US hits the million cases

Massive increase in cases as we expected

US cases and deaths data

Colorado

California

Florida

New York

Illinois

UK data

Zoe

SA hospital data

Schools go back

Omicron did not establish in schools pre-holiday

Pathogenicity of omicron

No infection, no vaccine

One third drop in risk of hospital admission

Two thirds drop in the risk of dying from Omicron

Australia

NSW, cases, + 23,131

Positivity, 27.24%

Hospitalised + 140 = 1,344

ICU, + 10 = 105

Ventilated = 27

COVID positive patients admitted to ICU since December 16, delta = 72%

Of those patients, 62% not vaccinated or only one dose

Regional Victoria

It is like our government has thrown its arms in the air

But now it is ridiculous how far the polar opposite we have gone, it is night and day!!!

Now we have a wildfire of COVID here in the Alpine Shire.

Very limited testing, delays on PCR results

Rapid Antigen tests, SOLD OUT !!! can't get them

A close contact definition, same house, more than 4 hours

I could go on for several paragraphs with further details on how crazy it seems to have become down here in Australia

in the coming weeks I would think we will see an explosion in cases here Victoria & especially Melbourne

Darcy in Victoria

SA, J and J works

Vaccine effectiveness against hospital admission in South African health care workers who received a homologous booster of Ad26.COV2 during an Omicron COVID19 wave

Ad26.COV.2 vaccine

N = 477, 234 HCWs

6-9 months after first dose

N = 69,092 HCW (evaluated)

VE for hospitalisation (post boost)

Compared to unvaccinated individuals

0-13 days, 63%

14-27 days, 84%

1-2 months, 85%

JCVI, Sir Andrew Pollard,

Fourth jabs should not be offered until there is more evidence

Giving boosters to people every six months not sustainable

At some point, society has to open up.

When we do open, there will be a period with a bump in infections, which is why winter is probably not the best time.

But that’s a decision for the policy makers, not the scientists.

Our approach has to switch,

to rely on the vaccines and the boosters.

The greatest risk is still the unvaccinated.

The worst is absolutely behind us.

We just need to get through the winter.

Misinformation (AZ)

One year ago

Some European leaders

(France and Germany, efficacy on the over-65s, risk of blood clots)

highly likely to have cost lives in Africa

Misinformation risks people’s lives.

It’s highly likely that people became seriously ill and died because of vaccine misinformation

Let’s just say that comments made in mainland Europe affected people in Africa