Are they? - I understood foreign students who were here at the start of the outbreak could stay but those who had gone home for the Christmas break were stopped from coming back. There were calls to let them in but this was rejected.
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International students granted exemptions to enter Australia
i only read the first few paragraphs
Three new community cases in South Auckland.
Mum, dad and daughter. Mum works in a company called LSG Skychefs in the laundry and catering facility at the Airport. They service planes at the airport. CT count indicates new active infection. Testing is being done to figure out the variant. Daughter goes to Papatoetoe High School. Father is self-employed and the interviews now underway for contact tracing. They traveled to New Plymouth last weekend as Monday was a public holiday and therefore a long weekend.
No alert level changes planned yet as more information is needed.
The UK variant has been declared 50% to 70% deadlier than the original.
As an example of the mounting evidence for the variant’s lethality, the government scientists cited a study from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In January, that study examined the deaths of 2,583 people, 384 of whom were believed to have had cases of Covid-19 caused by the new variant. The research estimated that people infected with the new variant had a 35 percent higher risk of dying.
An updated study by the same group relied on 3,382 deaths, 1,722 of which were believed to be from the new variant. That study suggested that the variant could be connected with a 71 percent higher risk of dying.
The variant is known to be in 82 countries, including the United States. American scientists recently estimated that it was spreading rapidly there, doubling roughly every 10 days, and have said that it could be the dominant version of the virus in the United States by March.
U.K. Virus Variant Is Probably Deadlier, Scientists Say (msn.com)
Oxford to test the AstraZeneca vaccine on children.
The University of Oxford announced on Saturday that it plans to test the COVID-19 vaccine it developed with AstraZeneca on children for the first time.
Researchers said they wanted to determine the safety and immune response of the shot in young people.
Oxford to test AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on children | News | DW | 13.02.2021
A US Marine from the 2021 US Marine rotational Force- Darwin has tested positive for COVID.
"Due to strict quarantine measures in place for all arriving marines, this case of COVID-19 was promptly detected and the marine had no direct contact with the general community," NT Health authorities said in a statement.
In a statement about the MRF-D exercise released earlier this month, Ms Reynolds said infection-control measures in place also included COVID-19 testing on arrival in Australia and upon exit from quarantine, as well as general health monitoring.
While the first two groups of marines will undertake their fortnight of quarantine in accommodation on Defence bases, further groups will be taken to Bladin Village, a privately owned former detention centre outside of Darwin.
US marine quarantining in Darwin ahead of military training exercise tests positive for coronavirus (msn.com)
NZ is heading into a varied regional lockdown from 1159 tonight till 1159 Wednesday night.
Auckland region is to go into a Level 3 lockdown while the rest of NZ to Level 2.
Much is still unknown about this outbreak so caution being displayed by the decision makers. This timeout will allow them to figure out what variant it is, where it came from and who might have it (contact tracing). A good decision for my money.
The new reality. On again off again lockdown by region.