‘Serious threat': Fresh Covid warnings as jab rates decline
Covid vaccination rates in Queensland are at their lowest since the jabs were introduced five years ago, with health professionals warning that the virus still poses a 'serious threat' to the community.
Fewer than 250,000 Queenslanders have received their free Covid booster this year, prompting urgent calls from doctors to people who have not yet been vaccinated to get the jab.
The calls come as new data from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing revealed that more than 15,000 Covid cases had been reported in Queensland since January, with almost 3000 people hospitalised with the virus.
'We have dropped the ball with Covid-19 vaccinations, but this disease is still very prevalent in the community and poses a serious threat to high-risk patients,' Mater director of infectious diseases Paul Griffin said.
'Particularly for high-risk people, it should now be a once-a-year booster, just like the flu vaccine is, and with winter here next week, now is the time to get vaccinated and it's safe to get them both together.
'There are hundreds of different strains of Omicron, and the new subvariant NB. 1.8.1 is driving up infections and hospitalisations, particularly in Asia and Western Australia.
'The best way to protect yourself and your family is to get the newest booster which provides very good coverage, is safe, and will reduce the severity of your symptoms if you contract Covid-19.'
Queensland health providers are dealing with high cases of both flu and RSV, in addition to Covid.
More than 2000 Queenslanders have been hospitalised with the flu this year.
Cases are up more than 30 per cent from the same time last year, but only a quarter of Queenslanders have been vaccinated.
'We are at our lowest levels of vaccination and protection in five years and with early rises in cases with winter approaching, the impact on our healthcare system could be significant, particularly with high levels of flu and RSV,' Professor Griffin said.
The Covid and flu vaccines are free in Queensland and available at most pharmacies and GP clinics, and they are safe to receive at the same time
In addition to Covid and the flu, about 12,000 cases of RSV have been reported in Queensland this year, with more than 1500 people hospitalised.
'More than half of these hospitalisations have been for the most vulnerable in our community, babies less than six months and people over 65,' Professor Griffin said.
RSV is the leading cause of hospitalisation for babies in Australia, and Queensland recorded the highest number of deaths due to RSV last year.
RSV vaccinations are free for pregnant women, with immunity then passed onto babies up until they are six months old.
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News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Poll: Are you getting the Covid booster shot?
Australians are being urged to get their Covid booster shot as a new contagious variant – already spreading overseas – is expected to drive a winter wave across the country. Just over six per cent of Aussies have received a booster shot in the last six months, with 1.3 million Covid vaccine doses administered to people 18 and older, national data shows. 'To know that those rates are down is a worry because we still see people in hospital,' Deakin University Professor and Epidemiology Chair Catherine Bennett told 'While we now thankfully see fewer deaths due to Covid … in 2024, they're still five times higher than influenza. So Covid is still something to worry about.' Last year, there were 4,981 deaths involving Covid-19 and 1,006 deaths related to influenza, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. As we head further into winter, the NB. 1.8.1 variant – a descendant of the Omicron JN. 1 – is expected to become the dominant variant across the country. 'It's quite infectious. So, it's one that's particularly capable of latching on to our respiratory linings,' said Ms Bennett. 'We're seeing it right across the globe and it has that advantage that it's easier to spread and we're not as immune to it.' 'So it will be the one that drives our winter wave here.' The World Health Organisation (WHO) last month designated NB. 1.8.1 – which is driving up infections in Asia – as a 'variant under monitoring'. Like previous Omicron variants, Ms Bennett said symptoms don't always present like a cold or a respiratory infection. 'For some people, it will just be like a tummy bug, diarrhoea, and fever. You (also) hear a lot of people describing it as a weird bug, where it just doesn't feel right and you're not quite sure if you're unwell or not,' she said. 'People can also still lose their sense of taste and smell with this variant.' Ms Bennett said the rise of an infectious variant coupled with likely waning public immunity from Australia's 'mild summer wave' could lead to a rise in hospitalisations. 'We didn't see the same rise in hospitalisation that we have over other summers. So, for a lot of people, they would have avoided an infection over summer. 'So there's a combination of (NB. 1.8.1) being infectious and looking different so our immune response isn't strong, combined with probably more waning immunity that we've seen for a while because we've had less infection around compared to previous winters.' Covid booster and flu shot Winter is also expected to bring influenza and more cases of Rhinovirus. 