Video Portrait of a War Crime 2024: a situation that the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia is assiduously averting its eyes from even as it ignores its binding responsibilities under international law and conventions

As of 23 March 2024 at least 32,142 Palestinian men women and children had been killed and more than 74,412 had been wounded in Gaza since 7 October 2023, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza quoted in mainstream media.

On 18 March 2024 the World Health Organisation stated:

The latest analysis from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) partnership released today warns that the situation in Gaza is catastrophic, with northern Gaza facing imminent famine and the rest of the Strip at risk as well.

"The IPC announcement reflects the dire situation that the people of Gaza are facing," said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "Before this crisis, there was enough food in Gaza to feed the population. Malnutrition was a rare occurrence. Now, people are dying, and many more are sick. Over a million people are expected to face catastrophic hunger unless significantly more food is allowed to enter Gaza."

Before the recent months’ hostilities, 0.8% of children under 5 years of age were acutely malnourished. Today’s report shows that as of February in the northern governorates, that figure is between 12.4 and 16.5%.

Without a significant and immediate increase in deliveries of food, water and other essential supplies, conditions will continue deteriorating. Virtually all households are already skipping meals every day and adults are reducing their meals so that children can eat. 

UN News stated on 20 March 2024:

“Facilitated missions primarily involved food distributions, nutrition and health assessments, and the delivery of supplies to hospitals,” OCHA said, repeating warnings that “humanitarian access constraints” continue to “severely affect the timely delivery of life-saving assistance, particularly to hundreds of thousands of people in northern Gaza”.

Echoing those calls on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the Israeli authorities “to ensure complete and unfettered access for humanitarian goods throughout Gaza and for the international community to fully support our humanitarian efforts”. 

In January 2024 mainstream media began to report that Israeli citizens were blockading humanitarian aid trucks at official checkpoints for transit from Egypt into the Gaza Strip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqRzfb2oMaM 

22 Mar 2024 #TheGrayzone

Journalist Jeremy Loffredo goes inside the grassroots Israeli campaign to block desperately needed aid to the besieged Gaza Strip and elicits the shockingly candid views of the Jewish Israeli nationalists manning the barricades.

Setting out on a bus caravan through illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, Loffredo arrives at the Kerem Shalom crossing to Gaza, filming Israeli citizens as they physically block trucks loaded with flour and other essential goods. There, a reservist who served in the military assault on Gaza confesses to an array of war crimes, including blowing up the offices of UN centers dedicated to providing food to the local population.

Loffredo then joins nationalists on a march toward Gaza, where they hope to establish new settlements after the population is violently driven out.

This original Grayzone report was produced thanks to viewers like you.

Find more reporting at https://thegrayzone.com

Asthma deaths on the rise again and many deaths were preventable according to the National Asthma Council Australia

 

At the 2021 Australian Census 625,835 people reported Asthma as a long-term health condition - with a population incidence rate of 8.2%.

In New South Wales, Asthma was the fourth highest long-term condition category self-reported in the Census results.

Asthma was also the third highest long-term health condition category recorded in the Clarence Valley, Richmond Valley & Lismore City local government areas and, the fourth highest in Tweed Shire, Ballina Shire, Bryon Shire & Kyogle Shire local government areas.

National Asthma Council Australia, media release, 29 Nov 2023:

Asthma deaths on the rise again, but could be avoided

The National Asthma Council Australia said that the tragic deaths of hundreds of Australians each year could be avoided, but the key is correct diagnosis, the use of inhaled corticosteroid preventers and, where control of asthma cannot be achieved, referral to a specialist for consideration of a biologic.

According to new Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data released today by the National Asthma Council Australia, asthma deaths are once again on the rise, with a jump of over 30% in asthma deaths in one year.

The figures show that there were 467 asthma-related deaths recorded in Australia in 2022, made up of 299 females and 168 males, up from 355 deaths in 2021.

Deaths were down in 2021 as a result of the precautions in place and the lockdowns that occurred with the COVID-19 pandemic. This led to fewer respiratory infections and fewer asthma exacerbations. Asthma exacerbations have now returned to pre-pandemic levels and may even be slightly higher.

National Asthma Council Australia Director and respiratory physician, Professor Peter Wark, said each year, for the past ten years, around 450 Australians lost their lives due to asthma.

“Sadly, this is of no surprise and reflects the problems with asthma care in Australia.

“What is of most concern is that most of these deaths are preventable and many relate to undertreatment, especially in regard to the use of inhaled corticosteroids. Confusion around asthma diagnosis is also a major limitation to optimising asthma care and if anything has worsened with the with less spirometry being performed than ever before.

“Advising and committing people to regular treatment for asthma requires an investment in time and effort to correctly diagnose asthma and lung function testing is an essential part of accurate asthma diagnosis,” he said.

Professor Wark said that inhaled corticosteroids remain the only treatment that clearly reduce acute asthma exacerbations and asthma mortality for people in all asthma age groups six years and older and should be used in the majority of people with asthma.

“However regular prescriptions for inhaled corticosteroids occur in less than a third, while adherence to regular therapy remains an important problem,” he said.

“Uncontrolled over the counter use of salbutamol encourages inappropriate use of relievers to the detriment of the use of preventers and has been strongly associated with an increased risk of asthma death.

“In addition there is still limited use of as needed inhaled corticosteroid/formoterol for people with mild asthma as recommended by the Australian and international guidelines as being just as effective as regular inhaled corticosteroids and much more effective and safer than using relievers alone.

“This more flexible approach to treatment is ideally suited to people with mild asthma, many of whom are now at risk because they are not using an inhaled corticosteroid preventer.

“Until these issues are addressed, we will not see improvements in asthma admissions or mortality,” said Professor Wark.

The ABS statistics also show that once again, women over 75 are still the most at risk, with almost half (45 per cent) of all asthma deaths coming from this age group.

“Adult onset asthma or a return of asthma symptoms in adults is associated with more troublesome asthma that is more severe and more difficult to control and affects more women than men. Women tend to require higher doses of inhaled corticosteroids, suffer more frequent attacks with worse day to day asthma control.

“Asthma is also a chronic disease, present irrespective of symptoms and is associated with other chronic conditions that impact on an individual’s health, in particular obesity, reduced aerobic activity and other chronic illnesses,” he said.

The ABS 2022 data also showed that male deaths increased in almost every age group and jumped from 109 (2021) to 168 (2022) - the highest number of male deaths in the last 10 years.

Professor Wark said that while asthma risk is greater in women, men are also affected and also experience poor asthma control and exacerbations.

“At least in some asthma cohorts, men who experience asthma attacks were less adherent to regular asthma preventer treatment and were less likely to attend their doctor for poor asthma control compared to women. Factors that would both contribute to an increase in exacerbations and increase the risk of mortality,” he said.

Link to 2022 mortality infographic here.

Click on image to enlarge

Counting Dead Women: the ugly brutal statistic continues in July 2022

 

Counting Dead Women
IMAGE: Destroy The Joint

 

Violence against women and girls in Australia follows a distressingly predictable path in 2022.

By 20 July this year the number of women reported in the media as dying as the result of violent attack by another person stood at 25 dead.

That is roughly one woman being killed every 8 days.

This figure relies on media reports of such deaths, which often can mean a significant under reporting of the real number of women and girls who die at the hands of partners, former partners, family members, acquaintances or strangers over a given period.

Before going to a federal election this year the former Morrison Government drafted the fifth National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.

It's hard to imagine this particular draft plan when implemented making much difference to the violent related gender-based death toll, when the preceding four (beginning in 2010-2013) have failed to bring this century's femicide count down below that 'one-a-week' sticking point in Australia.

BACKGROUND

Violence against women and children in Australia is mostly perpetrated by men. Around four in five, family and domestic violence offenders are male. Men’s violence against women, including intimate, partner violence, is more prevalent, more often used repeatedly and more likely to lead to serious injury, disability or death. More than one in three Australians have experienced violence by a male perpetrator since the age of 15, compared to one in ten by a female perpetrator. While men can also be victim-survivors of family, sexual and domestic violence, men are more likely to experience violence from a stranger…..

Family, domestic and sexual violence also causes a huge economic impact with KPMG estimating this scourge costs Australia around $26 billion each year, 40 with victims and survivors bearing approximately 50 per cent of that cost.

Importantly, while sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence can occur in the context of domestic and family violence, it can also be perpetrated by other people known or unknown to the victim-survivor. In order to be effective, it is critical that our efforts to prevent, address, and respond to sexual violence recognise both the intersections and clear points of difference between domestic and family violence and sexual violence…..

Family, domestic and sexual violence also causes a huge economic impact with KPMG estimating this scourge costs Australia around $26 billion each year, with victims and survivors bearing approximately 50 per cent of that cost.

