From zero to acceptable risk: funeral rites for Covid zero
The ambitious target of eradication has been eradicated. In its place, a small target strategy. Authorities are grappling with the new reality.
Employee burnout climbed 100% during the pandemic - TechRepublic: “The percentage of reviews on Glassdoor mentioning burnout jumped 100% during the COVID-19 pandemic, while the proportion of employees who mentioned mental health increased 143%, the job site said in a newly-released report on work-life balance in the U.S. The rise in the discussion of mental health is stark, the job site said. “Soon after the start of COVID-19 in the U.S., a spike in mental health discussion appeared in Glassdoor reviews, followed by a steady increase throughout 2021.” The transition to working from home for the last 18 or so months was meant to be temporary, but now “some companies are taking meaningful steps by introducing permanent flexible or work from home policies, allowing employees to have more autonomy over their own schedule,” the report said. Companies are also encouraging employees to use more paid time off during the pandemic, the report said…”
The New York Times – “Deaths among people who have been fully vaccinated remain rare, but older adults and those with compromised immune systems are at much higher risk…The vaccines are highly effective, even against the more contagious Delta variant, which is now responsible for nearly all coronavirus infections in the United States. People who are fully vaccinated are roughly one-tenth as likely to be hospitalized and even less likely to die from Covid-19 than those who are unvaccinated, according to a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A New York Times analysis of data from 40 states found that fully vaccinated people have accounted for 0.2 to 6 percent of Covid-19 deaths. Among the more than 187 million Americans who have been fully vaccinated, there have been 7,178 deaths, according to the C.D.C. Eighty-five percent of those deaths have been in people 65 or older. “Breakthrough deaths with vaccinated individuals do occur,” said Dr. Peter J. Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “But there are certain groups that are at greater risk.”..
NSW Premier confirms Julia Roberts and George Clooney were granted hotel quarantine exemptions
A global tragedy: Up to 180,000 health care workers have died from COVID-19 WSWS
With New South Wales already in the process of opening up following a prolonged lockdown, and metropolitan Melbourne preparing to follow suit, the need for people to prove their vaccination status is in the spotlight. These are among the most frequent questions.
How can patients get proof of their vaccination status?
Services Australia is encouraging people to access their vaccination proof online, either through a COVID-19 digital certificate or Immunisation History Statement (IHS). Both should appear via the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) shortly after patients receive their second vaccination dose – although this has not always worked smoothly.
Both are available online through Medicare and can be accessed via the patient’s myGov account.
Patients should be able to view PDFs of the Immunisation History Statement or the COVID-19 digital certificate here and print them off if required.
Proof of vaccination is also available through My Health Record.
Those without Medicare can get proof but will need an Individual Healthcare Identifier.
How can Australians prove their COVID vaccination status?
Mr Mussared said it was “totally nuts” that there were so many different ways of digitally providing vaccination status in Australia.
“We should have done what other countries did, and it should have been done at the federal level,” he said.
“It’s just bonkers that we’ve ended up with so many systems. The data is spread everywhere, and the weakest link brings the whole thing down.”
It would have been easy and quick to simply adopt the EU’s own vaccine certificate system, software developer Richard Nelson said.
Digital vaccine certificates ‘woefully insecure’
Australians’ Medicare details illegally sold on darknet – two years after breach exposed
A darknet trader who claims to have access to any Australian's Medicare card information is reportedly selling the confidential data online.
Medicare details of 'every Australian' being illegally sold on darknet
Medicare app flaw means vaccine certificates can be faked in less than 10 minutes
Australia’s vaccination certificates can be easily forged with fake documents available for $270
COVID vaccine certificates can be forged within 10 minutes due to 'obvious' security flaw
The full bench of Queensland's Industrial Relation Commission (QIRC) rejected submissions that Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll had no power to mandate compulsory vaccinations, did not consult staff and infringed upon workers' rights.
The QIRC ruled two dispute applications to challenge the Commissioner's direction on three grounds have all failed and were dismissed.
Pharmacist Anthony Tassone was about to give another COVID-19 vaccine on a busy Wednesday this month when his patient turned to him, with a serious question.
“What’s it gonna take for you to pour that down the drain and not give it to me?”
A woman offered a bribe to fake her vaccination. Then the unexpected happened
Terrible mistake’ could send execs to jail over vaccine certificates
Collecting COVID-19 vaccination certificates from customers or employees poses a serious legal and cyber security risk to businesses that exposes them to lawsuits, hefty fines and even executive jail sentences if the data isn’t handled properly, experts warn.
The risk is so grave that businesses that have already stored images of government-issued vaccination certificates from employees or customers are advised to scour their email or human resource systems and delete the images, or at the very least remove a sensitive piece of information prominent on the certificate that exposes businesses to a “world of data security pain”, one expert says.
By Jordan Baker
Balloons in school colours and a big WELCOME BACK sign greeted kindy and year 1 students as they arrived at Oatley Public School on Monday. The children were nervous, excited and relieved; so were their parents.
After 16 weeks, life was finally returning to normal. But shortly after the final school bell on Wednesday, parents received the email they dreaded; there had been a positive case, and the school would shut for contact tracing and cleaning. Close contacts would have to isolate.
NSW Police Must Pay Friendlyjordies $20K In Legal Fees After A Failed Court Application
Increasingly, medical professionals are using the app to share myth-busting information about things like the COVID-19 vaccine, rates of infection, and COVID treatments, all through succinct, engaging videos that will hopefully reach the people who need them. At the very least, they offer a link for other viewers to send to their more stubborn friends and relatives. Stopping the spread of 8 Tick Tock Sites - COVID-19 vaccine misinformation has been a long battle led by government officials, news outlets, and health professionals. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has its own guide to combatting misinformation, and other social media platforms, like YouTube, have even gone so far as banning content that contains vaccine misinformation. TikTok has taken its own steps to ensuring its users get the most accurate information about COVID-19 and the vaccine, like information centers with links to government resources, FAQs, and videos from official health organizations built directly into the app (just search “covid” or “covid vaccine” and click the top link). The app even places information banners on videos that mention the virus. Beyond these resources, though, creators have taken on the task of addressing misinformation in their own comments and on trending videos by fellow TikTok users. The eight accounts highlighted below actively share videos about the COVID vaccine, treatment, and the realities of medical science…”