Health News at Your Fingertips

And with that, we are going to put the blog to bed. Before we go, let’s recap the big stories:

Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We will be back tomorrow, with the last blog of the year. Until then, stay safe!

Adeshola Ore

Police release images of 11 people they want to speak to over A-League pitch invasion

Police have released images of 11 people investigators want to speak to in relation to the A-League pitch invasion in Melbourne earlier this month.

The violent and chaotic scenes of 17 December resulted in the abandonment of the A-League men’s Melbourne derby after supporters stormed the pitch.

Victoria police believes this will be the final appeal to the public, as investigators hone in on the unnamed individuals.

Investigators have already identified 42 people allegedly involved in the pitch invasion, including 32 people who have been charged with offences including assault and discharging missiles. Police say one of the five people who have been identified but not processed travelled to Europe in the days after the match.

Police are also referring names of individuals charged with serious offences to Football Australia.

Concerns grow over potential Covid variants in China

Pressure is mounting on the Albanese government to reinstate Covid testing requirements for travellers arriving from China to stop new concerning variants from taking hold in Australia, AAP has reported.

South Korea has become the latest country to mandate testing for Chinese travellers, joining the US, Italy, Japan, India and Taiwan.

They cite a lack of information from Beijing on possible variants and the wave of infections spreading throughout the country.

Health experts from across the globe have called on China to be more transparent about the unfolding outbreak.

The epidemiologist Prof Angela Webster said Australia needed to better understand the variants emerging in China.

“There could be new variants in China rapidly circulating, and therefore potentially spreading to the rest of the world, that we are unprepared for and we haven’t been able to learn much about before it happens,” she told the ABC.

Manly fast ferries to come under Opal cap

Paying extra for the Manly Fast Ferry will soon be a thing of the past for regular public transport users as the government tries to shore up a minister’s seat, AAP has reported.

The privately run service, which costs an adult $10.20 for a trip between Circular Quay and Manly, will be included under the $50-a-week Opal cap from mid-2023.

Peak services will be boosted to six an hour, creating a turn-up-and-go service for those travelling the picturesque route.

“There might be a green (public) one there or a blue (fast ferry) one – it doesn’t really matter. They’re all going to be part of the same product,” the Transport for NSW chief executive, Howard Collins, told reporters on Friday.

“The big winners will be those from western Sydney who have taken the day trip to Manly as an important part of their summers,” the transport minister, David Elliott, said.

It’s the fourth announcement in as many weeks for the local member, environment minister James Griffin, who faces a challenge from the Climate 200-backed teal independent Joeline Hackman.

Griffin sidestepped a question on whether the new discount was an attempt to curry favour but said the fast ferry sitting outside the Opal fare system had been raised by voters for “many, many years”.

The 15-year contract extension announced on Friday contains provisions to convert the ferries to hydrogen-diesel hybrids in four to five years, subject to regulatory approvals.

The new fuel mix would use hydrogen as an accelerant, reducing the quantity of diesel needed. The first iteration should cut carbon emissions by 50%, with an aim of an 85% cut by 2038.

Melissa Davey

Victoria reports an average of 10 Covid deaths a day in the past week

The latest Covid data has been issued by the Victorian department of health and it reveals a total of 69 Covid-related deaths were reported in the past week.

An average of 10 deaths were reported each day in the past week in Victoria. There has been a 47.5% increase in the number of daily Covid-related deaths in the past month when compared to the previous month.

In the past three months, there have been 667 Covid-related deaths in Victoria. Of those deaths, 44.1% were unvaccinated and 50.2% had not received their third Covid vaccine dose.

In the past three months, 4,951 Covid patients were hospitalised in Victoria. Of those hospitalised, 41.2% had not received their third vaccine dose and 30.4% were unvaccinated.

The total number of reported Covid-related deaths in Victoria since the pandemic began is 6,382. The number of Covid-related deaths recorded in Victoria so far this year is 4,774.

The seven-day rolling average of patients with Covid in Victorian hospitals is 715. There are currently 745 Covid patients in Victorian hospitals, with 44 in intensive care, including five cleared cases.

Covid hospitalisations edged higher in the past week, having stabilised earlier in December. There were fewer cases reported but this was likely due to the impact of the holiday period.

