Category: Covid-19

QuidelOrtho QuickVue COVID-19 Test (Photo: Business Wire)

Test Delivers on Company Commitment to Advance the Power of Diagnostics to Empower Patients with Rapid Results in Just 10 Minutes

Savanna RVP4+ Assay Research and Development Update

SAN DIEGO, April 02, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--QuidelOrtho Corporation (Nasdaq: QDEL) ("QuidelOrtho" or the "Company") has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") 510(k) clearance for its QuickVue COVID-19 test. This clearance allows the test to be used with accuracy and convenience in home and medical facility settings with CLIA certificates of waiver. This achievement also reflects QuidelOrthos dedication to delivering effective testing solutions while highlighting ongoing efforts in research and development to enhance market competitiveness.

Designed for symptomatic individuals within six days of symptom onset, the QuickVue COVID-19 test is cleared for use in individuals aged 14 or older when self-testing, and in those aged two and older when administered by an adult. Symptomatic individuals receiving an initial negative result must undergo re-testing between 48 and 72 hours later, using either an antigen or molecular test for SARS-CoV-2. For healthcare providers, comprehensive instructions for use accompany the QuickVue COVID-19 test, facilitating seamless integration into existing diagnostic protocols.

QuidelOrtho secured FDA 510(k) clearance in December 2023 for its Savanna PCR platform and Savanna HSV 1+2/VZV PCR assay. This clearance authorizes the marketing and sale of the Savanna multiplex molecular platform and the Savanna HSV 1+2/VZV assay to U.S. laboratories conducting moderate or high complexity diagnostic testing.

QuidelOrtho is committed to building the Savanna menu with the highest quality assays. As a result, upon reviewing the performance of the Savanna RVP4+ assay against the clinical markets expectations, a decision was made to withdraw the current FDA 510(k) submission for the Savanna RVP4+ assay. Data generated over a 9-month period for the four viruses targeted by the assay initially showed great promise, which led to the FDA submission in July 2023. However, the final dataset, submitted in February 2024, did not meet our expectations. In addition, during the pendency of the submission, the Company has continued to develop the next-generation RVP4+ assay. The Company anticipates the new multiplex assay to be commercially available during the 2024/2025 respiratory season.

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QuidelOrtho remains committed to expanding the Savanna platform menu. The Company is making good progress on a sexually transmitted infection ("STI") panel and expects to begin clinical trials later in the second quarter.

About QuidelOrtho Corporation

QuidelOrtho Corporation (Nasdaq: QDEL) is a world leader in in vitro diagnostics, developing and manufacturing intelligent solutions that transform data into understanding and action for more people in more places every day.

Offering industry-leading expertise in immunoassay and molecular testing, clinical chemistry and transfusion medicine, bringing fast, accurate and reliable diagnostics when and where they are needed from home to hospital, lab to clinic. So that patients, clinicians and health officials can spot trends sooner, respond quicker and chart the course ahead with accuracy and confidence.

Building upon its many years of groundbreaking innovation, QuidelOrtho continues to partner with customers across the healthcare continuum and around the globe to forge a new diagnostic frontier. One where insights and solutions know no bounds, expertise seamlessly connects and a more informed path is illuminated for each of us.

QuidelOrtho is advancing diagnostics to power a healthier future.

For more information, please visit http://www.quidelortho.com.

Source: QuidelOrtho Corporation

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are any statement contained herein that is not strictly historical, including, but not limited to, QuidelOrthos expectations regarding development and regulatory timelines for the Savanna RVP4+ assay and the STI panel, and other future plans, objectives, strategies, expectations and intentions. Without limiting the foregoing, the words "may," "will," "would," "should," "might," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "plan," "intend," "goal," "project," "strategy," "future," "continue" or similar words, expressions or the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on the beliefs and expectations of QuidelOrthos management as of today and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or outcomes may differ significantly from those set forth or implied in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ from those set forth or implied in the forward-looking statements: geopolitical, market, business, competitive and/or regulatory factors affecting the business of QuidelOrtho generally, including those discussed under Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors" of QuidelOrthos Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events because these statements are based on assumptions that may not come true and are speculative by their nature. All forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to QuidelOrtho and speak only as of the date hereof. QuidelOrtho undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking information or time-sensitive information included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed expectations or otherwise, except as required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240401748874/en/

Contacts

Investor Contact: Juliet Cunningham Vice President, Investor Relations IR@QuidelOrtho.com

Media Contact: D. Nikki Wheeler Senior Director, Corporate Communications media@QuidelOrtho.com

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QuidelOrtho Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for Its QuickVue COVID-19 Test - Yahoo Finance

Courtroom gavel. (Credit: AP)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) A man was charged with wire fraud and money laundering for faking applications to receive federal COVID-19 loans in 2020, according to court documents.

