Double vaxxed person in 30s among new Covid deaths as cases rise

A double-vaccinated person in their 30s is among the 17 people who have died from Covid in NSW in the past two days, with infections rising.

A person in their 30s is among the 17 people who have died from Covid-19 in NSW over the past two days, with the BA.2 Omicron subvariant sending infections soaring across Australia.

NSW recorded 16,807 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday and 15,572 cases on Monday.

There were six new deaths confirmed on Monday and 11 recorded on Sunday.

One of the deaths was a person in their 30s who had received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine. They had no underlying health issues.

Of the 17 deaths in the past two days, 15 people were aged between 70 and 90.

More than half a million Australians are now dealing with Covid-19 infections, with the BA.2 Omicron subvariant believed to be behind the surge in infections.

Stream the latest news on COVID-19 with Flash. 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022 >

Health workers dressed in PPE conduct Covid-19 testing at the Mosman Douglas-Hanly Moir pathology drive-through clinic in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

Authorities across all Australian jurisdictions have noted the variant is responsible for a growing portion of cases.

This is the first time since late January that Australia’s active Covid-19 cases have exceeded the 500,000, with the last surge caused by the first Omicron variant.

Authorities are now preparing to roll out a second booster shot to vulnerable Australians, with officials saying a fourth vaccination will be critical to battling rising cases over the winter period.

From today, a second booster shot will be made available to people over 65, immunocompromised people, those in aged care, and Indigenous Australians aged over 50.

Anyone wanting a fourth vaccine must have had their third shot at least four months prior. (For severely immunocompromised people, the winter booster will be their fifth vaccine shot after a primary dose of three jabs plus their first booster.)

However, the surge in cases haven’t stopped most states and territories pushing ahead with easing restrictions, with reports so far indicating the subvariant is not more severe than Omicron.

Australia’s former deputy chief health officer Dr Nick Coatsworth said last week that mask mandates for school students in Victoria and Western Australia are having a “detrimental” impact on kids.

Children in Victorian and WA schools in grades three to six are required to wear masks inside the classroom.

No other Australian state or territory is enforcing mask requirements for students.

The infectious diseases physician and Associate Professor at the Australian National University was asked about the mandates by 3AW host Neil Mitchell on Friday.

He said not only should schools ditch masks for children, but Victoria and all other Australian states and territories are nearing a point where counting daily cases is redundant.

“It’s absolutely time to do away with the rules,” Dr Coatsworth said.

“Victoria was an outlier at the start, is still an outlier with regard to masks in schools. The only other place that’s doing it is Western Australia.”

Promising signs for new Covid-19 drug

A new antiviral drug could eliminate Covid-19 in just three days, new research has revealed.

The study, conducted by Dr Julie Strizki and colleagues of the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co, showed oral antiviral drug molnupiravir has the ability to eliminate the Covid-19 virus by the third day of treatment.

Comparatively, participants who received a placebo took up to five days or longer to eliminate the virus.

Aantiviral drug molnupiravir could make the biggest impact yet in treating Covid-19. Picture: Merck & Co Inc/AFP

Dr Strizki concluded that a five-day course of molnupiravir is effective in rapidly eliminating Covid-19 from the body, provided it is administered within five days from the onset of symptoms.

Results on day three of the treatment showed the virus wasn’t present in any of the 92 participants who received the drug.

“This study provides additional evidence that molnupiravir helps those infected clear SARS-CoV-2 faster than placebo, and supports [the trial’s] primary finding that molnupiravir can lower the risk of progression to serious illness in this high-risk cohort,” Dr Strizki said.

Trials of molnupiravir are now moving to phase three.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) provisionally approved molnupiravir for use in January this year, joining the US, UK, Canada and Japan.