COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Cancer screening rates drop amid closures

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 1-Feb-22

Data from the Productivity Commission shows that screening for bowel, breast and cervical cancer declined at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, with screening rates down as much as five per cent in high-risk groups. A report released by Cancer Australia in 2021 stated that a decline in cancer testing during the pandemic would increase the likelihood of people being diagnosed with conditions too late to treat or more advanced disease. The Commission’s data was released as part of an annual report on government services across the country, with the report showing that recurrent expenditure on health services by state, territory and federal governments was worth an estimated $122.2 billion in the period covered by the report.

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AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSIONCANCER AUSTRALIA

NSW government has always known Covid deaths would rise after reopening: Perrottet

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Original article by Michael McGowan
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 1-Feb-22

New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet has defended his government’s decision to ease COVID-19 restrictions in mid-December, following the revelation that health officials had warned days earlier that the Omicron variant could result in a surge in infections. Perrottet has also conceded that the government had been aware that case numbers, hospitalisation rates and deaths from Covid would rise when the state’s economy reopened. NSW recorded 13,026 new COVID-19 cases and 27 additional deaths from the current outbreak on Monday. There were 10,053 new cases and eight deaths in Victoria, while Queensland reported 7,462 new cases and three deaths.

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NEW SOUTH WALES. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

Private hospital staff diverted to public system on deadliest day of Covid pandemic

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Original article by Mostafa Rachwani, Sarah Martin
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 19-Jan-22

The federal government has activated emergency measures which will make more than 100,000 employees of private hospitals available to work in public hospitals that are dealing with staff shortages and a rising COVID-19 caseload. The activation of the surge plan coincided with Australia recording 77 deaths from the coronavirus on Tuesday; it was the nation’s biggest one-day toll since the pandemic began, and included 36 deaths in NSW, 22 in Victoria and 16 in Queensland. NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant says 33 of the people who died in the state had been vaccinated, although most had not received a booster shot. There were 29,830 new COVID-19 cases in NSW on Tuesday, a total of 20,180 in Victoria and 15,962 in Queensland.

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NEW SOUTH WALES. MINISTRY OF HEALTH

Budget offers last reset chance as May 14 looks likely for poll

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Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 19-Jan-22

Federal government ministers and MPs believe that an election is now unlikely to be held in March, citing factors such as the emergence of the Omicron strain of COVID-19, supply chain problems and a shortage of rapid antigen tests. The government has previously signalled that the Budget will be handed down on 29 March, which would make 7 May the earliest possible date to call an election. There is growing consensus within the Coalition’s ranks that the election will be held on either 14 or 21 May.

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Covid isolation rules may be cut to five days

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Original article by Tom McIlroy, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 19-Jan-22

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg notes that some countries have reduced the isolation period for people with COVID-19 from 7-10 days to just five. He has not ruled out a similar move in Australia to help address a labour shortage in key sectors. Frydenberg says isolation rules are under constant review and stressed that health settings will remain "pragmatic and proportionate". Chief medical officer Paul Kelly concedes that shorter isolation periods would increase the risk of community transmission. Some state governments have already reduced the isolation period for people with the virus to seven days.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH

Privacy fight for BHP vax order as miners caught faking jabs

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 19-Jan-22

BHP has defended its decision to require all employees to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination status by 31 January. The resources group says it needs all relevant information to ensure that employees are not faking their vaccination status. A spokesman says that immunisation history statements and COVID-19 digital certificates will only be viewed by members of BHP’s health and medical teams. The CFMEU has expressed concern about the privacy implications of BHP’s policy, and has taken the matter to the Fair Work Commission.

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BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA

Liberals slam unions’ strike threat on rapid antigen tests

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Original article by Jess Malcolm
The Australian – Page: 4 : 19-Jan-22

The federal government has criticised the ACTU for raising the prospect of strike action if workers are not given free rapid antigen tests. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has warned that industrial action at this stage of the pandemic would punish Australian families, while Health Minister Greg Hunt says the provision of free rapid tests across all sectors would "destroy" the supply chain. Frydenberg has also rejected claims that the government has adopted a ‘let it rip’ approach to COVID-19. Labor leader Anthony Albanese says businesses should not have to bear the cost of providing their employees with rapid antigen tests.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

It’s ‘like a lockdown’: omicron chaos crippling business

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Original article by Hannah Wootton, David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 7-Jan-22

Australia posted 72,392 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, along with 13 deaths. NSW recorded the most new cases, with 34,994, followed by Victoria, with 21,997. The record number of cases comes as businesses in a range of sectors are experiencing significant disruptions to their operations as a result of staff being sick or having to isolate. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said he had spoken to the CEOs of Coles, Wesfarmers, Metcash and Woolworths in regard to supply chain and workforce problems, and that Treasury was relying on its National Co-ordination Mechanism to "resolve these issues". Business groups have compared the current chaos being caused by the surge in omicron cases as akin to being in lockdown, with confusion over new rules for testing and monitoring of cases only adding to the problem.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, METCASH LIMITED – ASX MTS, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW

Food suppliers calls for close contact rule to be abolished amid supply chain chaos

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Original article by Jared Lynch
The Australian – Page: Online : 7-Jan-22

Gold Coast-based food distributor Jeff Godden is among the many members of Australia’s food supplies industry calling for close contact rules to be scrapped. He says the rule has meant he has had stand down almost 50 per cent of his drivers, while he estimates his Godden Food Group business has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past fortnight. He is also unhappy that food distributors must rapid antigen test their employees every day, costing them between $500 and $5,000 a week.

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GODDEN FOOD GROUP

Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine could be a game changer for anti-vaxxers

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Original article by Maria Bervanakis
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 22-Dec-21

The European Union has approved the use of Novavax’s protein-based COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 18+. Protein-based vaccines have been safely used for decades, which may increase the vaccine take-up rate among people who have been hesitant about getting an mRNA-based vaccine like those of Pfizer and Moderna. Clinical trials have shown that the Novavax vaccine has an efficacy rate of around 90 per cent, with only mild or moderate side effects. The Australian government has ordered 51 million doses of the vaccine, which has yet to be approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

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NOVAVAX INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. THERAPEUTIC GOODS ADMINISTRATION