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https://theconversation.com/a-covid-inquiry-has-been-announced-but-is-covid-still-a-thing-do-i-need-a-booster-213469>
"Today’s announcement of an independent inquiry into Australia’s COVID response
will examine how we’ve handled the pandemic and how we could better prepare for
the next one.
But the pandemic is not just a once-in-a-lifetime event that’s over and needs
to be analysed. It’s still with us.
The Omicron variant continues to mutate and new sub-variants emerge. For
instance, the highly-mutated BA.2.86 (known as Pirola) has just been detected
in Australia.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID, then becomes more adept at evading
immunity from infections and vaccines.
COVID is not yet predictably seasonal and we expect waves every three to six
months. The United States has seen a threefold increase in hospitalisations
since mid-July due to waning immunity and the EG.5 sub-variant (known as Eris).
The United Kingdom has also seen a significant increase in adult and child
hospitalisations due to COVID in the past month.
In Australia, more than 5,000 people have died due to COVID so far this year.
Excess deaths from any cause are 13% higher than expected. We expect many of
these are related to COVID.
The median age of COVID deaths is around 85 years old in Australia. But there
were 267 reported deaths in people under 50 until the end of July 2023; some
may have had weaker immune systems.
The impacts of long COVID and re-infections are significant, which one study
shows mainly affects people of working age and most commonly women."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