In April 2020, Ralston Lewis of Kent County submitted two applications for Paycheck Protection Program loans from the federal government, court documents say. This money was dispersed under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which was meant to help Americans and their businesses get through economic struggles during the pandemic.

In one of Lewis applications, he falsely reported that a company he represented, Blue Nyle Direct LLC, employed 12 people, whom it paid around $98,000. The application asked for around $245,000 in PPP loan funds. He submitted fake IRS forms from 2019 that showed Blue Nyle Direct LLC had more employees and payroll than it really did, court documents say. In May of 2020, the $245,000 loan was granted and dropped into the business bank account.

Lewis also submitted another application for a company called Toworda, asking for $195,000 in PPP loans. He falsely claimed the company had 11 employees and paid them an average monthly payroll of $78,000, court documents said. Toworda was granted a loan of $99,100 in May 2020.

From May through October of 2020, Lewis transferred money between the businesses and to his own various personal accounts, court documents show. He then used the money from granted loans for his own personal benefit, according to the documents.

Lewis was charged with wire fraud and money laundering, which each carry up to 20 years in prison and/or hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. According to a court document, he has to pay back $344,100 or any property bought with the loans.

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Man accused of faking COVID-19 loan applications - WOODTV.com

UK job furlough scheme

Four years ago, about 11.7 million UK employees were furloughed, their jobs and wages protected by a government scheme. Those who had just changed job were left out and that hardship still affects them today

Zac Larkham

In March 2020, Mark Edwards was excited to start a new job running a venue that hosted weddings and hospitality events. Before that, the 47-year-old had been working as a general manager at an independent group of hotels for the past nine years. He was living with his partner and dog in Norwich. My life was on track. I felt everything was in my hands, but that flipped on its head, he says.

Just as he started his new job, Covid-19 swept across the country. As the country went into lockdown almost exactly four years ago and the hospitality industry shut down, Edwards new employer sent everyone home. Most people in this situation were able to claim furlough, but Edwards was one of 300,000 new starters workers who had started a job in February or March 2020, but werent on their companys payroll in time to make the furlough schemes cut-off date. He ended up being out of work for a whole year, with a mortgage to pay and only six months of jobseekers allowance available. He spent 25,000 trying to support his household and keep up with mortgage payments. It changed everything, he says. My entire life plan changed Ive recovered in terms of jobs but not recovered from losing 25k. Ive not got it back.

Four years ago at the start of the first lockdown, as thousands like Edwards were being sent home from work, Rishi Sunak, the then chancellor, introduced the coronavirus job retention (furlough) scheme, whereby the government provided grants to employers to cover 80% of employees wages for workers who would have lost their job in the pandemic. About 11.7 million employees were furloughed, at a cost of 70bn. For many, this was a lifeline that kept them from destitution. But, according to the campaign group ExcludedUK, which lobbies for those excluded from financial support during the pandemic, up to 3.8 million taxpayers slipped through the cracks and couldnt claim furlough or get money through the self-employment income support scheme.

Initially, Sunak said employees had to have been on their companys payroll by 28 February 2020 to qualify for furlough, but he later changed this to 19 March, so an extra 200,000 people were covered. Unfortunately, most employers pay on a monthly basis, so those who were waiting to be paid by their new employer at the end of March or in April didnt qualify, simply because they started a new job at the wrong time.

I tried to rationalise it, says Edwards. And every day I thought, is today going to be the day that somebody in government or the treasury is going to go, Oh yeah. I see what weve done? . But that never happened. MPs asked questions, petitions were signed but the treasury doubled down, arguing that this arbitrary cut-off date was necessary to prevent fraudulent furlough claims for ghost employees, and that they simply couldnt protect everyone. They said extending the cut-off date for furlough beyond 19 March was impossible, due to the practical implications of monitoring such an extension.

