Fires burned during violent clashes between protesters and police at an anti-vaccine mandate demonstration in the grounds of New Zealand’s parliament, in extraordinary and chaotic scenes rarely seen in the country
Continue reading...Category Archives: Coronavirus
Australia news live update: fourth NSW flood death confirmed; Ballina mayor calls for help; more ‘high impact’ storms forecast for Queensland
Fourth NSW flood death confirmed; residents in parts of north-west Sydney told to prepare to evacuate their homes; Ballina mayor calls for ‘desperate help’; Queensland premier warns ‘high-impact’ storms could lead to more flash flooding; Warragamba Dam spills; drivers still stranded on M1; at least 59 Covid-related deaths recorded. Follow all the day’s news
- Flood map satellite images and rain charts show extent of Queensland and NSW disaster
- Ballina flood: wall of water racing to town amid warning NSW conditions remain ‘very dangerous’
- East coast low menaces Sydney and vast stretch of NSW coast with ‘life-threatening’ flash flooding forecast
- ‘Nothing to sell’: Queensland and NSW flood waters hit supermarkets and grocery supplies
- Western Australia border reopening tests McGowan as Covid peak looms
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My colleagues Josh Butler and Sarah Martin have an interesting story this morning on how the Australian anti-vaxxer groups are pivoting to pro-Putin messaging and Ukraine conspiracy theories.
Here’s a bit more on the second death in Lismore, via AAP.
Continue reading...Fires and clashes break out at New Zealand parliament as police move in to clear protest
Clashes erupt between police in riot-gear and protesters as Māori leaders denounce violence at demonstrations that have run for weeks
Fires burned across parliament grounds, and violent clashes broke out between protesters and police at an anti-vaccine mandate demonstration on New Zealand’s parliament grounds, in extraordinary and chaotic scenes rarely seen in the country.
After nearly four weeks of impasse between the protesters and police at parliament, hundreds of officers in riot gear stormed the occupation on Wednesday morning, and by the afternoon had gained significant ground, tearing down tents, towing vehicles and making 38 arrests. The police said protesters used fire extinguishers, paint-filled projectiles, homemade plywood shields and pitchforks as weapons and a cord was set up as a trip wire.
Continue reading...‘I last went to school in December’: a headteacher’s battle with long Covid
Steve Bladon led his Lincolnshire school tirelessly through the pandemic and thought the worst was over – then fatigue set in
Last month, Steve Bladon, a father of four, watched with some unease as the prime minister announced the lifting of all Covid restrictions in England. After two years of the pandemic – the lockdowns, the legal requirements to self-isolate, the social distancing and mandatory masks – the message from government was that it may not be over, but it’s time to learn to live with Covid.
As the headteacher of a primary school in a small town in Lincolnshire, Bladon, 46, knows as much as anyone about living with the virus. He has led his team and school community tirelessly through the pandemic, delivering remote education and food parcels, reassuring anxious parents and keeping colleagues calm.
Continue reading...Prime minister Scott Morrison tests positive to Covid with ‘flu-like symptoms’
Australian PM is isolating at Sydney home and says he will continue working while he recovers
Scott Morrison says he has tested positive to Covid-19 but will continue to discharge all his responsibilities as prime minister.
“I am experiencing flu-like symptoms and will be recovering over the next week,” he said in a statement announcing that he had tested positive on Tuesday night.
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Continue reading...Pfizer vaccine significantly less effective in children ages five to 11, study shows
Strikingly higher rates of decline in effectiveness for younger children suggest the lower dose they receive may be the reason
The Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is less effective in children aged five to 11 than in adolescents and adults, according to new data from New York state health officials.
The new research was announced shortly after federal authorities relaxed masking guidance and a day after Eric Adams, the mayor of New York, said he would probably follow Governor Kathy Hochul in ending a mask mandate in city schools.
Continue reading...Possible case of deer-to human Covid infection identified in Canada
Researchers say its unlikely that the variant found in deer could bypass vaccines, but urge better monitoring of Covid in animals
Canadian researchers believe they have found the first-ever instance of a deer passing the coronavirus to a human, warning that broader surveillance of wildlife is needed to prevent further mutations from developing and spreading undetected.
In a paper published last week, but not yet peer reviewed, scientists say at least one case of Covid-19 in humans can be traced to a strain of the virus found in hunted deer.
