Keeping health-care workers COVID-free is critical to delivering care to those who need it during a pandemic. What can we do to ensure they are better protected?
Assisted dying is often cast as an issue of individual autonomy, but an assisted death can have repercussions on many people — those left behind or others struggling with a chronic disease.
Many women are turning away from hospital births during the pandemic, preferring to give birth at home. But midwives aren’t always available to support them. So some are birthing without one.
Many people are already struggling amid the stress and uncertainty of the pandemic. For Melbourne residents, a second lockdown is likely to place an even bigger strain on their mental health.
The actions of one country cannot be allowed to undermine decades of multilateral efforts to improve the health and well-being of all peoples of the world.
Recent cases remind us that although children and teens are considered less likely than adults to catch and spread COVID-19, everyone with symptoms should get a test — including children and teens.
Some experts were concerned about the creation of unrealistic expectations, links with gender-based violence, and the potential for addiction. Others said education might help to offset these harms.
The best option is for infected people to be admitted to hospitals or other suitable health facilities. This will help prevent transmission within families.
As Melbourne returns to lockdown, the evidence suggests routine mask-wearing - as seen in many countries but not so far in Australia - could be a valuable tool to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
239 scientists have penned an open letter to the WHO arguing COVID-19 likely spreads through the air. But what is airborne transmission, and how strong is the evidence COVID-19 spreads this way?
It’s good exemptions are available for those who really need them – but it’s crucial these options are not abused. If we get this wrong, we risk losing control.
Australia’s COVID-19 response was bettered only by South Korea and Latvia, according to a new United Nations report. Just don’t ask how we’re doing on climate and sustainability.
Public housing towers in Flemington and North Melbourne have been placed under ‘hard lockdown’, with 3,000 residents confined to home for at least five days, after 23 COVID-19 cases in 12 homes.
As the United States risks prompting a bidding war for coronavirus drugs, can the world show solidarity over equitable access to medicines? And is remdesivir any use against COVID-19 anyway?
Deborah Williamson, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity; Allen Cheng, Monash University, and Sharon Lewin, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
Saliva testing is less sensitive than a nasal swab. But in the midst of a public health crisis, in some cases a test with slightly reduced sensitivity may be better than no test at all.
Alexandra Jones, George Institute for Global Health; Bruce Neal, George Institute for Global Health, and Maria Shahid, George Institute for Global Health
We found less than half of all eligible foods carried health star ratings, and those that did were skewed towards foods with higher ratings. It’s time to make ratings mandatory.
Australia’s island identity and attitude to border security was forged from handling pandemics since the time of federation. Here’s what we’ve learned along the way.
Either the state government’s measures will wrest back control of the outbreak, or unbridled community transmission could mean infection rates get totally out of control.