'There's been rhinovirus circulating and people have nasty colds that have included fever and lasted for more than a week,' said Ms Bennett. To better protect ourselves against Covid, Ms Bennett encouraged Aussies to consider getting the booster now, in the early days of winter, as it takes a 'couple of weeks to work'. 'Covid and flu are still coming, so, I think people should watch out over winter. It's a good time if you're due for a booster and particularly if you haven't had the infection over the summer, then it's definitely worth thinking about.' 'Health authorities are still really particularly recommending boosters for people who are 65 and older, and if they're 75 and older or they're immunocompromised, then they might also be eligible for two doses a year, which would help them get through summer and winter waves.' Adults aged 18–64 years who do not have severe immunocompromise are recommended to receive a single primary dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and can consider a further dose every 12 months, according to the Department of Health and Aged Care. 'The vaccines we have are JN1 targeted, and so that's good because this a descendant from the JN1 variant. 'We do know vaccines help protect against long Covid as well. And so again and they that's more of an impact for younger healthier adults.' Ms Bennett said Aussies can have their flu shot at the same time as the Covid vaccine – the latter of which has been found to reduce the risk of hospitalisation by 90 per cent. 'This is not a bad time to actually have both flu and Covid vaccines at the same time ahead of the winter wave. It gives you the best benefit from having both those vaccines.' A study published in the Medical Journal of Australia found receiving a Covid booster alongside the flu shot could reduce the hospital admission rate for Covid by up to 14 per cent. 'Good position over winter' On Friday, Federal Health Minister Mark Butler urged younger people to consider getting a booster and older people, in particular, to get vaccinated. 'I do encourage, particularly as we head into winter, for people to think about the last time they got the Covid vaccine,' Mr Butler, who had just received his booster shot, told ABC radio. 'If you are over 75, you should have one if it's more than six months since you had your last booster. 'If you're 65 to 74, if it's more than 12 months and for everyone else, have a serious think. 'I've just got my booster over the last couple of weeks, and I think that puts me in a good position over winter, and other Australians should make sure that they equip themselves similarly.' Ms Bennett said while she doesn't want to incite panic over Covid, Australians should be aware. 'It's important that people know what's happening, that they know that in the next few weeks, each time they go out, here's a greater risk there's someone with Covid in their mix.' 'For people who are particularly vulnerable, it just might mean having a quiet a few weeks over winter where they mix less and they go out more carefully,' she added. 'People will wear masks again as well to protect themselves, and that's good. If we can all kind of do a little bit to keep infection rates down, that will make our winter safer for everyone.' Queensland record low vaccine rates The reminder comes as new figures released last week show Covid vaccination rates in Queensland are at their lowest since the jabs were introduced five years ago. Fewer than 250,000 Queenslanders have received their free Covid booster this year, prompting urgent calls from doctors to people who have not yet been vaccinated to get the jab. Data from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing revealed more than 15,000 Covid cases had been reported in Queensland since January, with almost 3000 people hospitalised with the virus. 'We have dropped the ball with Covid-19 vaccinations, but this disease is still very prevalent in the community and poses a serious threat to high-risk patients,' Mater director of infectious diseases Paul Griffin said. 'Particularly for high-risk people, it should now be a once-a-year booster, just like the flu vaccine is, and with winter here next week, now is the time to get vaccinated and it's safe to get them both together.' The NB 1.8.1 strain is yet to take a dominant hold in Queensland, where the variant accounts for about 10 per cent of cases, Griffith University research shows. But in the meantime, Queensland health providers are dealing with high cases of both flu and RSV, in addition to Covid. More than 2000 Queenslanders have been hospitalised with influenza this year. Cases are up more than 30 per cent from the same time last year, but only a quarter of Queenslanders have been vaccinated. 'We are at our lowest levels of vaccination and protection in five years and with early rises in cases with winter approaching, the impact on our healthcare system could be significant, particularly with high levels of flu and RSV,' Professor Griffin said. The Covid and flu vaccines are free in Queensland and available at most pharmacies and GP clinics, and they are safe to receive at the same time. In addition to Covid and the flu, about 12,000 cases of RSV have been reported in Queensland this year, with more than 1500 people hospitalised. 'More than half of these hospitalisations have been for the most vulnerable in our community, babies less than six months and people over 65,' Professor Griffin said. RSV is the leading cause of hospitalisation for babies in Australia, and Queensland recorded the highest number of deaths due to RSV last year. RSV vaccinations are free for pregnant women, and the immunity is then passed on to babies until they are six months old.
