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“This is stranger to stranger transmission”: Aus authorities concerned about ‘fleeting’ Indian covid-19 variant

Published

5 years ago

June 1, 2021

Australia’s second-largest state, Victoria remains in lockdown today as authorities express concern about how easily the Indian COVID-19 strain is transmitting from ‘fleeting’ encounters.

Authorities have raised alarms to this particular Melbourne outbreak, as the Indian variant of COVID is proving to transmit between complete strangers with little contact. Examples include brushing past each other in a small shop, and walking past each other in display home.

This has sparked a surge in exposure sites, alerted across the south-eastern state in Australia.

“We think it is a feature of the Indian variant which is that much more contagious,” Deputy Secretary at Department for Health and Human Services, Jeroen Weimar said.

“This is stranger to stranger transmission.”

Weimar said they have seen transmission in these places with very fleeting contact.

“They are all examples of transmission with very limited contact. With previous variants, we are more used to transmission occurring in the home, in the workplace, where people know each other already, not at all of those big social settings. These are quite different.”

The stay-at-home orders are supposed to be part of a seven-day “snap lockdown”, but there are fears that this will be extended due to a number of new “mystery cases”.

Three new local cases of COVID-19 were recorded on Tuesday, on top of six cases announced Monday.

Of the 4,800 primary close contacts 75 per cent have returned negative test results.

‘Five-day blitz’ to help boost vaccination numbers

Private aged care residents and staff those in residential disability settings will now be given priority to get the vaccine at Victoria’s state-run walk-in vaccine hubs.

“The Commonwealth made it clear that originally, under the phase 1a/1b schedule, this was a sector that they were going to look after,” Health Minister Martin Foley said.

“A few weeks ago they asked all the states to assist in that process, and today we’re starting a significant contribution, but that will come out of Victorian state allocations of vaccine to target this very high risk group.”

Will Australia’s most populous state have its lockdown extended?

Epidemiologist Professor Mary Louise McLaws says she doesn’t believe the state will be back to normal by Friday.

She told the ABC that Victoria has “a very high, very rapid increase of cases over a short period of time,”

Despite the lockdown costing around $1 billion a week, she says “it certainly has to go for 14 days”.

Business slams government support package

Melbourne is dubbed as the world’s most liveable city, but businesses and their employees are calling for better support.

A $250 million dollar support package for struggling Melbourne businesses has been labeled as ’embarrassing by industry leaders.

Meanwhile, James Wheelan from the VHS Group says the Victorian government has acted poorly by locking down the entire state.

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SpaceX IPO could make Elon Musk’s Mars dream a trillion-dollar reality

SpaceX’s upcoming IPO could raise $25 billion and value the company over $1 trillion, igniting investor excitement for Mars missions.

Published

18 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Harvey Vargas

SpaceX’s upcoming IPO could raise $25 billion and value the company over $1 trillion, igniting investor excitement for Mars missions.

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Despite the high-risk nature of space ventures, demand from retail investors is expected to be strong. Experts predict this IPO could become historic, with the company’s market value potentially soaring past $2 trillion once it launches.

Musk’s unconventional management style hasn’t slowed investor enthusiasm, even amidst regulatory hurdles. The funds raised could also support groundbreaking innovations, including energy-efficient space data centers.

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Russia shoots down 280+ Ukrainian drones as Zelenskyy pushes new peace plan

Russia claims 280 Ukrainian drones shot down; Zelenskyy finalizes a new peace proposal amid rising tensions and military clashes.

Published

18 hours ago

December 12, 2025

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Russia claims 280 Ukrainian drones shot down; Zelenskyy finalizes a new peace proposal amid rising tensions and military clashes.

Russia’s Defence Ministry claims it has shot down over 280 Ukrainian drones, with 40 intercepted near Moscow, some targeting the city directly. Emergency services responded to debris, and temporary flight restrictions were enforced at Moscow’s airports amid the attacks.

Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy revealed his team is finalizing a revised 20-point peace proposal, introducing new ideas on territorial control. Ukrainian and American officials are set to consult online, focusing on security guarantees rather than the detailed points of the plan.

As tensions rise, both military clashes and diplomatic efforts continue to shape the future of the conflict. Keep up with the latest updates and expert analysis on these unfolding events.

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Disney invests $1B in OpenAI to generate Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar videos

Disney invests $1 billion in OpenAI for AI-generated videos featuring iconic characters, enhancing fan interactions and launching in 2026.

Published

18 hours ago

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Harvey Vargas

Disney invests $1 billion in OpenAI for AI-generated videos featuring iconic characters, enhancing fan interactions and launching in 2026.

Disney is taking AI to the next level, investing $1 billion in OpenAI to create a licensing deal that allows users to generate videos featuring more than 200 characters from Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar. This partnership could redefine how fans interact with their favorite characters.

The deal will let users stream short AI-generated videos directly on Disney+, and ChatGPT will also produce images of Disney’s licensed characters. However, the agreement excludes talent likenesses or voices, keeping human performances separate.

Set to launch in 2026, the collaboration also gives Disney warrants to purchase additional OpenAI equity and use AI tools for product development, opening doors to new creative opportunities.

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