Tag Archives: oceania

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China testing 14 million as Omicron threatens Winter Olympics

The numbers are small, but the major port of Tianjin may be facing China's first outbreak of Omicron of any size, less than four weeks before the Winter Olympics open in nearby Beijing.

The city began mass testing of its 14 million residents yesterday after a cluster of 20 children and adults tested positive for COVID-19, including at least two with the Omicron variant.

Officials said the virus has been circulating so the number of cases could grow.

LIVE UPDATES: Half a million Aussies now have COVID-19

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China has stepped up its strict zero tolerance strategy in the run-up to the Olympics, which open February 4.

The Chinese capital is 115 kilometres northwest of Tianjin and many people regularly travel back and forth by car or on a high-speed rail link that takes less than one hour.

Elsewhere, millions of people are being confined to their homes in Xi'an and Yuzhou, two cities that are farther away but have larger outbreaks.

Both have been traced to the Delta variant. The outbreak in Yuzhou is also affecting Zhengzhou, the Henan provincial capital 70 kilometres to the north. Zhengzhou has been conducting mass testing and is closing schools starting today.

The first two cases confirmed in Tianjin were a 10-year-old girl and a 29-year-old woman working at the after-school centre.

Both were infected by the Omicron variant. In subsequent testing of close contacts, 18 others tested positive and 767 tested negative as of Saturday night.

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Those infected include 15 students from eight to 13 years old, the after-school centre staff member and four parents.

The citywide testing is to be completed over two days. Tianjin has also closed some subway stations on two lines to try to prevent further spread.

China had reported about a dozen Omicron cases previously, most among people who had arrived from abroad and were isolated.

In one case in mid-December, the infection was not detected until after the person had completed two weeks of quarantine, and it spread to a few close contacts in the southern city of Guangzhou.

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PM says Australia must 'push through' Omicron

The prime minister has declared Australia must "push through" the latest COVID-19 wave as Omicron cases continue to skyrocket across the country.

Scott Morrison said in a wide-ranging press conference this morning he doesn't accept the analysis that Australia is in the "let it rip phase".

"No, I don't agree with that analysis, that's not the approach that the Government is taking at a Commonwealth level or in the states and territories.

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has denied Australia is in the 'let it rip' phase of the pandemic.

"I'd describe it more, as I said before, as pushing through," Mr Morrison added.

He also warned being unvaccinated is the "most likely way" Aussies will end up in hospital with COVID-19.

"The people who are predominately in hospital who have gone there because of COVID are unvaccinated," he said.

READ MORE: Eighteen dead from COVID-19 in NSW

"If you want to end up in hospital, being unvaccinated against this virus is the most likely way to end up there.

"So, please, take availability of those vaccines."

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said today half of the COVID-19 patients in ICU in that state's hospitals are unvaccinated.

Omicron a 'game-changer'

Mr Morrison also gave an update on hospitalisations across the country, reiterating his calls for the nation to "push through".

"Omicron is a game-changer, and we have to push through," he said.

"We're dealing with serious volumes of cases but not seeing the same impact proportionally from previous variants as to the impact on hospitalisations.

"There are 5097 patients in hospital who have COVID (across the country).

"There are 78 patients who are on ventilators, which is well, well within capacity.

"But the major stresses on the hospital system relate to workforce issues."

READ MORE: As Omicron surges, here's the best way to treat COVID-19 at home

A healthcare worker outside Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. coronavirus covid-19

Further changes to close contact rules flagged

Mr Morrison flagged further changes to close contact rules to help reduce the stress on workplaces and supply chains.

"This is an incredibly tough time on business, there aren't lockdowns but there are many people obviously impacted by being close contacts or who have COVID themselves," he said.

"The Attorney-General is leading a process with the states and territories which we anticipate being concluded in time for National Cabinet on Thursday, which will remove any suggestion of a requirement that small medium-sized businesses have to be undertaking testing of their staff."

Another proposed change, if approved, will mean asymptomatic close contacts in "critical supply chains" would be able to return to work.

The PM also warned Aussies to brace for further hardships before the outbreak hits its peak.

School concerns addressed

After the death of a young child with COVID-19 in NSW, and in response to Queensland delaying the start of school, Australia's Chief Medical Officer Dr Paul Kelly reassured parents severe cases of the virus in kids are very rare.

"From the beginning of the pandemic, we've been very closely monitoring the effect of COVID on children and universally, throughout all of the different variants we've seen, it's been much less severe in children," he said.

"So, these are very difficult matters.

"And as I say, our condolences go out. In terms of returning to school, in general, and the vast majority of children that have Omicron is a very, very mild disease.

"There are many other reasons why children should be at school."

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'Utter shock': Actor and comedian Bob Saget dead at 65

US comedian and actor Bob Saget has been found dead in a hotel room.

He was 65.

Saget, best known for his role as Danny Tanner on Full House, was found unresponsive in a room at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando in Florida.

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Bob Saget has died aged 65.

The Orange Country Sherriff's Office said there appeared to be "no signs of foul play or drug use" in Saget's death.

The cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner, the Sheriff's office added.

https://twitter.com/OrangeCoSheriff/status/1480340290917609473

Saget was in the midst of a tour at the time of his death that was set to take him to locations in New York, Canada and several other locations in the coming months.

According to tour dates pinned to his Twitter account, he performed on Saturday night at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

He tweeted after the show, "Loved tonight's show @PV_ConcertHall in Jacksonville. Appreciative audience. Thanks again to @RealTimWilkins for opening. I had no idea I did a 2 hr set tonight. I'm happily addicted again to this s—."

https://twitter.com/bobsaget/status/1480097652851286017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1480097652851286017%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcelebrity.nine.com.au%2Flatest%2Ffull-house-star-bob-saget-dead-age-65%2F2cc767d5-ed60-47b3-982c-0cd9368de295

Saget, though known on the stage and among his friends for his raunchy humour, first became known to audiences on family-friendly programming.

He starred as the widowed father of three girls on Full House and then as host of the America's Funniest Home Videos clip show.

Full House co-star John Stamos said he was "broken" and "gutted" by the news of Saget's death.

https://twitter.com/JohnStamos/status/1480354937267576833

As Saget recalled the Jake Tapper in a July 2021 interview, the track of his career was unexpected.

"Full House was an accident," he said.

"I got fired on CBS and was asked to be in Full House."

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The sitcom, which starred Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin and twins Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen in one role, ran for eight seasons.

It lived on in syndication with strong enough nostalgia surrounding it that Netflix picked up a spin-off in 2016, Fuller House, starring Bure but featuring frequent appearances from original stars, including Saget, Dave Coulier and Stamos.

It ran for five seasons, concluding in 2020.

"I'm close with all the kids. It doesn't happen a lot in the world where you stay close with all the people," Saget told Tapper.

"We're an unusual cast in that way that I have been able to remain close with everybody, because I don't take eight years of my life lightly and then the other five or six years, six seasons."

Following his first round of sitcom fame, Saget worked steadily in film and television roles but became known to a new generation of sitcom fans on How I Met Your Mother, acting as narrator and the voice of future Ted Mosby.

That show ran until 2014.

Throughout the years, Saget remained a fixture in stand-up comedy, releasing multiple specials over the years and taking his show on the road.

According to his website, Saget often hosted comedy events to raise money for the Scleroderma Research Foundation, for which he served on the board of directors.

He lost his sister to the chronic disease in 1994, his website said.

In 2020, he launched a podcast, titled Bob Saget's Here For You, an interview show where he welcomed guests like Tiffany Haddish, Jason Sudeikis, Whoopi Goldberg and Norman Lear.

– Reported with CNN