Weekly COVID news at a glance

(AUS) More support for mental health carers

The state government is providing funding to assist Victorians who care for people with mental illness or psychological distress. The package aims to help carers financially or with relief and respite from their caring roles.

It includes $8.8 million for the Mental Health Carer Support Fund to help carers pay for personal expenses related to their caring role and supporting their own health. The government will keep providing funding to Tandem, Victoria’s peak body for mental health carers, families and supporters.

Tandem supports mental health carers to use their mental health system knowledge to co-design services in partnership with the state government. For more information about the funding boost and eligibility, visit the Victorian Department of Health website.

(AUS) Schools plan to bounce back from COVID

Schools across Victoria are preparing to bounce back from COVID in the new school year, with a focus on student welfare. Victoria’s one-million students and school staff have spent the pandemic adapting to periods of remote learning and COVID outbreaks throughout the state’s six lockdowns.

Tina King of the Australian Principals Federation said the mental health and wellbeing of students would be a priority for next year as the education sector moves away from these pandemic measures. Under a state government initiative, all state schools will receive funding for programs, staff and resources that promote positive mental health and provide targeted support. Ms King said the funding would help address the trauma experienced by many young Victorians since 2020.

(AUS) Gen Z hit hardest mentally by pandemic

New research released in the United States last week shows that the coronavirus pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental health of those aged 13 to 24, commonly referred to as Gen Z. 

The survey was conducted jointly by the MTV Entertainment Group and a research centre within The Associated Press. Among those surveyed, 46 per cent said the pandemic made it harder to pursue their education or career goals. 45 per cent of the Gen Z respondents to the survey also found it difficult to maintain solid friendships compared to other age groups.

(AUS) Moderna booster shot approved

Australia’s medical regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, has given provisional approval for the Moderna vaccine to be used as a COVID-19 booster shot last week.

It comes after the Pfizer vaccine was approved earlier this year to be used as a booster, with more than five hundred thousand Australians already receiving their third dose. The TGA said people aged 18 years and over would be eligible to receive the Moderna booster vaccine six months after their second vaccine.

The Moderna booster can be given regardless of which vaccine brand was received in the first two doses. The final decision to approve the booster vaccine will come from Australia’s leading vaccination body, ATAGI, which is expected to make the announcement within this week.

(Worldwide) Omicron seems milder

As the Omicron variant sweeps through South Africa. Doctors and medical experts suspect the Omicron version really is causing milder COVID-19 than Delta, even if it seems to be spreading faster.

Includes older patients and those with health problems that can make them more vulnerable to becoming severely ill from a coronavirus infection. In the two weeks since Omicron first was reported in southern Africa, doctors have shared similar stories. 

All caution that it will take many more weeks to collect enough data to be sure, although their observations and the early evidence offer some clues. In the meantime, scientists around the world are watching case counts and hospitalisation rates, while testing to see how well current vaccines and treatments hold up. 

(Worldwide) Britain announces booster vaccine

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned of a looming “tidal wave” of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, and brought forward a target to give over-18s a booster jab by one month to the end of December.

Mr Johnson, under pressure because of claims he and staff flouted COVID-19 restrictions last Christmas, called the spread of the mutation “an emergency”, as Omicron was doubling every two to three days. The increase in the five-stage COVID Alert Level from three to four comes after a further 1,239 confirmed cases of the variant were recorded on Sunday.

Britain began easing coronavirus restrictions in June and the alert level was at stage three, which means the virus is in general circulation. Level four means “transmission is high and pressure on healthcare services is widespread and substantial or rising”.