Latest updates
Experts warn of deepening mental health crisis as youth bear brunt of COVID-19 lockdown
By Cameron Houston and Craig Butt
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of young Victorians was exacerbated by the state's hard lockdown according to an internal government report which reveals a sharp rise in the number of teenagers seeking emergency care during stage four restrictions.
The report by the Victorian Agency for Health Information shows a 72 per cent increase compared with last year in the number of serious self-harm and suicidal-ideation presentations in emergency departments for those aged under-18 during the final six weeks of lockdown.
Lockdown has been hard on some young people.Credit:Angela Wylie
Over a six-week period in September and October about 23 young people a week on average required resuscitation or emergency treatment for self-harm or suicidal ideation, compared with about 13 a week over the same time period last year.
On average, 269 young people a week presented at emergency departments because of mental health concerns over the same time period, 23 per cent more than last year.
Mask changes could come within a month
By Mathew Dunckley
Professor Allen Cheng has emphasised any relaxation of the rules will be done cautiously but flagged a chance that mask rules might ease within a month.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. If we don't have cases for a while, then we'll be able to relax some of those settings but we want to say what things look like at the time.
"It does not only depend on what's happening in Melbourne, but you know, what's happening in the New South Wales and if the bubble still opens in New Zealand, then what happens there as well."
Asked a number of times if that could be within a month he said: "Things will start to relax but the timing of that ....what we will probably say would be things like you would need to wear your mask indoors but not outdoors, those sorts of things that will depend on the situation.
"I would expect within the next month, but if the exact timing again, depends on the situation."
Endemic potential: Fauci doubts COVID-19 can ever be eradicated
American Dr Anthony Fauci says vaccine developers should push to make billions of their COVID-19 immunisation doses to ensure access to all parts of the world, instead of focusing on rich countries.
But he warned however soon an effective vaccine may be available it may not be enough to help eradicate the disease.
Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the US National Institutes of Health.Credit:AP
Speaking at a webinar hosted by London think tank Chatham House, America’s leading expert on infectious disease said the health crisis may not be a pandemic for much longer "because I believe the vaccines are going to turn that around" but he said that there may be a need to re-vaccinate people intermittently, if COVID-19 becomes endemic.
Co-panelist Dr David Heymann, who led the World Health Organisation’s infectious disease unit during the SARS epidemic in 2002-2003 said the future of COVID-19 may be similar to the response to HIV, Ebola, Zika and pandemic flu.
"The public doesn't understand all about vaccines … including that this disease may, even with vaccines, become endemic," Heymann said.
Fauci agreed: "I doubt we are going to eradicate this. I think we need to plan that this is something we may need to maintain control over chronically. It may be something that becomes endemic, that we have to just be careful about," he continued.
Reuters, staff writers
The 15 doughnut on the calendar
Mask wearing could allow other restrictions to be eased: Cheng
By Mathew Dunckley
Professor Allen Cheng said keeping the rules on mask-wearing in place would play into the decision on easing other restrictions.
"We're going from a place where you know a lot of restrictions to hopefully a place where you know it's over COVID-normal there'll be some restrictions but there'll be fairly minimal.
"What we're trying to do is step through that cautiously and the order of that really depends on you know what's easy to do, what restrictions can be relaxed that will be relatively high impact and improve people's lives.
"Masks, I think, still are things where you know everyone's got their masks now and people know what to do and by holding that back a little bit means that we can probably open up some of the other things earlier.
"The last step was six days ago so we want to make sure that when the time comes pretty soon, then we'll be able to relax some of the other settings again."
New algorithm helps Victoria ID 515 historical COVID-19 cases
By Matthew Dunckley
Health Minister Martin Foley said the government had removed 515 cases from the tally of mystery cases after establishing connections to known infections.
"As case numbers have come down over the past few weeks, the DHHS... has created and tested, an algorithm that has identified some additional 515 historical cases that are connected to close contacts, or establish outbreaks," he said.
"And as a result of those connections now being drawn the data has been updated."
Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng said the algorithm allowed authorities to mine case data and was backed by manual reviews.
"It did take a bit of time to go back through all of these to make sure that that was correct. We obviously didn't know the source than we do now," he said.
"Obviously this is historical and this goes back to, mainly July and August but it's important to correct the record so that we can analyse the data correctly, and make sure we have learnings for next time."
Professor Cheng said the run on zero case days was "about as good as it can get".
Miranda Kerr's other half, Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel, avoids hotel quarantine
By Andrew Hornery
Two weeks after slipping undetected into Sydney for "family reasons", supermodel and mother of three Miranda Kerr has been joined by her billionaire husband and Snapchat founder, Evan Spiegel.
PS understands the family has made a "mercy dash" from their palatial Los Angeles home to Australia after one of Kerr's elderly relatives became gravely ill.
A sad homecoming for model Miranda Kerr and her billionaire husband Evan Spiegel who have quietly flown into Sydney.Credit:Getty
The sad homecoming has been kept under tight wraps, with COVID-19 restrictions making the trip more complicated than usual.
Watch: Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley gives a COVID-19 update
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley gave a COVID-19 update on Saturday morning from Monash Children's Hospital in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs.
Hinting at election loss, Trump predicts COVID vaccine ready in April
By Matthew Knott
Washington: Donald Trump has publicly acknowledged that he may no longer be President from inauguration day on January 20 while still showing no sign of conceding defeat to President-elect Joe Biden.
Trump appeared in the White House Rose Garden for his first press conference in over a week on Saturday (AEDT) - his first briefing since US media outlets declared Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
US President Donald Trump.Credit:AP
Trump spoke about the development of a coronavirus vaccine, which he expected would be available to the general population as soon as April.
Trump said his administration would not pursue a lockdown of the economy, adding: "Whatever happens in the future, who knows which administration it will be. I guess time will tell. I can tell you this administration will not go to a lockdown."
Unusually, Trump did not take any questions from reporters.
Weddings, funerals and stadium limits grow as Qld restrictions ease
By Matt Dennien and Lydia Lynch
Queensland will further wind back gathering restrictions for weddings, funerals, businesses and major events, setting the stage for a State of Origin decider next week in front of the largest Australian crowd since the pandemic hit.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the changes, to take effect from 4pm on Tuesday, would allow gatherings in private homes of up to 50, and indoor capacity limits for buildings to grow to one person for every two square metres.
The changes would also allow seated and ticketed open air stadiums and indoor events to operate at 100 per cent capacity, and a doubling of the guest limit at weddings and funerals to 200 people. They come as the state passed 60 days without a locally acquired case of COVID-19.
"Now this means the Cauldron can be filled to 100 per cent capacity for State of Origin next Wednesday night," Ms Palaszczuk said, referring to game three of the interstate NRL series scheduled for Suncorp Stadium.
Most Viewed in National
https://news.google.com/__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?oc=5
2020-11-14 00:22:00Z
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
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Coronavirus Australia LIVE updates: Victoria records 15th day of no new cases as rest of country moves towards re-opening; US record numbers continue as Trump claims credit for vaccines - The Sydney Morning Herald"
Post a Comment