Resources for Journalists

How to talk about death, dying

Publicly released: Thu 7 Jan 2021 at 0600 AEDT, 0800 NZDT

PLOS ONE

of Technology Sydney, surveyed 1,491 people about the use of language to express their feelings and insights into death and dying. ... dying and COVID-19. Read more about How to talk about death, dying

Facebook data could map COVID transmission risk in Aussie outbreaks

Publicly released: Wed 6 Jan 2021 at 1101 AEDT, 1301 NZDT

Journal of the Royal Society Interface

Facebook's mobility data could be used to estimate the spread of COVID-19 transmission risk from locations where active cases have been identified, say Australian researchers. ... Their results indicate Read more about Facebook data could map COVID transmission risk in Aussie outbreaks

Evidence review confirms COVID-19 is generally ‘mild’ in young children

Publicly released: Wed 6 Jan 2021 at 0922 AEDT, 1122 NZDT

Vaccine

Dr Homaira said the research filled a key knowledge gap on the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in children under five. ... and transmission of COVID-19 in order to develop effective Read more about Evidence review confirms COVID-19 is generally ‘mild’ in young children

Almost 50 million Americans may have had COVID - but herd immunity is still a long way off

Publicly released: Wed 6 Jan 2021 at 0300 AEDT, 0500 NZDT

JAMA Network Open

As of November 2020, an estimated 46. 9 million Americans, or more than 14 per cent of the US population, are likely to have had SARS-CoV-2 infections, with only ... 1 million of those being symptomatic, Read more about Almost 50 million Americans may have had COVID - but herd immunity is still a long way off

Australia’s flagship STEM youth experience reinvented for 2021

Publicly released: Tue 5 Jan 2021 at 1630 AEDT, 1830 NZDT

Usually a 10-day residential experience, the Covid-19 pandemic has meant a total reinvention for this iconic program. ... The challenges this past year, especially COVID-19 and the Australian bushfire Read more about Australia’s flagship STEM youth experience reinvented for 2021

Single dose of the vaccine may be better than nothing at all

Publicly released: Tue 5 Jan 2021 at 1046 AEDT, 1246 NZDT

Annals of Internal Medicine

International researchers suggest, in three different papers, that the speed-versus-efficacy trade-off of administering a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine may overrule the need for a double Read more about Single dose of the vaccine may be better than nothing at all

Wear a mask and step back: Masks could block almost all those COVID droplets

Publicly released: Wed 23 Dec 2020 at 1101 AEDT, 1301 NZDT

Royal Society Open Science

Masks can block 99. 9 per cent of COVID-linked droplets, say international researchers who measured droplets spread by coughs and speaking, with and without surgical or handmade cotton face masks. Read more about Wear a mask and step back: Masks could block almost all those COVID droplets

How COVID-19 polarised politics: #IStandWithDan versus #DictatorDan

Publicly released: Wed 23 Dec 2020 at 0926 AEDT, 1126 NZDT

Media International Australia

A QUT study of two interrelated Twitter hashtag campaigns in relation to the Victorian Premier Dan Andrews’ handling of the COVID-19 second wave found the activity was driven by a ... More than half of Read more about How COVID-19 polarised politics: #IStandWithDan versus #DictatorDan

New mammogram measures of breast cancer risk could revolutionise screening

Publicly released: Wed 23 Dec 2020 at 0826 AEDT, 1026 NZDT

International Journal of Cancer

Professor Hopper said this information could be used to ease pressure on BreastScreen, which had to close for a period during the COVID-19 pandemic and is looking for ways to ... The study involved Read more about New mammogram measures of breast cancer risk could revolutionise screening

Climate change demands same leadership as COVID-19, and Australia is failing

Publicly released: Mon 21 Dec 2020 at 1030 AEDT, 1230 NZDT

Medical Journal of Australia

COVID-19 public health crisis. ... The authors say our approach to climate change is inadequate, but in contrast, Australia’s response to COVID-19 was rapid and effective, despite facing the pandemic Read more about Climate change demands same leadership as COVID-19, and Australia is failing