[Australian Government, (January 2022), “Draft National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032, pp. 11-12, 15]

State of Play in New South Wales on Monday, 18 July 2022 in Year 3 of the COVID-19 pandemic

 

New South Wales

According to the latest published data at time of posting, as at 4pm on Monday 18 July 2022 there were 141,747 active COVID-19 cases across the state, with 13,544 of these being newly confirmed cases in the previous 24 hours and of whom 441 lived in the 7 local local government areas of Northern NSW.

A total of 26 people died from COVID-19 disease across the state in that same 24 hour reporting period.

Total COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic within NSW now stands at est. 3,853 men & women.

2,205 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were currently hospitalised, with 60 in intensive care of which 13 required ventilation.

As at 11 July 2022 an est. 47,895 people were being self-managed or cared for by household members. It is possibly that on 18 July that number was significantly higher.

On the same day NSW Health listed 2,507 health care workers as being in COVID-19 isolation.

Additionally, in the first 17 days of July 8,776 people in NSW had been diagnosed with Influenza.

On 13 July 2022 in 10 of the 15 local health districts across NSW an est. 20% of hospitalisation capacity was being used by COVID-19 patients and the public health system stress alert indicator was:

Australia-wide

As at 18 July 2022 there were est. 341,204 active COVID-19 cases across the country, with 39,046 being newly confirmed cases in the previous 24 hours.

An est. 30 people died from COVID-19 disease across the country in that same 24 hour reporting period, with another est. 75 deaths recorded up to 4.30pm the next day, 19 July 2022.

Total deaths from COVID-19 since 25 January 2020 now stand at 10,719 men and women, with the majority being 70 years of age and older at time of death.

5,001 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were currently hospitalised across the country, with 155 patients in intensive care of which an unknown number required ventilation.

Additionally, in the fortnight up to 3 July 2022 a total of 187,431 people across the Australia had been diagnosed with Influenza.

SOURCES

NSW:

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/default.aspx

https://aci.health.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/735267/20220713-COVID-19-Risk-Monitoring-Dashboard.pdf

https://www1.health.nsw.gov.au/IDD/#/FLU/period/%257B%2522prDisease%2522%253A%2522FLU%2522%252C%2522prLHD%2522%253A%2522X700%252CX710%252CX720%252CX730%2

Australia:

https://www.health.gov.au/health-alerts/covid-19/case-numbers-and-statistics

https://covidlive.com.au/

How to look for a missing friend or relative during the February-March 2022 NSW floods

NSW Police, News, 1 March 2022:

Police are encouraging people within the impacted flood areas to register their movements using the Australian Red Cross ‘Register, Find, Reunite’, as emergency services continue to respond to several calls for assistance. 

 A significant rain event has impacted several communities in Northern NSW since late last week, with towns such as Lismore isolated due to flood waters.

Evacuation Orders issued by the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) remain in place for several northeast NSW communities, including Lismore, Ballina, South Ballina, Casino, Woodburn, Coraki, Murwillumbah and Mullumbimby. 

 A full list of current evacuation orders and warnings can be found on the NSW SES website: https://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/. 

Yesterday (Monday 28 February 2022), police from multiple units including Police Rescue and general duties, SES volunteers, NSW Surf Life Saving, NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW and more than 200 members of the community assisted in rescuing more than 3000 people from homes within the Lismore area. 

The Australian Defence Force has also deployed to the region, with aircraft assisting with rescue efforts and around 200 officers supporting on the ground. It is estimated multiple people remain isolated in their homes across the Northern Rivers today (Tuesday 1 March 2022), with emergency services recommencing rescue operations to locate and assist them. 

As the rescue operation continues, State Emergency Operations Controller, Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon, is urging all those who have been rescued to register their movements using the Register, Find, Reunite website – https://www.redcross.org.au/emergencies/about-register-find-reunite/ – which is a National system managed and operated by Australian Red Cross. 

“Whilst emergency services and members of the community rescued more than 3000 people yesterday, only around 1000 of those have let authorities know they are okay,” Deputy Commissioner Lanyon said “The system of reporting a flood rescue can come from multiple avenues – either through the NSW SES on 132 500 or through Triple Zero (000). 

“As we continue our efforts to rescue as many people as we can from homes in the Northern Rivers, NSW Police also need to account for the whereabouts of a number of people who were rescued yesterday. 

“We understand communications in the region have been significantly impacted by this weather event, and this can add to the stress of not being able to get in contact with family and friends. 

“If you or any family members reside within the impacted area, the Register, Find, Reunite service is a helpful tool to let people know you are safe, and to allow Police, with consent, to share details of family and friends with each other,” Deputy Commissioner Lanyon said. 

