Australia is facing the continued emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants more than five years after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic.
The latest strain, designated LP.8.1, is rapidly gaining ground in New South Wales, accounting for nearly one in five COVID-19 cases, according to SBS News.
First detected in July 2024, LP.8.1 is a descendant of the Omicron lineage—specifically from KP.1.1.3, which traces its roots back to JN.1, a subvariant responsible for significant global infection waves in late 2023 and early 2024. In January, the World Health Organization designated LP.8.1 as a variant under monitoring in response to its notable global spread, though its additional public health risk is currently assessed as low.
Health officials report that the symptoms associated with LP.8.1 are no more severe than those seen with other circulating strains. This assessment comes as Australia records nearly 45,000 new COVID-19 cases this year, with approximately 260 patients currently hospitalized. Experts caution that the true number of infections is likely higher due to reduced testing and underreporting.
Current COVID-19 vaccines, including the most recent JN.1 booster shots, are expected to continue offering strong protection against symptomatic and severe illness caused by LP.8.1. As the country adapts to this evolving viral landscape, public health authorities emphasize the importance of vaccination and vigilant monitoring of emerging variants.
The ongoing developments underscore the challenges faced by health officials worldwide as they balance reopening strategies with the risk of new variants, even as global attention gradually shifts away from the acute phase of the pandemic.
Escalating gang violence in Haiti has displaced 680,000 children, nearly twice as many as last year, as armed groups seize more territory and basic se...
A 29-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a devastating wildfire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in Los Angeles ea...
More than 200 health facilities in war-hit eastern Congo have run out of medicines due to widespread looting and supply chain disruptions during fight...
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected as “incorrect” the report by a Kuwaiti newspaper on recent contacts between Tehran and Washington ...
The 7th Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan has concluded in Russia with participants issuing a joint statement heavily hinting at a joint oppo...
The U.S. State Department has approved a potential sale of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and associated equipment to Australia, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.
Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman and country music star Keith Urban have separated after 19 years of marriage, various news outlets reported on Monday, citing unidentified sources.
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese departs for the U.S. this week, raising expectations of a first meeting with President Donald Trump, where the AUKUS defence partnership and China are likely to dominate talks between the security allies.
Japan will not recognise a Palestinian state for the time being, and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will skip a relevant meeting during the United Nations General Assembly this month, the Asahi newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed government sources.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
More than 200 health facilities in war-hit eastern Congo have run out of medicines due to widespread looting and supply chain disruptions during fighting this year, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday.
Indian authorities have launched a manslaughter investigation after at least 14 children died from a toxic cough syrup in Madhya Pradesh, raising fresh concerns over the country’s pharmaceutical safety.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to impose 100% tariffs on branded and patented pharmaceuticals manufactured abroad poses a serious threat to Germany’s pharmaceutical sector, according to the Berlin-based industry group Verband Forschender Arzneimittelhersteller (vfa).
A flock of Canadian ostriches set to be culled, after two dead birds tested positive for avian flu, has been granted a last-minute stay of execution from Canada's highest court - for now.
The Trump administration's plan to dramatically raise fees for H-1B visas is drawing concern from U.S. healthcare groups who say the move could worsen staffing shortages as more than half of healthcare workers consider changing jobs within the next year.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment