A group of health experts from a number of US institutions have called for an end to mask mandates in healthcare settings.

Their commentary, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, cited the advancements in prevention and management of COVID-19 since it was identified in 2019.

The authors said that throughout the pandemic, widespread use of universal masking in healthcare settings was justifiable for reducing the risk of transmission between health care staff, patients, and visitors.

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It also helped preserve the healthcare workforce to maintain operations during surges.

But now, they say, the "burden" of COVID-19 has been mitigated through wider access to testing, the increase of population immunity, the emergence of less dangerous variants, and the widespread availability and take-up of vaccinations.

They say COVID-19 should now be managed in the same fashion of other "endemic respiratory viruses".

READ MORE: Artist refuses major award for AI image

This would entail only wearing masks in health settings under normal rules, or for patients, when symptoms are present.

In Australia, the states and territories make the decisions on mask mandates, which have been all but eliminated.

However, they are still present in healthcare and aged care settings, while some institutions and venues, such as childcare, can also set down mask rules.

And people are still recommended to mask up if they are symptomatic and unable to socially distance.

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An 84-year-old white man in Kansas City, Missouri, US has been charged with first-degree assault for shooting a Black teen who mistakenly went to the man's home to pick up his younger brothers.

Prosecuting attorney Zachary Thompson said at a news conference that there was a "racial component" Thursday night when Andrew Lester twice shot 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, who is recovering at home after being released from the hospital.

But nothing in the charging documents says the shooting was racially motivated, Thompson clarified.

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"We understand how frustrating this has been but I can assure you the criminal justice system is working and will continue to work," Thompson said.

The shooting outraged many in Kansas City and across the country.

Civic and political leaders — including President Joe Biden — demanded justice.

Some, including lawyers for Yarl, pressed the racial dimension of the case.

Yarl, an honour student and all-state band member, was supposed to pick up his two younger brothers when he approached the wrong house at roughly 10pm local time.

Lester came to the door and shot Yarl in the forehead — then shot him again, in the right forearm.

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No words were exchanged before the shooting, the probable cause statement said.

But afterward, as Yarl got up to run, he heard Lester yell, "Don't come around here," the statement said.

Yarl ran to "multiple" homes asking for help before finding someone who would call the police, the statement said.

Reverend Vernon Howard, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City, called the shooting a "heinous and hate-filled crime."

Vice President Kamala Harris wrote on Twitter that "No child should ever live in fear of being shot for ringing the wrong doorbell."

The Missouri Senate held a moment of silence for Yarl on Monday.

The civil rights attorneys for Yarl's family, Ben Crump and Lee Merritt, said in a statement that Biden called Yarl's family and offered "prayers for Ralph's health and for justice."

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"Gun violence against unarmed Black individuals must stop," the lawyers' statement read.

"Our children should feel safe, not as though they are being hunted."

Yarl's supporters plan to hold a rally Tuesday evening in Kansas City.

The assault charge carries a penalty of up to life in prison. Lester also was charged with armed criminal action, which has a penalty range of three to 15 years in prison.

Lester was not charged with a hate crime. Thompson said Missouri's statute is considered a lesser felony than first-degree assault, and carries a less severe penalty.

Missouri is among roughly 30 states with "Stand Your Ground" laws, which allow for the use of deadly force in self-defence, but the prosecutor determined the shooting was not in self-defence.

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An arrest warrant was issued but Lester was not yet in custody, Thompson said.

Lester told police that he lives alone and had just gone to bed when he heard his doorbell, according to the probable cause statement. He said he picked up his gun and went to the door, where he saw a Black male pulling on the exterior storm door handle and thought someone was breaking in.

A number for Lester was not in service on Monday evening and it was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney to speak on his behalf.

Wounded teen returns home

Ralph was released from the hospital on Sunday, according to a report from The Kansas City Star, citing an interview with the teen's father.

"He continues to improve. He's responsive and he's making good progress," Paul Yarl told the newspaper.

After spending three nights in the hospital, Ralph is recovering at home, being cared for by his mother who is a nurse, the newspaper reported.

