Covid 19 C&P

Virus busting Brisbane DR leads trials of COVID treatment.

Brisbane breakthrough: Virus-busting doctor leads trials of COVID treatment (inqld.com.au)

Qld's experience with COVID from PNG a taste of things to come.

Morrison hints at border easing, but warns of 1000 infections per week (inqld.com.au)

Likely a third dose of Pfiser needed, as well as a booster.

Pfizer CEO: third vaccine shot 'likely' needed (thenewdaily.com.au)

The India COVID -19 outbreak hits NT as Howard Springs quarantine facility records surge of new cases. If the facility is faced with overwhelming cases , could this be our weak link ?

India COVID-19 outbreak hits NT as Howard Springs quarantine facility records surge of new cases - ABC News

Indian Health system cracks under the strain of COVID. From the N Y Times.

"India is now home to the world’s fastest-growing Covid-19 crisis, reporting 294,000 new infections on Wednesday and more than 2,000 deaths. As supplies of hospital beds, oxygen and vaccines run low, criticism of the government is building."



Accident at Covid Hospital in India Kills at Least 22 as Cases Surge - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Indian death toll from COVID not being fully reported , says German News Agency DW. From DW;

During the week between April 18 and 25, India reported 2.24 million new coronavirus cases, the highest number recorded by any country in a seven-day period. It also logged 16,257 deaths, almost double the 8,588 deaths recorded the previous week, according to Health Ministry data.

India has been logging global daily records of over 300,000 cases for the last five days. The country saw 352,991 daily new infections and 2,812 COVID-related deaths in the past 24 hours.

Altogether, 195,123 people have died while 17.3 million people have been infected with the virus in India.
These numbers are staggering, but experts and epidemiological modelers believe that the real number of COVID fatalities could be much higher than the deaths recorded by health departments nationwide.

"The distressing scenes of patients dying in ambulances and bodies burning on pyres outside crematoriums and even on pavements across cities and towns clearly show that the tragedy is far greater," Anoop Saraya, a private doctor, told DW.

Coronavirus: Is India counting all COVID deaths? | Asia| An in-depth look at news from across the continent | DW | 26.04.2021

The EU sues AstraZeneca over delayed deliveries of vaccine. From DW;

"Germany, France and Hungary were among EU states that were initially reticent to sue the company, mostly on the grounds that the move might not speed up deliveries, diplomats said, but eventually they supported it.
The announcement comes as commission president Ursula von der Leyen suggested earlier this month to never do business again with AstraZeneca for its future vaccination campaigns.
Former German defense minister von der Leyen said the EU would only buy vaccines using mRNA technology — such as Pfizer and Moderna — for the next round of jabbing drives.

"We need to focus on technologies that have proven their worth — mRNA vaccines are a clear case in point," she said.
Another senior EU source said: "It would be better to write off AstraZeneca altogether for now and build a vaccine portfolio around other EU-approved jabs."

EU sues AstraZeneca over delayed deliveries of COVID-19 vaccine | News | DW | 26.04.2021

MIT researchers say you are no safer from COVID indoors at 6 feet or 60 feet, in a new study challenging social distancing policies.

MIT researchers say time spent indoors increases risk of Covid at 6 feet or 60 feet in new study (cnbc.com)

Rich countries are refusing to waive the rights on COVID vaccines as global cases hit record levels.

Six months on, the proposal continues to be stonewalled by a small number of governments — including the U.S., EU, U.K., Switzerland, Japan, Norway, Canada, Australia and Brazil.


Covid: Rich countries are refusing to waive IP rights on vaccines (cnbc.com)

A scientist who helped develop Pfizer vaccine says a third shot is needed as immunity wanes.

• The chief medical officer of BioNTech told CNBC that people will likely need a third shot of its two-dose Covid-19 vaccine as immunity against the virus wanes.
• Dr. Ozlem Tureci, co-founder and CMO of BioNTech, which developed a Covid vaccine with Pfizer, said she also expects people will need to get vaccinated against the coronavirus annually, like for the seasonal flu.

Scientist who helped develop Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine agrees third shot is needed as immunity wanes (cnbc.com)