For those who missed out, the consequences were devastating. Lisa Butler-Hart, 52, says she has worked since the age of 16. In 2020 she left her job working for English Heritage at Stonehenge to return to an old job at a garden centre when her manager asked her to come back. Her husband is chronically ill so, as well as working, Butler-Hart is also his carer. I was trying to go from one job to another so we could have a slightly better life, she says. But, like Edwards, she had started her new job just before lockdown and didnt qualify for furlough.

Butler-Hart and her husband racked up rent arrears and tried to live off their allotment, which they also used to help feed shielding family and friends. I was sat there with no job, no income, no nothing. I even tried to apply for universal credit and they said no. It was a kick in the teeth really because I wasnt entitled to anything, apparently, she says. How were we supposed to live on the meagre benefits my husband was getting and survive? Financially, we were screwed big time. There was a point when I had to decide whether I could afford to get my prescription or have anything to eat. I spent probably three months with about 5 in my bank account.

In March 2021, the couple were offered a council house after being on the waiting list for years, but, under the councils rules, they couldnt move in while their existing rent was in arrears. A family member offered a loan to pay back the rent and they eventually moved in in July 2021, but, says Butler-Hart, Its like everythings still on catchup I have been under an inordinate amount of stress this entire time.

Beth Nash, 47, was booking her wedding with her partner of 17 years when the pandemic began. In 1996, when she was 19, she had joined Thomson Directories and worked there until she was made redundant in January 2020. I always worked. Ever since I was in my teenage years I always had Saturday jobs, paper rounds, jobs after school, jobs after college, she says. Thompson had given her a good redundancy package and she decided to put the money towards the wedding.

She spent February looking for work and started a new job at the beginning of March, but was then placed on unpaid leave when Boris Johnson announced the first lockdown. The weeks between being made redundant from her old job and starting the new job were the only time Nash hadnt been in employment for her entire working life. That was the difference between me qualifying for furlough or not, she says. I could only qualify for around 75 a week in jobseekers allowance. The wedding money got swallowed up so we had to remortgage to pay for the wedding because everything was already booked. Its still not been paid off because of interest rates being so high.

Jennifer Griffiths, head of ExcludedUK, says those who were denied furlough watched in shock, helpless and hopeless, as they realised that they were not going to receive the parity of financial support that the other 90% of UK taxpayers received.

Many are still suffering the after-effects of taking out loans or overdrafts to survive, and the worst affected are those who are also being crushed in the cost of living crisis.

Many people also found themselves struggling with their mental health at some point over the pandemic. According to the Office for National Statistics, one in five of us now experience moderate to severe symptoms of depression, compared with one in 10 before the pandemic. Studies have shown that debt can make these problems worse, and Edwards is left wondering about those who may not be here to tell their stories. How many people actually lost their lives as a result of this? he asks. There would have been people homeless, there would have been people that took their lives

Despite offering free mental healthcare, ExcludedUK says 37 people who couldnt access the governments financial support schemes during the pandemic killed themselves, and hundreds more are still receiving support. One man, who asked to remain anonymous, said he and his wife are still on medication for anxiety and depression after losing 24,000 and coming one step away from losing their house after missing out on furlough. Were doing better but we both have to be on antidepressants as we were totally lost. I didnt let it harm the kids, but it was a struggle for sure, he says.

Those affected place the blame squarely with Sunak and the Conservative government who were responsible for the furlough scheme. I shout at my television screen whenever he comes on, says Butler-Hart. For Mary Orru, a chef from Newcastle, the betrayal was too much. Orru, 63, was a catering manager at the start of the pandemic but was unhappy with her job and decided to leave in March. Unable to claim furlough, she signed on for benefits for the first time in her life, an experience she describes as belittling. She was told at the jobcentre when hospitality opened up again that she should have sold her house. How can you sell your bloody house in lockdown? I found myself getting depressed and angry I still am, she says.