At a weekend rally, community and family members marched and demonstrated, calling for charges to be filed.

Protesters marched as they chanted, "justice for Ralph" and "Black lives matter," and carried signs reading, "Ringing a doorbell is not a crime" and "The shooter should do the time," footage from CNN affiliate KMBC shows.

The teen's father said at the time, "We want charges. That's what we want."

Family seeking 'swift action'

Police learned the teenager's parents had asked him to pick up his siblings at an address on 115th Terrace, but he accidentally went to a home on 115th Street, where he was shot.

Lawyers for Ralph's family also say the youth was shot after he went to the wrong house.

"Ralph Yarl was picking up his younger brothers when he mistakenly rang the doorbell at the wrong house. A man shot Ralph twice and now he's in critical condition. His family needs support during this tragedy," Crump tweeted.

Attorneys for the wounded youth's family issued a statement demanding "swift action from Clay County prosecutors and law enforcement to identify, arrest and prosecute to the full extent of the law the man responsible for this horrendous and unjustifiable shooting".

In a Monday interview with CNN, Crump said the shooting "hearkens back to Trayvon Martin and Ahmaud Arbery and so many of these other tragedies where you had citizens profile and shoot our Black children and the police then let them go home and sleep in their beds at night. Unacceptable."

Asked whether the shooting may have been racially motivated, the police chief said, "the information that we have now, it does not say that that is racially motivated. That's still an active investigation. But as a chief of police, I do recognise the racial components of this case."

Graves sought to assure the Kansas City community Sunday the police department is committed to the case.

"We recognise the frustration this can cause in the entire criminal justice process. The women and men of the Kansas City Police Department are working as expeditiously and as thoroughly as we can, to ensure the criminal justice process continues to advance as quickly as all involved and our community deserve," Graves said.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said there will be a thorough investigation and review by the prosecutor's office.

"As a parent, I certainly feel for the mother of the victim and others in the family. My heart goes out to them," the mayor added.

Youth was a band section leader

A crowdfunding page started by Faith Spoonmore, who identified herself as Ralph's aunt, to help the family raise money for medical expenses had garnered more than $2.2 million in donations by Monday afternoon.

Ralph had been looking forward to graduating from high school and visiting West Africa before starting college, his aunt wrote in the fundraiser.

The teen is a section leader in a marching band and could often be found with a musical instrument in hand, Spoonmore wrote.

Most recently, Ralph earned Missouri All-State Band honourable mention for playing the bass clarinet, according to a North Kansas City Schools' newsletter in February.

He also plays multiple instruments in the metropolitan youth orchestra, his aunt wrote.

He is a member of his school's Technology Student Association and Science Olympiad Team and is a 2022 Missouri Scholars Academy alumni, she wrote.

"Last summer, Ralph attended Missouri Scholar's Academy, where he got a full college life experience," Spoonmore wrote. "His goal is to attend Texas A&M to major in chemical Engineering. When asked how he plans to get into this university, he said, 'Well, if they have a scholarship for music or academics, I know I can get it.' "

"Life looks a lot different right now. Even though he is doing well physically, he has a long road ahead mentally and emotionally. The trauma that he has to endure and survive is unimaginable," the post reads.

Dan Clemens, superintendent of North Kansas City Schools, released a statement saying Ralph is "an excellent student and talented musician".

"We are devastated to learn one of our students was involved in a horrific incident last week," Clemens wrote.

"Our thoughts are with the Yarl family, and I know I speak for all of us when we wish him a full and quick recovery. Ralph is an excellent student and talented musician.

"He maintains a stellar GPA while taking mostly college-level courses.

"While he loves science and hopes to pursue that career path, his passion is music. Thankfully, we know he is now recovering alongside family."

Neighbour says she called 911

Emerging details of the incident illustrate the strength and bravery shown by the high school junior after he was shot.

A neighbour, who asked not to be identified, tells CNN she called 911 after Ralph came to her door, bleeding.

She was directed to stay inside her home by the emergency operator, for her safety as the shooter's location was unknown.

"I wanted to help him, but they kept saying that we don't know where the shooter is at," the woman said.