The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
Electric shocks, slips and mould: SafeWork serves notice to hospital
SafeWork has cracked down on the dangerous work environment at the Calvary Mater Hospital, ordering several issues to be fixed. Hunter New England Health has been issued with an improvement notice, which found it had failed to ensure reasonable health and safety due to risks of "slips, electric shock and inhalation of mould spores from rain water ingress and humidity". The notice, which also found the contractual building management system was inadequate, was served to HNEH as the owners of the building. The SafeWork order comes after NSW Health Minister Ryan Park met with the hospital's administrators to discuss a mould outbreak in the building's airconditioners, including in a ward with immunocompromised patients. The Newcastle Herald recently revealed SafeWork inspected the hospital in April, but missed the issues, including leaks that caused internal flooding and forced chemotherapy treatments to be cancelled. NSW Nurses and Midwives Association Calvary Mater branch secretary Camilla Smith said despite the improvement notice, the hospital's work environment remained dangerous to staff and patients. "We're glad to to see progress, but we'll be feeling a lot better when the problems are actually fixed," Ms Smith said. "We shouldn't have got here in the first place. We've been let down by the lack of transparency and staff don't trust the management of the building." The lack of action to fix the Mater's ongoing issues has brought the hospital's complicated management structure under scrutiny. The Mater is managed under a public-private partnership (PPP) by a consortium called Novacare, which is composed of four companies: Westpac Banking, Abigroup, Honeywell and Medirest. Novacare director James Ward said the company couldn't comment as it was "bound by confidentiality requirements", and any response would need approval from the state government. HNEH and the NSW Health Minister have repeatedly stated Novacare was responsible for the hospital's infrastructure and maintenance. "Minister Park and [Calvary Health Care CEO] Martin Bowles both agreed that it needs to be resolved as a matter of priority and urgency," a spokesperson for the Health Minister said. "Work is being undertaken to address the situation as quickly as possible." In March, the government passed Joe's Law to ban future PPPs for the state's acute hospitals after the death of a toddler at Northern Beaches Hospital. Mr Park has previously stated he does not support PPPs for future acute hospitals. Ms Smith said Mater's maintenance mess was more evidence PPPs were no longer fit for purpose. "You've got a private company trying to make a profit of managing an acute care hospital, so when problems arise and money needs to be spent, no one wants to foot the bill," she said. HNEH confirmed it had received the SafeWork notice and was working with its partners and contractors, including NovaCare, to determine appropriate remediations. SafeWork has cracked down on the dangerous work environment at the Calvary Mater Hospital, ordering several issues to be fixed. Hunter New England Health has been issued with an improvement notice, which found it had failed to ensure reasonable health and safety due to risks of "slips, electric shock and inhalation of mould spores from rain water ingress and humidity". The notice, which also found the contractual building management system was inadequate, was served to HNEH as the owners of the building. The SafeWork order comes after NSW Health Minister Ryan Park met with the hospital's administrators to discuss a mould outbreak in the building's airconditioners, including in a ward with immunocompromised patients. The Newcastle Herald recently revealed SafeWork inspected the hospital in April, but missed the issues, including leaks that caused internal flooding and forced chemotherapy treatments to be cancelled. NSW Nurses and Midwives Association Calvary Mater branch secretary Camilla Smith said despite the improvement notice, the hospital's work environment remained dangerous to staff and patients. "We're glad to to see progress, but we'll be feeling a lot better when the problems are actually fixed," Ms Smith said. "We shouldn't have got here in the first place. We've been let down by the lack of transparency and staff don't trust the management of the building." The lack of action to fix the Mater's ongoing issues has brought the hospital's complicated management structure under scrutiny. The Mater is managed under a public-private partnership (PPP) by a consortium called Novacare, which is composed of four companies: Westpac Banking, Abigroup, Honeywell and Medirest. Novacare director James Ward said the company couldn't comment as it was "bound by confidentiality requirements", and any response would need approval from the state government. HNEH and the NSW Health Minister have repeatedly stated Novacare was responsible for the hospital's infrastructure and maintenance. "Minister Park and [Calvary Health Care CEO] Martin Bowles both agreed that it needs to be resolved as a matter of priority and urgency," a spokesperson for the Health Minister said. "Work is being undertaken to address the situation as quickly as possible." In March, the government passed Joe's Law to ban future PPPs for the state's acute hospitals after the death of a toddler at Northern Beaches Hospital. Mr Park has previously stated he does not support PPPs for future acute hospitals. Ms Smith said Mater's maintenance mess was more evidence PPPs were no longer fit for purpose. "You've got a private company trying to make a profit of managing an acute care hospital, so when problems arise and money needs to be spent, no one wants to foot the bill," she said. HNEH confirmed it had received the SafeWork notice and was working with its partners and