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Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is a medical device used to treat sleep apnea by preventing the upper airways from collapsing. Although this device is highly effective, patients may encounter problems which can cause discomfort. Here are some common complications our CPAP Consultants see and how they address them:

Last Thursday, the federal government advised the recommended age for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to be lifted from 50 to 60 years old. However, the vice-president of the Australian Medical Association is urging all Australians who have received their first dose of AstraZeneca to get their second dose. Dr Chris Moy explained, “The bottom line is the risk of getting a clot from the second dose is one-tenth an already tiny risk on the first one. And you need [the second shot] for long-term protection and to protect yourself from the variants.” The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) backs this advice, as the risk of clots is much lower for the second shot of AstraZeneca.

The Bondi COVID-19 cluster grew to 11 cases yesterday, with health authorities raising concerns at how easily the Delta strain is spreading. CCTV footage revealed the momentary crossover between two people that spread the virus – a moment described by Premier Gladys Berejiklian as “scarily fleeting” as they simply walked past each other.

NSW has reintroduced many social distancing measures after 16 new COVID-19 cases were recorded. 10 of the new cases have been linked to the Bondi cluster, now at 31.

The national vaccine rollout plan, released yesterday afternoon, has revealed that AstraZeneca vaccine doses will be phased out by October. By this stage, it is expected most Australians over the age of 60 will be vaccinated. From October, AstraZeneca doses will be replaced with up to 2.3 million Pfizer doses per week around the country, as well as up to 614,000 Moderna doses. The AstraZeneca vaccine will be available by request.

The TGA is currently working with Philips on its global recall action for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), Bi-Level Positive Airway Pressure (Bi-Level PAP) devices and mechanical ventilators due to risks posed by the polyester-based polyurethane (PE-PUR) sound abatement foam component in these devices. Read more to find the links, hotline, and information Philips and the TGA have provided for patients and users.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian described the situation in NSW yesterday as the “scariest period” for the state since the pandemic started. 49 locally acquired cases have arisen in less than 10 days. The Delta variant has radically changed how we think about close contacts of concern. Whilst at the beginning of the pandemic, we would have defined 15 minutes of close contact concerning, we are now seeing it can be as little as 5-10 seconds.

Sleep plays a very important role for our brain health and biological repair. Unfortunately, the quality of our sleep tends to decline as we get older which can accelerate the aging process.

Sleep is essential for our health, however many of us leave our sleep problems untreated leading to physical and mental health problems. According to the Centre for Disease Control, 34.1% of children, 74.6% of high school students, and 32.5% of adults fail to get sufficient sleep on a regular basis.

Sydney has been plunged into lockdown again, as health authorities try to stop the growing outbreak caused by the Delta variant of COVID-19. However, an expert from the Johns Hopkins Centre for Health Security, Dr Amesh Adalja, has warned that Australia’s elimination/eradication strategy is not sustainable. “You have to remember that Covid-19 is not going to go anywhere.” Instead, Dr Adalja says that Australia needs to ramp up its vaccination program to make sure high-risk individuals are protected so the disease becomes more manageable.

The West Hoxton party acted as a superspreader event, with 24 people from the party of over 30 attendees testing positive for COVID-19. But this party has also shown the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. None of the 24 people who tested positive were vaccinated. By comparison, the 6 fully vaccinated health workers and partially vaccinated aged care worker at the party have come out unscathed – not one has tested positive.