She complied initially, then went outside with towels to help suppress the bleeding.

"I kneeled down next to him, and I said what's your name … Who shot you?"

She said Ralph explained he "was supposed to pick up my brothers".

"We figured out then he went to the wrong street, which is no excuse for what happened," she said.

"This is somebody's child. I had to clean blood off of my door, off of my railing. That was someone's child's blood. I'm a mum … this is not OK."

While awaiting the ambulance, bleeding from injuries to the left side of his head and his right arm, the neighbour said Ralph told her he runs on the high school track team and plays the bass clarinet in band.

"He was very alert," she said.

"He is a very strong man. Very brave."

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Scientists have found thriving communities of coastal creatures, including tiny crabs and anemones, living thousands of miles from their original home on plastic debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a 1.6 million square kilometre swirl of trash in the ocean between California and Hawaii.

In a new study published in the Nature Ecology & Evolution journal on Monday, a team of researchers revealed that dozens of species of coastal invertebrate organisms have been able to survive and reproduce on plastic garbage that's been floating in the ocean for years.

The scientists said that the findings suggest plastic pollution in the ocean might be enabling the creation of new floating ecosystems of species that are not normally able to survive in the open ocean.

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Unlike organic material that decomposes and sinks within months or, at most, a few years, plastic debris can float in the oceans for a much longer time, giving creatures the opportunity to survive and reproduce in the open ocean for years.

"It was surprising to see how frequent the coastal species were. They were on 70 per cent of the debris that we found," Linsey Haram, a science fellow at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the study's lead author, told CNN.

Haram and her colleagues examined 105 items of plastic fished out of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch between November 2018 and January 2019.

They identified 484 marine invertebrate organisms on the debris, accounting for 46 different species, of which 80 per cent were normally found in coastal habitats.

"Quite a large percentage of the diversity that we found were coastal species and not the the native pelagic open ocean species that we were largely expecting to find," Haram said.

They did still find a lot of open ocean species, Haram added.

"On two thirds of the debris, we found both communities together … competing for space, but very likely interacting in other ways."

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Haram said that the consequences of the introduction of new species into the remote areas of the ocean are not yet fully understood.

"There's likely competition for space, because space is at a premium in the open ocean, there's likely competition for food resources — but they may also be eating each other," Haram said.

"It's hard to know exactly what's going on, but we have seen evidence of some of the coastal anemones eating open ocean species, so we know there is some predation going on between the two communities."

How exactly the creatures get to the open ocean and how they survive there remains unclear.

Whether, for example, they were just hitching a ride on a piece of plastic they attached themselves to by the coast, or whether they were able to colonise new objects once they were in the open ocean, is unknown.

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Oceans of plastic

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is twice the size of Texas, is the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world.

The patch is bounded by an enormous gyre — the biggest of five huge, spinning circular currents in the world's oceans that pull trash towards the center and trap it there, creating a garbage vortex.

It's a mistake to think of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch as an island of trash, though, Matthias Egger, the head of environmental and social affairs at The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit developing technologies to rid the oceans of plastic, told CNN.

"If you're out there, what you see is just pristine blue ocean," said Egger, who helped Haram's research by collecting the samples in the patch, fishing them out with a net.

"You can think of it like the night sky. If you look up at night, you see all those white dots, that's essentially what you see in the garbage patch. It's not that dense, but there are a lot of them … out there, you start seeing more and more plastic the longer you look," he said.

The Ocean Cleanup initiative estimates there are about 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic in the patch that weigh an estimated 80,000 tonnes.

The majority of the plastic found in the patch comes from the fishing industry, while between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of the total volume can be traced back to the 2011 Japanese tsunami.

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According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the world produces around 460 million tons of plastic a year, a figure that — without urgent action — will triple by 2060.

Globally, only around 9 per cent of plastic waste is recycled, according to UNEP.

As much as 22 per cent of all plastic waste is mismanaged and ends up as litter, with large amounts eventually making it into the oceans.

Scientists have warned there has been a "rapid and unprecedented" increase in ocean plastic pollution since 2005.

"The problem is getting bigger and bigger by the minute," Egger said.

