August 2024
Why CEOs working from home may be the new trend
Starbucks’ new boss Brian Niccol has decided to base himself in California rather than headquarters, dividing opinion among workplace experts.
July 2023
AstraZeneca drops on concern over lung cancer trial
The company also reported some deaths in the trial, raising safety concerns. The trial is continuing because the data isn’t fully mature yet.
October 2022
School closures unnecessary and harmful to students: report
A review of Australia’s COVID-19 response says it was unwise to close schools as they were not high-transmission environments.
July 2022
Finally, a weight-loss drug that really works – but there’s a catch
Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy uses a hormone to regulate hunger. It’s wildly effective, but is it the right solution to the obesity crisis?
June 2022
COVID-19 vaccines saved 20m lives in first year: study
The study is the first of its kind to quantify the pandemic’s deadly impact. It analysed records and total excess mortality from each country.
January 2022
Productivity Commission must dissect our pandemic performance
Australia got things right and wrong in managing COVID-19. But there was enough confusion to warrant a thorough national review ahead of next time.
Australia’s COVID-19 plan has all been a con
The country’s zero-COVID goal is uncompromising. Just ask Novak Djokovic.
Low booster coverage ‘absolutely’ fuelling omicron wave
A public health specialist says he is alarmed by the pace of the booster rollout and that third doses are critical for reducing transmission.
‘Anything but Sinovac’: Indonesians chase booster shot
Many hope to avoid the Chinese-made vaccine this time around as Indonesia begins its push to raise immunity levels in the world’s fourth most populous country.
December 2021
Omicron alarmism defies the science. Most of you can get on with life
The high probability is that omicron will disappoint the alarmists and frustrate those of a hairshirt puritan character who almost seem to want lockdowns as a form of self-flagellation.
EU backs Novavax shot as region’s fifth COVID-19 vaccine
Novavax said earlier this month it could begin manufacturing a vaccine tailored for omicron in January.
Mask up to save Christmas as 200,000 cases a day feared
A surge in omicron infections could also be stemmed by a faster rollout of COVID-19 booster shots, according to expert modelling from the Doherty Institute.
The corporate winners in Australia’s COVID-19 spending splurge
The Health Department estimates total COVID-19 costs at more than $32.6 billion, including $8 billion for vaccines
Boosters ‘massively increase’ protection against omicron
Researchers working in an ultra-secure lab have compiled the first data on the effectiveness of vaccines against the omicron variant.
Why do boosters offer greater protection against omicron?
Boosters provoke a “burst of action” in the immune system that is much quicker and larger than for the initial two doses, according to UK and US experts.
‘I don’t pretend we got everything right’: PM
Scott Morrison has acknowledged mistakes were made during the pandemic but what ultimately mattered was that problems were overcome.
Australia’s hard borders come down despite omicron fears
Victorian officials put out a surprise announcement scrapping the need for travellers from South Africa, where the variant was first identified, to quarantine.
Study finds mix-and-match works, as omicron spurs booster push
A major study has found that many combinations of existing vaccines provide strong protection against COVID-19, but officials warn the inoculation rate chasm between rich and poor nations is growing.
Vaccine makers split on protection against omicron variant
Markets fell after the CEO of Moderna, the third big vaccine maker, said existing vaccines were likely to be much less effective against the new variant.
October 2021
Foreign students are choosing the UK and Canada over Australia
While the government dithers on a road map for the return of foreign arrivals, students are voting with their feet and Australia is increasingly out of favour.