Australia news LIVE: BA.4/BA.5 COVID sub-variants set to cause cause ‘challenge’ through winter; Marles warns Australia, US must step up in Indo-Pacific

2022-07-11

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What do you know about COVID antivirals?

Public awareness of COVID-19 antiviral drugs is so poor that a pharmaceutical company has launched a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign to boost their uptake reports federal health reporter Dana Daniel.

Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), the maker of antiviral Lagevrio, is rolling out its campaign across television, radio, bus shelters, retail screens, digital and social media, after commissioning a poll that found 78 per cent of people did not know about antivirals.

Pharmaceutical products cannot be promoted by name on television, so the campaign just encourages people to have a plan in case they catch COVID.

Medicines Australia chief executive Elizabeth de Somer said public awareness campaigns were needed “as there appears to be a growing level of complacency in the community” and that both government and industry should play a role.

“It is vital that more people are made aware of the treatments and consult their GPs to get the right advice about which treatments are suitable for them,” de Somer said.

The federal government last month launched an $11 million winter vaccination awareness campaign urging Australians to get their flu and COVID-19 booster jabs. The advertisements do not address antivirals, which Health Minister Mark Butler said on Monday were “critically effective at preventing people from getting severely unwell”.

Millions more Australians can now access Lagevrio and Pfizer’s Paxlovid through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

Read Dana’s full report here.

Stocks slump on Wall Street amid recession, rate worries

Wall Street got back to slumping Monday to kick off a week full of updates about how bad inflation is and how corporate profits are handling it.

The S&P 500 fell 1.2% and gave up the majority of its gains from the prior week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite dropped 2.3%.

Stocks of smaller companies were some of the biggest losers, with the Russell 2000 index down 2.1%, as worries about a possible recession continue to dog markets. The highest inflation in four decades is pushing the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates, which puts the clamps on the economy and pushes downward on all kinds of investments.

Parts of the economy are slowing already, though the still-hot jobs market remains a notable exception.

COVID also continues to drag on the global economy. An outbreak of infections is forcing casinos in the Asian gambling center of Macao to shut for at least a week. That sent Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands down more than 6% apiece for some of the larger losses in the S&P 500.

Twitter lost even more, 11.3%, in the first trading after billionaire Elon Musk said he wants out of his deal to buy the social media platform for $44 billion. Twitter said it will take Musk to court to uphold the agreement.

Other big technology companies were also particularly weak. It’s a continuation of this year’s trend, where rising rates most hurt the investments that soared highest earlier in the pandemic.

The struggles pulled the Nasdaq down 262.71 points to close at 11,372.60. The S&P 500 dropped 44.95 to 3,854.43, and the Dow dipped 164.31 to 31,173.84.

Playing piano and swimming, Sri Lankan protesters settle into presidential palace

Colombo: Hundreds of Sri Lankans jostled on Monday to use the vast array of exercise machines in the private gym of the presidential palace, lifting weights and running on treadmills inside a facility that was, until now, the exclusive domain of the country’s president.

For many who had travelled on overcrowded trains and buses from outside the capital, Colombo, this was the first time they had laid eyes on a residence so grand. The colonial-era structure was a staggering sight, with airy verandahs, plush living rooms and spacious bedrooms, a garden swimming pool and neatly manicured lawns.

Protesters make use of the swimming pool in the Sri Lankan president’s official residence in Colombo.Credit:AP

On Saturday, thousands of angry Sri Lankans descended on the residence to protest against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who they blame for an unprecedented economic meltdown that has throttled the lives of the nation’s 22 million people. They turned over barriers and then swarmed the lawns to enter the palatial residence and occupy it.

Two days later, people continued to stream in, flocking to it like a tourist attraction, marvelling at the paintings inside and lounging on the beds piled high with pillows.

Read this article in full here.

This morning’s headlines at a glance

Good morning and thanks for your company.

It’s Tuesday, July 12. I’m Rachael Dexter and I’ll be anchoring our live coverage for the first half of the day.

Here’s what you need to know before we get started:

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has used his first post-election trip to the US to warn that both countries must lift their games in the Indo-Pacific to avoid a “catastrophic failure of deterrence” in the face of growing threats.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will use a speech at the Sydney Energy Forum today to outline his vision for renewable energy in this country to officials from the Quad partnership between Japan, US, India and Australia.
Boris Johnson will remain Britain’s prime minister for almost two more months until a new leader is announced on September 5. Votes will begin to be cast this week within the British Conservative Party to narrow down the pool of 11 candidates who have thrown their hat in the ring to succeed Johnson after his resignation.
In NSW, the state’s corruption watchdog is considering whether to investigate the circumstances in which former deputy premier John Barilaro was appointed to a lucrative US trade post, after an inquiry heard explosive claims a top bureaucrat said the role was “a present for someone”.
In Victoria, Jason Roberts walked free yesterday after more than 20 years in prison after being acquitted of the 1998 murder of police officers Gary Silk and Rodney Miller, in a verdict that shocked Victoria’s police community.

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