"We see turtles that are entangled in ghost fishing nets. Sometimes it's even just turtle carcasses. We see ingestion of plastic fragments. Then there's also the pollutants — chemicals."

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The Ocean Cleanup has built a huge trash-collecting system, a U-shaped barrier with a net-like skirt that hangs below the surface of the water. It moves with the current and collects faster-moving plastics as they float by.

"We want to look into what's the impact on marine life. And once we know for sure that it's safe and it benefits the environment, then we want to scale up," Egger said.

But cleanup is only part of the solution.

A study published last month said that without urgent policy action, the rate at which plastics enter the oceans could increase by around 2.6 times between now and 2040.

The UN Environment Assembly passed a historic resolution last year to end plastic pollution and create the world's first global plastic pollution treaty by 2024 — a legally binding agreement that would address the full life cycle of plastic, from its production and design to its disposal.

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A German artist has refused a prestigious world photo award for an image he created using artificial intelligence, declaring photography competitions aren't ready to deal with the new technology.

In a statement on his website, long-time photographer Boris Eldagsen, who has more recently shifted his focus to AI-generated images, said he applied as a "cheeky monkey" to test whether competitions are prepared for AI images to enter. 

"They are not," he said.

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Calling his win for the "first AI-generated image to win in a prestigous (sic) international photography competition" a "historic moment", Eldagsen refused the prize for his image, Pseudomnesia: The Electrician.

"How many of you knew or suspected that it was AI generated? Something about this doesn't feel right, does it?" he said, in the statement posted last week.

"AI images and photography should not compete with each other in an award like this. 

"They are different entities. AI is not photography. Therefore I will not accept the award."

The artist called for an open discussion about what was considered to be photography, and whether that included AI images, while highlighting the complex work that went into the image. 

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"For me, working with AI image generators is a co-creation, in which I am the director," he said.

"It is not about pressing a button – and done it is."

Eldagsen's stunt comes as the rapid recent acceleration of AI technologies, most famously ChatGPT, portends major changes in various parts of society from art and photography through to writing, coding and even the legal industry.

It follows US game designer Jason M. Allen's win in the Colorado State Fair Fine Arts Competition with an image created with AI art program Midjourney.

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The World Photography Organisation said it had confirmed the "co-creation" of the image with AI, while heavily relying on his "wealth of photographic knowledge".

The spokesperson said the artist's statement after winning noted his "deliberate attempts at misleading us", thereby invalidating the warranties he'd given organisers.

"The Creative category of the Open competition welcomes various experimental approaches to image making from cyanotypes and rayographs to cutting-edge digital practices," the spokesperson said.

"As such, following our correspondence with Boris and the warranties he provided, we felt that his entry fulfilled the criteria for this category, and we were supportive of his participation. 

"Additionally, we were looking forward to engaging in a more in-depth discussion on this topic and welcomed Boris' wish for dialogue by preparing questions for a dedicated Q&A with him for our website.

"As he has now decided to decline his award we have suspended our activities with him and in keeping with his wishes have removed him from the competition."

The spokesperson requested for the statement to be reproduced in full:

"During our various exchanges with Boris Eldagsen ahead of announcing him as the Creative category winner in the Open competition on 14th March, he had confirmed the 'co-creation' of this image using AI. In our correspondence he explained how following 'two decades of photography, my artistic focus has shifted more to exploring creative possibilities of AI generators' and further emphasising the image heavily relies on his 'wealth of photographic knowledge'. As per the rules of the competition, the photographers provide the warranties of their entry.

"The Creative category of the Open competition welcomes various experimental approaches to image making from cyanotypes and rayographs to cutting-edge digital practices. As such, following our correspondence with Boris and the warranties he provided, we felt that his entry fulfilled the criteria for this category, and we were supportive of his participation. Additionally, we were looking forward to engaging in a more in-depth discussion on this topic and welcomed Boris' wish for dialogue by preparing questions for a dedicated Q&A with him for our website.

