Health

Kirstin Nicholson. The negative effects of lockdown are widespread with people and organisations having to cancel events, celebrations, travel and appointments ... “It is a concern both financially and mentally. This is what happens, it’s not just the financial side of things, it’s the mental strain on our staff and on ourselves. Every time you stop, you lose your momentum; you lose your drive. "

Chris Oldfield. The SA Government can spend up to 10 times more on each locum it employs in the Naracoorte Hospital than it pays a local GP for the same 24-hour shift. Around the State it does the same, spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars on locums and fly in fly out doctors rather than finalising contracts which enable local GPs to work at their home town country hospitals.

This is a beautifully presented and illustrated book which is a timely reminder to older children and to adolescents of the need to be aware of bullies and how they can attack a young person’s self-esteem in order to gain control over their emotions – sometimes with devastating consequences.

A ‘warm’ COVID-19 vaccine suitable for remote and resource-limited locations lacking access to cold storage supply chains is one step closer following an international collaboration between scientists from India and Australia.

Sadly, it has become painfully clear that our political leaders have lost the capacity, and even, it would seem, the willingness, to compare the impacts of varying public policy positions. The evidence of this is in the crude lockdowns which provide an opportunity for politicians and bureaucrats to look like they are 'doing something' and that they are 'in control' when in fact neither proposition is correct.

Farmsafe Australia recently launched a new campaign, aimed at reminding farmers of the roles that they play in shaping a safe, healthy and productive working environment on their farms. The campaign highlights the opportunities that farmers have to be mentors, teachers and supporters and how demonstrating those leadership styles may reduce or eliminate psychosocial risks on their farm.

Millions of horse owners the world over are set to benefit from a more effective method to treat equine gastric disease, a common condition affecting horses, especially in thoroughbred racing and the endurance riding sector.

On World Zoonoses Day, Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Mark Schipp has highlighted how the risk of zoonoses, diseases which can be transmitted to humans from animals, can be reduced through practising good animal biosecurity and hygiene control procedures. The bacterial disease leptospirosis is an example of a zoonotic disease of worldwide importance. The disease has been reported in over 150 mammalian species around the world, including wildlife, rodents, cattle, pigs, horses, dogs, and people.

CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, will spearhead a $1.7 million project to identify new treatments for COVID-19, including 'long-COVID'. Scientists will develop a faster, smarter way of rapidly screening existing drugs and advancing those that can be used to treat COVID-19 and aim to have identified the suitable TGA- or FDA-approved drug candidates to progress to phase 2-3 human clinical trials within a year.

The Chief Minister announced Territory Day celebrations across the NT are deferred due to the unfolding COVID situation in Darwin ... Territory Day will go ahead at a later date so we can all celebrate together ... The Alice Springs Show which was due to happen today was cancelled due to the lockdown.

This article may trigger strong emotions. To clarify, COVID-19 as an infection does pose serious health risks to vulnerable people. That being said, I believe we must still discuss the issues affecting our nation and communities in an open and transparent manner ... We now see state-wide restrictions and lockdowns as a result of low case numbers. At the time of printing, there is one person in ICU in Australia with COVID-19 and a total of 54 in hospital, from a nation of 25,360,000 people. Yes, COVID-19 is a risk, but so are lockdowns. The trigger for these lockdowns is the numbers of positive PCR tests. What if a PCR test didn’t accurately reflect live virus but instead Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) of dead virus?

A political decision to build a kidney transplant unit at Townsville instead of Cairns has riled medical experts in the Far North. The state government held bids from both Cairns and Townsville hospitals for the new renal transplant unit, but opted for the more southern hospital, despite evidence suggesting more patients would benefit if it was in Cairns.

Out of town on the Ellangowan flats, the Diggers Clubhouse is a place where serving and former veterans can meet like-minded people. The former RFS building is the clubhouse for the Diggers Military Motorcycle Club where the men-only chapter of eight meet twice a month. Club president Todd De Bono said it was a place of “no judgment”.

Emma Pritchard. The opening of a new Covid-19 vaccination clinic in Grafton last week has given the Clarence Valley community a massive boost in the fight against the ongoing pandemic ... NNSWLHD Director of Corporate Services and Covid-19 Vaccination Executive Matt Long said the new clinic can currently vaccinate up to 100 people per day, with that number set to increase to 200 in the coming weeks as more staff receive their vaccinations.

Paint Main Beach pink with Evans Head Malibu Club’s first one-day women-only longboarding competition. Organiser Emma Perrier said the Saturday, June 19 event will be the Breast Comp Ever and will raise funds for the local Breast Care Nurse Service in Lismore.