The Register, Find, Reunite website – https://www.redcross.org.au/emergencies/about-register-find-reunite/ – is a National system managed and operated by Australian Red Cross. 

It is a service which registers, finds and reunites family, friends and loved ones after an Emergency. 

It allows people to: 

• Register to let people know they are safe 

• Find people who may be affected by an Emergency and know they are safe 

• Reunite through a matching process which enables Police, with consent, to share details of family and friends with each other. 

The Public Information and Inquiry Centre (PIIC), has also been activated to support the severe weather operation. 

The principle function of the PIIC is to not only provide accurate, up-to-date general information to the public, but to also answer their inquiries regarding the flood event which has impacted on the community. 

The Public Information and Inquiry Centre can be contacted by calling 1800 227 228. 

Members of the public in flood affected areas should continue to listen to local radio stations, or check the websites listed below. 

It should be noted this inquiry hotline does not replace the State Emergency Service emergency hotline. 

Members of the public seeking emergency assistance during a flood or storm should call the NSW State Emergency Service on 132 500, or visit their website www.ses.nsw.gov.au. 

The State Emergency Operations Centre at Homebush has also been stood up and will provide real-time assistance and intelligence to emergency services in the affected communities. 

For the latest weather warnings, please visit the Bureau of Meteorology website: http://www.bom.gov.au/. In life-threatening situations and emergencies, the public are advised to contact Triple Zero (000)

The death toll is beginning to mount in the Northern NSW floods of February-March 2022. 

A 54 year old identified man from Matcham on the Central Coast found in creek after his vehicle was swept off a causeway by flood waters. (24-25 February 2022)

An identified woman believed to be in her 80s found in a flooded home in Ewing St, Lismore. (1 March 2022) 

An identified woman believed to be in her 80s found inside a flooded home in Casino St, South Lismore. (1 March 2022)

An as yet unidentified man believed to be in his 70s found in a flooded unit in Cromer St, Lismore. (2 March 2022)

An identified man in his 50s found floating in flood waters at the corner of Uralba and Dawson Streets, Lismore. (2 March 2022) 

By 3 March the national death toll from the February-March 2022 floods stood at 14 people.

COVID-19 Pandemic January 2022: the saddest list in New South Wales

New South Wales COVID-19 related deaths 1 January – 23 January 2022

Saturday NEW YEAR’s DAY 1 Jan – 2 deaths, a man in his 70s and another in his 80s. 

One man was from South West Sydney the other from Western Sydney.

Sunday 2 Jan – 4 deaths, 2 men and 2 women.

Two people were aged in their 70s, one in their 80s, and one in their 90s. 

The 90 year old woman was from Western Sydney. However NSW Health failed to supply any detail on the other three who died in the 24 hr period up to 8pm on 2 January.

Monday 3 Jan – 2 deaths, a man in his 70s and another in his 90s. The man in his 70s came from the Newcastle area & the man in his 90s was from Western Sydney.

Tuesday 4 Jan – 8 deaths, 6 men and 2 women.

One person was in their 90s, two people were in their 80s, two people were in their 70s, two people were in their 60s, and one person was in their 50s. 

A man in his 70s resided in Ballina & a man in his 90s resided in Coffs Harbour, while a woman in her 80s died while in the Gosford area. There were no details given for the remaining five people.

Wednesday 5 Jan – 6 deaths, 5 men and one woman.

Aged in their 20s, 60s, 80s, and 90s. Two people were from the Lake Macquarie area, three were from Western Sydney, and one was from the ACT.

Thursday 6 Jan – 11 deaths, 6 men and 6 women.

Aged in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. 

Three people were from Northern NSW, three people were from South Eastern Sydney, one person was from Western Sydney, one person was from South Western Sydney, one person was from Northern Sydney, one person was from Port Stephens and one person was from the Lake Macquarie area.

Friday 7 Jan – 9 deaths, 4 women and 5 men. 

Aged in their 50s, 70s, and 90s.

Five people were from South Western Sydney, two were from South Eastern Sydney, one person was from Western Sydney and one person was from Newcastle.

Saturday 8 Jan – 16 deaths, 8 women and 8 men.

Aged in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s.

Seven people were from South Western Sydney, two people were from South Eastern Sydney, two people were from Western Sydney, two people were from Sydney's inner west, one person was from the Central Coast, one person was from the South Coast, and one person was from Northern Sydney.

Sunday 9 Jan – 18 deaths, 6 women, 11 men, and a child aged under five.

