Good morning! Today is Thursday, January 20th.
Today’s news feed:
- TGA approves fourth coronavirus vaccine Novavax
- The national cabinet will meet to focus on the opening of the school and will also discuss whether to further reduce the isolation period of new crown patients to five days
- Thoughts caused by the supermarket’s out-of-stock: Should the monopoly of the two major supermarkets in Australia be broken?
- A large number of blue bottle jellyfish appear on the east coast of Australia, what should I do if I get stung?
Let’s take a look at the latest epidemic figures:
- NSW: 30,825 new local cases (PCR 17,647, RAT 13,178), 25 deaths, 2,781 hospitalizations, 212 ICU cases, 93.8% complete vaccination rate over 16 years old, 78.3% complete vaccination rate for 12-15 years old
- Victoria: 21,966 new local cases (PCR 11,693, RAT 10,273), 51,067 PCR tests, 15 deaths, 1206 hospitalizations, 122 ICU cases, 93% complete vaccination rate over 12 years old
Australia approves the use of the fourth new crown vaccine – Novavax (Novax)
Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approvedThe fourth new crown vaccine – Novavax (Novax)Used in Australia.
Novavax vaccine is aProtein-based vaccine, which will be given in two doses, three weeks apart。
Australia has ordered 51 million doses and the vaccine expert advisory group ATAGI will now consider how to roll out the vaccine.
It is reported that Novavax willbeing used as the main vaccine, not as part of a booster program。
CurrentlyFour new coronavirus vaccines approved for use in AustraliaRespectively:
- AstraZeneca
- Pfizer
- Moderna
- Novavax
How is the Novavax vaccine different from other vaccines?
Mechanism of action of NovavaxUnlike mRNA (eg Pfizer and Moderna) or viral vector (eg AstraZeneca) vaccines。
itA harmless version of the coronavirus‘ surface spike protein, along with other chemicals, works to boost the body’s immune response。
After vaccination, the body’s immune system learns how to fight the spike protein, which in turn can fight the new coronavirus.
Novavax is known as a subunit vaccine,Trigger an immune response by using harmless viral fragments。
Novavax vaccine is better than mRNA or viral vector vaccinemore “traditional”‘s vaccine. mRNA or viral vector vaccines trigger an immune response by teaching the body to create its own harmless spike protein.
But like other vaccines, two doses of the vaccine are required for full protection.
What are the side effects of Novavax?
According to a Phase 3 trial of the Novavax vaccine in the United States and Mexico, the vaccine‘sThe efficacy against new crown disease is 90.4%, and the efficacy against serious diseases is 100%。
Among trial participants who received the vaccine, showedMinor short-term side effects, including injection site tenderness, headache, soreness, and fatigue。
Side effects were more common after the second dose of the Novavax vaccine.
The trial also deliberately monitored for very rare side effects seen in very few other vaccine recipients, particularly thrombosis with thrombocytopenia and myocarditis.
The study found,Neither disease occurred in the 30,000 trial participants。
National Cabinet meets to focus on school opening
Schools are just over a week away, and discussions have been ongoing for a long time on how to get kids and teachers back to school safely.
Currently,Only Queensland has decided to delay the start of school by two weeks to February 7。
two populous statesThe official attitude of NSW and Victoria is very firm so far: school will start at the end of January as originally planned。
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said that the rapid antigen test (RAT) is a basic condition for the smooth start of schools, and closing schools is a last resort.
Health officials are urging parents of students to get booster shots to prevent spreading the coronavirus to their children.
But what if a large number of teachers get sick? An ABC reporter saw an email from NSW saying anyone from the Department of Education who is fully vaccinated, has an educational qualification and is working with children check needs to be on call.
WA will launch a children’s vaccination blitz this weekend in a bid to vaccinate as many school-aged children as possible before school starts.
Prime MinisterMorrison has made it clear he doesn’t want to see schools needing to close again this year。
National Cabinet today will discuss in detail the various possible scenarios and how to deal with them after the school reopens.
Some principals and teachers expressed disappointment,Says he’s only a week away from returning to school, but plans are still undecided。
In addition, in order to suppress the epidemic and the sufficient supply of vaccines,New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the Capital Territory have all shortened the interval between booster shots and second shots to three months earlier。
Can the COVID-19 quarantine period be further reduced to five days?
Currently, the rule in most parts of Australia is infection7-day quarantine after Covid-19。Except South Australia (10 days) and Western Australia(Isolation can only be released after the test is officially no longer infectious).
It is reported that there are discussions among the senior staff of the federal governmentFurther reduce the quarantine period to five days。
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said:Not yet implemented but under consideration, subject to the advice of the Chief Medical Officer。
He said the current medical advice is30% of confirmed cases are still infectious five days after infection. The risk of shortening the quarantine period is now too great.
It is reported that today’s Cabinet meeting will discuss the issue.butSouth Australia has made it clear that it will not agree to reduce the quarantine period to five days。
What are other countries doing?
The United States is also facing similar problems as Australia, where the raging Omekron has led to manpower shortages in various industries. After Christmas last year,U.S. authorities halved the quarantine period for COVID-19 patients from 10 days to 5 days. Many of the Omikron cases are asymptomatic and society needs to continue to function.
This leads toSome European countries have also reduced the quarantine period from 10 days to 7 days。
Confirmed patients in Singapore can end their isolation after 72 hours as long as they are asymptomatic and have a negative rapid test。
Australia’s seven-day quarantine period is basically the international standard.
