the FDA has warned against

Joe Rogan, the host of Spotify’s most popular podcast, has contracted Covid, he announced on Wednesday. He says he is feeling better – but his health update undoubtedly made health experts instantly sick.

On Instagram, the podcaster, who professes not to be “an authority on health” but has discouraged young people from getting the coronavirus vaccine, said that he had “immediately thrown the kitchen sink” at his infection. Among the many medications he used, he said, was ivermectin, a drug used to deworm horses.

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Scotland proposes Covid vaccine certificates for nightclub entry

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Nicola Sturgeon says certificates in limited scenarios could protect public health and boost vaccine take-up

The Scottish government is proposing vaccine certificates for entry to nightclubs and large-scale indoor and outdoor events in an attempt to curb escalating Covid infections before the autumn.

Announcing the plans, which MSPs will be asked to vote on next week, the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said that – although expected with schools returning last month – “the scale of the increase [in infections] in recent weeks has been very concerning”.

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Coronavirus live news: WHO monitoring new Mu variant; France rolls out booster jabs for over-65s and vulnerable

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Mu has been designated a ‘variant of interest’ and has mutations suggesting it could be more resistant to vaccines; nationwide booster campaign to begin in French care homes on 12 September

Portugal will tourists from Brazil to enter the country, ending the ban it imposed on non-essential travel from the South American country nearly 18 months ago.

Until now, Brazilians were only allowed to enter Portugal for reasons including work or health concerns. Travellers from Brazil will have to show a negative Covid-19 test, but will no longer have to quarantine, Reuters reports.

Around 10,000 unvaccinated health workers in Greece are facing suspension, a union has said.

The Greek parliament in July passed legislation to make vaccinations mandatory for health staff from 1 September, and health minister Athanasios Plevris said on Wednesday that the law “will be implemented”, AFP reports.

We are pushing health workers to be vaccinated, but we are against compulsory vaccination, which poses a democratic problem.

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Reddit communities ‘go dark’ in protest over Covid misinformation

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Some of site’s largest subreddits switch to private, saying Reddit is failing to tackle misinformation

Reddit has been hit by a user rebellion over the online discussion forum’s failure to tackle misinformation related to Covid and vaccines.

More than 135 Reddit communities, or subreddits, have “gone dark”, which blocks non-members from reading or joining the page, in protest at the site’s refusal to limit discussions that propagate misleading theories about the pandemic. The protest covers many of the site’s largest subreddits, including r/Futurology and r/TIFU, which have more than 10 million subscribers each.

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Furious Mark McGowan accuses Morrison government of ‘mission to bring Covid into WA’

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Premier goes on offensive as federal treasurer warns same economic support won’t remain if states and territories continue lockdowns

The Western Australian premier, Mark McGowan, has accused the Morrison government of being on a “mission” to bring coronavirus into the state as the federal treasurer doubled down on warnings state leaders should not expect financial assistance if they failed to deliver the national reopening plan.

McGowan responded furiously on Wednesday to a suggestion from the federal attorney general, Michaelia Cash, that the legal scope for the premiers to keep their borders closed would decrease once local vaccination rates increased.

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WHO monitoring new coronavirus variant named Mu

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Health body says Mu, or B.1.621, first identified in Colombia, has been designated as a variant of interest

The World Health Organization has added another version of coronavirus to its list of “variants of interest” amid concerns that it may partially evade the immunity people have developed from past infection or vaccination.

The Mu variant, also known as B.1.621, was added to the WHO’s watchlist on 30 August after it was detected in 39 countries and found to possess a cluster of mutations that may make it less susceptible to the immune protection many have acquired.

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How contagious is the Delta variant of Covid-19? See how coronavirus can spread through a population, and how countries flatten the curve

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How contagious is the Delta Covid variant? Take charge of this interactive and watch how small changes in isolation or reproduction rates of Covid-19 can affect our battle against it.

One important characteristic of viruses and other pathogens is how contagious or infectious they are. One key measure of this is the R0, or basic reproduction number, which indicates how many new cases one infected person generates.
For an R0 of three we would expect each new case of a disease to produce three other infections.

This is not just a measure of the inherent infectiousness of a disease. It also depends on other factors, including the rate of contact within a population and the duration of the infectious period. It’s a situation-dependent value, so in one city the R0 might be higher and in another lower. It also assumes that the entire population is susceptible to the disease.

So what does the R0 of Covid look like, and how does it compare with other diseases?

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NSW Covid-19 update: 1,116 new cases as premier says she ‘can’t recall’ worst case modelling – video

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NSW has recorded 1,116 new cases of locally-acquired cases of Covid-19 and four deaths. When asked why the government would not release the modelling they were relying on to make decisions, NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian said there were numerous models that changed daily. Pushed on why she couldn't release the worst case scenario modelling, she said: 'I’ve seen various versions of modelling and I can’t recall all the numbers but I can tell you this much - that we know that the rate of hospitalisations is likely to peak some time in October' 

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Concern grows for global coffee supply amid Vietnam lockdown

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Traders are struggling to get beans to ports for export after Covid curbs were imposed on Ho Chi Minh City

Concerns are growing over global coffee supplies amid tough coronavirus travel restrictions imposed in Vietnam to tackle the spread of the aggressive Delta variant of Covid-19.