contractors, including NovaCare, to determine appropriate remediations. SafeWork has cracked down on the dangerous work environment at the Calvary Mater Hospital, ordering several issues to be fixed. Hunter New England Health has been issued with an improvement notice, which found it had failed to ensure reasonable health and safety due to risks of "slips, electric shock and inhalation of mould spores from rain water ingress and humidity". The notice, which also found the contractual building management system was inadequate, was served to HNEH as the owners of the building. The SafeWork order comes after NSW Health Minister Ryan Park met with the hospital's administrators to discuss a mould outbreak in the building's airconditioners, including in a ward with immunocompromised patients. The Newcastle Herald recently revealed SafeWork inspected the hospital in April, but missed the issues, including leaks that caused internal flooding and forced chemotherapy treatments to be cancelled. NSW Nurses and Midwives Association Calvary Mater branch secretary Camilla Smith said despite the improvement notice, the hospital's work environment remained dangerous to staff and patients. "We're glad to to see progress, but we'll be feeling a lot better when the problems are actually fixed," Ms Smith said. "We shouldn't have got here in the first place. We've been let down by the lack of transparency and staff don't trust the management of the building." The lack of action to fix the Mater's ongoing issues has brought the hospital's complicated management structure under scrutiny. The Mater is managed under a public-private partnership (PPP) by a consortium called Novacare, which is composed of four companies: Westpac Banking, Abigroup, Honeywell and Medirest. Novacare director James Ward said the company couldn't comment as it was "bound by confidentiality requirements", and any response would need approval from the state government. HNEH and the NSW Health Minister have repeatedly stated Novacare was responsible for the hospital's infrastructure and maintenance. "Minister Park and [Calvary Health Care CEO] Martin Bowles both agreed that it needs to be resolved as a matter of priority and urgency," a spokesperson for the Health Minister said. "Work is being undertaken to address the situation as quickly as possible." In March, the government passed Joe's Law to ban future PPPs for the state's acute hospitals after the death of a toddler at Northern Beaches Hospital. Mr Park has previously stated he does not support PPPs for future acute hospitals. Ms Smith said Mater's maintenance mess was more evidence PPPs were no longer fit for purpose. "You've got a private company trying to make a profit of managing an acute care hospital, so when problems arise and money needs to be spent, no one wants to foot the bill," she said. HNEH confirmed it had received the SafeWork notice and was working with its partners and contractors, including NovaCare, to determine appropriate remediations. SafeWork has cracked down on the dangerous work environment at the Calvary Mater Hospital, ordering several issues to be fixed. Hunter New England Health has been issued with an improvement notice, which found it had failed to ensure reasonable health and safety due to risks of "slips, electric shock and inhalation of mould spores from rain water ingress and humidity". The notice, which also found the contractual building management system was inadequate, was served to HNEH as the owners of the building. The SafeWork order comes after NSW Health Minister Ryan Park met with the hospital's administrators to discuss a mould outbreak in the building's airconditioners, including in a ward with immunocompromised patients. The Newcastle Herald recently revealed SafeWork inspected the hospital in April, but missed the issues, including leaks that caused internal flooding and forced chemotherapy treatments to be cancelled. NSW Nurses and Midwives Association Calvary Mater branch secretary Camilla Smith said despite the improvement notice, the hospital's work environment remained dangerous to staff and patients. "We're glad to to see progress, but we'll be feeling a lot better when the problems are actually fixed," Ms Smith said. "We shouldn't have got here in the first place. We've been let down by the lack of transparency and staff don't trust the management of the building." The lack of action to fix the Mater's ongoing issues has brought the hospital's complicated management structure under scrutiny. The Mater is managed under a public-private partnership (PPP) by a consortium called Novacare, which is composed of four companies: Westpac Banking, Abigroup, Honeywell and Medirest. Novacare director James Ward said the company couldn't comment as it was "bound by confidentiality requirements", and any response would need approval from the state government. HNEH and the NSW Health Minister have repeatedly stated Novacare was responsible for the hospital's infrastructure and maintenance. "Minister Park and [Calvary Health Care CEO] Martin Bowles both agreed that it needs to be resolved as a matter of priority and urgency," a spokesperson for the Health Minister said. "Work is being undertaken to address the situation as quickly as possible." In March, the government passed Joe's Law to ban future PPPs for the state's acute hospitals after the death of a toddler at Northern Beaches Hospital. Mr Park has previously stated he does not support PPPs for future acute hospitals. Ms Smith said Mater's maintenance mess was more evidence PPPs were no longer fit for purpose. "You've got a private company trying to make a profit of managing an acute care hospital, so when problems arise and money needs to be spent, no one wants to foot the bill," she said. HNEH confirmed it had received the SafeWork notice and was working with its partners and contractors, including NovaCare, to determine appropriate remediations.
