Hiiiiiiiiii. It's Tuesday, December 14 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of the news you need to know about.
One thing you should know
The Therapeutic Goods Administration is warning people not to attempt to import ivermectin products, saying a number of them are fake and have smaller doses of active ingredients in them than advertised.
The regulator is also advising people not to buy ivermectin products online.
The TGA and other health authorities have already spoken out against people using the anti-parasitic medication to self-treat COVID-19, as has the drug's manufacturer, Merck Sharp & Dohme.
"[There is] no meaningful evidence for clinical activity or clinical efficacy in patients with COVID-19 disease, and a concerning lack of safety data in the majority of studies."
Ivermectin is usually used to treat things like scabies, mites and worms.
What else is going on
- Residents in remote central Australia say they're fed up with being forced to travel hundreds of kilometres for COVID-19 testing, despite a nearby scare. Property owner Gillian Fennell says it's "completely unviable" to get tested regularly: "I'm just so disappointed that the state government have had two years to work this out and we haven't even warranted a single thought or bit of consideration for the distance and isolation that is involved here," she says
- A Hunter public health controller is predicting an event at a Newcastle nightclub could become one of the highest COVID-19 transmission events recorded in the world this year — more than 100 new cases were recorded across Newcastle today, with about 150 of the 650 patrons at the event confirmed to have COVID so far
News alerts you might have missed
- Mark Meadows isn't exactly a household name, but a US committee investigating January's attack on the Capitol believes his testimony could be key
- Nicole Kidman, Lady Gaga, Will Smith: Some big names were nominated for Golden Globes overnight. Why is no-one in Hollywood talking about it?
Not signed up for ABC News alerts and want updates like these in real-time? Head to the ABC News app homepage ➡️ Settings ➡️ Notifications and tailor your alerts to what you want to know.
What Australia has been searching for online
- Fantastic Beasts 3. The latest instalment of Harry Potter spin-off, titled Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, is set to hit theatres next year, and a new trailer was released today which has fans talking:
- Meningococcal disease. A seven-month-old girl is fighting for her life in an Adelaide hospital after being diagnosed with invasive meningococcal, with multiple close contacts prescribed antibiotics to try to limit further infection.
And one last thing
It's the most wonderful time of the year!
... no, not Christmas — it's Hottest 100 time, and as of today, voting is officially open.
The team over at triple j will be counting down Australia's favourite songs of 2021 in a little over a month's time, but before then, it's over to you to submit your votes that'll craft the countdown.
It's been another weird year in music — touring has been near-impossible, live shows few and far between and major events have suffered due to COVID — but there's still been a stack of great music released, so get that shortlist together.
Voting closes on January 17! Here's some inspo from triple j Good Nights' wonderful Bridget Hustwaite...
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