Coronavirus cases are slowly rising in Australia. We have a good system of testing possible cases and surveilling the population for people who don’t know they have it. But there’s more we could do.
Amy Maguire, University of Newcastle and Bin Li, University of Newcastle
Australia’s Biosecurity Act gives the government power to detain and isolate people who are suspected of being infected, with potentially harsh penalties for those who fail to comply.
Medical workers in health crisis zones need access to research evidence to inform decisions. Above, workers at a temporary hospital for COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China on Feb. 21, 2020.
Chinatopix via AP, File
In a health crisis, decisions about treatment and containment must be made quickly. It’s crucial those decisions be based on research evidence, but fast and easy access is not always available.
Local residents’ committees control urban governance in China, meaning lockdown measures do not feel imposed from outside.
U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Jerome M. Adams, center, demonstrates hand-washing to U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, left, and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, right, in Rocky Hill, Conn., March 2, 2020.
AP Photo/Jessica Hill
As the coronavirus spreads, public health officials stress the importance of hand washing. But can it really make that much of a difference? A microbiologist explains why.
A county executive in Washington state addresses the media after a death from COVID-19, which results from the coronavirus.
Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images
COVID-19 has now been confirmed in New Zealand in one case, but as yet, there is no evidence of transmission to others. Pandemic planning is focused on keeping the novel coronavirus out.
Prime Minister Scott Morrision delivers a coronavirus update on Tuesday.
Lukas Coch/AAP
It is now legal in England to isolate people against their wishes to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
A train attendant in Nanchang, China, gestures in solidarity with medical staff departing for the city of Wuhan, Feb. 13, 2020.
STR/AFP via Getty Images
Public criticism of the Chinese government’s handling of coronavirus shows that the Chinese people can overcome both strict censorship and a gaping class divide when they get angry enough.
Wearing a mask may not be enough.
AP Photo/Lee Jin-man
Unemployment insurance could soften the blow if the COVID-19 outbreak takes hold in the US. But the system currently isn’t designed to help workers in a pandemic.
The coronavirus has moved to a new stage in Australia, with the first two cases of local transmission of the disease, affecting the economy, and inspiring legislative action.
Coronavirus has necessitated a global public health response. But what does ‘public health’ actually mean? Three key examples give us an idea of what public health looks like in action.
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne