AUSTRALIA Weekly COVID Update: 7 August 2026 🔹SA: ⬆️(+67.3%) 🔹WA: ⬆️(+49.6%) 36/day in hospital 🔹ACT: ⬆️(+28.5%) 🔹VIC: ⬆️(+16.0%) 🔹NSW: ⬆️(+13.4%) 🔹TAS: ⬆️(+12.5%) 🔹QLD: ⬆️(+8.6%) 29 in hospital 🔹Aged Care: The government ended weekly reporting
A study shows male mice recovering from severe COVID-19 can pass anxiety-like traits to their offspring. The virus alters RNA molecules inside their sperm, suggesting a father's infection before conception could change how the next generation develops mentally. Source: archive.md/U7dad
I often think this about COVID-19 too. I might not win, but I refuse to helplessly be washed along with the tide. My efforts might be minuscule, and unnoticeable in the scheme of the universe, but they make a difference to one persons universe. That’s enough.
Dr Noor Bari@njbbari3.bsky.social · 2w agoYes. It is a battle… but I think the honour is in the effort. X
“Musk and co seem to have missed this message. But it’s the real reason why they should hate the film… It makes clear a commitment to international diplomacy isn’t a nice-to-have – it’s a prerequisite to civilisation.” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The right hates The Odyssey because of its ‘wokeness’ – but it missed an even bigger threat to its worldview | Peter Swallow
The new film extols the value of a rules-based world order. That’s far more radical than any casting decision says Labour MP and classicist Peter Swallow
theguardian.com
PHOTO OF THE DAY. The Beatles photographed during their “Mad Day Out”(1968). 📷 Don McCullin
Study: Epidemiology and mortality among hospital-acquired cases of COVID-19 in the pre-Omicron and Omicron periods: A data-linkage study in Victoria, Australia. Published: 26 July 2026 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Epidemiology and mortality among hospital-acquired cases of COVID-19 in the pre-Omicron and Omicron periods: A data-linkage study in Victoria, Australia
The aim of this study was to compare the epidemiology and mortality of hospital-acquired versus non-hospital-acquired COVID-19 infections among hospit…
sciencedirect.com
"When COVID-19 is caught in hospital, the risk doesn’t end with infection" A new study found patients who caught COVID-19 in hospital were more likely to die within 30 days than those infected in the community. Outcomes improved over time, but hospital-acquired COVID still carried a higher risk.
When COVID-19 is caught in hospital, the risk doesn't end with infection - Doherty Institute
A new study led by VICNISS, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, found that hospitalised patients who acquired COVID-19 in hospital were more likely to die within 30 days than patients whose infection was acquired in the community.
doherty.edu.au
H/T Sue J @smpwrgr.bsky.social "Aussie Aussie Aussie 😷 😷 😷 Good to see Australian Commonwealth Games athletes masking up as they travelled to Glasgow to compete Avoiding airborne infections in transit is performance enhancing preparation 🥇" Source: x.com/SMpwrgr/stat...
World Health Organization Surveillance Dashboard Reporting Period: 13 July 2026 – 19 July 2026 Top 5 Highest SARS-CoV-2 Positivity Rates Worldwide 1. Egypt: 60.0% 2. Venezuela: 50.0% 3. Brunei: 50.0% 4. Singapore: 10.0% 5. Türkiye: 10.0% Source: app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrI...
Husband & son had their covid vax today. Pharmacist let's them have it 6 monthly. I'm jealous. I had to cancel due to an autoimmune condition flare plus possible tooth infection. Covid hasn't gone. Twice as many people died from covid than flu in 2025 in Australia and more harmed. Don't ignore it
A small Australian 2026 #COVID19 update. 18JULY2026 In the ~82 days since my last update (27APR), detections have risen by 23,933. That's a daily rate of 292, up from ~100 per day in April.
Humans Landed on The Moon 57 Years Ago Today. It Revealed How Little We Know www.sciencealert.com/humans-lande... #Space #MoonLanding
Humans Landed on The Moon 57 Years Ago Today. It Revealed How Little We Know
When Apollo 11 touched down on the lunar surface on 20 July 1969, it marked a turning point in humanity's relationship with the Moon.
sciencealert.com
Thailand: COVID-19 cases have been rising for 11 consecutive weeks—jumping 2833% since early May Reported cases: 🔸 Week 19: 226 🔸 Week 20: 284 🔸 Week 21: 370 🔸 Week 22: 610 🔸 Week 23: 929 🔸 Week 24: 1231 🔸 Week 25: 1720 🔸 Week 26: 2373 🔸 Week 27: 3594 🔸 Week 28: 4920 🔸 Week 29: 6633
"COVID-19 Linked to More Chest X-Ray Abnormalities in Children" "The study found that children who had recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to have chest X-ray abnormalities nearly 10 months after infection." Source: archive.md/QIU3h
A new name doesn't change the virus. It's still SARS-CoV-2, and it's still dangerous. Source: x.com/keetmuise/st...