Eventually she found work again almost a year later in January 2021, at a Covid test laboratory, but she still feels cheated: My parents always said to me, Mary, go to school, do well, get a job, pay your taxes, youll be looked after by the country. You retire at 60, youll get your pension, youll be fine. So long as you work. And Ive done that, and I didnt get help when I needed it. I worked for 40 years and got kicked in the teeth by the government. I never thought Id say that about this country.

The anger Orru still feels prompted her own small protest after discussing this with her husband, who still works full-time. Im stubborn, so I decided I was not going to pay another penny in income tax to the coffers of any government in this hellhole of a country, she says. I decided I would only work as long as I stayed below the income tax threshold.

When theyve got Covid and travel from London to Scotland, have all these parties and jump in cars to check their eyesight, you know they had one rule for them and a different one for us, she says. Something happened to the general public during that time, and I dont think well ever get it back. I think its damaged a lot of people.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org

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I only had 5: what happened to the 3.8 million people denied furlough at the start of Covid? - The Guardian

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Network analysis of anxiety and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in older adults in the United ... - Nature.com

Rand Paul announces bipartisan investigation of COVID-19 origins

by JACKSON WALKER | The National Desk

FILE - U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks at at the Kentucky Farm Bureau Ham Breakfast, July 25, 2022, in Louisville. Paul is seeking reelection to the Senate on Nov. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

WASHINGTON (TND)

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Monday announced the launch of a bipartisan investigation looking into the origins of the coronavirus.

Signing onto the effort is Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who oversees the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Politico first reported. The outlet added the investigation will lead to hearings on an array of scientific safety topic, including the origins of COVID-19.

The senators will also work to increase transparency of how taxpayer funds are used in life science research.

Sen. Paul, who is a physician, has repeatedly engaged in intense exchanges with leading health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci. Speaking to The National Desk in 2022, Sen. Paul said Fauci had been ignoring the immunity you have from acquiring the disease in pushing for widespread COVID-19 vaccination.

The Bluegrass State Republican also became the first congressman to ever lead a hearing dedicated to gain-of-function research, in which scientists modify a genetic organism. He argued such practices have historically been supported by tax dollars both domestically and internationally."

In 2024, Republicans remain hard-pressed to learn more about the virus. Democrats, however, continue to defend Fauci, accusing their colleagues across the aisle of politicizing the pandemic, promoting vaccine hesitancy and spreading misinformation.

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., in July said "there is a complete dismantling of the importance of what vaccines have actually done in this country and how many lives have actually been saved."

Follow Jackson Walker on X at @_jlwalker_ for the latest trending national news. Have a news tip? Send it to jacwalker@sbgtv.com.

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Rand Paul announces bipartisan investigation of COVID-19 origins - KOMO News

A new study by Australian researchers has found the nation's healthcare system could be inundated with more than a thousand new cancer cases in the next six years if testing rates do not pick up.

The report looked into the impact of COVID-19 disruptions like lockdowns on bowel cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment in Australia, and found testing rates had fallen off around the country.

The study was published by PLOS One and was carried out by researchers at the University of New South Wales, the Daffodil Centre and the Cancer Council of New South Wales.

Bowel cancer is one of just three cancers that has a national screening program in Australia.

It's one of the most common forms of cancer and can be deadly if not detected and treated early.

Lead researcher Joachim Worthington said the COVID-19 pandemic had a crushing impact on how the Australian health system coped with the disease, and his team set out to find out why.

"At the end of March 2020, we really had no idea what was going to happen at hospitals or national screening programs," he said.

"We were looking into what would happen if, hypothetically, those cancer screening programs had to shut down.

"The main concern was people having these cancers and having them lie undetected because they aren't accessing health services."

Dr Worthington teamed up with researchers from Canada to begin modelling the impact of COVID-19 disruptions on the prevention, testing, diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer.

"We've got the official statistics saying that fewer people completed their bowel screening tests," he said.

"We've also got the official statistics saying that there were delays to people getting their cancer diagnosed, as well as getting their treatment after that."

According to the report, disruptions caused by the pandemic could lead to an extra 234 cancer cases and 1,186 deaths in Australia over 10 years, between 2020 and 2030.