Continue reading...I didn’t break Covid rules when kissing aide, says Matt Hancock
Ex-minister explains why he resigned last year after CCTV showed him embracing adviser Gina Coladangelo
Matt Hancock has insisted that he broke only Covid guidelines rather than rules in kissing his aide and friend in his ministerial office, events that forced his resignation as UK health secretary after CCTV images of the clinch emerged.
Hancock also said his decision to step down more than 24 hours after the pictures were published was made after people he knew and respected got in touch to remind him they had been unable to see dying relatives because of Covid regulations.
Continue reading...Australia news live update: Lismore flood level breaks 1954 record as Perrottet warns worse to come in NSW; Queensland death toll rises to eight
NSW premier says ‘unprecedented’ floods expected to get worse; Lismore residents call for help on social media as flood level hits record high; Australia lists Russia as ‘do not travel’ zone; Frydenberg discusses financial support for Ukraine ahead of Scott Morrison’s call with president; at least 12 Covid-related deaths recorded. Follow the latest updates live
- Follow the Ukraine live blog
- Lismore flood: hundreds rescued and thousands evacuated as NSW town hit by worst flood in its history
- Brisbane flood: warning up to 15,000 properties could be inundated as river reaches peak
- ‘Do not go’: Australians warned against travelling to Ukraine to fight Russian invasion
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Josh Frydenberg was asked if he believed the Russian president Vladimir Putin could turn the invasion into Ukraine nuclear.
He says it’s no secret that Putin may have ambitions beyond simply controlling Ukraine.
No one wants to see an escalation ... but these are the dangers of the times and the insanity of what Putin has done ... I’m worried there could be an escalation beyond the borders ...
I’m worried that there could be an escalation beyond the borders and no doubt. That’s what other European nations or neighbouring countries are concerned about ...
Just to get a sense of when will we find out the amount of money we’re committing to this issue ... we’re working the details through you will find out probably today.
I mean, we’re going to start with an initial payment. It will be in the millions, and it’s not going to be the same sort of quantum that United States or the United Kingdom would provide but you know, where we can ...
Continue reading...New Zealand ends isolation rules for vaccinated travellers from Australia as transmission rates soar
Change comes as NZ, virus-free for much of pandemic, records some of world’s highest transmission rates amid Omicron surge
New Zealand has ended its self-isolation requirements for vaccinated travellers arriving from Australia, as the country’s Covid transmission rates soar to among the highest in the world.
From Wednesday, vaccinated travellers will no longer need to self-isolate but will still be required to undergo a Covid-19 test on arrival and on day five or six, prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday.
Continue reading...New York to lift schools mask mandate and indoor venues could follow
Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announce moves as Covid infections continue to fall dramatically
The mayor of New York City, Eric Adams announced on Sunday that a dramatic drop in coronavirus infections could lead to the lifting of vaccine mandates on restaurants, bars and theaters as soon as 7 March.
His announcement came shortly after the governor of New York state, Kathy Hochul, announced plans to lift the mask mandate on schools, effective Wednesday.
Continue reading...Nearly half of 500m free Covid tests Biden made available still unclaimed
White House sees program as a more elastic testing infrastructure that will accommodate surges and remain on standby
Nearly half of 500m free Covid-19 tests the Biden administration made available to the US public have not been claimed, as cases plummet.
Wild demand swings have been a subplot in the pandemic, from vaccines to hand sanitizer and tests. On the first day of the White House test giveaway in January, the covidtests.gov website received more than 45m orders. Now officials say fewer than 100,000 orders a day are coming in for packages of four free rapid tests per household, delivered by the US Postal Service.
Continue reading...‘Don Quixote-like quest’: Ukraine attack and easing Covid mandates leave US trucker protest on the fringe
The convoy, which set out to ‘clog the streets’ has had too few vehicles to make an impact on traffic
Ryan Wright stood around a campfire in Lupton, Arizona, a town on the Navajo reservation where members of an American trucker convoy protest were resting for the night. As the fire flickered he discussed a conspiracy myth about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, he proffered, was a distraction. “I’m not the only one that feels this way,” Wright said. “But I feel like it’s a big fat smokescreen to keep everyone distracted on what is really going on in the world.”
Continue reading...I had anorexia in the 1970s – and it came back in lockdown | Ask Philippa
The loneliness that triggered this was not your fault, says Philippa Perry. Have self compassion and get professional help
The question In the 1970s, I was anorexic and was in hospital for months as a teenager after being admitted as a medical emergency weighing just 5st. In those days, treatment was harsh, drug-based and punitive in tone.
