Original article by Melissa Davey
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 17-Jun-22

Professor Margaret Hellard from the Burnet Institute has called for the reintroduction of a face mask mandate to help curb the spread of COVID-19. She has told a parliamentary inquiry into Victoria’s pandemic orders that Australia faces a COVID-19 death toll of 10,000 to 15,000 unless some measures are reinstated. Professor Jodie McVernon from the Doherty Institute in turn said that future COVID-19 measures need to be "reasonable and proportionate", and warned that without vaccines the nation’s death toll from the coronavirus would have been "catastrophic". NSW reported 9,117 new COVID-19 cases and 17 deaths on Wednesday; there were 7,889 new infections and 22 deaths in Victoria.

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THE MACFARLANE BURNET INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH LIMITED, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. PETER DOHERTY INSTITUTE FOR INFECTION AND IMMUNITY

Original article by Michael Bennet
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 27-Apr-22

The Western Australian government will relax more COVID-19 restrictions from 12.01am on Friday. Amongst other things, face masks will only by mandatory in high-risk indoor settings such as hospitals and aged-care homes, as well as public transport. Density and capacity limits for indoor venues will also be scrapped, and asymptomatic close contacts will no longer need to isolate. Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson concedes that the changes may result in higher case numbers and hospitalisations, although she says this can be managed. WA recorded 6,711 new cases and eight deaths on Wednesday; there were 9,849 new infections and 18 deaths in NSW, while Victoria reported 9,265 new cases and 15 deaths.

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WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH

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

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

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

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.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIA. THERAPEUTIC GOODS ADMINISTRATION