It is normally a bad idea to let super funds borrow, but these aren’t normal times. There’s a (limited) case for allowing them to borrow from the Reserve Bank.
Google searches for the word “prayer” have skyrocketed during the coronavirus pandemic. With the world feeling vulnerable, more people are finding solace in online religious gatherings.
Nic Geard, The University of Melbourne; Jodie McVernon, The University of Melbourne et Katherine Gibney, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
Testing and isolating cases only after they develop symptoms might not be enough to prevent further outbreaks of COVID-19. Sentinel surveillance, by testing randomly in the community, can go further.
In a crisis, there’s no time to get perfect evidence. The evidence that lockdowns contain contagion and boost subsequent economic growth is persuasive.
Gathering race-based data during the coronavirus pandemic is essential for Indigenous communities, racialized people and those with disabilities and mental health challenges.
Despite veiled threats from the Chinese government, and the desire in some parts of the Australian community for a split, China and Australia need each other.
As countries get ready to re-open their economies, will there be a post-pandemic recovery? History and current economic models suggest those looking for a quick rebound will be disappointed.
Fundamental research has informed what we know about coronaviruses up until the pandemic. With possible future outbreaks, continuing and developing this type of work is crucial.
Nevan Krogan, University of California, San Francisco
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, identified nine existing drugs that show promise to treat COVID-19. The proteins they target haven’t been tried before.
The danger of treating COVID-19 as an astronomically rare and improbable event is that we will treat it as such and fail to prepare for the next pandemic. And there will be another pandemic.
Economic distress was the norm for many before the coronavirus outbreak. The pandemic is an opportunity to provide an economically secure future for all.
Calls for journalists to rally round the UK government’s efforts to fight the pandemic are out of touch with public opinion, an in-depth study of news audiences has found.
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne