Weekly COVID news at a glance

(Worldwide) China’s Tianjin to test 14M people

The northern Chinese city of Tianjin on Sunday advised its nearly 14 million people to stay home while it conducted mass COVID-19 testing after a spate of recent cases, including two caused by the Omicron variant, state-controlled media reported.

Tianjin emerged as a new area of concern after more than 20 COVID-19 cases were reported there in the last few days, most of them imported from abroad, according to the National Health Commission.

They include at least two cases of the Omicron variant, as well as 15 infections among elementary and middle school students, according to various state media reports.

(Worldwide) UK soldiers to help hospitals

Troops are to begin deploying in London amid growing medical staff shortages due to COVID-19 in the United Kingdom.

Around 200 armed forces personnel are being made available to hospitals across the capital, which has been the centre of the Omicron outbreak with a huge upsurge in cases.

The announcement comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this week ministers hoped to “ride out” the latest wave without the need for further restrictions in England.

(Worldwide) US hospitals cracked down

In the US, the current explosion of omicron-fuelled Covid-19 cases is causing a breakdown in basic functions and services, diminishing the ranks of healthcare and essential workers. Hospitals are overwhelmed, turning away incoming patients.

In New York City, subways and trash collection services are delayed due to out of commission employees infected with Covid, while schools across the nation are struggling to find teachers for their classrooms.

Elsewhere, in the state of Texas, the growing case numbers has led to an acute shortage of Covid-19 tests. Long queues can be seen outside pharmacies, which are already sold out of testing kits.The need for testing is so high that people sometimes have to wait for hours at large, dedicated “mega” facilities.

(AUS) RATs accepted for disaster payment

The federal government announced in a statement on Saturday that from 10 January it would accept rapid antigen tests (RATs) as well as PCR tests from those who are seeking to claim the support payment.

Currently, $750 per seven-day period is available for those directed to self-isolate or quarantine, who are caring for someone with COVID-19, or meet the definition of a close contact, providing they are not earning income from work or certain other sources.

But from 18 January the payment will be scaled based on the number of hours of work an individual has lost or expects to lose over a seven-day isolation period.

(AUS)  New regulations for RATs

Under new rules, health authorities now recognise a positive result from a Rapid Antigen test indicates a person has COVID-19. It is NO longer required to have a standard PCR test if a positive result comes from using the RAT kit at home.  

If positive, it is required that people immediately isolate for 7 days from the day of the test. However, Victorians MUST immediately report a positive rapid antigen test result to the Department of Health through an online form or by phone. Reporting a positive RAT will allow the infected person to access care, information and financial support.

People can still go to a GP or testing clinic if they cannot purchase the home RAT kit, if they have symptoms or are a close contact. Since the emergence of the Omicron variant, Victoria’s standard testing capacity has been hit by a surge in cases, so the new rule will reduce testing queues and waiting times. It also means PCR tests can be prioritised for critical workers such as nurses and people in vulnerable settings. 

(AUS)  Calls for translated RAT instructions

Community leaders say there is a desperate need to translate the instructions of rapid antigen tests into languages other than English, amid fears people may be using them incorrectly and reporting false negatives.

There are growing calls for state and federal governments to ensure instructions about how to use these tests are widely available to people of all backgrounds and in all languages. 

More than 1.5 million Australians come from non-English speaking backgrounds and the issue is not isolated to one specific community.