Essential workers challenge Victoria and NSW vaccine mandates in court

Victorian teacher Belinda Cetnar and her husband Jack argue they could lose their livelihoods if they don’t get vaccinated

A casual relief teacher is taking Victorian health officials to court over mandatory Covid vaccines, arguing there is no legal or ethical justification for making workers get the jab.

Separately, in New South Wales, a group of essential workers has argued in court that state’s health orders regarding vaccines are an attempt to coerce them into being inoculated.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

One in five 15- to 24-year-olds globally ‘often feel depressed’, finds Unicef

Covid’s toll on mental health of children and young people laid bare in report citing fears about the future, family and lockdowns

Almost one in five 15- to 24-year-olds around the world say they often feel depressed, according to a new UN report.

The children’s agency, Unicef, and Gallup conducted interviews in 21 countries during the first six months of the year.

Continue reading...

Woman successfully treated for depression with electrical brain implant

‘Stunning’ neuroscientific advance gives hope to those with mental illness not helped with drugs

A woman with severe depression has been successfully treated with an experimental brain implant in a “stunning” advance that offers hope to those with intractable mental illness.

The device works by detecting patterns of brain activity linked to depression and automatically interrupting them using tiny pulses of electrical stimulation delivered deep inside the brain.

Continue reading...

Australia news live update: Melbourne to set Covid lockdown world record, Dominic Perrottet set to become NSW premier

Melbourne overtaking Buenos Aires as city that has spent most days under stay-at-home orders. Follow all the updates

When it comes to Melbourne now, by some counts, becoming the most locked-down city in the world, premier Daniel Andrews says he is proud of the sacrifices Melburnians have made over the pandemic.

Yesterday he called on Melburnians to make a final push before lockdown ends in coming weeks, reports Callum Godde from AAP.

We are going to get past this. We are going to end this lockdown and open up, and all that we will enjoy then will be a result of all that we have given.

If we let it rip last year, we would have had severe mortality and morbidity. It’s just that we haven’t had the same luck as other place.

Continue reading...

‘Email is a zombie that keeps rising from the dead’: the endless pursuit of Inbox Zero

As emails loom omnipresent in our connected lives, is the quest for an empty inbox a noble pursuit or an unwinnable war?

Last week, I asked my Twitter followers about their email inboxes.

Author Mohammed Massoud Morsi likened his to a “Kalashnikov on semi-automatic…Nudge, Nudge, Nudge. Nudge. Nudge, Nudge.” Human rights lawyer Diana Sayed replied that hers functions as a to-do list that is emptied on the regular. And when editor Caitlin Chang revealed that her inbox is sitting at over 1,000 and counting (she says she only ever reads the ones at the top, as they’re probably the most important), someone’s response to her was, “I threw up a little in my mouth”.

Continue reading...

Australia Covid news live update: Victoria records 1,220 cases; NSW announces new rules for 70% vaccine milestone; Brisbane readies for NRL grand final

NSW reports 10 deaths amid ‘dramatic drop’ in new Covid cases with 70% double-dose target in sight; cases continue to rise in Victoria amid vaccine mandate protests; Queensland readies for NRL grand final at Suncorp Stadium tonight as state records no new local Covid infections; ACT records 38 new local cases; 32 of New Zealand’s 33 new cases in Auckland. Follow live

Speers has asked Husic what he thinks of the state government’s plan to open up once 70% of adults are vaccinated?

Husic:

As someone who lives in a locked down LGA, who represents residents who have gone through some of the toughest measures across the LGAs in Western Sydney, we clearly want to get out of this.

As Labor has said, we at the national level support the national plan and believe that we do need to get out as quickly as we can, but it does require in particular a focus on the safety elements of this.

Icac is actually not allowed under law to delay or defer investigations. What do you think, though, about the criticism that it has chosen a terrible time to do this?

In response to your question first off, I would say that it is a bit hard for Gladys Berejiklian to make that point when she started cancelling her own press conferences, her daily press conferences. If this was such an important time, she would be there every single day. I think that needs to be borne in mind and I would urge people to consider that, but I guess overall I would understand, the two points I would quickly make:

I understand how people are confused and disoriented about the events of Friday, seeing the premier go that quickly, but it is important to emphasise that ... this explosive event was lit in 2020 when you had a New South Wales premier appear before Icac as a person being monitored, a person of interest, and clearly there was an issue there, and the reality is Icac did not force Gladys Berejiklian to resign, she did that of her own accord, following 12 months of saying that she wouldn’t do that.

