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?
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Health – Articles, Analysis, Comment
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It’s time to accept that moving in and out of various levels of restriction may just be a part of life as we know it in 2020, and likely 2021.
Continued drug dependence treatment for people locked down in housing estates is important. But people not currently in treatment also need support.
Victoria has recorded its largest single-day increase in COVID-19 cases. It might be time to return to a statewide lockdown.
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?
There are some very good reasons why some people decline coronavirus testing, which we need to address before jumping to conclusions.
Contact tracers are among the many unsung heroes of our public health efforts to control the coronavirus, in Victoria and beyond. But they need help.
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.
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.
It’s excellent this virus has been found early, but there is no evidence yet of human-to-human transmission.
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.
The new Community Pharmacy Agreement will make it easier for Australia’s pharmacists to spend time providing expert health advice to customers rather than focusing on retail revenues.
The Victorian spike serves as a reminder that we are still very much in a pandemic. We need to come to terms with the fact we will need follow the basics of infection control for some time.
Over the first year of voluntary assisted dying in Victoria, about 400 people applied to access the laws to end their lives. There are lingering issues, but the system is workable.
Tried to avoid coronavirus news in recent months? Here’s what you’ve missed while you’ve been away.
From 2021, Australians will no longer be able to buy nicotine-containing e-fluids, without both a prescription and someone licensed to import it for them, raising fears many will go back to smoking.
New Zealand will hold the world’s first national referendum on legalising recreational use of cannabis in September. It must learn from mistakes in implementing earlier drug law reforms.
Not all government coronavirus health advice is reaching people who speak a language other than English. That’s about one in five households.
If a return to the office is on the cards, both employers and employees have a role to play in minimising the risk of COVID-19 spread.
A century ago, Australians were battling another pandemic, tuberculosis, with public health measures many will find familiar today.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures suggest there have been more than 800 ‘excess deaths’ in Australia in January-March 2020, relative to the average, but only 103 confirmed COVID-19 deaths so far.