The Latest Breaking News on Should We Be Masking Up? What To Know About Australia’s New Covid Wave

Here's a quick wrap of the COVID-19 news and case numbers from each Australian jurisdiction from the past week.

The Department of Health encourages getting vaccinated to help to protect the health service at a time when hospitals are under extreme pressure

For some COVID-19 patients, the initial illness isn't nearly as bad as the persistent and sometimes disabling symptoms that linger for months or years afterward. These are the people with long COVID, a complex chronic illness that can afflict without regard for age, sex, vaccination status or medical history.

Some 2.1 million people in the UK are suffering from long Covid

Some 2.1 million people in the UK are suffering from long Covid.

Two new strains of virus tipped to dominate new cases throughout the country

CH.1.1 and XBB.1.5 are most likely to become the dominant strain

Almost three million people across the UK tested positive for COVID in late December, the highest number since July

The highly transmissible 'Kraken' COVID variant is here. Experts say getting boosted is your best protection.