"As he has now decided to decline his award we have suspended our activities with him and in keeping with his wishes have removed him from the competition. Given his actions and subsequent statement noting his deliberate attempts at misleading us, and therefore invalidating the warranties he provided, we no longer feel we are able to engage in a meaningful and constructive dialogue with him.

"We recognise the importance of this subject and its impact on image-making today. We look forward to further exploring this topic via our various channels and programmes and welcome the conversation around it. While elements of AI practices are relevant in artistic contexts of image-making, the Awards always have been and will continue to be a platform for championing the excellence and skill of photographers and artists working in the medium."

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Tourists have flooded into a Western Australian town in preparation for the total solar eclipse set to grace the state on Thursday.

The eclipse will reach full totality over Ningaloo, on the west coast about halfway between Perth and Broome, causing tourists to flock to Exmouth Gulf to catch the once-in-a-century sight.

The state government has poured millions into the town to ensure it can sustain the 3000 expected visitors from around the world.

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"There's been a lot of work put into the management of this event by the state government with over $20 million spent to facilitate the management of this experience," James Archibald from Tourism WA said.

A viewing platform 30 kilometres away from the town in Learmonth has been set up to fit thousands of viewers inside an old Kailis prawn processing factory.

WA's last total solar eclipse was in 1974 but there's usually only one every 100 years or so, or hundreds of years if limited to just one part of state.

Associate Professor Katarina Miljkovic from Curtin University's Space Science and Technology Centre said total eclipses occurred about once every year but were only visible from "a tiny portion on the surface of our planet".

"Given that two-thirds of our surface is covered by oceans, it is very frequent that the path of the totality falls on the oceans, where it is extremely hard to witness the event," she said.

The "rare opportunity" of seeing total coverage has drawn eclipse chasers and astronomers from all over the world to the small town, according to the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation.

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As the event inches closer more details are being divulged, including how long the state will be plunged into darkness.

"The closer to the centreline of totality, the more darkness you're gonna get, and at this eclipse we are looking at 62 seconds of darkness at the centreline," Dan Holbrook from the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation said.

Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy executive director Professor Steve Tingay urged everyone to seek out a total eclipse at some point in their life.

He shared fond memories of seeing the total darkening in Queensland in 2012 and a partial one in Bendigo in 1976.

"I vividly remember being inside at a window during the eclipse, where there was a big old gum tree outside," he said.

"Thousands of the leaves on the tree had little holes in them, which formed thousands of pinhole cameras, and threw thousands of images of the eclipse onto the ground.

"I remember being deeply in awe and I think that was one of my early experiences that drew me to physics and astronomy."

The eclipse will start at 11.27am (1.27pm AEST) on Thursday.

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When a young family lost their dream home in a fire in Sydney's south-west, their one comfort was they were covered by home and contents insurance. Or so they thought.

Renee and Bruno had been living with their two children in their Gledswood Hills home for five months before their house erupted in flames on November 17 last year.

The couple's toddlers were napping upstairs when the house caught fire.

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"I had no idea that my kids' lives were in danger until I walked up the stairs and saw the roof engulfed in flames," Renee said.

"Next thing I knew my son was screaming for his life.

"There was no smell, there was no smoke alarms.

"I was looking at this home which was brand new, we had lived in it for five months and I knew … I knew I wasn't going to be back in that home.

"I got my kids, I got my two children and that's really what matters."

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Renee said she had home and contents insurance but didn't realise it wasn't enough.

"We are covered is what we thought … only to find we were underinsured by $350,000.

"That broke me."

Their new Sekisui home was purchased in a house and land package, insured by Westpac and underwritten by Allianz.

The couple claims their valuation report for their mortgage gave an insurance estimate of $815,000 for the house but Westpac only insured it for $500,000.

It means the couple is $350,000 short of what they need to rebuild. 

Renee and Bruno said the privileged valuation was only released to them after the fire. 

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"We trusted the bank … We left the biggest and most important part of the house in the hands of bank, who we've banked with our whole life," Renee said.

"Here we are five months on from the fire, with a half demolished house … No money because we haven't been paid out."

They have only received $190,000 of their insurance payout. The rest was put straight on the mortgage.

