Category Archives: headline

headline

Call to loosen restrictions for UK blood donors as Omicron takes donation toll

The Red Cross is calling for eased restrictions on blood donors from the UK as the Omicron wave sidelines an estimated 100,000 donors.

Lifeblood began preparing its submission to the Therapeutic Goods Administration months ago, even before the Omicron wave hit.

It has laid out its case for reducing restrictions on donors who had lived in or visited the UK during the "mad cow disease" (variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) risk period.

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Blood donations Omicron

The proposal is currently being reviewed by the TGA – and in the meantime, Australia's blood donations have since taken a rapid dive due to the national spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

An estimated 20 per cent of the nation's donors have been unable to donate on any given day in recent weeks due to record numbers of people isolating or currently unwell with COVID-19.

Lifeblood spokesperson Cath Stone said it was as if winter had come early with cancellations and no-shows peaking, and fewer than one in two appointments resulting in a donation.

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Blood donations Omicron

"Traditionally we see high numbers of no shows and cancellations during the winter months, with many regular donors unwell, but we've never seen numbers this high in the middle of summer," Ms Stone said.

"It's a real challenge for blood supplies because even in the midst of a pandemic there are still cancer patients, trauma cases, pregnant women and unborn babies who all require donated blood."

Ms Stone said people only needed to be clear of COVID-19 symptoms for seven days to donate.

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Blood donations Omicron

About 4500 planned donations are being cancelled – or not attended – every day.

While Lifeblood encourages people to book in advance, donor centres are currently welcoming walk-ins.

"Unlike some other parts of the world where patients have been unable to get timely blood transfusions, Australia's blood supply has remained sufficient throughout the pandemic, but we need more blood donations for this to continue" Ms Stone said.

"Our growing population is relying on just 500,000 blood donors across the country – and right now many of them need someone else to continue this life-saving work."

To learn more, call 13 14 95 or visit lifeblood.com.au.

headline

Aussies can travel to Bali again by end of week

From February 4, Aussie travellers can once again fly into Bali, after the popular Indonesian holiday island announced it is dropping its strict border restrictions.

Today's announcement, reported by Reuters, will see Bali open its borders to all of the world after initially only allowing in people from New Zealand, China, Japan and a small number of other countries from October last year.

However, in news that will likely stop a rush of Aussies booking a Bali holiday, vaccinated travellers will have to quarantine for five days.

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Destinations around the world have faced significant tourist reductions amid the coronavirus pandemic. But few have taken a harder hit than Bali, the Indonesian island long beloved of global travellers.

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Unvaccinated travellers must quarantine for seven days.

Due to strict coronavirus border control measures and a closed airport, Bali went from receiving millions of international visitors to welcoming a paltry 45 in 2021.

Bali received 6.2 million international arrivals in 2019 and 1.05 million in 2020. Around 1.2 million Australians visited Bali in 2019, more than any other nationality in the world.

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Tourists soak up the sunshine at a beach restaurant in Canggu, Bali.

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According to World Health Organisation data, Indonesia recorded 10,100 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours.

Other popular Asian tropical destinations Thailand and the Philippines are slowly opening up to the world again.

In October, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce predicted travel to Bali would resume by early 2022 "at the latest".

At the time, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said travel between Australia and Indonesia had been a "regular discussion" between himself and Indonesian President Joko Widodo throughout the pandemic.

headline

Interest rates remain on hold at record low 0.1 per cent

Australia's interest rates remain on hold at the historic low level of 0.10 per cent despite soaring inflation figures and the rising cost of living.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) today decided to hold the cash rate at its current level, which was last changed in November 2020.

A week ago shock inflation data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics prompted many economists – including those at all four of the big banks – to bring forward their forecasts for an interest rate hike to as early as August 2022.

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Reserve Bank of Australia sign

In his monetary statement RBA Governor Dr Philip Lowe addressed the larger than expected inflation data, saying the central bank was keeping a keen eye on headline figures.

"Inflation has picked up more quickly than the RBA had expected, but remains lower than in many other countries. The headline CPI inflation rate is 3.5 per cent and is being affected by higher petrol prices, higher prices for newly constructed homes and the disruptions to global supply chains. In underlying terms, inflation is 2.6 per cent," Dr Lowe said.

"As the Board has stated previously, it will not increase the cash rate until actual inflation is sustainably within the 2 to 3 per cent target range. While inflation has picked up, it is too early to conclude that it is sustainably within the target band."

If interest rates were to be hiked multiple times in 2022, the maximum borrowing capacity of Australians would be slashed by tens of thousands of dollars.

Based on a single person taking out a 30-year loan, a person earning $100,000 a year would see their maximum borrowing capacity fall by $31,900 to around $719,100.

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The Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Dr Philip Lowe, has appeared to foreshadow an interest rate cut.

Research Director at RateCity.com.au Sally Tindall said borrowers should expect interest rate hikes to come – with or without an official decision from the RBA.

"The RBA wants to see stronger wages growth before it asks mortgage holders to pay more. However, higher than expected inflation figures, falling unemployment and a push from other central banks to hike rates could force its hand earlier than expected," she said.

"Even if the RBA holds out until 2023, there's a strong chance lenders will hike variable rates regardless, particularly if funding costs continue to escalate.

"A series of cash rate hikes, whenever they come, are likely to put a handbrake on our property market."

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