Epidemiologist Catherine Bennett said,Reduced quarantine time unlikely to lead to more cases, because people often contract the virus days before they are tested.
The problem, she said, is that when people realize they have Covid-19, especially if they are vaccinated, the infection period seems to be shorter, which could meanFive more days of quarantine is actually enough。
On the issue of reducing the quarantine period, Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly said heare following the situation in other countries, Some countries are also 7 days, some are 10 days, and some are 14 days. This requires balancing factors to ensure labor supply while controlling community transmission.
Thoughts caused by the supermarket’s out-of-stock: Should the monopoly of the two major supermarkets in Australia be broken?
A large number of workers in the supply chain need to be quarantined, resulting in insufficient supply. Coles and Woolworths, the two major supermarket giants in Australia, have seen some shelves of goods empty.
ThisTwo supermarkets control 66% of Australia’s grocery retail market, more than Aldi, IGA and other independent retailers combined.
thisThe drawbacks of the duopoly are fully revealed when the supply chain is affected by the epidemic。
How Coles and Woolworths workRelying on “economies of scale”, producing products centrally through central processing and distribution centers and then shipping them across the country。
This model is overly reliant on central processing and distribution centers,Once there is a problem in this link, the supply chain will be broken。
The fact is that during the Omicron outbreak,Supply from many independent retailers has not been a problem。
New Zealand has a similar situation in Australia, where the grocery retail market is dominated by two giants, Woolworths and Foodstuffs.New Zealand has considered breaking the monopoly of supermarket giants, increasing competition.
Tonga looks forward to outside aid but is also worried about the arrival of the new crown
Tonga released the first photos of the post-disaster scene, devastated and fragmented,Covered in thick volcanic ash。
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) spoke to Dr Yutaro Setoya, the head of WHO’s liaison office in Tonga, who was the first to speak to the outside world since the undersea volcano erupted in Tonga on Saturday.
He said that now TongaWhat you need most is money, the authorities alsoBe very cautious about accepting help from international rescuers, because Tonga only recorded its first case of the new crown in November last year, and after a seven-day emergency lockdown, the virus was suppressed and did not spread on the island.
Dr Yutaro Setoya said the biggest problem for families whose homes were not destroyed was everywhereTwo centimeters of volcanic ash, and now people are starting to clean up, but there are so many, people hope that a rain will wash away the volcanic ash.Another question islack of clean drinking water。
The main runway of Tbilisi International Airport in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga’s capital, was partially blocked by volcanic ash, preventing humanitarian flights from landing, but Australia and New Zealand have provided Tonga with other means some assistance. Assistance from other countries and organizations is also being prepared.
- New Zealand provided assistance worth 500,000 New Zealand dollars (about 472,000 Australian dollars), and sent two navy ships to deliver water, humanitarian aid and disaster relief materials to Tonga. They have set off and are expected to arrive in three days.
- Australia has pledged the first A$1 million in aid and a C130 Hercules transport aircraft is awaiting clearance to land in Tonga.A naval supply ship, also loaded with medical and engineering equipment, departs for five days to Tonga
- USAID has approved $100,000 in emergency aid
- Japan says it will provide aid worth more than $1 million, as well as drinking water and equipment to remove volcanic ash
- The Red Cross of China willTongaProvide $100,000 in emergency humanitarian cash assistance, including water and food when the local airport opens
- UN says preparations are being made for long-range relief operation to avoid bringing Covid-19 to Tonga
2021 Hurun China Top 500: Tencent No. 1, Alibaba No. 3
The Hurun Research Institute released the “2021 Hurun China Top 500”, which lists China’s top 500 non-state-owned enterprises and ranks them according to their market value or valuation.
Tencent’s value fell by 1 trillion yuan from the previous year, but still ranked first with 3.9 trillion yuan; TSMC ranked second with 3.7 trillion yuan; Alibaba’s value fell by half to 2.5 trillion yuan, ranking third ; The value of ByteDance tripled from the previous year, ranking fourth with 2.3 trillion yuan.
The electric mobility technology company CATL entered the top 10 list for the first time, with a value increase of 151% to 1.5 trillion yuan, and its ranking rose six places to fifth.
In terms of the amount of value increase, the biggest growth in the past year was ByteDance, CATL and Meituan.
In terms of the amount of decline in value, Alibaba, Tencent and Ping An Insurance have declined the most over the past year.
Large numbers of bluebottle jellyfish appear on Australia’s east coast
Bluebottle jellyfish have been found on the east coast of Tasmania, the NSW coast, parts of Victoria and even South Australian beaches.
Experts say bluebottles aren’t unique to summer, with an “eye-popping” number of bluebottles due to persistent northeasterly windsBlow the wind-drifting jellyfish ashore。
Bluebottle jellyfish off the coast of AustraliaMost are harmless and are not life-threatening when stung, but can be extremely painful。
ifWhat to do if you get stung?According to health guidelines on the government website:
- Wash the sting area with sea water and remove the tentacles
- Soak or rinse the stinging area in hot water for 20 minutes
- If hot water is not available, an ice pack can help relieve pain
- don’t use vinegar
Even if the jellyfish washed ashore are dying, they may sting when they encounter water again, sobest not to touch。
That’s all for today’s morning paper, I wish you all a nice day.
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