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As of today, May 3rd, any Australian aged 50 or older is eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. The AstraZeneca vaccine will primarily be used for this group, so here’s 3 things you should know about the vaccine.

India has now reported over 300,000 daily new coronavirus cases for close to 2 weeks straight – but did you know Brazil is currently recording a far higher death rate? Last week, Brazil passed 400,000 COVID deaths – the US being the only other country to do so. Brazil’s death count is almost double India’s, despite having around 5 million fewer cases – why?

A new study published in the Lancet found that countries with COVID-19 elimination strategies, not mitigation strategies, have had fewer deaths and better economic outcomes. COVID-19 deaths per one million people in countries like Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Iceland were 25 times lower than other countries. These countries have also experienced better economic outcomes, with GDP growth returning to pre-pandemic levels early this year. Growth is still negative for the other countries studied which used mitigation strategies.

A Sydney man has tested positive for COVID-19, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian warning that other cases are likely to follow. The man visited several venues in Sydney’s east and north whilst potentially highly infectious.

New research suggests there may be a link between a DNA marker for longevity and excessive daytime sleepiness – a condition that affects about 20% of the population.

A range of restrictions have been reintroduced in NSW after 2 community COVID-19 cases have arisen in the past 48 hours. Restrictions came into effect yesterday at 5pm across Greater Sydney, including Wollongong, Central Coast, and Blue Mountains. Restrictions will be in place at least until 12am Monday May 10.

Sleeping can be a real struggle as you age, especially for those over 60 who suffer from a sleep disorder such as insomnia or sleep apnea.

Some people fall asleep instantly where as others will toss and turn for hours. The time it takes you to fall asleep is called “sleep latency.” But is there an optimal sleep latency?

For adults suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), how consistently you use your CPAP machine could have a significant effect on your weight, not just your sleep. Researchers have found that patients who used CPAP for 5 hours or less per night had an increased BMI compared to patients who used CPAP for more than 5 hours per night. You can view more details of the study here: https://bit.ly/33romtE

Early results from an Australian study have shown that most COVID-19 patients are still experiencing symptoms 6-12 months after infection. The COVID Recovery Study has tracked around 200 patients around Australia, finding that 30% of people were ‘alive and disability free’ 6 months after contracting the virus. 70% of patients were still experiencing symptoms including shortness of breath, weakness, tiredness, coughing or headaches 6 months on.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths around the world is plateauing. In most areas the pandemic is declining, including in the Americas and Europe. Currently, approximately 5.4 million cases and 90,000 deaths are being reported a week – still an alarmingly high number.

A new University of NSW study has found that viral misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines is spreading extremely quickly on online platforms. The research team reviewed over 600 pieces of misinformation, written in 24 different languages, originating from over 50 countries, which over 100 million people shared, liked, re-tweeted or reacted to. 17 rumours were found to be coming from Australia, although most false claims were found to be originally from the United States.