World 5.6 million Brazil 390K+ UK 260K+
More and more services are opening up, not just here, but across the world. Here we have the virus somewhat under control, but opening up for business is still risky. In countries where the virus is rampant, it’s criminal and people will die.
Here, in Australia people are crowding into shopping centres, restaurants are opening, cinemas are about to re-open and now that schools are back, we are likely to see more outbreaks. Just one day after students returned to classrooms, two schools in NSW have been closed with two students testing positive to coronavirus.
Over recent weeks case numbers in Victoria have been the highest of any state in Australia, though they seem to declining again now. The recent spate in Victoria was largely due to the Cedar Meats outbreak, which has resulted in more than 110 confirmed cases, but worryingly there are some infections that don’t seem to be linked to any known source. Community transmission of the virus is likely to rise further as restrictions are lifted.
In some hopeful news, Australia’s first human vaccine trials have started in Melbourne. The vaccine is aimed at boosting the immune response to create high levels of antibodies. This particular vaccine is being developed by US biotech company Novavax, and was chosen for the trial from a pool of thirty potential vaccines. Preliminary results are expected in July, but it will be a long time before a vaccine becomes available.