Coronavirus daily update – 20 January

Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Thursday

1. There are currently 82 confirmed active cases in the state. Of these, 25 are in hotel quarantine, 57 are in self-quarantine. 1236 people have recovered from the virus.
2. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved two oral treatments for coronavirus, for use in vulnerable patients with the virus. The course of the medications will be five days, but the drug regulator says the medicines are NOT a substitute for getting a vaccination. The two treatments paxlovid and molnupiravir will start to arrive in Australia in the next few weeks. The government has acquired 500,000 courses of paxlovid and 300,000 courses of molnupiravir.
3. The coronavirus pandemic “is nowhere near over”, warns the head of the World Health Organization. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued the message to world leaders as he revealed the Omicron variant had led to 18 million new infections globally over the past week. He urged caution about assuming this strain is significantly milder and that it had eliminated the threat posed by the virus.
4. Coronavirus vaccination bookings for five to 11 year olds will increase from Saturday 22 January to Saturday 30 January, in the lead up to the start of the school year.
5. Concern is growing in the education sector with teachers calling for clearer instructions on what will happen in schools and childcare centres. WA Primary Principals Association president Niel Smith said he hoped schools would be informed soon, to give staff time to prepare.

The Institute for Respiratory Health has been researching lung diseases for over 20 years. It’s what finds cures and treatments and changes people’s lives for the better.