The Latest Breaking News from Omicron

Private hospital staff diverted to public system as Omicron wave results in Australia’s deadliest Covid day

Seventy-seven deaths have been reported across the country, with 36 in NSW, 22 in Victoria and 16 in Queensland

The Guardian - AU · Jan 18, 2022

France reports nearly half a million new cases, a record increase; Italy records 228,179 daily infections – as it happened

France registers 464,769 new Covid-19 infections over the last 24 hours; Italy’s cases jump from 83,403 a day earlier

The Guardian - UK · Jan 18, 2022

Australia suffers deadliest day of pandemic as Omicron drives up hospital cases

Australia on Tuesday suffered its deadliest day of the pandemic as a fast-moving Omicron outbreak continued to push up hospitalisation rates to record levels, even as daily infections eased slightly.

Reuters · Jan 18, 2022

Booster mix proves useful for Omicron

The Department of Medical Sciences has found that a combined formula between a full inactivated vaccine and an mRNA-based vaccine as a booster produces a high level of immunity against both the Delta and Omicron coronavirus variants.

Bangkok Post · Jan 17, 2022

ASX gives up gains, weakest January consumer confidence in 30 years

The Australian share market turned negative in afternoon trade. Wall Street closed for the Martin Luther King holiday and Omicron slams consumer confidence.

ABC News · Jan 17, 2022

Debunking the endgame theory

Like all viruses, SARS-CoV-2 adapts for survival. First identified in South Africa in November, the new variant of concern, Omicron, has now swept across the world. It carries a large number of mutations, including those on the spike protein, which are thought to increase transmissibility. However, studies have found that…

Bangkok Post · Jan 17, 2022

Australia records 77 deaths on deadliest day of pandemic; national medical stockpile activated – as it happened

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The Guardian - AU · Jan 17, 2022

COVID updates: Australia records highest daily number of reported COVID-19 deaths — as it happened

Get up to speed on all the coronavirus news from across Australia — as it happened.

ABC News · Jan 17, 2022

'Never' or just 'not yet?' How timing affects COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy

As COVID-19 case counts continue to rise across Canada, it is clear that we’re far from out of the woods with this pandemic. While much is still unknown about the Omicron variant, it seems very likely that existing vaccines will offer protection against severe cases of COVID-19, and Canada is…

The Conversation · Jan 17, 2022

Can you catch COVID twice? Or does it give you greater immunity?

Omicron forced us to confront the reality that recovering from COVID-19 doesn’t mean lifelong immunity to the disease. But there is some good news for people who have recently had the virus.

ABC News · Jan 17, 2022