What women are talking about today, Friday July 22.

Morning all,

Elon Musk's father, Errol, has been making headlines lately after he confirmed he's had a second child with his stepdaughter. You can read everything we know about their relationship here. 

But first, here are the top news stories you need to know today, Friday, July 22.

1. NSW COVID deaths rise 50 per cent in one week as experts say Aussies shouldn't wait for variant virus shot.

New South Wales recorded a 50 per cent rise in COVID-19 deaths last week compared to the week before, new data shows. 

In data published by the ABC, 142 people were reported to have died with the virus in the week ending July 16, compared with 94 people the previous week.

Yesterday, the state recorded 25 deaths, while Victoria recorded 37 and Queensland reported 10. 

COVID-19 update – Thursday 21 July 2022

In the 24-hour reporting period to 4pm yesterday:

- 96.8% of people aged 16+ have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
- 95.2% of people aged 16+ have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine pic.twitter.com/jPmZbVwRVw

— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 20, 2022

It comes as the nation's leading immunisation experts urge Aussies not to wait for an Omicron-specific booster before getting their fourth COVID-19 jab. 

Professor Kristine Macartney from the Australian National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance told an international COVID conference that no such shot is going to make it to market in time to protect anyone this winter. 

"It's all about what you can do to make things better for yourself and those around you particularly in the coming four to eight weeks," she told the conference in Sydney yesterday. 

"We won't have variant vaccines in the country within that time. So, it's all about what you can do now."

UNSW professor Greg Dore earlier told the conference widespread vaccination was likely behind a roughly 50 per cent reduction in the risk of long COVID-19, rather than it being less prevalent in relation to Omicron.

People yet to contract the virus and not up-to-date with their immunisation were of greatest concern, with around five per cent of all who become infected still displaying symptoms months later, he said.

With 50,000 Australians acquiring the virus each day, at least according to the official count, about 2500 are therefore likely to go on and suffer the longer version.

2. Child hospitalised after alleged sexual assault in Melbourne. 

Warning: This post mentions sexual assault and may be triggering for some readers.

An 11-year-old girl has been taken to hospital after she was allegedly sexually assaulted in Melbourne.

A 31-year-old man was arrested after the alleged attack, which police say happened just before 2pm yesterday. 

A young girl has been taken to hospital following an alleged sexual assault in Melbourne. #9Newshttps://t.co/BJ4BM9VEDg

— 9News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) July 21, 2022

Paramedics were called to the incident, and the girl was taken to the Royal Children's Hospital in a stable condition, Ambulance Victoria said.

The man from North Melbourne is in custody, police said. 

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.

3. Indonesian border to stay open despite foot and mouth outbreak. 

Australia will not slam shut its border to arrivals from Indonesia amid an outbreak of foot and mouth disease, Agriculture Minister Murray Watt says. 

Opposition MPs Barnaby Joyce and Karen Andrews have called on the government to close the border to its northern neighbour. But the proposed measure has been decried as "drastic" by farming bodies.

Senator Watt said there was a "well-established plan" to deal with an outbreak in Australia, but he was confident the disease could be kept out. 

"We have some of the world's best biosecurity systems," he said. "We have no plans to close the borders either in Indonesia or to any of the other many countries that have foot and mouth disease."  

The federal Government is rejecting calls to close our border with Indonesia as concern over a foot and mouth outbreak there grows.

Shoe sanitising foot mats are now being rolled out to every international airport. @Cuhlmann #9News pic.twitter.com/R0hqVdZMt1

— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) July 21, 2022

Victorian Farmers Federation president Emma Germano also told AAP closing the borders would be a "very drastic step", saying "we rely on this bilateral trade between the two countries. I don't know how you would justify doing that to Indonesia when foot and mouth is endemic in other countries". 

Senator Watt announced further biosecurity measures on Wednesday after viral fragments of foot and mouth disease and African swine fever were detected in pork products at a Melbourne retailer. An undeclared beef product was also recently seized from a traveller at an Australian airport and later tested positive for disease fragments.

He is urging travellers to take responsibility, clean their shoes and declare all meat products when arriving in Australia.

4. Aus birth rate at more than 10-year low.

Australia has reported its lowest birth rate in more than a decade, as the average age of first-time parents continues to increase.

The country's birth rate fell significantly between 2007 and 2020, from 66 per 1000 people, to 56 per 1000 people.

As for the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of babies born declined by about 7100 between 2019 and 2020, equating to a more than two per cent drop, according to a report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare published today. 

The average age for giving birth rose from 30 in 2010 to 30.9, with the proportion of teenage parents falling from 3.8 to 1.8 per cent in the decade to 2020. The proportion of parents aged 40 and over also went up slightly to 4.5 per cent in 2020.

Parents aged 40 and over more commonly delivered via caesarean sections. 

Overall, caesarean sections accounted for more than one in three births in 2020, up by five per cent in the previous decade. 

5. Ricky Martin’s nephew withdraws 'incest' claim.

Ricky Martin's 21-year-old nephew has withdrawn allegations he was harassed and shared a sexual relationship with the singer. 

In a statement, Martin's Attorneys said the court in Puerto Rico did not extend the temporary protection order placed against the 50-year-old.

"Just as we had anticipated, the temporary protection order was not extended by the Court," read the statement, which Martin shared on social media. 

"The accuser confirmed to the court that his decision to dismiss the matter was his alone, without any outside influence or pressure, and the accuser confirmed he was satisfied with his legal representation in the matter."

"This was never anything more than a troubled individual making false allegations with absolutely nothing to substantiate them. We are glad that our client saw justice done and can now move forward with his life and his career."

Truth prevails.

Swipe right for English pic.twitter.com/4Q7UOHCi7e

— Ricky Martin (@ricky_martin) July 21, 2022

The singer previously denied allegations he engaged in an incestuous relationship with his nephew earlier this week. 

- With AAP. 

This week, records were broken in the UK when the temperature soared into the high 30s and even 40s in some areas for the first time ever, causing chaos for ambulance services and fire crews who battled widespread heat exhaustion and wildfires.

Despite the threat to human life and property, many Aussies were scoffing at the British for not being able to handle a couple of days of temperatures that we deal with every summer.

The Quicky speaks to a climate expert to find out why even just a couple of days of 40+ degrees caused such devastation in Britain, and what could happen if heatwaves such as this become increasingly common in Europe.

READ: 

• What women were talking about on Thursday
• What women were talking about on Wednesday
• What women were talking about on Tuesday
• What women were talking about on Monday

Feature Image: AAP/Lionel Hahn/Getty.