virus
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How Long Is This Latest COVID Wave Expected to Last?
Australia is now mid-way into its fourth wave of COVID in the Omicron era, driven by a rich soup of Omicron descendants. Unlike previous waves, where a single new variant of SARS-CoV-2 variant such as BA.2 or BA.5 was responsible, we have had an explosion of new variants such as XBB.1, BQ.1.1 and BR.2.1. However,…
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What Is This New Langya Virus and Do We Need to Be Worried?
A new virus, Langya henipavirus, is suspected to have caused infections in 35 people in China’s Shandong and Henan provinces over roughly a two-year period to 2021. It’s related to Hendra and Nipah viruses, which cause disease in humans. However, there’s much we don’t know about the new virus – known as LayV for short…
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COVID Reinfection: How Soon Can I Get the Virus Again?
My glorious two-and-a-half-year run of negative COVID tests came to a shuddering halt last week, after receiving a text confirming I was among the pandemic’s latest catch. My case adds to the rising slope of the third Omicron wave in seven months, currently rolling across Australia. While shivering through my mild bout, I’d optimistically thought…
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How Bad Are My Symptoms Likely to Be if I Catch COVID For a Second Time?
So, you’re starting to feel unwell. Your throat hurts, your head aches, you feel tired and you’ve developed a cough. You’ve recently had COVID but as we now know, it’s possible to be reinfected. But how sick will you get the second time? While your symptoms are likely to be less severe, in some cases…