COVID-19 Updates
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Will we ever reach herd immunity to Covid? | Erin Mordecai and Mallory Harris
Access to vaccines, masks and tests will help us make the awkward transition from pandemic to endemic In May 2020, we and other scientists predicted that many regions of the…
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‘Tough times’: Scott Morrison says economy ‘obviously’ taking a hit from Omicron
PM says the surge in cases has inevitably affected businesses through staff shortages and a drop in consumer spending Get our free news app; get our morning email briefing The…
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Children’s vaccination program starts – as it happened
Scott Morrison says 5,097 people in Australian hospitals have Covid; NSW records 20,293 new cases and 18 deaths; Victoria reports 34,808 cases and two deaths, Queensland 9,581 cases, SA 4,024…
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Australian government won’t supply pharmacies with rapid antigen tests for concession scheme
Chemists say they will be put in ‘dubious ethical position’ after government says they must procure kits themselves Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates Get our…
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Omicron puts brakes on Spring Festival travel rush, with Tianjin-Beijing train tickets halted
Sales of railway tickets from Tianjin to nearby Beijing have been suspended as the northern Chinese port city battles the country’s largest Omicron outbreak, casting a shadow over the Spring…
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Omicron: Hong Kong shortens quarantine period for Covid-19 close contacts to 14 days to ease strain on capacity
Hong Kong has shortened its lengthiest quarantine period for close contacts from 21 days to 14 to ease the strain on existing facilities amid a widening outbreak of the Omicron…
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Covid isolation rules scrapped for critical workers to protect Australia’s food supply chain
Scott Morrison says relaxed isolation rules will help keep food on the shelves, as he says Australia must ‘push through’ Omicron wave Follow our Australia news live blog for the…
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Coronavirus: ‘Deltacron’ discovery not a mistake, says scientist who claims he found new variant
A Cypriot scientist defended his assertion that a new strain of Covid-19 exists that combines characteristics of the Delta and Omicron variants.Other scientists have speculated that Leonidos Kostrikis’s findings are…
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New Zealand not prepared for Omicron outbreak expected in ‘matter of weeks’, experts warn
Dr Nick Wilson and Dr Michael Baker say country’s ‘traffic light’ Covid protection framework is ‘not fit for purpose’ Two of New Zealand’s most prominent Covid-19 experts have warned that…
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Toddler with rare genetic condition among record 18 Covid deaths in NSW
New South Wales government considers fines for those who fail to report positive rapid test results as Omicron surge continues Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates…