The Therapeutic Goods Administration has provisionally approved the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for use in Australia, with millions of doses expected over the upcoming months. So how does the Moderna vaccine work, and how is it different to the Pfizer?
Well-known epidemiologist Dr. Larry Brilliant has warned that the pandemic is far from over, saying, “I think we’re closer to the beginning than we are to the end…” Currently, only 15% of the world population has been vaccinated, although over 100 countries have less than 5% of people vaccinated. Dr Brilliant warns, “unless we vaccinated everyone in 200 plus countries, there will still be new variants,” which will continue to drive the pandemic like the Delta variant has. Dr Brilliant was part of the World Health Organisation’s team that helped eradicate smallpox, and is now the founder of a pandemic response consultancy.
The Delta variant is putting young, healthy people at risk of fatal cardiac complications. Professor Jason Kovacic, from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, explained that the Delta variant appears to be causing more serious infections and complications in young people. Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart), and blood clots are some of the most concerning side effects seen with Delta. Prof Kovacic predicts, “It may be inevitable that more young people die as this outbreak is set to get worse, but hopefully it’s a very, very, very low number.”
New modelling from the Burnet Institute shows that NSW could exceed 500 daily cases as early as Friday, despite the lockdown. The modelling, based on data from Melbourne’s second outbreak, shows that whilst cases in South Western Sydney are decreasing, cases throughout the rest of Sydney are doubling every 4-5 days. The experts behind the model are therefore calling for stricter restrictions across all Sydney. “Not only is this the equitable approach, but epidemiologically sound.” Even with these restrictions, it could take until the end of September to reach a 7 day average of 5 cases a day.
Want to know what protection you’ll have after your COVID-19 vaccines? Here are answers to 3 of the most common questions.
Rapid eye movement sleep (or REM sleep) is a stage of sleep when your brain converts short-term memories into the long-term bank. It is the fourth stage of sleep in our sleep cycle, and is most likely occurring when you have life-like dreams where your heart rate increases, your breathing quickens and your eyelids flutter.
Do you find it difficult to fall asleep at night or suffer from daytime tiredness due poor sleep? Here are some common reasons you may want to consider to help you sleep better:
Australia’s approach to COVID hasn’t changed much since 2020. We are still heavily reliant on lockdowns, on the zero cases target, without a clear path to reopening Australia. Unfortunately, with our vaccinations rates still so low and the Delta strain running rampant, Sydney cannot afford to come out of lockdown right now. But how are we planning to reopen once our vaccination rates do catch up?
112 of the 467 COVID-19 exposure sites listed on NSW Health as of Wednesday are supermarkets or grocers. 47 Woolworths, 21 Coles, 14 Aldis, 12 IGAs and another 18 miscellaneous fruit and veg shops have made the list, composing around 24% of all exposure sites. Supermarkets have been a mix of close contact and casual contact venues, with varied risk, and sites have stretched from the central coast to the Central Tablelands to the Illawarra.
