Weekly news at a glance

(Worldwide) Six African countries to begin making mRNA vaccines

Six African countries – Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia – will be the first on the continent to receive the technology needed to produce their own mRNA vaccines from a scheme headed by the World Health Organization.

The groundbreaking project aims to assist low- and middle-income countries in manufacturing mRNA vaccines at scale and according to international standards, with the aim of ending much of the reliance of African countries on vaccine manufacturers outside the continent.

The announcement comes in the same week that BioNTech, which produces the Pfizer vaccine for Covid-19 – itself an mRNA vaccine – announced it planned to deliver factory facilities built out of shipping containers to several African countries to allow the Pfizer vaccine to be produced on the continent.

(Worldwide) Hong Kong ‘overwhelmed’ by tide of cases

Hong Kong is being overwhelmed by an “onslaught” of COVID-19 infections, its leader says, as the health crisis threatens to overwhelm hospitals and upend its COVID zero strategy.

Hong Kong and mainland China are among the few places in the world still aiming to suppress every COVID-19 outbreak, but the Omicron variant has proven tough to control and is piling pressure on a stretched healthcare system.

Daily infections have multiplied 13 times over the past two weeks, from about 100 cases at the start of February to at least 1530 COVID-19 cases on Monday, broadcaster TVB said, sending authorities scrambling to control the deepening outbreak.

(Worldwide) Queen Elizabeth tests positive for COVID-19

Queen Elizabeth has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms, Buckingham Palace said, adding the 95-year-old monarch plans to carry on working. The palace said the Queen would continue with “light” duties at Windsor Castle over the coming week.

The Queen has received three vaccine doses. Both her eldest son Prince Charles, 73, and her 74-year-old daughter-in-law Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall have also recently contracted COVID-19, and Charles has since returned to work.

(AUS) Novavax vaccine available on Monday

The COVID-19 vaccine Novavax will be available to Victorians aged 18 and above from Monday. The vaccine will be available through more than 400 general practices and pharmacies throughout Victoria and at certain state-run vaccination centres.

Pop-up vaccination clinics will offer the vaccine in parts of Melbourne where people have a strong interest in Novavax. Novovax can be used as a first or second dose with another approved COVID-19 vaccine. The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation recommends the Novavax vaccine be given in two doses at least three weeks apart.

(AUS) Purpose-Built Quarantine to open

The Victorian Quarantine Hub facility will open and accept its first residents on Monday. This will become Victoria’s sole quarantine site as hotel quarantine is gradually phased out. The hub has cabin-style accommodation with outdoor entry and exit points and can accommodate up to 1000 residents at a time.

The hub’s open-air setting and design is centred around infection prevention and control. It has bespoke ventilation systems, in-house electronic food ordering for residents and all services and amenities delivered directly onsite to limit unnecessary movement and contact. The facility can also accommodate eligible community members who are covid-positive but cannot isolate at home.

(AUS) All elective surgery to resume by end of month

The state government has announced all elective surgery can resume across both public and private hospitals by the end of February as the Omicron outbreak eases. Restrictions on elective surgery will start rolling back from next week.

From Monday, Melbourne’s private hospitals can scale up to 75 per cent capacity for ANY elective surgery and be considered for an increase to 100 per cent on February 28. In regional Victoria, the cap for private hospitals will increase from the current 75 per cent up to 100 per cent on Monday, while regional public hospitals continue to perform elective surgery based on capacity.