All posts by Catherine Bennett
The WHO has declared Eris a ‘variant of interest’. How is it different from other Omicron variants?
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here. EG.5 is a family of Omicron variants (descended from XBB.1.9.2) that first appeared back in February 2023. The World Health Organization (WHO) classified it as a “variant under monitoring” on July 19 after a surge in COVID infections…
Another COVID winter is coming. Is this the calm before another peak?
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here. Australia is currently experiencing the longest break between infection peaks since Omicron arrived in late 2021 and community-wide transmission took off. With winter looming, it’s worth taking stock of where we are with COVID and what we might…
How should we manage COVID without rules? Keep testing and stay home when positive
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here. Changes to Australia’s isolation rules, which come into effect on Friday October 14, remove the mandate for people to isolate if they test positive for COVID. Isolation requirements will remain for high-risk settings such as aged care, disability…
Should states cut COVID isolation from 7 to 5 days? Here’s what they’ll need to consider
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here. New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet is driving a push to reduce isolation requirements for people who test positive for COVID from seven to five days. It’s slated for discussion at tomorrow’s National Cabinet meeting, with Perrottet urging…
Latest isolation rules for critical workers gets the balance right. But that’s not the end of the story
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here. Thousands more essential workers will be allowed back to work rather than having to self-isolate for seven days, under new rules agreed by national cabinet. High-risk close contacts – those living with someone who has COVID-19 – must…