"Hidden pathway drives COVID-19 infections: study" SARS-CoV-2 evades its usual entry route by hiding inside dying cell fragments. Macrophages engulf these during the body's clean-up process, allowing the virus to spread between immune cells and trigger inflammation that causes severe lung damage.
Hidden pathway drives COVID-19 infections: study
Research shows COVID-19 can hide in dying cell fragments.
latrobe.edu.au
The Ruby Princess cruise ship, infamously linked to a March 2020 Sydney voyage resulting in 28 deaths and 663 COVID-19 cases among the 2,641 passengers, faces a new health crisis. The vessel has now reported over 120 suspected cases of Norovirus during a tour of the United States.
Notorious cruise ship hosting major outbreak
102 passengers and 24 crew members have reported being ill while on board the ship.
nine.com.au
"Importantly, the increased risk of myocarditis and pericarditis from mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, particularly in males aged 12-19, was significantly lower than the risk of developing myocarditis or pericarditis from a SARS-CoV-2 infection." Of course, COVID's harms are not limited to the heart.
Review highlights strong safety and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines
A comprehensive new review published in The Lancet affirms that currently approved mRNA vaccines are safe and highly effective at preventing infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
news-medical.net
Sometimes medical professionals speak in tongues, and it needs translation. “My practice is unsafe because I haven’t bothered to update anything, including my brain.” Happy to help out any time.
Denis - The COVID Info Guy@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social · 2mo agoImagine wearing a mask at the dentist only to have them say "COVID is over" and accuse you of "living in fear." 🤦♂️ Medical professionals should respect patient health choices, not shame them. Source: x.com/karenaspwrit...
Australia: "Thousands of patients caught COVID in NSW hospitals last year and hundreds died, new data shows" Published: 14 October 2024 "At least 6,007 patients caught COVID in NSW public hospitals in 2023 and 297 died — about 115 infections and 6 deaths per week, on average."
Thousands caught COVID in NSW hospitals last year, hundreds died, new data shows
Thousands of patients caught COVID in NSW public hospitals last year and hundreds died, fuelling concerns among infection control experts that hospitals are not taking strong enough precautions agains...
abc.net.au
With ⬆️shingles (Ref: Pan,Lee,Zambudiri, 2022), I want to reshare this no-meds option to ⬇️the pain of acute shingles. (It's a peer-reviewed case report, not a full-on study, but the intervention is pretty low risk: essentially sticky food-wrap.) Still get vaxxed tho link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reducing pain in acute herpes zoster with plain occlusive dressings: a case report - Journal of Medical Case Reports
Introduction The pain of acute herpes zoster (shingles) is severe and difficult to control. The medications used to control pain have a variety of important and potentially serious side effects. To th...
link.springer.com
“Vape containing potent sedative ‘etomidate’ sold in Melbourne” This is an anaesthetic agent that could kill you. www.health.vic.gov.au/drug-alerts/...
Vape containing potent sedative ‘etomidate’ sold in Melbourne
Etomidate is a powerful anaesthetic drug that has been detected in a vape product sold in Melbourne.
health.vic.gov.au
Thailand: COVID-19 cases have been rising for 7 consecutive weeks—jumping 660% since early May. Reported weekly cases: 🔸 Week 19: 226 🔸 Week 20: 284 🔸 Week 21: 370 🔸 Week 22: 610 🔸 Week 23: 929 🔸 Week 24: 1,231 🔸 Week 25: 1,720 Source: dvis3.ddc.moph.go.th/t/DDC_CENTER...
Queensland Weekly Respiratory Surveillance Report: 16 June - 22 June 2026 Reported cases: 🔹COVID: 266 (+3.1%) 🔹Influenza: 242 (+8.5%) 🔹RSV: 777 (-0.6%) Hospitalisations: 🔸COVID: 20 (+11.1%) 🔸Influenza: 10 (-28.5%) 🔸RSV: 63 (-17.1%) Source: www.health.qld.gov.au/clinical-pra...
US Weekly COVID update: Jun 22, 2026 🔸1 in 310 Actively Infectious 🔸158,000 Daily Infections 🔸1,100,000 Infections In The Past Week 🔸81,000,000 Infections in 2026 🔸55,000 to 220,000 Weekly Long COVID Cases 🔸300 to 500 Weekly Excess Deaths Source: pmc19.com
Detection of bird flu in Australia "Two seabirds found in an isolated area in southern Western Australia have returned positive results for H5 avian influenza (bird flu). The current risk of bird flu to people in Australia is low." Source: www.cdc.gov.au/newsroom/new...
USA: The CDC wrapped up flu and RSV tracking for the 2025-2026 season on June 5, but its COVID-19 dashboard remains live. Because it wasn't updated this week, I emailed the CDC to clarify if summer tracking will continue or pause soon. I will share their response once they get back to me.
Current Epidemic Trends (Based on Rt)
CFA’s Rt page estimates COVID-19 epidemic trends for the U.S., states, and HSAs.
cdc.gov