Australia is planning to introduce wastewater testing for incoming flights in an attempt to gather more information about the possible entry of new Covid variants. The health minister, Mark Butler, announced the measure on Monday in a round of interviews defending the decision to reimpose pre-flight Covid testing for passengers from China as necessary because of a “absence of comprehensive information” about the disease in China. The announcement on Sunday has already prompted calls to expand pre-flight testing, with the independent MP Monique Ryan questioning if it was now “time…
Tag: Health
Australia imposes mandatory Covid tests for travellers from China amid fears of diplomatic backlash
Australia will impose mandatory Covid-19 testing for travellers arriving from China after a spike in cases in the tourism and business market. The Australian health minister, Mark Butler, announced on Sunday that travellers from China would need to take a Covid test within the 48 hours before travel and show evidence of a negative result before entering Australia, starting from 5 January. He cited the “lack of comprehensive information” Beijing was providing to the international community about the outbreak gripping the nation of 1.4 billion people. “The decision to implement…
Australian doctors call for more Covid data as UK and France join list of countries testing China travellers
The Australian government is standing firm on its policy to not require incoming travellers from China to test negative for Covid, despite the UK and France joining the list of countries imposing such restrictions. The Australian Medical Association president, Steve Robson, backed the position on Saturday, saying there was not enough data yet to show that testing every passenger would be beneficial. But he called for more transparency, here and overseas. “I think we’re in a situation where Australians are looking to understand the federal government’s decision-making around arrivals from…
UK ministers under pressure to screen China arrivals for Covid
Ministers are coming under pressure to screen arrivals from China as the number of Covid-19 cases there continues to surge after Beijing’s abrupt decision to end most of its strict pandemic restrictions. The US became the latest country to impose controls on travellers entering the country from China on Wednesday, demanding that all such arrivals show proof of a negative Covid test. The UK government has so far refused to follow suit, although there were mixed messages on Thursday over whether that policy might change in the coming days. The…
Australia will not require travellers from China to provide negative Covid test
Australia will not immediately follow countries such as the United States, Italy and Japan which have moved to require travellers from China to produce a negative Covid test to enter. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, on Thursday backed health advice that said Australia has built up immunity to the variant ravaging China, but he did not rule out travel restrictions in future. Covid has been spreading rapidly throughout China since Beijing begun rolling back its strict “zero-Covid” policies. Several countries have announced border restrictions for arrivals from China, which will…
Scotland to raise income tax by 1p for those on over £43,666 to raise money for NHS – as it happened
From 1h ago Swinney says all Scots earning more than £43,662 will pay 1% more in income tax, to raise money for NHS Swinney says the starter, basic and intermediate rates of income will stay the same. But the higher and top rate will go up, he says. (See 2.58pm.) He says this means people earning more than £43,662 pounds will have to pay an extra penny in the pound on income tax. He says the money is being raised for a specific purpose – investment in NHS. These changes…
Chinese doctors and nurses reportedly told to work while infected as Covid surges
Chinese doctors and nurses are being told to keep working even when infected with Covid-19, staff and residents reported, as the virus rips through the population in the wake of eased restrictions. Some hospitals in Beijing have up to 80% of their staff infected, but many of them are still required to work due to staff shortages, a doctor in a large public hospital in Beijing told Reuters, adding he had spoken to his peers at other big hospitals in the capital. All operations and surgeries had been cancelled at…
China’s return to wildlife farming ‘a risk to global health and biodiversity’
China appears to be weakening its post-Covid restrictions on the farming of wildlife such as porcupines, civets and bamboo rats, which raises a new risk to public health and biodiversity, warn NGOs and experts. Before the pandemic, wildlife farming was promoted by government agencies as an easy way for rural Chinese people to get rich. But China issued an outright ban on hunting, trading and transporting wildlife, as well as the consumption as food, after public health experts suggested the virus could have originated from the supply chain. Around 14…
China targets older people in Covid-19 vaccination drive
Chinese health officials have announced a drive to accelerate vaccinations of older people against Covid-19, as police patrolled major cities to stamp out protests against the country’s strict zero-Covid policy. The low vaccination rate among older people is one of the major hurdles to easing the zero-Covid policy, which has eroded economic growth, disrupted the lives of millions, and sparked three days of unprecedented protests. At a regular press conference on Tuesday, officials said just 76.6% of people over 80 had received two vaccine doses, compared with more than 90%…
‘I should eat more vegetables’: living with diabetes in rural China
Li, a retired farmer who lives in Henan province in central China, has type 2 diabetes. The condition is manageable but comes with large out-of-pocket expenses, a common feature for people in China, especially those who, like Li, live in rural areas and don’t have the best insurance policies. Li doesn’t like to complain too much, though, and says his children help him with the bills. “Now a lot of old people have diabetes,” he says. “So it’s not necessarily a severe disease, you just have to pay more attention…