Hurricane Iota that has been threatening Central America has ramped up to a “catastrophic” category 5 hurricane.

Predictions have been reported where it is expected to hit Central America late Monday. NHC stated the hurricane will “bring catastrophic wind, life-threatening storm surge and torrential rainfall.”

Communities in the area have been preparing and some cities have proceeded with evacuations.

Joe Biden has expressed frustration over Donald Trump’s refusal to concede the election, stating the US population is at risk of more fatalities from coronavirus without immediate action.  

Biden stated that waiting until the inauguration day on January 20th will put necessary planning and actions behind by a month.

New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, has advised it is unlikely Australia will be included in the trans-Tasman travel bubble by Christmas.

With the outbreak of a coronavirus cluster in South Australia, Ardern stated the strategy Australia uses to handle COVID-19 does not align with New Zealand’s approach.

Where Australia deals with the virus by employing a suppression strategy which locks down the COVID hotspots, New Zealand goes by a complete elimination strategy. Ardern has advised this does not adhere to New Zealand’s method.

Queensland health workers have spoken out, reporting their personal protective equipment (PPE) is out of date and does not fit.

Queensland Health has a guideline to ensure appropriate PPE is worn to prevent transmission, and for annual tests to be performed by healthcare workers to check masks fit correctly.

However, some nurses have stated their PPE tests haven’t been conducted for over 10 years. The Nurses Professional Association of Queensland is appealing for annual fit testing of masks to become the law.

Ravenswood gold mine in North Queensland is set to receive a major development after several years of planning.

Ravenswood Gold CEO Brett Fletcher stated the expansion will include a new open pit mine, $200 million to improve ore process efficiency, and a new tailings dam.

The mine is set to produce up to 250,000 ounces of gold a year, making it the largest mine in Queensland.

South Australia has received a fresh load of new coronavirus restrictions in a bid to control the outbreak in Adelaide.

Premier Steven Marshall announced South Australia will experience a two-week restriction period which will see the closure of gyms, and limits on private gatherings as well as funerals.

Marshall announced the Australian Defence Force will be assisting South Australia to contain the infections.

Australia’s wine industry is concerned its billion-dollar trade with China has come to a stop.

The Australian Grape and Wine group stated they enquired with exporters as to whether any shipments had made it through China’s customs after an unofficial ban was announced two weeks ago. So far there has been no reports of success.

Chief Executive Tony Battaglene advised he heard shipments have been “subject to increased testing…to increased scrutiny of documents and it’s definitely slowing any clearance of customs”.

A second COVID-19 vaccine under trial has proved to be 94.5 percent effective in preventing the virus.

Moderna is the second US pharmaceutical company to report effective vaccine results alongside company Pfizer.

Although safety data and regulatory review is required, the US believes two vaccines may be approved for emergency use by December this year. Both vaccines have been developed with new technology called messenger RNA, which has been a powerful tool in fighting the virus.