A night manager at one of Melbourne’s quarantine hotels has been designated as “patient zero” in Victoria’s second wave of COVID-19. Here’s what that actually means.
It might be tempting to yell ‘bloody well wear a mask’, but that will probably make little difference. Research shows there are more constructive ways to get your message across.
Canada’s COVID Alert app maybe be privacy-safe, but the government has failed to release any information about what effect it expects it to have on COVID-19 transmission.
Underlying inequality, an under-resourced public health system and socio-political tensions have met in a dizzying, tragic outcome for the richest country in the world.
Global terrorism has been relatively quiet as the world is consumed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But it is still there, unabated, and we need to do more to stop it.
Adam Saifer, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
The growth of private foundations in Canada has occurred at the expense of government tax revenue. Philanthropic donations are dollars that have been redirected away from universal social services.
The country would benefit from a well-funded and regulated research industry to contribute to scientific innovation and preparedness for future disease outbreaks.
People with eating disorders often struggle with staying in control. For many, the pandemic took away control. A health scholar shares her story of how that loss of control affected her bulimia.
Health statisticians keep careful tabs on how many people die every week. Based on what’s happened in past years, they know what to expect – but 2020 death counts are surging beyond predictions.
Tim Lindsey, The University of Melbourne and Tim Mann, The University of Melbourne
With low testing levels, it’s unclear just how bad the pandemic is in Indonesia. But President Joko Widodo is keen to get the economy restarted quickly, in part, to avoid widespread social unrest.
Of the students with jobs, 60% lost them and and two-thirds of the rest had hours cut. As they struggled, and often failed, to get rents and tuition fees reduced, precarious lives became even harder.
Any decision that places a child’s physical and mental health at risk shouldn’t be taken lightly, so policy-makers and parents alike should listen to those most affected — the children themselves.
COVID-19 has shown the flaws of a reactive health-care system designed to care for people who are already sick. A preventive approach would be more equitable, less expensive and keep us healthier.
Masks are widely recognized as a partisan issue in the United States, but an ongoing study of public opinion in Canada shows that they are becoming politicized here as well.
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne