Newspoll continues to show Labor ahead of the Coalition on a two-party preferred basis, but other polls, and the end of lockdowns on the east coast, may paint a different picture in the coming weeks.
Unions are encouraging all workers to be vaccinated, but not through employment mandates. Instead, they support bodily autonomy, workers’ rights, fairness and democracy.
As we continue to roll out COVID-19 vaccines around the world, we’re learning people who are immunocompromised aren’t necessarily protected as well from the first two doses.
Trials are under way to ascertain whether COVID vaccines are safe and effective for children under 12. In the meantime, it’s reassuring to note that generally, young kids cope OK with the virus.
Communion – including drinking the symbolic blood of Christ – is a spiritual act, not a medical cure. To argue otherwise is a dangerous corruption of Christian belief.
Once we achieve herd immunity, people who are not vaccinated benefit indirectly from the immunity of those around them. But it’s not easy to say exactly when we’ll reach this threshold for COVID-19.
The federal government has announced COVID-19 vaccination will now become mandatory for aged-care workers. This comes amid a slow and troubled rollout in the sector.
By the time Australia is ready to deliver Novavax, we may well have completed most of the vaccine rollout with AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna. That doesn’t mean Novavax won’t play an important role.
The rules around allocation, and the enforcement of those rules, can’t rest with each individual. Responsibility lies with those in charge of delivering vaccines.
Our attitudes and behaviours are shaped by what others in society do. So there’s a real danger that vaccine hesitancy, when reported widely in the media, could catch on to more people.
The federal government is due to launch a new advertising campaign for COVID-19 vaccines in July. This is a chance to offer something more engaging than what we’ve seen to date.
Kylie Quinn, RMIT University and Jennifer Juno, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
The infection of a Victorian aged-worker who had received their first COVID vaccine dose isn’t completely surprising. We need two doses for optimal protection.
Fiona Russell, The University of Melbourne; John Hart, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, and Katherine Gibney, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
The COVID-19 variant responsible for Victoria’s latest outbreak is one of three Indian variant sub-types, which spreads more easily than the original strain. Here’s what we know so far.
Paediatrician at the Royal Childrens Hospital and Associate Professor and Clinician Scientist, University of Melbourne and MCRI, Murdoch Children's Research Institute