⛈️showers and storms likely with possible heavy rain in north #Queensland today as a tropical low develops in the Coral Sea 🌦️Possible showers elsewhere near the coast 🌤️Otherwise dry and sunny Numerous warnings in the north More: bom.gov.au/location/australi…

🚨New peer-reviewed study on New Zealand excess mortality destroys multiple COVID myths! Key points: ✅New Zealand had negative excess mortality in 2020 due to suppression of COVID-19 & the reduction in other respiratory diseases including influenza. Claims that "Covid deaths replaced flu deaths" are refuted by New Zealand which had only 52 COVID deaths before 2022. Claims that "Covid deaths only rose when testing, panic & lockdowns started" are refuted by New Zealand which had historic negative excess in 2020. Claims that "Viruses don't exist" are refuted by New Zealand which only saw a reduction in mortality when the country closed borders leading to lab confirmed eradication of multiple diseases. ✅ New Zealand had negative excess mortality in 2021. During this time more than 10 million vaccine doses were distributed. Claims that the "Covid vaccine caused excess mortality" are refuted by New Zealand where excess timing had no correlation to vaccination. ✅ Mortality rose in New Zealand in 2022 & 2023 after they ended their elimination strategy & the Omicron variant became established. "The magnitude, timing & age-distribution of the excess closely matched those of Covid-19-attributed deaths. This suggests that the bulk of the excess in 2022–23 was directly attributable to Covid-19, either as an underlying or a contributory cause of death." Claims that "Covid doesn't exist or "Covid was not the main driver of excess" during the pandemic are refuted by New Zealand where excess only rose when Covid surged in the country during 2022. Conclusion: "Negative excess mortality in 2020–21 reflects very low levels of Covid-19 and major reductions in seasonal respiratory diseases during this period. In 2022–23, Covid-19 deaths were the main contributor to excess mortality & there was little or no net non-Covid-19 excess. Overall, New Zealand experienced one of the lowest rates of pandemic excess mortality in the world."

New grants up to $15,000 are available to help north Queensland small businesses recover from February's flood event 🤲 If your business had to close or lost 60% or more in revenue for two straight weeks, you may be eligible. Learn more: business.qld.gov.au/running-… 📸 Kieran Volpe

I went digging for new actuarial data on COVID-19, and I found this recent post from March 20, 2025. I think this applies specifically to Australia, but patterns may be similar elsewhere. actuaries.digital/2025/03/20…

Australia’s ongoing COVID toll 360info.org/20-deaths-a-day-…

Disaster loans up to $250,000 now available for flood impacted small businesses, not-for-profits and primary producers in seven NQ LGAs💧 Loans can help with repairs, rebuilds, loss of income, and business continuity. Check your eligibility and apply at qrida.qld.gov.au

Out today, an explainer on our recent @theMJA piece on viral persistence and what this means for treatments, prevention and de-mystifying long COVID. Long COVID appears to be driven by ‘long infection’. Here’s what the science says theconversation.com/long-cov… via @ConversationEDU

People really need to stop saying vaccines don’t work. There is LOTS of evidence that they do, and millions of lives have been saved. It’s fine to say I have concerns about schedules and mandates, but denying clear data on efficacy makes further rational conversation difficult.🙏🏽

We just released a 90-minute Primer - a condensed version of the full COVID Safety For Schools course - to give busy teachers and parents an overview of the issues and practical tips on what they can do to minimise health risks from covid. covidsafetyforschools.org/pr…

In 90 secs @JosephEStiglitz explains what's causing inflation: "Neoliberalism has given full rein to the growth of market power," "Sectors of the economy where there is more market power, have had more inflation. We call it greedflation." On #QandA last night. #auspol

The detailed daily PCR test & case data for Queensland has been updated, up to August 5. The Reff (case momentum) rose as high as 1.2 in late July, but finished the week down to 0.95, with cases easing to ~240/day. % Positive is down to around 6%. 🧵

