Australians hoping to get back overseas will have to wait it out a little longer, with international borders to remain closed until at least June 2021.
Health Minister Greg Hunt confirmed the three-month extension to border closures on Tuesday, in a devastating blow to the thousands of Australians who remain stranded overseas.
Mr Hunt said the decision to extend the ban on international trave was based on medical advice.
#Wednesdayvibe
— Alex Preiss (@AlexPreiss4) March 3, 2021
Liberal pundit Keith Olbermann was roasted from both sides of the aisle because he’s that kind of a guy. pic.twitter.com/zGiNtEfZTT
Covid-19 is deepening inequity both within and beyond borders. And as the world shifts increasingly online, uneven access to technology is leaving much of the global population behind.
If we are to avoid uneven socioeconomic recovery and deeper divisions between people, industries, and nations, tech companies can't just focus on innovation – we need to focus on people, on inclusion, and on empowering individuals and communities. Otherwise, inequality will continue to grow.
Passengers aboard a Qatar Airways flight that landed in Brisbane last month will have their quarantine period extended after it was revealed several people on board tested positive for the Russian strain of coronavirus.
Due to be released from isolation today, all 74 passengers will have their quarantine period extended for a further five days as authorities investigate and organise additional testing.
New variant of COVID-19 is on the loose in Queensland, forcing dozens of travellers to extend their stay in hotel quarantine.
At least 74 passengers and crew who arrived in Brisbane on a Qatar Airways flight QR898 from Doha on February 17 will now remain in quarantine until Monday, March 8, after two cases of the B1.1.317 variant — or Russian strain — were recorded.
They’ll also undergo additional testing, with a letter from Metro North Hospital and Health Service to the passengers confirming the coronavirus infections “occurred later in the 14-day quarantine period”.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday that the country has more than 2,500 cases of coronavirus variants that can spread more easily and dodge some treatments and immunities.
USA TODAY: US variant cases have increased fivefold in a month, CDC says: Latest COVID-19 updates https://t.co/E5sUwcay14
— Mix World Tw!tter (@Mix_World_Blog) March 3, 2021
More than 100 new cases of the B.1.1.7 variant first seen in the United Kingdom were reported just since Sunday, bringing the nation's total to 2,506. Illinois reported 27 new cases to reach 69; Maryland reported 21 more to reach 89; and Georgia reported 18 more to reach 137.
What you need to know about coronavirus and COVID-19, including what to do if you think you might be sick, how to keep you and your family safe and tips on what to do while staying home.
What vaccines are there?
The FDA has authorized a third COVID-19 vaccine for public use. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine joins two others: one from Pfizer-BioNTech and the other from Moderna, which have been given to nearly 50 million Americans since they were authorized in December.
Defying warnings from federal health officials about the need to stay vigilant against the coronavirus, the Republican governors of Texas and Mississippi said Tuesday they're lifting COVID-19 restrictions, including mask mandates.
Their decisions came on the same day President Joe Biden said there will be enough vaccines for every American adult by the end of May, which is still unlikely to stem the recent reversal in coronavirus trends.
Good morning, California. It’s Tuesday, March 2. Third time’s the charm?
The school reopening deal Gov. Gavin Newsom and top lawmakers unveiled Monday stops short of requiring campuses to reopen — raising questions about whether it will actually accelerate students’ return to the classroom.
Will CA's New School Reopening Plan Work? https://t.co/eCOPMfccSd
— Orange County Patch (@OCountyPatch) March 2, 2021
The $6.6 billion proposal would incentivize schools to bring their youngest and most vulnerable students back by April 1 while financially penalizing campuses
The president of a California teacher's union has been branded a hypocrite after he was caught dropping off his two-year-old daughter at her private preschool - despite saying it was unsafe for kids to be in classrooms.
California teachers' union president is blasted as a 'hypocrite' for dropping daughter off at private school, while keeping public schools closed. #WhiteGuyWithDreads https://t.co/Tqsx0ZYGeL
— Bart Marcois (@bmarcois) March 3, 2021
Matt Meyer, president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers, has fought for what he called the 'gold standard' for educators in his district - insisting public schools should reopen for in-person learning only when the teachers are vaccinated, among other criteria, according to KQED.
Feeling unmotivated? You're not alone.
During the coronavirus pandemic, it is not uncommon to feel a lack of motivation brought on by things like quarantine, isolation and prolonged trauma, explains Melissa L. Whitson, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at the University of New Haven.
"When our systems have been activated by this trauma and other psychological effects for so long, it is quite normal for the body and mind to become overwhelmed and exhausted, and even numb," Whitson, a licensed psychologist, adds. "We often refer to this as chronic stress. When we feel exhausted and numb, we often lose motivations for things that we would normally enjoy doing.
Two pharmaceutical giants are forming a historical collaboration aimed at sharply increasing production of the first single-shot vaccine to win FDA authorization.
President Biden is expected to announce today that Merck & Co. will help manufacture Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, which won emergency authorization just days ago. Merck, one of the world’s largest vaccine makers, abandoned its own effort to develop a coronavirus vaccine.
Many states prioritized COVID-19 vaccines for people over 75, then moved to those over 65, but they shouldn't keep stepping down by age, an advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.
The approach is inherently unfair to minorities, committee members said, because they have a lower life-expectancy and because people of color are dying of COVID-19 at younger ages than white Americans – even in their 30s, 40s and 50s.
Millions more Covid-19 vaccines are on the way.
Moderna, Pfizer and now Johnson & Johnson will deliver enough doses to fully vaccinate 130 million people -- more than one-third of the US population -- by the end of March, the pharmaceutical companies told a House subcommittee last week.
Moderna plans to deliver 100 million doses by the end of the month, said Dr. Stephen Hoge, the company's president. It'll deliver another 100 million by the end of May and 100 million more by the end of July.
For Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, vaccinating all Mexicans is a matter of responsible national health policy as well as social justice.
"Vaccines will start arriving little by little," he said on February 15, during his daily morning press conference, a week after returning to public activities after contracting Covid-19.
London (CNN Business)The United Kingdom is banking on a rapid vaccine rollout to bring its economy back to life this summer, while the United States is pinning its recovery hopes on another giant stimulus package. Europe won't have either, and it could be left behind.
The European Union's vaccination campaign has been plagued by manufacturing delays, supply shortages and distribution challenges, making it difficult for policymakers to plot clear paths out of economically damaging lockdowns.
The European Union's 27-nation vaccine strategy is splintering as member states turn to nations outside the bloc to boost a faltering rollout plagued by supply issues, contract skirmishes and sluggish takeup.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced Monday that he intends to work with Israel and Denmark on future vaccine production and cooperation around developing further shots to combat new coronavirus mutations.