Of the six women and 11 men, one was aged in their 30s, three were aged in their 60s, four were aged in their 70s, seven were aged in their 80s and two were aged in their 90s.

Four people were from South Western Sydney, three people were from Western Sydney, two people were from the Hunter Region, two people were from Southern Sydney, two people were from Sydney’s Inner West, one person was from Northern Sydney, one person was from Sydney’s Inner City, one person was from Eastern Sydney, one person was from the Riverina Region, and one person was from Penrith.

Monday 10 Jan – 11 deaths, 6 women and 5 men.

Seven people were aged in their 80s, three people were aged in their 90s, and one person was aged in their 70s.

Four people were from South Western Sydney, one person was from Western Sydney, two people were from the Hunter Region, one person was from Eastern Sydney, one person was from Northern Sydney, one person was from Southern Sydney, and one was from the Central Coast.

Tuedsay 11 Jan – 21 deaths, 17 men and 4 women.

Seven of these deaths have been included following the conclusion of coronial investigations – four since 23 December 2021, one from September 2021 and two from October 2021. One person was aged in their 30s, one person was aged in their 40s, two people were aged in their 50s, four people were aged in their 60s, six people were aged in their 70s, four people were aged in their 80s, two people were aged in their 90s and one person was aged 100+.

Four people were from South Western Sydney, four people were from the Northern Beaches, four people were from South Eastern Sydney, one person was from Inner Sydney, two people were from Western Sydney, two people were from the Newcastle area, two people were from the Wollongong area and two people were from Northern Sydney.

Wednesday 12 Jan – 22 deaths, 13 men and 9 women.

One person was aged in their 60s, eight people were aged in their 70s, seven people were aged in their 80s, five people were aged in their 90s and one person was aged 100+.

Seven people were from South Western Sydney, seven people were from Northern Sydney, three people were from South Eastern Sydney, two people were from Inner Sydney, one person was from the Eastern Suburbs, one person was from the Central Coast and one person was from the Cessnock area.

Thursday 13 Jan – 29 deaths, 15 men and 14 women.

Three people were aged in their 40s, five people were aged in their 60s, five people were aged in their 70s, 11 people are in their 80s and five people are in their 90s.

Ten people were from South Western Sydney, five people were from Northern Sydney, five people were from South Eastern Sydney, three people were from Western Sydney, two people were from Sydney's Inner West, two people were from the Tweed Heads area, one person was from Wollongong and one person from the Lake Macquarie area.

Friday 14 Jan – 20 deaths, 11 men and 9 women.

One person was aged in their 20s, three people were aged in their 50s, one person was aged in their 60s, four people were in their 70s, nine people were in their 80s and two people were in their 90s.

Seven people were from south-western Sydney, four people were from western Sydney, three people were from south eastern Sydney, two people were from the Wollongong area, two people were from the Riverina, one person was from Sydney's Inner West and one person was from the Mid North Coast.

Saturday 15 Jan – 20 deaths, 12 men and 8 women.

Two people were aged in their 50s, six people were aged in their 70s, seven people were aged in their 80s, four people were in their 90s, and one person was 100+.

Six people were from South Western Sydney, four people were from Western Sydney, four people were from Sydney's inner west, two people were from South Eastern Sydney, one person was from the Northern Beaches, one person was from Northern Sydney, one person was from the Wollongong area, and one person was from the Tamworth area.

Sunday 16 Jan – 17 deaths, 12 men and 5 women.

One person was aged in their 60s, four people were aged in their 70s, nine people were aged in their 80s, and three people were in their 90s.

Seven people were from South Western Sydney, two people were from Western Sydney, two people were from South Eastern Sydney, one person was from Northern Sydney, one person was from South Sydney, one person was from the Newcastle area, one person was from the Central Coast, one person was from the Wagga Wagga area and one person was from the Tweed Heads area.

Monday 17 Jan – 36 deaths, 22 men and 14 women.

One person was aged in their 40s, two people were aged in their 50s, one person was aged in their 60s, 11 people were in their 70s, 12 people were in their 80s and nine people were in their 90s.

Nine people were from South Western Sydney, eight people were from Western Sydney, five people were from Sydney, three people were from the Northern Beaches, two people were from Northern Sydney, one person was from Coffs Harbour area, one person was from the Lake Macquarie area, one person was from the Newcastle area, one person was from the New England area, one person was from the Northern Rivers area, one person was from the Shellharbour area, one person was from the Bega Valley Shire area, one person was from the Southern Tablelands area, and one person was from the Taree area.