"Every phone call with the insurance I feel like I'm getting into a boxing ring with Mike Tyson. It's just blow after blow," Bruno said.

"Our mantra's been since that day: like a phoenix we'll rise from the ashes, and just trying to push through."

An investigation is still underway into what caused the electrical fire.

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A Westpac spokesperson said it was distressing when any customer experienced a significant loss event and it worked with customers to support them.

"When you take out a mortgage, it is important to have the right amount of insurance to cover the cost of replacing your home and belongings if something unexpected happens," a spokesperson said.

"It is important that customers understand the value of their home and contents when providing instructions for a home and/or contents insurance policy.

"Westpac is not able to advise customers on the appropriate level of insurance for their needs."

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The Insurance Council of Australia said underinsurance was a real and significant issue for homeowners across the nation.

"In most cases we think that underinsurance is accidental," said Mathew Jones from the council.

"It's particularly the case at the moment where we're seeing really high inflation… particularly in the building and construction industry.

"So the cost of rebuilding a home is going to be substantially different to a quote you may have got to rebuild or repair a home."

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According to Corelogic, the cost of construction jumped by 11.9 per cent last year.

Jones is encouraging all property owners to check their insurance policies.

"It's really important people do their homework and at the time of renewal or buying a policy," Jones said.

"Go online either on their insurers website or the insurance council's website and use the home and contents calculator to really have a good understanding of the real cost of rebuilding."

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A rescue operation is underway after a factory worker became stuck inside a piece of machinery at a recycling facility in Adelaide.

Paramedics were working to free the employee, believed to be in his 50s, who became trapped at the facility on Blackburn Street in Kilburn just after 3.30pm.

The Metro Fire Service and a medical retrieval team were working to free the man, who has reportedly seriously injured his legs in the accident.

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His condition is still unclear.

More to come. 

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Locals and business owners are begging for help following a string of violent encounters on a popular Melbourne street.

Anti-social behaviour towards locals has spiked on Fitzroy Street in St Kilda.

CCTV footage obtained by 9News shows locals being subjected to physical violence including items being thrown, screaming and a man being punched in the head.

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A number of the encounters have involved members of the homeless population in the area, locals claim.

Charlotte Frajman, who owns Caremore Pharmacy, says the incidents are losing her business at least one long-term customer per week.

"It's just out of control," she said.

"It's not like we don't have a heart – we have the biggest heart – but on the other hand, we're watching our whole business be destroyed.

"We can't afford to. This is our superannuation."

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Police say the situation is difficult to navigate and the key is trying to encourage those affected to enter rehabilitation programs and shelters.

"Without their consent, it makes introducing those people into those environments and facilities and opportunities difficult but it doesn't mean we stop trying," Inspector Jim Lappin said.

"The appearance there might be that we can just move on anyone but we have to manage human rights as well."

Port Phillip Council Deputy Mayor Andrew Bond said while it's "not great" the public is having these encounters, he maintained it's "not a crime to be homeless" and noted the city does not have move-on powers. 

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A "uninhabitable" Sydney rental property is being offered to a tenant for free in exchange for a long list of renovations that need to be done on the house.

The fibro home on David Street in Greenacre has three bedrooms and two bathrooms but is in urgent need of repair, with the landlord promising to offset spending.

Real estate agent Rabie Chehade told 9News one of the bathrooms needed work and so too did the kitchen.

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Chehade described the property as uninhabitable in the listing because the walls need painting, the timber floods need sanding and rooms needed to be gyprocked again.

"Demand has been crazy," Chehade said.

"Within a few hours we had 50 to 60 enquiries."

He said it would be a win-win for the landlord and the tenant.

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"The property has been in the family for over 50 years.

"They have started some work on it but it has been like it for three years."

Chehade said tenants would need to have a trade license to be successful and many qualified applicants had already enquired.

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"There is a demand for rental properties, there is not enough rental properties in the market at the moment and there is an opportunity for this one."

The home could lease for $650 per week meaning it would save the owner $33,800 per year.

According to Canstar Blue the average minimum cost to renovate a home this size is $42,500.

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The two donors have given almost $500,000 to National and Act in recent years.