"In Australia, COVID disruptions were predicted to lead to a 2.4 per cent increase in mortality compared with a scenario with no screening disruption or diagnostic treatment delays," the report reads.

The research found Australia experienced a 7 per cent decrease in screening, an 11.7 per cent decrease in diagnoses and up to a 7 per cent decrease in treatment, spanning COVID-19-era cancer control data.

While the results were confronting, Dr Worthington said the teams also worked together to model what "mitigation" would look like in patients.

That is, what would start happening if Australians got back into regular bowel cancer screenings and testing.

If mitigated, the report found, Australia would record 842 deaths rather than the predicted 1,186.

"It's a simple test, but only 40 per cent of Australians do it," Dr Worthington said.

"There'sdefinitely scope for a lot more people to get into screening or return to screening if they've lost that habit over the pandemic.

"It wasn't too long ago that we didn't have this screening program, and for a lot of cancers, we don't have the opportunity to detect these early.

"On a broader government level, we're just hoping to highlight the importance of the bowel cancer screening program, and make sure that's as resilient as possible in future when there's more disruptions if that ever comes around again."

Read more:

Australians warned to get tested or brace for extra 1,000 cancer cases over 10 years - ABC News

A Lynn man has been arrested and charged for allegedly sex trafficking three women who did not have jobs and were struggling with homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials announced Monday.

Anthony Coleman, 34, is charged with three counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and one count of transporting a person for purposes of prostitution, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a press release.

Coleman allegedly had his victims move into a house in Lawrence, specifically targeting people who had lost their jobs or homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the indictment. Coleman reportedly posted commercial sex advertisements for his victims, provided them scripts to negotiate payment with buyers, and drove his victims to where they would engage in commercial sex, according to the press release.

Every victim was allegedly forced to give all their earnings to Coleman and regularly have sex with him, the U.S. Attorneys office said.

In March 2020, Coleman reportedly recruited a woman who had lost her job due to the pandemic. The woman would sometimes serve up to 10-16 clients a day, and Coleman would allegedly drive her to Florida to serve clients, according to prosecutors.

Coleman also allegedly physically abused this victim, including by holding her underwater, requiring her to walk outside naked on broken glass, and throwing her against the wall, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Coleman is said to have recruited a second victim in March or April 2020 after she had been kicked out of her home due to disagreements about COVID-19 protocols, officials said. She also allegedly engaged in commercial sex for Coleman and was threatened when she wanted to leave.

The third victim was recruited while homeless in the summer of 2020, officials said. When she did something Coleman did not like or refused to engage in commercial sex, Coleman would reportedly physically and verbally assault her, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

The indictment alleges that Mr. Coleman chose to prey on women who were struggling with employment and housing when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy in a statement. He allegedly forced these women to sell their bodies, took their money, and violently assaulted them to make sure they obeyed his commands.

If convicted, Coleman faces a minimum of 15 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 for the sex trafficking charges. He faces up to 10 years in prison for the charge of transporting an individual for the purposes of prostitution.

Coleman was arrested on March 29 and appeared in federal court in Boston on Monday, officials said.

Anyone who believes they may be a victim of this alleged crime is asked to contactUSAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

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Lynn man charged after allegedly sex trafficking 3 women amid COVID pandemic - Boston.com

Regina Howard began working from home in early 2020.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, she would take the train to commute from her home in south suburban Dolton to Chicago.

Howard participated in a commuter savings program, which allocated a portion of her regular paycheck toward commuting expenses. Howard didnt have to pay income taxes on the funds that were set aside for her commute.

Then time went on, and we were still at home, and then I'm looking at my checks one day, I'm like, 'Oh, wow, I'm still getting the deductions for the train ride,'" she recalled.

Howard stopped contributing to the commuter savings program.

A total of $477.50 sat in her Ventra account, which is the fare system for the Chicago Transit Authority. Howard said she received disappointing news when she asked Ventra for a refund.

I was told I would need to be relocating or dead in order to get a refund, she explained.

According to Ventras policy, account refunds are not provided unless the account holder is recently deceased and a representative of their estate requests a refund. Or if the account holder has an unplanned move or relocation out of the state of Illinois.

The south suburban resident said the Ventra customer service agent told her the unused funds would just sit there in her account. Howard told NBC5 Responds she called back numerous times and asked to speak with a supervisor.