Continue reading...

NSW reports ‘dramatic drop’ in new Covid cases as Melbourne edges closer to world’s longest lockdown

Dr Kerry Chant warns next week is ‘critical’ for state as Victoria and ACT see slight declines in numbers

Victoria’s Covid infections have dropped slightly with Melbourne’s 246-day lockdown to become the world’s longest on Tuesday.

And while New South Wales recorded a substantial drop in local Covid-19 cases on Sunday, the state continued to see a rise in Covid-related hospitalisations and deaths.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Covid antiviral pill halves hospitalisations and deaths, maker says

If approved, Merck’s drug would be first simple oral medication shown to be effective against coronavirus

An antiviral pill was found to reduce hospitalisations and deaths by half in patients newly diagnosed with Covid-19, according to results announced on Friday.

If approved, the drug made by the US firm Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics would be the first simple oral medication shown to be effective against Covid-19, which would mark a crucial advance in the fight against the pandemic. Other drugs, such as remdesivir, have been shown to be effective if given early, but all currently approved treatments need to be given as injections or IV infusions.

Continue reading...

Victoria Covid restrictions: Melbourne lockdown, curfew and regional Vic coronavirus rules explained

Victoria’s premier Daniel Andrews has announced a further easing of restrictions as the state reaches its 80% first-dose vaccination target. Here’s what you need to know about schools, travel, childcare and work

Melbourne restrictions eased slightly from Wednesday 29 September when Victoria hit its 80% first dose vaccination target.

The Moorabool shire and Shepparton were to enter seven-day lockdowns from 11.59pm on Friday 1 October.

Shopping for essentials;

Authorised work, if you cannot work from home, or education;

Exercise for up to four hours;

Caregiving, compassionate and medical reasons;

To get vaccinated.

Limited outdoor social interaction will be allowed.

Queensland

New South Wales

South Australia

Western Australia

Tasmania

Australian Capital Territory

Northern Territory

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning

Continue reading...

Scottish Covid vaccine passport app hit by problems after launch

NHS app needed to enter nightclubs, large events and for overseas travel, but users complain it does not work

Scotland’s Covid vaccine passport app is experiencing problems hours after its launch.

The app, which proves someone is fully vaccinated, is needed from Friday to enter nightclubs, large events and for overseas travel. But a number of users have complained it does not work and that the app cannot find their data.

Continue reading...

Embracing vitiligo: Ugandan artist dispels skin stigma with portraits

People with the condition can face being seen as ‘cursed’ in the east African country, says Martin Senkubuge, whose art aims to make them proud of their skin

It was a confrontation with a female Michael Jackson fan that first drew Martin Senkubuge’s attention to the skin condition vitiligo.

Senkubuge, a Ugandan artist, was describing his tattoo of the musician to the woman at an art exhibition in Kampala in 2019, when he accused the pop star of bleaching his skin.

Continue reading...

WHO ‘should pay reparations to victims of sexual abuse by staff’

Exclusive: UN agency must respond to the ‘real needs’ of the women and girls, says Julienne Lusenge, co-chair of the independent inquiry into the scandal

Survivors of sexual abuse by World Health Organization aid workers during the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ebola outbreak in 2018 should receive “substantive” reparations, the co-chair of an independent inquiry into the scandal has said.

Julienne Lusenge, a prominent Congolese human rights activist, said it was “essential” that the UN’s global health body drew up a workable plan for reparations to respond to the “real needs” of women and girls who became victims of abuse.

Continue reading...

Australia Covid live news update: FTA negotiations with Europe postponed after submarine snub; national cabinet meeting

Trade negotiations with Europe postponed; Scott Morrison expected to discuss international travel rules; outbreak in Newcastle maternity ward grows. Follow all the latest news

Victoria’s case numbers are delayed:

No clue if this is a good sign or not. Here’s hoping.

Continue reading...

Flu and Covid jabs safe to be given at same time, study finds

Clinical trial on joint flu, Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccinations reported only mild to moderate side-effects

Flu jabs are safe to give at the same time as the Pfizer or AstraZeneca Covid vaccines, according to the first clinical trial to investigate co-administering the shots in a single appointment.

