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.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
The Doherty Institute is a world-class institute combining research, teaching, public health and reference laboratory services, diagnostic services and clinical care into infectious diseases and immunity. The establishment of the Doherty Institute represents a radical change in the capacity of Australia and the world to detect, investigate and respond to existing, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and agents, with a major focus on diseases that pose serious public and global health threats such as influenza, tuberculosis, HIV, viral hepatitis and drug resistant bacteria. The Doherty’s activities are multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral, placing great emphasis on translational research and improving clinical outcomes. Teams of interdisciplinary scientists, clinicians and epidemiologists collaborate on a wide spectrum of activities - from basic immunology and discovery research, to the development of new vaccines and new preventative and treatment methods, to surveillance and investigation of disease outbreaks.
Links
Displaying 21 - 40 of 72 articles
The emergence of a fungal infection called mucormycosis in India is another unexpected and distressing consequence of the COVID pandemic.
Vaccination is likely to substantially reduce virus transmission by reducing the pool of people who become infected, and reducing virus levels in people who do get infected.
We have two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines so far. But what else can this technology do?
Scientists around the world are trying to come up with universal coronavirus vaccines to combat the emergence of variants. But what are these vaccines and are they even possible?
Decades of experience with influenza offers insights into how we should handle new SARS-CoV-2 variants, and the threat they pose to vaccine effectiveness.
There are many scientific and ethical challenges ahead. But these types of trials have helped in the development of vaccines against a few diseases. Could they do the same for COVID-19?
A man in the Northern Territory recently received a “weak positive” test result for COVID-19. Understanding how coronavirus tests work shows us why this can happen from time to time.
A new test, which can diagnose COVID-19 in 15 minutes, has been approved by the TGA. But it’s no silver bullet.
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.
As we start to test people without symptoms for COVID-19, the likelihood of generating false positive tests goes up. Here’s why that’s a problem.
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.
Scott Morrison said it will be at least four weeks before any of the current restrictions are eased. There are a few boxes we want to tick before we can start to take a foot off the pedal.
Several potential COVID-19 vaccines are in the pipeline, and Australian scientists are among those contributing to the research efforts. Here’s a look at where the research is at.
Panic buying and hoarding of personal protective equipment such as masks accelerates consumption of a finite supply.
Michelle Grattan interviews immunologist and Nobel Laureate Peter Doherty about controlling the coronavirus pandemic, and the prospects of developing a vaccine.
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.
Quarantine measures on the Diamond Princess cruise ship weren’t effective, suggests new data. So Australian passengers without symptoms are going into quarantine again.
For more than a month, Samoa has been battling a measles outbreak of huge proportions. Things are very slowly starting to improve.
Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest health challenges of the modern day. It’s especially prevalent, and must be acted on, in Australia’s remote Indigenous communities.
Authors
-
Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
-
Professor of virology and theme leader for viral infectious diseases, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
-
Professor of Microbiology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
-
Postdoctoral researcher, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
-
Laboratory Head, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
-
Professor, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
-
Professor, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
-
Senior research fellow, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
-
Professor, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
-
Research Fellow, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
-
Post doctoral researcher and medical epidemiologist, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
-
Honorary Clinical Fellow, Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
-
Molecular microbiologist; laboratory head, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
-
Director, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital and Consultant Physician, Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Hospital and Monash University, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
-
Postdoctoral researcher, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
