COVID-19 outbreaks in Australian residential aged care facilities: 21 November 2024 🔹Active cases: 1,393 (+79) 🔹Active outbreaks: 204 (+25) 🔹Residents: 1,025 (+22) 🔹Staff: 368 (+57) 🔹Reported deaths in 2024: 1,012 (+12) 7,138 aged care COVID deaths since beginning of pandemic 🔸686 reported deaths in 2020 🔸226 reported deaths in 2021 🔸3,855 reported deaths in 2022 🔸1,359 reported deaths in 2023 🔸1,012 reported deaths in 2024 @AnikaWells @npub15gr4...ztdn Source: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/covid-19-outbreaks-in-australian-residential-aged-care-homes-22-november-2024?language=en

🇳🇿 New Zealand declares whooping cough epidemic. "In the past 4 weeks (19 October – 15 November) there were 263 cases – the highest number of cases over a four-week period to date for all of 2024." Source: https://www.health.govt.nz/news/whooping-cough-epidemic-declared-across-aotearoa-new-zealand

(1/4) NSW respiratory surveillance reports: Week ending 16 November 2024 🔸COVID PCR positivity rate: 6.6% (unchanged) 🔸Number of laboratories reporting COVID: 3 (-1) 🔹COVID: 1,859 (-2.2%) 🔹Influenza: 413 (-7.4%) 🔹RSV: 384 (+11.6%) @npub15gr4...ztdn Source:

NSW respiratory surveillance

Surveillance reports with an overview of cases, hospital admissions and deaths for respiratory illness in NSW, including COVID-19, influenza, RSV a...

Queensland: Weekly infection surveillance report: 11 November to 17 November 2024 Reported cases: 🔹COVID: 1,038 (+15.9%) 🔹Influenza: 185 (-0.5%) 🔹RSV: 368 (+1.93%) Hospitalisations: 🔸COVID: 114 (+14.0%) 🔸Influenza: 21 (-8.6%) 🔸RSV: 18 (-21.7%) Source: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/clinical-practice/guidelines-procedures/diseases-infection/surveillance/reports/flu @npub15gr4...ztdn

A plea to maskless health-care workers from vulnerable patients. "If your trauma is so severe that you can’t mask for a vulnerable patient – or worse, you lash out at a patient for masking – then you need to carefully assess whether you should be in a patient-facing role." "If masks remind people of the pandemic, that should be a good thing. People need to know the pandemic is not over and that by not masking, they are taking serious risks with their health." @npub15gr4...ztdn #PandemicIsNotOver #MaskUp😷 Source:

Healthy Debate

A plea to maskless health-care workers from vulnerable patients - Healthy Debate

Health-care workers have a responsibility to protect their vulnerable patients. Our lives are in your hands.

🇬🇧 Britain has worst life expectancy in western Europe Life expectancy stagnated during pandemic but has fallen since, OECD figures show. "Experts have previously blamed Britain’s obesity epidemic and the growing burden of preventable illness on the reduced life expectancy, as well as the excess deaths seen in the pandemic." Source: https://archive.md/l1kW7

COVID-19 hitches a ride on mucus to spread deep into lungs, live imaging shows. Study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-53791-4 Source: https://archive.md/VSzDS @npub15gr4...ztdn