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.
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.
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.
By providing users with pertinent and reliable disaster-related information, Twitter has the potential to reduce the impact of a disaster. So why aren’t public organizations using it properly?
There are three phases to Australia’s response plan. The ‘Initial Action’ stage, the ‘Targeted Action’ stage, and finally, the ‘Standdown’ stage. Right now, we’re in the first.
The federal government has activated its emergency response plan to deal with a spread of the coronavirus locally, in anticipation of it becoming a “pandemic”.
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne
Dean Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor of Vaccinology at University of the Witwatersrand; and Director of the SAMRC Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand