Category Archives: headline

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US CDC Says: COVID-19 Vaccine for Anyone Who is Pregnant, NZ Closed Borders, Vaccine for Calif. Teachers

By Nathaniel Weixel
CDC officially recommends COVID-19 vaccine for anyone who is pregnant
© iStock

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday officially recommended that people who are pregnant be vaccinated against COVID-19, updating and strengthening previous guidance due to new evidence.

“COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all people aged 12 years and older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future,” CDC said.

The agency’s previous guidance said pregnant people were “eligible” and merely suggested a conversation with their health care provider.

According to the CDC, evidence about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy has been growing, and the benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any known or potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy.

“The vaccines are safe and effective, and it has never been more urgent to increase vaccinations as we face the highly transmissible Delta variant and see severe outcomes from COVID-19 among unvaccinated pregnant people,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said.

Concerns about miscarriages due to receiving the mRNA vaccines early in pregnancy were not borne out by the data, CDC said. In people vaccinated before 20 weeks of pregnancy, miscarriage rates were similar to the expected rate generally, the agency said.

Pregnant and recently pregnant people are more likely to get severely ill with COVID-19 compared with non-pregnant people, the agency said.

Additionally, pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk of preterm birth and might be at increased risk of other adverse pregnancy outcomes, compared with pregnant people without COVID-19.

The update comes as the nation sees a significant spike in COVID-19 infections due to the delta variant, mostly among the unvaccinated.

Currently, only about 23 percent of people who are pregnant have received at least one shot of a vaccine.

The agency said its recommendation was for all three currently authorized vaccines.

The recommendation from CDC follows an endorsement from two of the nation’s leading women’s health organizations, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM).

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NZ borders to remain closed to keep Covid out

New Zealand’s elimination strategy to tackle coronavirus means borders will remain closed until at least the end of the year, says the country’s prime minister. According to Jacinda Ardern, it’s the best way to keep Covid-19 out and the economy open. With a population of just under five million New Zealand – seen as one of the most successful countries to control the virus – has only recorded 26 deaths. It’s aiming to vaccinate everyone by the end of the year with hopes to reopen borders in 2022.

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California mandates COVID-19 vaccines or testing for all teachers, staff

By Nathaniel Weixel –

California on Wednesday became the first state to require all teachers and staff in every school district be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to regular testing.

Under the new requirement, all staff – teachers, custodial staff, bus drivers and anyone else who works in schools – will need to submit proof of vaccination or submit to weekly testing, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said at a news conference at an elementary school in Oakland.

The order comes as California, like the rest of the country, has seen a rise in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations this summer as the delta variant took hold.

“We think this is a sustainable way of keeping schools open,” Newsom said. “And to address the No. 1 anxiety that parents like myself have – I have four young children – and that is knowing that the schools are doing everything in their power to keep their kids healthy.”

Newsom noted the state was one of the first to mandate masks for all teacher and students. Until the announcement Wednesday, he had left the decision of vaccines up to individual districts.

Some school districts had already announced a vaccine requirement, including Long Beach, Oakland, Sacramento and San Francisco.

A similar mandate from Newsom that took effect last week requires state employees and workers in health care and high-risk congregate settings to provide proof of vaccination or submit to weekly coronavirus testing.

An order from the state Department of Health last week mandated all workers in health care settings be fully inoculated or receive their second dose of a coronavirus vaccine by Sept. 30 — with no option of being submitted to weekly virus testing.

Newsom said the order for school staff did not constitute an official mandate, because there is also an option for submitting a negative test instead.

Newsom indicated teachers and staff would not be fired for failing to comply with rule.

“It’s the same way all the rules and regulations within the school system are enforced … we don’t distinguish this versus all the other rules and requirements,” Newsom said. “We think we have enlightened leaders, people who recognize what’s at stake … and we are confident we’ll see compliance.”

Vaccine requirements have been a thorny issue among some labor unions, but the California Teachers Association (CTA) in a statement said it fully supports the move.

“Educators want to be in classrooms with their students, and the best way to make sure that happens is for everyone who is medically eligible to be vaccinated, with robust testing and multi-tiered safety measures,” CTA President E. Toby Boyd said in a statement. “Today’s announcement is an appropriate next step to ensure the safety of our school communities and to protect our youngest learners under 12 who are not yet vaccine eligible from this highly contagious Delta variant.”

The post US CDC Says: COVID-19 Vaccine for Anyone Who is Pregnant, NZ Closed Borders, Vaccine for Calif. Teachers appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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Sargassum Seaweed Fouling SKN Fishing Industry

NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS — The influx of sargassum, a brown seaweed with berry-like air bubbles, is causing havoc on the fishing industry in Indian Castle and other parts of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Mr. Stephen “Mackie” Moore, President of the Indian Castle Fisherfolk Association, gave an account of the impact of the sea weed on the fisherfolk in Indian Castle, an area in Nevis known for its thriving fishing grounds.

“It has impacted us negatively especially in recent times. As everybody would know this is the gateway to one of the best fishing grounds in Nevis and it is one of the very few areas in Nevis that you would require a vehicle to pull you from the sea after you’ve finished your voyage, and that has become very difficult especially when you have a large influx of sargassum… It is compounded by the fact that you cannot plan too far ahead since we have the influx of sargassum…

“It’s difficult for those who ply their trade from the shore. It is difficult even for our group who has a fledgling seamoss industry. The sargassum has reaped havoc on us really. We have lost three plots to sargassum coupled with COVID, and so it has done untold damage to the industry, and you factor in the difficulty getting to the sea, the risk of your prop getting caught in the sargassum, the safety issue because the sargassum makes the area around the shore very dark which is a ground for sharks and all that and so it’s difficult on many levels,” he said.

The seaweed, which originates from the sea between Brazil and West Africa, has also been affecting the fishing communities on the island and is normally more intense in the summer months.

Mr. Moore added that in July the influx of the sargassum was the worst he has seen in the area. The association sought assistance from the Nevis Island Administration to clear away the sea weed in an effort to offer fishers in the area temporary access for fishing for at least one day.

“The best way to deal with sargassum is to wait it out but while you wait it out it was again negatively affecting the livelihood of fishers, so to expedite things we got the government involved in the way of backhoes and excavators… We cleared the area.

“We know that was just a temporary fix just…to bridge that gap for the fishers that it would have their livelihood attended to but we know it was not a long-lasting solution but, yes, they assisted us in clearing the area. It took almost a week to get it together actually, so at least you could get a day fishing,” he said.

Meantime, a press release dated August 10, 2021, issued by the St. Kitts and Nevis Information Service (SKNIS) indicated that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources in St. Kitts is currently in the process of researching the possibility of utilizing the sargassum sea weed for fertilizer and animal feed.

The release quoted Dr. Marc Williams, Director of Marine Resources in St. Kitts, as saying that most of the sargassum which arrives in St. Kitts and Nevis is due to the increases in atmospheric temperatures and the nutrient enrichment in the ocean.

He said prior to 2012, the sea weed acted like a fish aggregating device and fishers used it to catch mahi-mahi, skipjacks and other pelagic species but that has changed.

“What we have seen since 2012 is that the sargassum seaweed is coming in a large abundance which has prevented fishers from going to fish as well as creating a lot of health issues for the communities that are affected by it,” Dr. Williams said.

In St. Kitts and Nevis, the communities on the Atlantic which are affected by the influx of sargassum are Indian Castle, Long Haul Bay, Herberts Beach in Nevis and Frigate Bay, Keys, Cayon, Tabernacle, Saddlers, Parson’s Ground, and Dieppe Bay in St. Kitts.

Dr. Williams used the opportunity to advise persons in the Federation to refrain from using the seaweed as food because of its high arsenic content.

The post Sargassum Seaweed Fouling SKN Fishing Industry appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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Three further COVID-19 cases in ACT as capital enters snap lockdown

Three further cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Canberra as the Australian Capital Territory entered a snap seven-day lockdown.

9News can confirm the three new cases are all close contacts of the original positive case found in a man in his 20s today.

The man is the capital's first local case of COVID-19 in more than a year and is believed to have been infectious in the community.

The outbreak total now stands at four infections.

LIVE UPDATES: Two deaths, 345 new cases in NSW

https://twitter.com/jekearsley/status/1425718421082185734

It is the first time the ACT has entered a lockdown of this nature since the early days of the pandemic.

"This is the most significant risk that we have faced in the territory this year. Really, since the beginning of the pandemic," ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said.

Here are the rules for the next seven days in the ACT.

Can I leave my home?

From 5pm today, there will only be four reasons to leave home: essential employment, healthcare, to get groceries and for one hour of outdoor exercise per day.

People can only exercise with one other person, or with other members of their household.

Mr Barr has urged people to stay in their local areas for work, essential groceries, and exercise where it is possible.

He said leaving home for healthcare, including vaccination and essential workers, will be permitted travel.

"Where a service is available in your local area, please stay in your local area," Mr Barr said.

"This is not an opportunity to go to Bunnings to browse… get in, get what you need and get out."

Do I have to wear a mask?

Mr Barr said in "all settings, in all contexts" outside the home, people will need to wear a mask.

The only exemptions are if you are undertaking "rigorous exercise" or for a medical reason where applicable.

People in the ACT must have a mask on them when they leave the house.

Will the shops be open?

All non-essential businesses, including non-essential retail, will be closed for the week.

Anybody who can work from home, must work from home.

Hospitality venues can only operate in a takeaway capacity.

Can students attend school?

All public schools across the ACT will be closed for the duration of the lockdown, ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry has announced.

She said parents can send their children to school if they are essential workers or have no alternative.

For those who do go to school, if they are 13 and over they must wear a mask. The same applies for teachers.

Out-of-school care can also go ahead, but parents have been told: "If you can keep your children at home, keep them at home."

Childcares can also stay open, but the same principle of keeping kids home if possible applies.

Early childcare educators must also wear masks while at work.

Can I travel to the ACT?

All of NSW has been declared a COVID-19 affected area.

However, people in communities around the ACT border will be allowed to enter the Territory without an exemption, but only for essential work and healthcare reasons.

The postcodes covered by the exemption are 2581, 2582, 2584, 2611, 2618, 2619, 2620, 2621, 2623, and 2626.

"Make sure you have identification," Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said.

"The decisions that we have made around the rest of New South Wales mean that ACT Policing will be very vigilant and looking out for New South Wales numberplates."

Why is the ACT locking down?

The ACT has recorded a mystery COVID-19 case.

The man who tested positive to COVID-19 in the ACT is in his 20s, and had been living in Gungahlin, ACT Chief Health Officer Kerryn Coleman said.

"Very late last night we were notified of some wastewater detections … and then this morning we received notification of our first COVID case in the community for many, many months now," Dr Coleman said.

At this stage, authorities do not know where or when the man contracted the virus.

The seven-day lockdown is acting as a circuit-breaker so contact tracers can look back at the last fortnight and work out where he has been, Dr Coleman said.

Dr Coleman said she suspects the strain of COVID-19 is the Delta variant and linked to the Sydney outbreak, but urgent genomic testing is underway.

Should I get tested?

Ms Stephen-Smith said testing people is key – within reason.

If you've not been identified as a contact, have not been at any of the venues of concerns, and have absolutely no symptoms – please don't crowd the testing centres, she said.

If you've been contacted by ACT Health or have any symptoms, get tested immediately.

How do I know if I've been exposed?

The man spent "extensive time in the community and we are considering him to have been infectious in the community from Sunday morning", Dr Coleman said.

There are a long list of close contact exposure sites being released by ACT Health.

You can find them here.

Dr Coleman said there are many close contacts of the positive case.

"I cannot give you exact number at the moment, but as you can imagine from the larger list of exposure site that I have listed, we're still working through how close contacts we have, so I can keep you up-to-date on how that is going," she said.

"I think this is one of the reasons why we are very concerned about this situation and why we have gone to implementing a lockdown."

Will Parliament be affected?

Mr Barr said he's "fairly certain" the territory's coronavirus case is "not Parliament House-related".

Mr Barr has spoken to Prime Minister Scott Morrison about the wider implications.

Parliament isn't due to sit next week, and the issues relating to lockdown will be worked through today.

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Mum pregnant with twins feared death after contracting COVID-19

A Melbourne mum who thought she was going to die when she was in intensive care with COVID-19 while pregnant with twins has shared her relief after getting vaccinated.

Kaillee Dyke believed she wasn't going to wake up when she was admitted to the intensive care unit at the Royal Women's Hospital and told she was going to be placed in a coma last year.

"I sincerely thought that I was dying," she said.

READ MORE: Medical clinics alongside Royal Children's Hospital among Victoria's COVID-19 exposure sites

"My lungs were on fire, I also felt like I was drowning at the same time."