Then, last June, she received a refund from a Ventra supervisor. He said her money was approved for a refund, but she would need to fill out additional paperwork.

Howard said she followed up numerous times with no luck.

Every rep that I spoke with after that kept telling me that it [the refund] was denied," she explained.

But Howard still had the voicemail saying that her refund had been approved. She decided to call NBC 5 Responds for help.

I got a response so fast from NBC. It's just like, oh, it works, Howard said.

NBC 5 Responds contacted the CTA to get its understanding of the situation.

The CTA said Howard didnt meet its opt-out conditions, adding: In this instance, we are moving forward with providing a refund to the rider The agency went on to say: CTA will issue the transit benefit amount back to the third-party administrator (TPA) used by the riders employer to administer its Transit Benefits Program. The TPA will then coordinate the refund with the riders employer who will then need to tax the value accordingly and process as needed.

The process of refunding the money took nearly two months, but Howard finally got her refund of $477.50.

In this case, NBC 5 Responds went to work for Howard because she had documentation showing Ventra had promised a refund but never delivered.

See the article here:

Commuter gets refund for unused COVID-era benefits with help from NBC 5 Responds - NBC Chicago

More than a thousand additional Aussies are likely to die from bowel cancer because of disruptions caused by COVID-19, researchers say.

Scientists say they expect pandemic disruptions would lead to a 2.4 per cent increase in deaths related to the cancer, compared with a scenario when there were no screening disruption, diagnostic or treatment delays.

The Aussie-led research expects an additional 234 bowel cancer cases and 1186 deaths in Australia over 20202030.

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The researchers modelled the impact of disruptions on colorectal cancer cases and deaths in both Canada and Australia.

But they also found that increasing diagnostic and treatment capacities by five per cent to address the backlog could help prevent 350 Aussie deaths.

Cancer Council NSW, The University of Sydney,n and The Daffodil Centre were involved in the research.

Bowel cancer is the third most diagnosed and second deadliest cancer in Australia, after lung cancer.

But an easy test can help diagnose it.

Government advice body the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) announced a recommendation to lower the screening age for the disease from 50 to 45 late last year.

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But the federal government needs to give it the green light.

Last year, a mother who was diagnosed with cancer after returning her screening kit urged Aussies not to ignore them.

A bowel cancer screening kit is sent to all Australians aged 50 to 74 every two years.

An Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report in 2023 showed bowel cancer screening participation rates had dropped - and also blamed the pandemic.

It dropped to 40.9 per cent in 2020-2021, an almost three per cent decline from the previous screening period.

More than 2.6 million Aussies were invited to send tests over that period, yet a huge 1.5 million did not return a sample.

But even in normal times, around 60 per cent of Australians don't bother to complete the test.

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Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer after lung cancer.

However, if caught at the earliest stage, 99 per cent of people survive at least five years.

That drops to 14 per cent at stage four.

One in nine new bowel cancer cases - more than 1700 a year - are in people under 50.

Under the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBSCP), Australians aged 50 to 74 are sent testing kits in the mail to collect a fecal sample that is then posted to a pathology laboratory to be examined.

READ MORE: JK Rowling dares police to arrest her after transgender law passes

Blood in stools, unexplained weight loss, abdominal pain, unexplained anaemia and a persistent change in bowel habits can all be signs of the disease.

For more details, visit Bowel Cancer Australia.

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More Aussies will die from bowel cancer because of COVID-19 disruption, research finds - 9News

$11 million from Oklahoma's Emergency Assistance for Non-Public Schools Fund will be used to fund scholarships for students working toward much-needed professions, according to Gov. Kevin Stitt.

Monday, April 1st 2024, 6:24 am

By: News 9

Governor Kevin Stitt announced his intention to move more than $11 million from Oklahomas unused Emergency Assistance for Non-Public Schools Fund.

The governor said the money will be moved from the Oklahoma State Department of Education to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

Governor Stitt said the money will be used as scholarships for students working toward degrees in education, childcare and other much-needed industries.

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Over $10 Million In Unused COVID-19 Funds Will Be Used To Support Student Scholarships, Gov. Stitt Announces - News On 6