National cabinet has agreed to extend the availability of free rapid antigen tests to some Australians — but supply shortages remain a serious issue across Australia.

Source: Rapid antigen tests will soon be free for millions of Australians — who’s eligible? When do you need a PCR test? – ABC News

Source: B.C. schools bracing to close ‘at moment’s notice’ due to Omicron | Globalnews.ca

However, one year on, promoters of the lie that the election was stolen have taken over one political party and stoked distrust in our electoral systems. These forces exert power and influence through relentless disinformation, which continues to turn Americans against Americans. According to the Survey Center on American Life, 36 percent of Americans — almost 100 million adults across the political spectrum — agree that “the traditional American way of life is disappearing so fast that we may have to use force to save it.” The Washington Post recently reported that roughly 40 percent of Republicans believe that violent action against the government is sometimes justified.

Politicians in my home state of Georgia, as well as in others, such as Texas and Florida, have leveraged the distrust they have created to enact laws that empower partisan legislatures to intervene in election processes. They seek to win by any means, and many Americans are being persuaded to think and act likewise, threatening to collapse the foundations of our security and democracy with breathtaking speed. I now fear that what we have fought so hard to achieve globally — the right to free, fair elections, unhindered by strongman politicians who seek nothing more than to grow their own power — has become dangerously fragile at home.

Source: Avian Flu Diary: UKHSA: COVID Cases, Hospitalizations & Deaths Up Sharply

Source: ‘Real Disregard of Our Safety’: Teachers Struggle With Omicron

Source: Walmart, Kroger Raise Prices of Covid-19 Test Kits – Slashdot

Source: Guy Pushing ATL’s Whitest Hood to Secede RTs White Supremacist Site

The Recording Academy and broadcast partner CBS have postponed the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, citing “consideration and analysis” with Los Angeles and California officials, health and safety experts, musicians, and other partners. The show had been set to take place Jan. 31 at the recently renamed Crypto.com Arena (the stadium previously known as Staples) in downtown L.A.

“Given the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant, holding the show on January 31st simply contains too many risks,” the Recording Academy and CBS said in a joint statement.

Source: No Grammys This Month — Thanks, Omicron | LAist

Source: Apple will donate 50% of (PRODUCT)RED proceeds to fight COVID in sub-Saharan Africa | AppleInsider