Tuesday 18 Jan – 32 deaths, 12 women and 20 men.

Three people were aged in their 40s, three people were aged in their 60s, eight people were in their 70s, 11 people were in their 80s and seven people were in their 90s.

11 people were from South Western Sydney, nine were from Sydney's South East, four were from Northern Sydney, two were from Western Sydney, two were from the Illawarra Shoalhaven region, one was from the Inner West, one was from the Northern Beaches, one was from the Central Coast and one was from the New England region.

Wednesday 19 Jan – 25 deaths, 16 men and 9 women.

One person was aged in their 30s, two people were aged in their 50s, five people were aged in their 60s, five people in their 70s, seven in their 80s, four in their 90s and one was over 100 years old.

Six people were from Western Sydney, five people were from South Eastern Sydney, three people were from Sydney's Inner West, two people were from the Central Coast, two people were from the Northern Beaches, two people were from the Lake Macquarie area, one person was from the Newcastle area, one person was from South Western Sydney, one person was from Queanbeyan, one person was from Albury and one person was from the Illawarra Shoalhaven region.

Thursday 20 Jan – 46 deaths, 33 men and 13 women.

Seven of these deaths have been included following the conclusion of coronial investigations – these seven deaths occurred from 29 December through to 13 January.

Of the 46 people who died; one person was aged in their 30s, one person was in their 40s, four people were in their 50s, eight people were in their 60s, 12 people were in their 70s, 13 people were in their 80s, and seven people were in their 90s.

20 people were from South Western Sydney, five were from Western Sydney, three were from Sydney's South, two were from Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, two were from Newcastle, two were from Northern Sydney, one was from Sydney's Northern Beaches, one was from Sydney's Inner West, one was from Port Macquarie, one was from Coffs Harbour, one was from Queanbeyan, one was from the Bega Valley area, one was from Singleton, one was from the Jervis Bay area, one was from Inner Sydney, one was from Wollongong, one was from the South Coast and one was from the Tweed Heads area.

Friday 21 Jan – 30 deaths, 18 men and 12 women.

Of the 30 people who died; one person was aged in their 50s, seven people were aged in their 70s, 15 people were aged in their 80s and seven people were aged in their 90s.

Ten people were from South Western Sydney, five people were from Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, three people were from Sydney’s South, two people were from Sydney’s Inner West, two people were from Sydney’s North West, two people were from the Northern Rivers region, two people were from the Central Coast, one person was from Inner Sydney, one person was from Dubbo, one person was from Wollongong and one person was from Coffs Harbour.

Saturday 22 Jan – 34 deaths, 26 men and 8 women.

Of the 34 people who died; one person was aged in their 40s, five people were aged in their 50s, five people were aged in their 60s, nine people were aged in their 70s, 10 people were aged in their 80s and four people were aged in their 90s.

Eleven people were from South Western Sydney, four people were from Western Sydney, four people were from South Eastern Sydney, three people were from the Newcastle area, two people were from the Wollongong area, two people were from Sydney’s North West, two people were from the Northern Rivers region, one person was from Northern Sydney, one person was from Sydney’s Inner West, one person was from the Mid North Coast, one person was from the South Coast and one person was from the Riverina.

Sunday 23 Jan – 24 deaths, 16 men & 8 women.

Two people were aged in their 50s, one person was in their 60s, two people were in their 70s, 12 people were in their 80s and seven people were in their 90s.

Ten people were from South Western Sydney, three people were from Western Sydney, five people were from South Eastern Sydney, four people were from Sydney's Inner West and two people were from Northern NSW.

As of 8pm on Sunday 23 January 2022 the COVID-19 death count in New South Wales for this year stands at est. 443 individuals.

The total NSW death toll since the pandemic began on 25 January 2020 is est. 1,112 men, women and children. 

Australia-wide the total fatality count from the start of the pandemic to 23 January is now in excess of 3,103 people – 909 dying in 2020, 1,331 in 2021 and over 863 thus far in 2022.

If the pandemic continues on its present trajectory, 2022 will be a black armband year for the nation.

BACKGROUND

 As at 7:40pm on 24 January 2022 the global cumulative COVID-19 case count was est. 351,635,821 and the world-wide death toll since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 pandemic is est. 5,596,793 men women an children, according to COVID-19 Dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). 

Twenty-two counties are now part of the pandemic spread which has entered its third year and shows no sign of abating due to a second major variant spreading across the globe in recent months -  "tsunami of cases is so huge and quick, that it is overwhelming health systems around the world".