COVID-19 PANDEMIC

WA to bring in level two restrictions to combat COVID-19 case rise

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Original article by Peter de Kruijff
WAtoday – Page: Online : 1-Mar-22

Western Australia recorded 1,140 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, and there are now 5,540 active cases in the state. Premier Mark McGowan has announced that level two restrictions will be introduced from 3 March, which will coincide with the reopening of the state’s borders; he says it is hoped that the new restrictions will be in place for no more than four weeks, adding that the state’s Omicron outbreak is expected to peak before the end of March. Meanwhile, NSW reported 5,856 new infections and six deaths on Monday, while there were 5,852 new cases and three deaths in Victoria.

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WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET

Australia’s Covid deaths explained

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Original article by Kara Monssen
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 23-Feb-22

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that a total of 2,639 people in Australia have died from or with COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Some 2,556 of the deaths up to 31 January 2022 were directly attributed to the coronavirus, while 83 people died from other causes but had the virus at the time of their death. Analysis also shows that people with pre-existing health conditions accounted for nearly 70 per cent of Covid deaths, while the elderly are also over-represented in the mortality figures. Associate Professor James Turner of Monash University says deaths should now be the key metric in Australia, rather than daily case numbers and infection rates.

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AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, MONASH UNIVERSITY

TGA provisionally approves AstraZeneca COVID booster vaccine

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Original article by
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 10-Feb-22

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has provisionally approved the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine as a booster shot for people aged 18+. However, the TGA has stated that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are still preferred as a booster shot for all adults, regardless of the first two vaccine doses they had received. The TGA adds that people will need to consult their doctor before getting an AstraZeneca booster shot. Meanwhile, NSW recorded 10,312 new COVID-19 cases and 20 deaths on Wednesday; there were 9,908 new coronavirus cases and 21 deaths in Victoria, while Queensland reported 6,902 new cases and 24 deaths.

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AUSTRALIA. THERAPEUTIC GOODS ADMINISTRATION, ASTRAZENECA PLC, PFIZER INCORPORATED, MODERNA INCORPORATED

Labor Covid policies an extra $81bn hit: Finance Minister

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Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 9-Feb-22

The federal government has spent about $337bn on economic and health support programs since the COVID-19 pandemic began, which has contributed to the budget deficit blowing out to $134bn. However, Finance Minister Simon Birmingham says the government has contained spending during the pandemic by making its emergency measures "temporary, targeted and proportionate". He adds that Labor’s pandemic policies would have cost an additional $81bn in unnecessary spending and increased the deficit by 20 per cent. Shadow finance minister Katy Gallagher has in turn described the Coalition as the most wasteful government since Federation.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Tourists may need to be triple-jabbed: Andrews

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Original article by Lucas Baird, Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 9-Feb-22

The Victorian government is at odds with its federal counterpart regarding the vaccination status of international tourists when Australia’s borders reopen on 21 February. The federal government has advised that inbound travellers will only be required to have two COVID-19 vaccine doses. However, Premier Daniel Andrews says the state will require tourists to have a booster shot if the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation recommends that people must have had three doses in order to enter the country. This could lead to international visitors being barred from hospitality, retail and entertainment venues in Victoria, in a new blow for the tourism industry.

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VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP ON IMMUNISATION

Health authorities bracing for winter Omicron wave

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Original article by Jade Gailberger, Tom Minear
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 3-Feb-22

Australia’s chief medical officer Paul Kelly has told the Senate’s COVID-19 committee that the pandemic is far from over and another wave of Omicron is likely in winter. He added that the next wave will be "very different", due to factors such as the rollout of booster shots and the availability of COVID-19 treatments. Meanwhile, Therapeutic Goods Administration head John Skerritt has defended the regulator’s cautious approach to approving rapid antigen tests, arguing that many of the available kits return a high proportion of inaccurate results. NSW reported 11,807 new COVID-19 cases and 27 additional deaths on Wednesday; there were 14,553 new cases and 25 deaths in Victoria, while Queensland recorded 9,630 new cases and 16 deaths.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIA. THERAPEUTIC GOODS ADMINISTRATION

Worker burnout up as pandemic rolls on

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Original article by Stephen Lunn
The Australian – Page: 6 : 3-Feb-22

ELMO Software has released the findings of a survey which shows that more than 20 per cent of respondents intend to actively look for a new job in 2022. The survey also found that 45 per cent of respondents feel that they are suffering from burnout, compared with 34 per cent in the first quarter of 2021. In addition, the ELMO Employee Sentiment Index survey found that seven out of 10 employees are concerned about returning to a physical workplace during the pandemic, while 42 per cent expect to continue working from home at least some of the time.

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ELMO SOFTWARE LIMITED – ASX ELO

Relief as almost all BHP workers from Yandi mine test negative for Covid

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Original article by Danielle Le Messurier
The West Australian – Page: Online : 3-Feb-22

BHP appears to have avoided a large outbreak of COVID-19 at its Yandi iron ore mine in the Pilbara. BHP had ordered 78 workers to self-isolate at its Spinifex accommodation village after a rail maintenance contactor tested positive and spread the virus to a close contact. Most of the workers have now been cleared of the virus and have been released from isolation. However, 18 close contacts of the two positive cases must remain in isolation for 14 days, while BHP has not yet received the test results for one casual contact.

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BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP

NSW to resume non-urgent elective surgery

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Original article by
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 2-Feb-22

New South Wales recorded 12,818 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, and an additional 30 deaths from the current outbreak. The latest fatalities include a man in his 30s who had received two vaccine doses and had no significant underlying health conditions; chief health officer Kerry Chant says this underlines the importance of getting a booster shot. Meanwhile, Health Minister Brad Hazzard has advised that hospitals will resume performing non-urgent elective surgery on 7 February. Victoria has reported 11,311 new cases and 34 deaths, while there have been 7,588 new infections and 10 deaths in Queensland.

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NEW SOUTH WALES. MINISTRY OF HEALTH

Morrison sees chance of a lifetime

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 2-Feb-22

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has conceded that the federal government has made some key mistakes in its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amongst other things, Morrison has admitted that he underestimated the seriousness of the Omicron outbreak going into the summer months, while he should have put Lieutenant-General John Frewen in charge of the vaccine rollout from the outset. Morrison has also stated that Australia has a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to reduce the unemployment rate to below four per cent. His target of a 3.75 per cent jobless rate in the second half of 2022 is more ambitious than that of the Reserve Bank, which expects it to reach this level by the end of 2023.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA