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An elderly woman in Belgium has become one of the first recorded cases of two simultaneous COVID-19 infections. The 90-year-old woman had been infected with both the Alpha and Beta COVID-19 variants, and unfortunately passed away 5 days after her initial diagnosis.

The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is a two-dose vaccine, with a 12 week wait between the doses. However, in light of Greater Sydney’s serious outbreak of the Delta strain, NSW health is now recommending anyone who has already received the first dose to consider cutting the wait to 6-8 weeks. Dr Kerry Chant explained that sacrificing some long-term protection was warranted given the more immediate protection it would provide during the current outbreak. The UK made similar recommendations in June as they battle a wave of Delta COVID-19 cases.

Modelling from the Burnet Institute shows that the Sydney outbreak could continue for months unless stricter lockdown measures are implemented - possibly even past Christmas. The current measures are effectively preventing the outbreak from accelerating, but according to the Burnet model, will have limited effect on significantly reducing daily cases. However, implementing restrictions similar to the Victorian Stage 4 restrictions (curfews, closing non-essential retail, tightening open businesses) could drop daily cases to under 5 within 6 weeks according to the model.

As of 11:59pm last night, masks are now compulsory for Victorians over the age of 12 in indoor public settings. Masks are also to be worn outdoors if social distancing isn’t possible. These new restrictions are aiming to stem the outbreak of the Delta COVID-19 strain that started just days ago, stemming from NSW. 10 cases were recorded in Victoria yesterday, with the possibility of further restrictions hinging on today’s case numbers.

The number of COVID-19 patients in NSW hospitals has hit its highest number since April last year. As of Wednesday night, there were 73 COVID-19 positive patients in hospital, with 19 of those in the ICU. Just one month ago, we only had 1 COVID-19 patient hospital.

Did you know that around 1.8 million Australians have diabetes? Each year, more than 100,000 Australians develop a form of diabetes – with type 2 diabetes accounting for 85%. This is of particular concern due to its association with a sleep disorder known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Sleep is an essential part of success in the classroom - but the question of how much sleep kids need is a struggle for many parents.

The Delta COVID-19 variant’s ‘fleeting transmission’ has continued to make headlines as outbreaks grow in Sydney and Victoria. But how much has the transmission of this virus really changed?

New research from India’s second wave shows that our COVID-19 vaccines are effectively curbing deaths and hospitalisations for the Delta strain. A new study led by the Indian Council of Medical Research’s Nivedita Gupta shows that amongst patients infected after vaccination, only 0.4% died from COVID-19, with 10% needing hospitalization. 86% of these ‘breakthrough’ cases amongst vaccinated persons were caused by the delta variant.

New modelling from the Populations Intervention Unit at the University of Melbourne has shown that it could take until the first week of September for the Sydney lockdown to end. With Stage 4 restrictions now in place, the model shows we would drop below 5 cases a day by September 4.

Governments around the world have all realised that COVID-19 disproportionately affects people of colour from cultural minorities. However, Australia is lacking clear data on how COVID-19 is affecting different ethnic groups. Professor of Sociology, Andrew Jakubowicz, believes gathering this ethnicity data during COVID-19 testing could help us get on top of the current outbreak.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Wednesday that by October, Australians should have access to an internationally-recognised vaccination certificate on their smartphone to help reopen international travel. The Australian government is looking to launch a ‘digital health’ smartphone app to store the certificates, along with COVID-19 test results, and other important health information such as yellow fever immunisations, allergy alerts, and organ donor status.