Victoria's new 'clean air' project could help end the COVID pandemic and boost productivity abc.net.au/news/2024-07-31/p…

If I could choose just four studies out of the over 500 I’ve reviewed to convince you to take precautions from SARS-CoV-2, the following would be on my list: 1. The Lancet just published a compelling study of >16 million people demonstrating the risk of type 2 diabetes after COVID-19 was significantly higher in unvaccinated individuals compared to vaccinated ones. Hospitalized COVID-19 patients faced a dramatically higher risk of developing diabetes, which declined over time but remained elevated. Most importantly, 60% of those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after COVID-19 continued to have the condition 4 months later (lnkd.in/dzUyVzsb). 2. A study in The New England Journal of Medicine from February (2024) shows alarming accelerated cognitive decline in all individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2, even after a recovery period (lnkd.in/dHq9GaJG). 3. A preprint on macaque monkeys reveals that even mild and asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 can lead to the formation of Lewy bodies post-infection (lnkd.in/dDz6XkBi). Moreover, a peer-reviewed study on rhesus monkeys showed an equally disturbing increased presence of tau proteins, in all monkeys (lnkd.in/dn75GpUd). 4. The 2007 SARS1 mouse study, which is crucial for understanding the potential severity of coronavirus infections. No mouse survived beyond the 16th serial passage, a phenomenon we refer to as the "rule of 15" or the “passthrough rule.” This shows evidence of the evolutionary process and the dangers of allowing it to spread unabated (lnkd.in/db9xBuhw). Given the compelling evidence from these studies alone (with intentional omission of the immune dysfunction, elevated cardiac/stroke risk and gut problems), it should be clear as day, that this virus is NOT by any means “mild.” It can do lasting damage on the metabolic system and central nervous system which impairs everyday physical and cognitive functioning. It can cause performance errors and incapacity to work. It’s dangerous and threatens our way of life. The public has been lied to and cleaning indoor air, masking indoors and vaccinating against SARS-CoV-2 are essential public health measures. Note that I’ve left out studies showing increased risk rising with repeated infection, and I’ve omitted studies showing the efficacy of precautions… because people don’t take precautions unless they agree that infection poses a serious concern. And until now, we are fighting survival bias and people who think “brain fog” is some kind of rite of passage to immunity. People don’t understand brain fog from SARS2 is brain damage. People also don’t understand that not being hospitalized isn’t some kind of gold star participation award that keeps you free of lifelong effects from pathogens that can persist in your blood, bone and organs. Until they understand what they’re doing to their bodies and brains, they’ll take zero action. Explain it to them, before it’s too late.

Fascinating from @stlouisfed - Many more disabled people in the community as a result of C0VID, & this includes the workforce where there's been a remarkable increase. Saturation levels of infection everywhere mean it's not surprising to see these numbers still rising.

More landmark work from @zalaly & team. Good news & bad news. Two immediate reflections from me: (1) vax is effective to reduce (not eliminate) risk of LC (consistent with other work) & (2) with significant LC risk remaining & still vast reinfection, the total LC burden is likely growing, as is consistent with UK & US surveys over the past year.

We're hosting a free webinar for parents and school staff to learn about the role of clean air in minimising illness and preventing infection with COVID, flu, RSV and other airborne viruses in schools. Register and share with your school community: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi…

RT @drajm: “The responsibility should not be on individuals to protect themselves & others. Clean indoor air benefits all of us.” “Every h…

From Long COVID Odds to Lost IQ Points: Ongoing Threats You Don’t Know About | Institute for New Economic Thinking ineteconomics.org/perspectiv… #inet

Australian COVID-19 weekly stats update: The Risk Analysis estimate rose slightly to 5.4% Currently Infectious, or 1-in-19. That implies an 81% chance that there is someone infectious in a group of 30. Report Link: mike-honey.github.io/covid-1…

I now see Victoria gone to Stage II health system alert on COVID influx. You know millions of Australians would change their way and reduce risk if they only knew the state-of-the-nation in near real-time. This hiding data is making it impossible for good people to react.