How modelling helped our COVID response

Publicly released: Fri 18 Dec 2020 at 1220 AEDT, 1420 NZDT

Professor Jodie McVernon, form Doherty Epidemiology, and Professor Tony Blakely, from the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, provided a comprehensive overview of their work and the Read more about How modelling helped our COVID response

Cocktail of antibodies can cut COVID-19 viral load

Publicly released: Fri 18 Dec 2020 at 1200 AEDT, 1400 NZDT

NEJM

A study carried out and funded by pharmaceutical company Regeneron tested the firm's cocktail of antibodies known as REGN-COV2 on 275 COVID-19 patients with mild disease, and found ... administering the Read more about Cocktail of antibodies can cut COVID-19 viral load

Trial data confirms two doses of Oxford/ AstraZeneca COVID vaccine are better than one

Publicly released: Fri 18 Dec 2020 at 1144 AEDT, 1344 NZDT

Nature Medicine

Having two doses of the Oxford/ AstraZeneca COVID vaccine known as, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, produces a better immune response than a single dose, according to two new research papers. ... In the second paper, Read more about Trial data confirms two doses of Oxford/ AstraZeneca COVID vaccine are better than one

COVID-19 is now the USA's biggest killer

Publicly released: Fri 18 Dec 2020 at 1130 AEDT, 1330 NZDT

JAMA

Between November 1st 2020, and December 13th, average daily COVID-19 deaths tripled, from 826 to 2,430 deaths per day, they say. ... COVID-19's lethality may increase further as transmission increases Read more about COVID-19 is now the USA's biggest killer

COVID-19 is more severe than flu

Publicly released: Fri 18 Dec 2020 at 1030 AEDT, 1230 NZDT

The Lancet Respiratory Medicine

The French researchers say nearly twice as many people were admitted to hospital for COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic than were for influenza at the peak of the ... 2018/2019 flu season, death rates Read more about COVID-19 is more severe than flu

EXPERT REACTION: Could wildfire smoke spread infectious diseases?

Publicly released: Fri 18 Dec 2020 at 0600 AEDT, 0800 NZDT

Science

Two US researchers write in an article for Science that, despite the heat, wildfire conditions can create airborne pockets where microbes can survive, and that they could potentially travel Read more about EXPERT REACTION: Could wildfire smoke spread infectious diseases?

Pregnant women excluded from 3 in 4 COVID-19 treatment trials

Publicly released: Thu 17 Dec 2020 at 1600 AEDT, 1800 NZDT

The Lancet Global Health

Pregnant women are among those most in need of safe and effective therapies against COVID-19, but they are routinely excluded from the majority of clinical treatment trials, according to the Read more about Pregnant women excluded from 3 in 4 COVID-19 treatment trials

COVID-19 escalated armed conflicts in several war-torn countries

Publicly released: Thu 17 Dec 2020 at 1600 AEDT, 1800 NZDT

World Development

Of the nine countries that were studied, four had reduced armed conflict activities while five had escalations. ... India, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan and the Philippines all saw an escalation of civil wars Read more about COVID-19 escalated armed conflicts in several war-torn countries

COVID‑19 vaccines – are we there yet?

Publicly released: Thu 17 Dec 2020 at 1200 AEDT, 1400 NZDT

Australian Prescriber

Australian and New Zealand experts summarise the COVID-19 vaccine situation in Australia. ... As of mid-December 2020, more than 200 COVID‑19 vaccine candidates are in development and 11 have entered Read more about COVID‑19 vaccines – are we there yet?

How COVID-19 changed the way Australians used health services in 2019-20

Publicly released: Thu 17 Dec 2020 at 0001 AEDT, 0201 NZDT

Fewer Australians presented to hospital emergency departments with injuries and less elective surgery was performed, but more people filled prescriptions and had telehealth medical consultations Read more about How COVID-19 changed the way Australians used health services in 2019-20