While some people experienced more side-effects with certain combinations of flu and Covid shots, the ailments were mainly mild to moderate, the study found. The most common side effects included pain at the injection site and temporary fatigue, headache or muscle pain.

Continue reading...

Hydroxychloroquine sales spiked almost 100% in Australia at start of Covid pandemic, study finds

There was also a rise in prescriptions for ivermectin being filled, despite no evidence either drug is effective against the virus

The amount of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin dispensed from Australian pharmacies increased significantly in 2020 as the Covid pandemic took hold, according to new research.

Analysis of six publicly subsidised drugs – including hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, corticosteroids and the common antibiotic azithromycin – found Covid-related changes in prescription patterns in Australia.

Continue reading...

Huge domes of dust drift across my floor. Where do they come from – and why do I feel so afraid? | Brigid Delaney

I spend all day at home in lockdown in a state of revulsion. When I’m not cleaning, I’m sneezing

Is it Covid or is it dust? Since I moved into this apartment, I frequently wake up with a runny nose, an inflamed throat and watery eyes.

I’ve never lived in a place that’s so dusty. The amount of dust I must deal with each day is confounding. I am constantly dusting, only for it to return an hour later. Where does it come from? Why is it here? Can we cohabitate or will I inhale so much of it that I’ll eventually choke?

Continue reading...

Stark divide: disadvantaged areas of Victoria have worst Covid vaccination rates

Age, disadvantage and reduced access are mixing together in lower socio-economic areas to create a perfect Covid cocktail

Some of Victoria’s lowest socio-economic areas are still lagging behind on Covid-19 vaccination rates as the wealthiest local government areas surge ahead, creating a stark divide across the state.

The disparity has community leaders and epidemiologists worried the virus will sweep through some suburbs when the state opens up, if the vaccination rate does not pick up in vulnerable areas.

Continue reading...

Victoria to cut Pfizer interval as cases surge to record high – as it happened

NSW extends stay-at-home orders for 17 regional LGAs as state records 941 cases; South Australia records one local case; five Queensland areas including Brisbane and Gold Coast return to stage two restrictions. This blog is now closed

We are going to leave the blog there for the night.

Here’s what made news today:

Stay-at-home orders have been announced for the Kyogle and Narromine local government areas in New South Wales from midnight tonight until 11 October due to Covid cases in the area.

These restrictions will also apply to anyone who has been in the Kyogle LGA since 21 September and the Narromine LGA since 28 September.

Continue reading...

We’re told not to bottle up bad experiences – but a stiff upper lip can be for the best | Adrian Chiles

As an inveterate over-sharer, I learned a lesson this week from a former army nurse. Perhaps airing our worst moments gives them too much space to grow

Sometimes people I speak to on my radio programme say something that will stay with me for a long time. Marguerite Turner, 98, said two such things to me last week. She was talking about her work in the second world war. Her most vivid memory is of a single night in May 1942. As a nurse in the Voluntary Aid Detachment, she was stationed in the south of England at a large private house being used as a medical facility. Around midnight, she stepped outside to take a break in the blissful scented silence of the garden. Then: “I heard a sort of engine noise from somewhere. There was no light. The noise grew louder and louder, then a whole lot of planes flew over. You couldn’t see them; they were so high up. They went on and on. I knew they must be ours because there was no one shooting at them. I stood listening in that garden. Then they grew fainter and fainter, obviously going somewhere.”

Those planes, it turned out, were among the first of Bomber Harris’s so-called “thousand bomber raids” on German cities. That night the target was Cologne. Nearly 500 Germans were killed outright and 45,000 were made homeless. Forty-three of the aircraft she had heard didn’t return. And there, deep in the darkness a long way down, stood this young nurse, her tranquillity overwhelmed by the deafening din of violence. Seventy-nine years on, the viciously juxtaposed smell and sound are with her as if it was yesterday. As she puts it: “The scent of lilac and a curtain of engines.”

Continue reading...

Dutch scientists may have solved mystery of why some twins are identical

Discovery of DNA modifications raises hope of treatment for disorders that particularly afflict twins

The medical mystery of what causes some twins to be born identical may have been solved by scientists in the Netherlands, raising hopes for treatment of congenital disorders that disproportionately afflict them.

Identical twins form after a fertilised egg, called a zygote, splits into two embryos sharing exactly the same genes. The reason for the split is unknown.

Continue reading...