I recovered to live a fulfilling life. I was married for 30 years, raised two children, worked as a teacher and ended my career as head of a large comprehensive school.
Continue reading...Coronavirus came from Wuhan market and not Chinese lab, twin studies say
Two studies released by scientists but yet to be published in journals say virus did not emerge from Wuhan Institute of Virology
International scientists on Saturday released two major studies which one participant said made it “extraordinarily clear” a market in Wuhan, China was the source of the coronavirus which fueled the Covid-19 pandemic – and not a Chinese government laboratory, a theory championed in the US by rightwing campaigners, columnists and politicians.
The question of where Covid-19 came from and how it spread has proved divisive.
Continue reading...Explainer: when will Covid vaccines be available for children under five?
Making sure adults and older children are vaccinated is the best thing to do if worried about under-fives not being eligible, expert says
- Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
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Children under the age of five are not yet able to be vaccinated against Covid leaving some parents worried their younger children could catch the virus from older siblings who have returned to school.
Less than 50% of children aged five to 11 have received their first vaccine dose. But it is hoped child vaccination rates will be bolstered by Australia becoming the first country to approve the Moderna vaccine for children aged six and over. Pfizer continues to be available to children aged five and over.
Continue reading...Will we get a single, variant-proof vaccine for Covid?
The goal of a universal vaccine would have seemed a fantasy only a few years ago. But not now…
This week the government announced additional vaccine booster jabs for the over-75s and suggested a further shot is likely to be needed in the autumn. But imagine if the next Covid vaccine jab you have were the last you would ever need. That’s a dream being actively pursued now by researchers, who feel it could be possible to make a “universal” vaccine against the Sars-CoV-2 virus that would work well not only against all existing variants but any that the virus could plausibly mutate into in the future.
Some are thinking even bigger. In January, Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, and two other experts called for more research into “universal coronavirus vaccines” that would work not only against Sars-CoV-2 but against the many other coronaviruses in animal populations that have the potential to spill over into humans and cause future pandemics. “We need a research approach that can characterise the global ‘coronaviral universe’ in multiple species,” Fauci and colleagues wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine, “and apply this information in developing broadly protective ‘universal’ vaccines against all [coronaviruses].”
Continue reading...Stressed NHS staff in England quit at record 400 a week, fuelling fears over care quality
Burnout from two years of battling Covid pandemic has created flood of departures and public concern, says survey
A record number of more than 400 workers in England have left the NHS every week to restore their work-life balance over the last year, according to a new analysis of the workforce crisis hitting the health service.
The flood of departures comes with staff complaining of burnout and cases of post-traumatic stress disorder following two years of battling the Covid pandemic. There are now concerns that the exodus is impacting the quality of care, with more than a quarter of adults saying they or an immediate family member had received poor care as a result of the workforce problems.
Continue reading...Vallance and Whitty to step out of spotlight as Covid restrictions end in England
Chief scientific adviser and England’s chief medical officer will focus on health inequalities and emerging technologies
The government’s two most senior advisers in the pandemic will turn their attention to health inequalities, the state of the UK’s air and emerging technologies following the milestone decision to end all legal Covid restrictions in England this week.
While the pandemic is far from over, Boris Johnson’s announcement on Monday of the “living with Covid” plan is expected to be the last time Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, and Sir Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, will flank the prime minister to explain the UK’s response.
Continue reading...‘So many rabbit holes’: Even in trusting New Zealand, protests show fringe beliefs can flourish
Researchers say country’s successful Covid pandemic response and high-trust society is no inoculation against misinformation
New Zealand’s anti-vaccine convoy is hoping to be there for the long haul. Once a ragtag collective of tents, it has become a fully fledged encampment: it has free clothing tents, admin checkpoints, yellow-vested security guards, portable toilets, tents for charging phones, and a “blues lounge” where the band plays a light, jazzy reimagining of Pink Floyd’s Brick in the Wall. “We don’t need no vaccination, we don’t need no thought control,” a woman croons, tapping the bongos.
On the surface, the occupation of parliamentary grounds evokes a poorly planned but amiable music festival, but an undercurrent of violence – or its threat – throbs below. As well as chalked messages of peace and love, some protesters came bearing nooses, promises of a “war crimes trial” for politicians, journalists, and scientists, or outright demands to “hang them high”.
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