Australia will move away from reporting daily COVID-19 deaths
April 7, 2022, 3:22 am

Australia will move away from reporting daily COVID-19 deaths

COVID-19-Test/Pixabay

The Xinhua reported, Australia's top health authority has flagged a move away from reporting the number of coronavirus deaths in the country every day.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Paul Kelly told a senate hearing on Wednesday that it was time for Australia to move towards reporting "excess deaths".

Rather than measuring the total number of COVID-19 deaths, as all Australian states and territories have done since the start of the pandemic, excess deaths measure the difference between the number of people expected to die over a period of time and the actual number.

Kelly said: "Although every death from COVID-19 is a sad event for family and friends and as a country, this is an outcome we should acknowledge."

Australia's top health authority has flagged a move away from reporting the number of coronavirus deaths in the country every day (File photo: Pixabay)

According to Department of Health data, there had been 6,462 total coronavirus deaths and approximately 4.65 million confirmed cases in Australia as of Wednesday. The number of new cases reported in the previous 24 hours was 63,203.

The Xinhua said that on Thursday morning, Australia reported more than 30,000 new COVID-19 cases and 20 deaths, including 16 in New South Wales (NSW), the nation's most populous state.

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John Frewen, the commander of the COVID-19 task force, said that complacency had slowed the uptake of coronavirus booster vaccines in Australia.

He said that under-40s were lagging behind ahead of an expected spike in cases in winter.

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Frewen said: "It's really about reminding that age cohort that their social life, their fitness routines, their businesses, all of those things are underpinned by the maximum possible take-up of vaccines, including boosters."

Source: xinhua

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.