The treatment of Covid-19 patients in critical care will change around the world after ground-breaking research confirmed a cheap, widely available steroid can help those seriously ill with the virus.
Analysis of seven studies , including one co-ordinated by a New Zealand research team, shows death rates fell by more than 20 per cent among intensive care patients treated with the steroids hydrocortisone and dexamethasone.
Researchers analysed data from more than 100 ICUs in eight countries, with the results prompting the World Health Organisation to issue new guidelines on their use.
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Is Level 1 on the horizon?
Cabinet is set to review a potential shift in Covid-19 alert levels tomorrow.
It comes after three new cases of the virus were confirmed in the community yesterday, all directly linked to the Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship church.
But while Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield says focusing on Auckland shifting to Level 2 from 2.5 is the next step , Health Minister Chris Hipkins says a move to Level 1 after this week’s review isn’t off the cards just yet.
While those decisions are made, some epidemiologists are urging the Government to carefully consider moving alert levels while there's still transmission in the community.
Professor Michael Baker also says the travel ban on Aucklanders leaving the city should have been kept at Level 2 .
Meanwhile, RNZ reports five people who tested positive for Covid-19 in New Zealand's isolation facilities had negative results before boarding their plane in India .
Auckland University professor Des Gorman says this shows why such a testing regime as proposed by the National Party should be just one of the multiple lines of defence against the virus.
And speaking of multiple lines of defence, one of the Government’s top advisors is telling Kiwis to expect to wear masks until a Covid-19 vaccine is available .
Professor Shaun Hendy says mask use can help stop an outbreak and will therefore become a part of daily life – something that will probably upset the Christchurch man who occupied a bus yesterday in an apparent protest about mask rules.
Peters swipes at Covid response
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters skipped the last day of the parliamentary term yesterday to get back on the election campaign trail and proceeded to slam the Government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, something his own party has been part of.
Mr Peters says New Zealand could have done far better .
"Don’t keep on gilding the lily and saying everything was going fine. It wasn’t going fine," he said.
Labour's Jacinda Ardern responded to the comments, saying it’s “a disservice” to every single New Zealander to say the country hasn’t done well in the fight against Covid-19.
NZ’s 'silent pandemic'
There's been a large rise in the number of young New Zealanders coping with mental health conditions over the past decade, according to a new report released today .
The report by research centre Koi Tū found nearly a quarter of teenagers reported symptoms of depression within the last year - almost twice as many as in 2012.
The psychologists and academics behind today's report call it a "silent pandemic of psychological distress".
The report’s authors say they don’t yet understand the reasons for the very rapid rise, but say urgent action is needed to help New Zealand’s young people, especially in the face of the “psychological gasoline” that is Covid-19.
The full paper can be found here .
An appeal from beyond the grave
The Supreme Court has allowed the appeal of sex offender Peter Ellis to continue after his death .
It will be the first time in New Zealand legal history that a criminal conviction has been appealed by someone who’s died.
The former Christchurch Civic Creche worker always maintained his innocence after being found guilty of 16 counts of sexual abuse in 1993 and repeatedly sought to overthrow his convictions.
He died in September last year, two months after his right to appeal the remaining convictions was granted.
Other news of note this morning:
A massive fire has broken out near Auckland Airport.
The German government has confirmed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a Soviet-era nerve agent.
Experts at the GCSB are still helping organisations hit by a string of offshore cyber attacks, with Justice Minister Andrew Little saying they’re on an unprecedented scale .
It’s only a matter of time before a Māori person is wrongfully arrested because of a false match on facial recognition software, an expert says.
Australia’s economy has suffered its sharpest quarterly drop since the Great Depression due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett has revealed she’s starting a new career in real estate .
And the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have signed a multi-year deal with Netflix to produce films and TV programmes.
And finally...
The Christmas creep. It gets worse every year with shops and malls dragging the decorations out earlier and earlier.
And given 2020 is the year most of us would rather forget, Seven Sharp’s Laura Daniel is keen to fast-track those celebrations even further and start spreading holiday cheer now.
I don’t know if this behaviour should be encouraged (except for the four-month-long chocolate advent calendars) but if you want to hitch your wagon to Laura’s Christmassy cause, you can check it out here .
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