The current Covid wave is being driven by multiple Omicron variants. The most recent wastewater analysis shows the recombinant strain XBF makes up the highest proportion of detections (29%), followed by BQ.1/BQ.1.1 (18%) and BA.2.75 and its sublineages (22%). A group of variants that cannot be classified due to new mutations made up 21% of wastewater detections. The BR.2.1 variant has shown rapid growth in sequenced case samples.

“The genomic outlook is rapidly changing and is difficult to predict with evidence of newer subvariants, in particular XBF, outcompeting other subvariants over several weeks,” the department said.

“This has contributed to hospitalisations, putting continued demand on the health system. Social gatherings and events over the holiday period have added to the transmission risk.”

The department has asked people to consider:

• Plan parties or family gatherings outside when possible.

• Get tested if you have symptoms or you’re going to a party or family gathering.

• Keep homes well ventilated, with windows and doors open.

• Wear a high-quality mask, especially where you can’t physically distance from others.

• Isolate for at least five days and until you have no symptoms.

• Check if you are eligible for Covid medicines.

• Get your next vaccine dose.

There were 16,568 Covid-19 cases reported in Victoria this week, a decrease of 31.4% on the previous week. The average daily number of new cases this week was 2,367, down from 3,463 last week.

The first case of Japanese encephalitis for this mosquito season has been identified in Victoria, in the northern part of the state.

New South Wales and South Australia have also recently reported their first case of JE virus infection.

The Department of Health is urging people to avoid mosquito bites by using mosquito-repellent containing picaridin or DEET on all exposed skin.

Also wear long, loose-fitting clothing when outside, and ensure accommodation, including tents, are properly fitted with mosquito nettings or screens.

Storms coming to parts of Victoria and NSW

There are severe storm warnings for parts of Victoria and NSW. You can see them below:

Tributes are pouring in for the football legend Pele, who died this morning aged 82. The Brazilian great, who won three World Cups, has made the front pages of newspapers around the world:

Australian Open is staying put in Victoria, minister says, amid reports of outside interest

The Victorian government is adamant the Australian Open is staying put, despite the tournament director Craig Tiley’s concerns about outside interest in the grand slam event, AAP has reported.

The state’s police minister, Anthony Carbines, says the state government will continue to do whatever is necessary to keep supporting the event.

He was responding to Tiley’s comments that Melbourne risked losing the showpiece tennis tournament interstate or overseas unless there was continued investment in the Melbourne Park precinct, including a new grandstand.

While Melbourne is contracted to host the Open until at least 2039, Tiley said Tennis Australia’s finances had been stretched as the tournament was held under Covid restrictions.

But Carbines says Victoria will keep giving the Open solid financial support:

The Australian Open is not going anywhere and the best thing Victorians can do is get out there and show their support.

We’re not surprised that there will always be those seeking (the Open) from other countries and other states.

With over a billion dollars invested by our government in the Australian Open, both in infrastructure and supporting that event, we’ll continue to support the Australian Open and the team there in whatever they need.

And with that I leave the blog with the always brilliant Cait Kelly. Thanks for reading.

Top of the pups: the most popular dog names for 2022

Daisy and Harley are the real top dogs according to The Lost Dogs’ Home list of the most popular pet names for 2022, AAP reports.

The Lost Dogs’ Home announced its top pet names for the year on Friday based on its adoption records, with Daisy taking out the top spot for female dogs and Harley snatching the title for males.

The next most popular names for female dogs were Honey, Lucy, Gracie and Lily, while the top five for male dogs was rounded out by Frankie, Archie, Charlie and Teddy.

Luna came in at No 1 for female cats and Charlie took first place for male cats.

Bella, Daisy, Coco and Cookie rounded out the list for female felines, while the top five most popular male cat names were Leo, Milo, Oreo and George.

Traditional names like Charlie and Leo have held their ground in the list, continuing what the shelter saw in 2021, The Lost Dogs’ Home’s spokesperson Suzana Talevski said.

The shelter tends to see older people opting for more traditional names, while younger age groups more often go for names that are trending.

‘‘We have definitely seen a trend towards sweeter sounding names and being in the foodie capital of Australia, the trend towards food names is also growing,’’ Ms Talevski said.

‘‘Choosing what to name your dog is personal and people tend to take it very seriously.

“It’s always a good idea to remember it should be a name you are comfortable using in public.”