Expert research underway on child development due to COVID

Research is underway on the indirect impact of COVID on children and their development.

While children generally fare well in terms of contracting the virus, often displaying minimal to no symptoms, the research will focus on the indirect impact of the pandemic.

Professor Sharon Goldfeld, from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, is leading the research. She said that so far, she has discovered a rise in children’s developmental vulnerability, meaning they are not doing as well in physical, social, emotional, language or communication development.

Professor Goldfeld also noted that lower income and lower resourced families were feeling the largest impact of this.

Malala Yousafzai addressing education emergency following COVID

Activist Malala Yousafzai has called on world leaders to address the ‘education emergency’ in the wake of the pandemic.

Ms Yousafzai addressed the United Nations General Assembly last week, ahead of their annual leaders meeting.

Children in low to middle income countries were already facing education difficulties prior to the pandemic, with an estimated 70 per cent unable to read at a basic level.

That number is an increase of 13 per cent to what was recorded prior to the pandemic.

The United Nations has said over one hundred countries had committed to rebooting their education systems and taking action to end this crisis.

Victorian Numbers

Across Victoria over 71 percent of people aged 12 years and older have now received three COVID-19 vaccination doses, while over 96 percent have received two doses.

In addition, over 66 percent of children aged five to 15 years in the state have now received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine.

Fourth Shot available

All Australians over the age of 30 are now eligible for a fourth dose of a COVID vaccine.
People over the age of 16 who are severely immunocompromised, disabled or at risk of severe

COVID symptoms are also eligible for this fourth shot.

To receive it, there must have been at least three months elapsed since having the third vaccine dose.

In Victoria the fourth dose is available from most GPs and pharmacies.

To book, use the online booking system or call the Victorian Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398.

(News compiled by NEMBC Multilingual News Service, Victoria)

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