Otago University epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker says an Omicron outbreak in New Zealand isn’t a question of if, but when. He answers five key questions. Why is Omicron something to worry about? I think the main problem…
Category Archives: headline
Part of Dunedin's Queen Mary Maternity Centre closes due to lack of staff
Critically low staffing has caused the temporary closure of part of Queen Mary Maternity Centre for the first time.It was closed last Friday, but it is expected to reopen this morning.A Facebook message from Absolute Midwifery…
At least seven dead after boulder crashes on tourist boats in Brazil
At least seven people were killed after a massive rock fell on top of several tourist boats in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais on Saturday, CNN affiliate CNN Brasil reported.
Three people remain missing but rescue efforts stopped late on Saturday due to "the lack of natural lighting" at Furnas Lake in Capitólio.
They will resume Sunday at 5am local time, said Pedro Aihara, a spokesman for the Minas Gerais Fire Department.
READ MORE: Wild Queensland weather to get worse
Mr Aihara said 23 of the 32 people who were treated at Santa Casa de Capitólio with minor injuries have been discharged, while two others were treated at Santa Casa in the municipality of Piumhi with exposed fractures.
Rescue efforts will continue at least through Monday, Mr Aihara said, adding that situations such as victims being trapped under the rock could potentially prolong the duration of that work.
READ MORE: Man dead, teen missing in heavy Queensland floods
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said the Navy deployed a relief force team to join the search and rescue efforts.
The state of Minas Gerais, a landlocked area in southeastern Brazil, has experienced recent heavy rainfall.
On Friday, the Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology issued red warnings for Minas Gerais, projecting more than 100 millimeters of rainfall daily for at least four days, state media Agência Brasil reported.
Heavy rains were what caused the rock to be loosened at Furnas Lake, according to Romeu Zema, the governor of Minas Gerais.
https://twitter.com/jairbolsonaro/status/1479922456223694848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
"I stand in solidarity with the families at this difficult time," Zema wrote on Twitter.
"We will continue to act to provide the necessary protection and support."
READ MORE: NSW records 30,062 new COVID-19 cases, 16 deaths
A video that was posted on social media showed tourists on other boats in the Furnas Lake shouting "get out of there" right before the rock fell.
Why this abnormal summer heat isn't going anywhere
After a searing start to 2022, Niwa is forecasting plenty more abnormal warmth this summer – and the possibility of tropical cyclone activity this month. The agency’s extra-hot outlook for the next three months has been put down…
South Australia records 4506 new COVID-19 cases, wants more jabs for kids
South Australia has recorded 4506 more cases of COVID-19, and a man in his 90s has died with the virus.
A total of 336 of the new cases were recorded from home RAT tests, officials said.
There are 176 people in hospital including 18 in ICU and two on ventilators.
Like other states, SA will start vaccinating five to 11-year-old's this week, with 12,000 already booked in.
READ MORE: Spike in Queensland infections, return to school delayed
Health Minister Stephen Wade said the government wanted to get children back to school in three weeks as scheduled.
However, he said discussions would be held this week, with returning to home learning possible.
He admitted parents "needed to make choices about their own children," if they had not yet been able to get them vaccinated.
He said parents should keep revisiting the SA Health website if they had not been able to get an appointment yet.
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Mr Wade said GPs and pharmacists in the state are asking for more supplies for children, saying they didn't have enough delivered yet by the Commonwealth.
"Orders were not at the level some GP's and pharmacists expected," he said.
"It's an important time for us to work together to maximise the number of doses provided to South Australian children," he said.
READ MORE: Premier isolating after daughter tests positive for COVID-19
Children have their second Pfizer dose, eight weeks after the first.
Mr Wade said there are 30,000 doses for children in the state, and 12,000 will be given out this week at state hubs.
Snowstorm kills at least 21 tourists at Pakistani resort
At least 21 people are dead in northern Pakistan after thousands of vehicles became stranded in a blizzard.
All the roads in Murree are now clear, a police spokesman for the Islamabad police said, and officers have evacuated thousands of people who were stuck in the area, northeast of the capital.
The tourists, who were stuck in a traffic jam, suffered from a "food crisis" after being stranded, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said in a video statement on Saturday.
READ MORE Great whites guilty of 'cannibalistic mating'
Mr Rashid added earlier that the government had called army and civil armed forces for emergency rescue operations for "nearly a thousand" vehicles that were stranded.
Snow began to fall on Tuesday night and continued at regular intervals, leading to an influx of thousands of tourists, Reuters reported.
READ MORE: Russian city hiding chilling Cold War secret from world
But many families became stranded on roads due to the number of visitors, and with local media reporting that over 100,000 vehicles entered the hill station.
https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1479752168768999429?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said he had ordered an inquiry into the incident, adding that there was "unprecedented snowfall" and that a rush of people traveling to the area "without checking weather conditions caught district admin unprepared."
"Shocked & upset at tragic deaths of tourists on road to Murree," he said on Twitter.
READ MORE: Djokovic's fans in Serbia protest his detention in Australia
'Team effort' saves man from drowning at Whanganui's Castlecliff Beach
A bodyboarder was taken to hospital in critical condition after being rescued at Castlecliff Beach in “a real team effort”. Chairman of the Wanganui Surf Lifeguard Service James Newell said lifeguards were alerted to an unconscious…
Covid 19: Expert believes New Zealand isn't ready for Omicron outbreak
Epidemiologist Michael Baker does not believe New Zealand is ready for an Omicron outbreak. The University of Otago professor told Newstalk ZB that New Zealand should try to delay the arrival of Omicron in the community “for at…
Ashburton burglary: Police seeking information
Police are seeking help from the public following a burglary in Ashburton.The burglary happened at Farmlands on Wednesday, January 5.Police said four offenders were involved, two of whom entered the premises and took multiple…
Tō Waha to Wairoa: The free clinic tackling Wairoa's dental service deficit
A free clinic running later this month in Wairoa will fill an urgent need for dental services which the town has been missing for nearly two years.Tō Waha is a free dental clinic for patients over 18 that will run for a week…