SBS Australia
a day ago
- SBS Australia
Fewer people are dying from COVID. But experts say the virus is unpredictable
The mortality rate for COVID-19 has steadily declined since 2023. Experts say vaccinations and medicines have reduced the severity and lethality of the virus. But some warn the virus can be unpredictable. The number of Australians dying from COVID-19 continues to decline — but experts warn the virus is unpredictable and have warned against complacency. Mortality data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released last week shows that deaths from COVID-19 have steadily declined since 2023. The number of people dying with COVID-19 — where it is deemed not the primary cause of death — is also decreasing. However, experts have pointed to the unpredictability of the virus and the common rise in infections that occur during the winter months to warn against complacency. The latest ABS provisional mortality statistics report gives a snapshot of COVID-19 deaths as certified by doctors and coroners. The data may not be perfect, as the cause of death can be complex, but it suggests deaths from COVID-19 have dropped dramatically. In 2023, there were 4,609 deaths from COVID-19, and last year, there were 3,871 deaths from COVID-19 recorded. Data from the first four months of 2025 indicate 514 COVID-19-related deaths so far this year. Paul Griffin, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Queensland, who has also run clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccinations, said it's great news that mortality rates are declining. "This is likely due to the availability of oral anti-viral medications, vaccinations and greater understanding COVID-19," he told SBS News. "As health professionals, it's clearly great to see less people dying from COVID-19, but it's important to look at that in context. "There are still a number of people who get very sick, and the effects of long-COVID-19 can be debilitating." Griffin said that experts are still working to understand how COVID-19 adapts and changes, and what the long-term health impacts could be. While the downward trend in mortality is "encouraging," he cautioned that the virus remains "very unpredictable". Griffin explained that COVID-19 can mutate, with new strains emerging frequently. "Just recently we've seen a new strain: NB.1.8.1, which seems to have different characteristics from other variants," he said. "When it comes to predicting the future of COVID-19, in terms of severity and mortality, I would be reluctant to say the decreasing rates of mortality will continue. "There's still a lot we don't know." The mortality data from previous years indicates that COVID-19 deaths increase from May to July — data yet to be collected for this year. Catherine Bennett, chair in epidemiology at Deakin University, said there were a range of ways emerging strains of COVID-19 can impact people. "COVID can be different from one infection to the next in the same person," she said. "The other important thing to remember is long COVID, and we don't have good data now and we don't know if our immunity is helping protect us from long COVID." While long-term immunity from multiple boosters is hard to measure, Bennett emphasised the importance of vaccines, particularly now as winter sets in. "It takes a couple of weeks to get the best out of a vaccine to actually get that boosting happening," she said. "And equally, the vaccines last a couple of months. It's when they have their greatest impact and six to eight weeks is the usual duration for our waves. "So, actually, having a vaccine now as winter comes is the right time." Bennett said that a low number of COVID-19 cases in the summer months of 2025 could mean there may be a higher number of infections this winter, as people will be less resistant to the virus. "It's a sad irony that a quiet summer in infections may lead us to seeing more people exposed in winter," she said. She said the more people that get vaccinated, the better the public health outcomes would be, especially for vulnerable groups. A 2024 report from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance found that children aged from 12 months to 5 years old had lower vaccination rates in 2023 than in 2020. Griffin explained that the mortality rates of viruses like COVID-19 and influenza increases in winter for two main reasons. Firstly, they can survive longer in winter months when there is decreased sunlight, lower temperatures, and lower relative humidity. The other factor is human behaviour. "When it is colder, people are more likely to be indoors and in closer proximity to others. There can also be decreased ventilation and airflow as people may close windows to keep the cold out," he said. "Large indoor gatherings can be a hotbed for the flu and COVID-19." His advice is to ventilate where possible with airflow and air purifiers, and to avoid other people when you have flu-like symptoms such as a cough or sore throat.
