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SINCE Australia’s first wave of Omicrons after the border opened in late 2021, the pandemic has largely faded from news and public perception. Gone are the daily briefings with updates on the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. But this perception does not correspond to reality. While hospitalization and death rates are relatively lower than in previous waves – thanks to the rollout of vaccinations and naturally acquired immunity – 95% of all Australia’s COVID cases have occurred since the New Year. The daily infection rate continues to run into the tens of thousands. Nearly 3000 Australians died from COVID in the first quarter of 2022, placing it among coronary heart disease and stroke as the leading cause of death. This year we have seen the Omicron wave and the resurgence of influenza. After nearly disappearing during the two-year pandemic, the lifting of most restrictions (such as social distancing and working from home), the decline in the use of masks and the open

A flu vaccine designed to protect against a different strain of virus — and eliminate the annual flu vaccine guessing game — has entered phase 1 clinical trials. A new vaccine candidate, designed to fight avian influenza or bird flu viruses, has been administered to healthy adult volunteers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, the NIH announced. Researchers have long sought a universal flu vaccine to fight a rapidly mutating virus — not only to cover our base each flu season but also potentially pre-empt the next pandemic flu strain. “Influenza vaccines that can provide long-term protection against a variety of seasonal influenza viruses as well as those with pandemic potential would be an invaluable public health tool,” said President Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Chief Medical Advisor. A new universal flu vaccine candidate is entering human trials to test its safety and imm