November 2023 – Covid 8th Wave
The chief Medical officers of Australia and of Victoria have recently advised that an eighth wave of Covid has arrived.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-01/covid-cases-rise-updated-facts/103044762
Already within the first 2 days of November multiple unconnected Manningham Probus Club members have tested positive for Covid. While no emergency restrictions are thought necessary, some prudent increase in protection levels has been recommended for this 8th wave. Presently authorities are seeing two Covid waves per year, compared with only one/year for flu.
Appropriate reponses include
A) Becoming up to date with Booster vaccine doses in line with current official advice
- ATAGI recommends a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose for all adults All adults aged 65 years and over if their last COVID-19 vaccine dose or confirmed infection (whichever is the most recent) was 6 months ago or longer,regardless of the number of prior doses received.
Many medical clinics no longer provide Covid vaccination. On the other hand many local Pharmacies provide easy access to the latest Bivalent Pfizer or Moderna Covid booster jabs (both are recommended). Our nearest provider may be located via one of the links below
https://www.findapharmacy.com.au/our-services/vaccination-services-covid-19
https://rsvp.chemistwarehouse.com.au/covid-landing
B) Checking that we have adequate supplies of non-expired Covid RAT test kits at hand
C) Contacting our General Paractitioner by telephone ASAP if we test postitive for Covid so that we can obtain an electronic prescription for a government funded prescition for 5 days of antiviral therapy. These medications have proved extremely effective at reducing severity of illness in people over 65 years.
D) Selective Mask use: Victoria’s chief health officer has suggested all Melburnians consider donning masks again in some crowded indoor settings as community transmission surges, especially if we are recovering from Covid or are a close contact.