Ms Dyke, who was 40-years-old and 27 weeks pregnant at the time, told 9News she said goodbye to her unborn children right before being placed under.

"I did not think the babies would survive," she said.

Ms Dyke said before she was taken to hospital by ambulance she was unable to walk more than a few steps at a time and was struggling to stand long enough to shower.

"I couldn't hold down food – I couldn't even hold down water," she said.

She said she felt terrible pain in her lungs and her bones ached from fatigue.

But the mum said the worst symptom was feeling that she couldn't get air into her body.

READ MORE: Infectious travellers fined for unlawful flight to Melbourne

Ms Dyke was sedated for 10 days, during which she needed a ventilator to breathe.

Her partner, Chris Lassig, who was also battling COVID-19 at home, was not allowed into the hospital.

Fortunately, Ms Dyke turned the corner and then able to return home for about a month before their son and daughter were born healthy about 33 weeks into the pregnancy.

A year on, the couple has been relieved to just receive the Pfizer vaccine, saying they feel very lucky to have access to it.

"I was wiping away tears when I got my first vaccination," Ms Dyke said.

The mum said she was still suffered breathlessness and aches after being ill with COVID-19 last year.

Ms Dyke and Mr Lassig said they wanted to share their story to urge others to get vaccinated, and to show that young, healthy people could become seriously unwell with the virus.

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Tangled whale finally freed from shark nets after rescue mission

A whale that became tangled in shark nets off the Gold Coast has finally been freed after a two-day rescue mission.

A small portion of the netting couldn't be removed, but the whale was swimming freely and experts declared it was safe to continue the long migration along the coast.

The young humpback got its tail caught in the 200-metre long net on Tuesday, sparking a frantic rescue mission.

READ MORE: Cairns' snap lockdown ends

https://twitter.com/maccolahan9/status/1425713729002348547

Sea World staff told 9News they had placed a satellite tracker on the young whale last night to enable the rescue attempt to start up again today.

The whale then dragged the massive ball of rope 55km out to sea.

Griffith University's Dr Olaf Meynecke told 9News the net was weighed down by two anchors – making the task all the more difficult. 

"There's two anchors on that net, so it actually weighs the animal down," Dr Meynecke said. 

Environmental authorities have this morning been attempting to free a young humpback whale caught in netting just off the Gold Coast.

The operation was during the peak of whale migration season.

In the last 10 years, 54 whales have become caught in Queensland's shark control equipment and all but two were successfully released.

The government says it has no plans to remove the nets.

Locals have told 9News the whale was first heard and spotted this morning by surfers just off the popular Snapper Rocks swimming spot near Coolangatta early this morning.The ongoing rescue operation has been increasingly difficult, with the young whale captured thrashing about and dragging the tangled nets some 700m down the coast.

Onshore, locals observing the rescue operation have again backed calls from environmental groups to scrap the dangerous shark nets.

"Isn't there proof that we don't need these things anymore?" one surfer asked.

"The shark nets are merely a tourist attraction; they don't keep the sharks out," another local said.

"I don't believe they should be there."

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Parcel theft skyrockets as online shopping increases during lockdown

As the lockdown across Sydney and NSW continues more people are ordering packages and having groceries delivered to their doors.

However, every day 44 of these deliveries are reported to police as stolen after they are snatched of doorsteps.

Bondi dad Neil McVeigh had a weeks' worth of meals for his family stolen.

READ MORE: Sydney outbreak seeps further out of hotspot zones

"Noticed this strange guy come up, grab our box and confidently just walk away with our dinner," he told 9News.

Luckily it was caught on CCTV.

"In the footage you can see he kind of walked up, quickly looked up and down the road to see if anyone was coming, saw the box, came in and grabbed and left," the father-of-two said.

In New Lambton near Newcastle a delivery driver dropped off a parcel but he had been tailed, and seconds later a couple turned up and helped themselves.

At Haymarket, a woman was caught on camera rifling through packages before making off with $100 worth of clothing.

Police are also investigating an alleged shoe snatch on Saturday at Wentworth Point.

"It was very, very frustrating waiting for something for two months for it to get stolen in three hours," Gustavo Toledo told 9News.

Police said with more people confined to their homes, online shopping is up.

And thieves are taking advantage.

"We want anyone with information regarding this type of theft to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers," Inspector Rohan Cramsie from NSW Police said.