Key Points
- Audit office finds initial COVID vaccination rollout was slow in Australia
- Study shows people infected with COVID face higher risks of brain fog
- The US to rollout out updated booster doses targeting Omicron
On Thursday, Australia reported at least 132 COVID-19 deaths, including 46 in Victoria, 43 in New South Wales (NSW) and 20 in Queensland.
In its latest report, the Australian National Audit Office noted that the initial COVID-19 vaccination rollout was slow and "partly effective" but became increasingly successful over time.
It noted the government missed the vaccination targets for aged care and disability services residents and the Indigenous population despite identifying them as target groups for early doses.
A new study published in the Lancet Psychiatry journal said people infected with COVID-19 face a higher risk of brain fog, dementia and psychosis two years after their illness when compared with others.
The World Health Organization reported a 20 per cent (about 7,500 cases) jump in global monkeypox (MPX) infections last week.
WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said almost all cases continue to be reported among men who have sex with men.
The latest data shows Australia has 82 MPX cases, including 36 each in NSW and Victoria, three in Queensland, three in Western Australia, two in the Australian Capital Territory, and two in South Australia.
Dr Adhanom Ghebreyesus said COVID-19 deaths increased by 35 per cent over the past four weeks, and 15,000 people globally lost their lives to COVID-19 in the last week.
The US could soon become the second country after Britain to rollout the updated booster doses that target Omicron variants.
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