With the goal of ‘business as usual’, politicians will continue to reduce COVID protections without immediate consequence while transmission is low. But then the next wave will come.
- Professor of Global Biosecurity, NHMRC L3 Research Fellow, Head, Biosecurity Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW
The third-generation vaccine has fewer potential side effects than second-generation vaccines and can be safely given to people with weakened immune systems.
Fourth COVID shots have been approved for over-30s, a necessary step to help protect Australians this winter. But we should be doing more.
Monkeypox has spread to more than 50 countries and will continue to be monitored. Here’s what we know about monkeypox so far and what researchers want to find out.
The seriousness of an epidemic is a function of several factors, including the degree of contagiousness and potential for rapid spread.
Two cases of monkeypox have been reported in Australia. Resurgence of this virus could be due to the ending of smallpox vaccination.
Masks not only reduce your chance of getting COVID, they might stop you unknowingly transmitting the virus to colleagues, people in vulnerable groups or children who are yet to be vaccinated.
The airborne nature of COVID supports routine use of respirators by the public. Here, experts explain the science behind this recommendation.
The public has been left to their own devices as all our previous safeguards collapse around us. We urgently need a “vaccines-plus” strategy to flatten the curve.
For starters, we need to start thinking of fully vaccinated as three doses, not two. But vaccines alone won’t be enough.
‘Racism and misogyny are part of it. They simultaneously spruik pseudoscience and anti-science agendas which have come to Australia from overseas,’ said one expert.
Vaccines alone aren’t enough to protect against the highly contagious Delta variant.
Many Sydneysiders have been heading to beaches in their local areas as the weather warms. So, if it’s allowed under the public health orders for your area, is it OK to go to the beach?
An 80% adult vaccination rate corresponds to 64% of the overall population, leaving plenty of people susceptible to the virus if restrictions ease too quickly.
Most kids will be unvaccinated if schools in the two largest states re-open in term 4. There may still be community transmission, but there are measures we can take to shield kids from the virus.
Même dans des pays largement vaccinés comme Israël, l’épidémie de Covid peut connaître un rebond… Cette situation apparemment paradoxale est normale, et ne traduit pas une inefficacité du vaccin.
Australia plans to begin relaxing restrictions once 70% of over-16s are fully vaccinated. But as Israel shows us, it’s likely not enough to reach herd immunity, especially with the Delta variant.
NSW’s successful test and trace strategy controlled the Crossroads Hotel outbreak a year ago without needing a stringent lockdown. But this has not worked as well against Delta.
In Hong Kong, SARS created a new social norm, where people accepted mask use as part of their ‘civic responsibility’.
Health workers have long called for better protections against COVID-19. Well fitting masks are now required when caring for COVID-19 patients. But the guidelines on ventilation miss the mark.
In the end, the best protection is mass vaccination and ensuring as many people as possible are fully vaccinated as quickly as possible.
What does the Seychelles experience tell us about variants, vaccine efficacy and herd immunity?
Will new guidelines on how to protect front-line workers acknowledge the coronavirus can spread via the air we breathe? It’s time they did.
We’ll need mass vaccination hubs and expanded GP vaccination clinics to deliver jabs to millions of Australians.
It’s going to be a huge logistical challenge.
Contact C for
- General
- Media request
- Speaking request
- Consulting / Advising
- Research collaboration
- Research supervision
- Location: Sydney, Australia
- Website
- X (formerly Twitter): @GlobalBiosec
- Article Feed
- ORCID
- Joined
