🇦🇺Australian government to pass Centre for Disease Control legislation. "Albanese said the new CDC will be an independent statutory agency with a director general and will be in place on 1 January next year." #auspol #ACDC Source:

Liberal party sets date for net zero decision – as it happened | Australia news | The Guardian

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By Professor Deborah Lupton "The hardest thing for me these days about wearing a mask is that you make others around you feel uncomfortable. You are reminding them that C19 is still a risk and that they should be doing the same. Clinicians and public health experts in particular do not like this reminder" Source: https://x.com/DALupton/status/1985461851795378518

Tom Hanks explains to Stephen Colbert why he masks on the subway: "I'm doing a play right now so I cannot get sick... I've had COVID enough in my life, I don't need to do that again. So I'm wearing this for health reasons." Thank you Tom! Masks are a key part of public health.

Austrian researchers identify persistent immune protein as biomarker for complications of Long COVID-19. Researchers identified PTX-3 as a potential biomarker for lasting tissue damage, chronic immune activation, and post-infection complications, shedding light on Long COVID and ME/CFS biological mechanisms. Source: https://archive.li/WB5AE Study:

Frontiers | Severe COVID-19 induces prolonged elevation of the acute-phase protein pentraxin 3

New coronavirus subspecies with SARS-CoV-2–like mutation discovered in Brazilian bat. "Scientists have identified a new coronavirus subgenus in a Brazilian bat with a feature that, as in the related SARS-CoV-2 virus, allows it to invade human cells" Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/new-coronavirus-subspecies-sars-cov-2-mutation-discovered-brazilian-ba Study: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.24.684489v1

Queensland Weekly Respiratory Surveillance Report: 28 Oct to 3 Nov 2025 Reported cases: 🔹COVID: 254 (+7.1%) 🔹Influenza: 1,105 (-1.6%) 🔹RSV: 424 (+13.0%) Hospitalisations: 🔸COVID: 16 (-33.3%) 🔸Influenza: 57 (+5.5%) 🔸RSV: 31 (+14.8%) Source: https://health.qld.gov.au/clinical-practice/guidelines-procedures/diseases-infection/surveillance/reports/flu

COVID-19 in pregnancy may raise autism and neurodevelopmental disorder risk. "Children born to mothers who had COVID-19 while pregnant face an elevated risk of developmental disorders by age three, including speech delays, autism, motor disorders, and other neurodevelopmental delays, according to new research by investigators at Mass General Brigham." Source:

News-Medical

COVID-19 in pregnancy may raise autism and neurodevelopmental disorder risk

Children born to mothers who contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy face a 29% higher likelihood of developmental disorders by age three, including s...

Study: https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/abstract/9900/neurodevelopmental_outcomes_of_3_year_old_children.1392.aspx

🇦🇺 AUSTRALIA Weekly COVID Update — 31 October 2025 Mixed trends nationally — Increases in VIC (+15%), SA (+14.1%) and ACT (+5%) Decreases in TAS (-33.3%), WA (-21.9%, avg 15/day in hospital), QLD (-8.4%, 24 in hospital) and NSW (-7.6%) Aged care (Stable) and 1 new death reported

"Coronavirus found in samples from 96% of flights" Article published: 01 Oct 2023 "If you believe it's now safe to fly without a protective mask, you might want to think again. New research shows the COVID-19 virus has been found on nearly every flight tested." Source: https://archive.li/1S0tH

"Why over 50s need to 'rethink' COVID and how it can impact them" According to the It Only Takes Five report, Australians should reassess their COVID risk as rates may rise later this year. People over 50 are urged to consider their overall health, not just age, since poor health can make them sicker and lengthen recovery. Karen Hedley, 56, from Canberra, is immunosuppressed and finds each COVID infection takes longer to recover from. She struggles to work for months afterward. She has had COVID 4 or 5 times and feels fortunate to be a business owner with more flexibility than most workers.🤦‍♂️ Source: https://archive.li/3zeuy