Supply chains are been disrupted after Vietnam, the world’s second-biggest exporter of coffee, tightened lockdown measures in the port of Ho Chi Minh City, as well as bringing in restrictions in some coffee-growing areas of the Central Highlands.

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Coronavirus live news: Israel reports record daily Covid cases; Ireland to remove all restrictions by 31 October

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Israel records nearly 11,000 new Covid infections; EU hits its target for vaccinating adults; Ireland’s cabinet to sign off on plans to remove restrictions

Mexico on Tuesday reported 11,146 new confirmed cases of Covid and 835 more deaths, Reuters reports.

It brings the total number of infections in the country to 3,352,410 and the death toll to 259,326, according to health ministry data.

The latest on the Covid situation in Australia:

Related: Morning mail: Taliban takes control, mixed vaccines ‘don’t make sense’, love in lockdown

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National Trust reports 383% rise in online donations during Covid crisis

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Conservation charity’s supporters give more than £865,000 despite pandemic closing majority of sites

The National Trust has reported a 383% increase in online donations during the pandemic year when most of the charity’s venues were “put into hibernation”.

Figures from the charity showed that online donationswere more than £865,000, an increase of 383% from 2019/20.

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Australian health authorities warn against mixing Covid vaccine types

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Concerns raised that some people may be cancelling their second AstraZeneca dose hoping to obtain a shot of Pfizer instead

The evidence is strongest for receiving two doses of the same Covid-19 vaccine, rather than mixing different types, medical authorities have said amid concerns that some people may be cancelling their second AstraZeneca dose in the hope of securing a shot of Pfizer.

As outbreaks of the Delta variant affect New South Wales and Victoria, people are being urged by state premiers and health authorities to get vaccinated as soon as possible with whatever vaccine is available, and to show up to their existing first and second-dose appointments.

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Judge orders hospital to treat Ohio Covid patient with ivermectin

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• Anti-parasitic drug used on horses can be dangerous

• Jeffrey Smith, 51, to receive 30mg for three weeks

A judge in Ohio ordered a hospital to treat a Covid-19 patient with ivermectin, despite warnings from experts that the anti-parasitic drug has not proved effective against the virus and can be dangerous in large doses.

Related: Rand Paul: ‘Hatred for Trump’ blocks Covid study of horse drug ivermectin

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Israel registers record daily coronavirus cases

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Country to press ahead with school openings as it encourages all over-12s to get third jab

Israel has recorded its highest daily number of coronavirus cases with nearly 11,000 new infections, amid a surge caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant as schools prepare to re-open.

The previous high came on 18 January, with 10,118 cases.

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What is C.1.2, the new Covid variant in South Africa, and should we be worried?

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The C.1.2 strain has scientists’ attention because it possesses mutations within the genome similar to those seen in variants of interest, like Delta

A new Covid variant detected in South Africa has made headlines around the world.

On Monday the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa issued an alert about the “C.1.2 lineage”, saying it had been detected in all provinces in the country, but at a relatively low rate.

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Australia Covid live news update: Morrison announces Pfizer vaccine deal; ACT extends lockdown, three deaths and 1,164 cases in NSW, Victoria 76 cases

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Singapore agrees to vaccine ‘dose swap’ with Australia; NSW confirms 1,164 cases and three deaths; lockdown extended to 17 September in ACT; Victoria records 76 new cases; AMA says vaccinations for healthcare staff must be mandatory. Follow the latest updates live

Andrew Leigh to Josh Frydenberg:

Gerry Harvey has now repaid $6 million in JobKeeper out of the $13 billion that went to companies with rising revenue. Gerry Harvey think it is money should be paid back. Why doesn’t the Treasurer?

Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:

My question as to the prime minister. Most economists expect the economic growth to slow in the June quarter and it is now going backwards in the September quarter. Why does the prime minister not take responsibility for the fact that Australia’s economic recovery was always hostage to his failures on vaccines and quarantine?

Australia is one of the few countries in the world that after the Covid-19 recession of last year saw our economy grow back to a level higher than it was before the pandemic started, and that is before Delta hit, and saw 1 million people, a million people get back into work.

That was the product of economic policies that not only provided significant, in fact unprecedented economic support, both to individuals who had lost hours and had been stood down, through jobkeeper but also through ... the many other measures that supported businesses to see their way through at a time. Particularly last year at the outset of Covid when the uncertainty was at such a level that it was like looking into an economic abyss. And so the certainty that was provided by the government that stepped in with the single largest economic intervention in Australia’s history. Gave businesses, gave families, gave individual employees the confidence to be able to get up the next day and see it through, and do it again, day after day, month after month.

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