GPs to be at forefront of Australia’s COVID vaccine distribution
The latest agreements mean Australia has lined up four different vaccine candidates, which Head of the Biosecurity Program at the Kirby Institute Professor Raina MacIntyre previously said is an important safeguard in case some fail to pass clinical trials. READ MORE
Epidemiologist helped eradicate smallpox
J. Michael Lane, an epidemiologist who helped see to its end the global campaign to eradicate smallpox, a disease that killed hundreds of millions of people over centuries before it was vanquished in one of the most celebrated feats in the history of medicine, died on October 21 at his home in Atlanta in the US. He was 84. READ MORE
Global Biosecurity Professor says for Victoria, 'the contact tracing is the key'
UNSW Global Biosecurity expert Professor Raina Macintyre says the two things most critical in containing an outbreak are finding all the cases and tracking and quarantining any contacts of the infected individual for two weeks. HEAR Skynews interview with Prof Raina Macintyre.
Talkback — easing out of COVID-19 restrictions
As Victorians navigate their way out of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, public opinion around the country has been divided about the severity of the lockdown.
What's the best way forward for living with COVID-19 here in Australia and is it possible for us to agree on an approach?
Listen to the episode on ABC’s Live Matters podcast.
Experts accuse federal government of ignoring science on airborne COVID spread
Medicos say the federal government’s refusal to seriously acknowledge that COVID-19 can spread through the air could put healthcare workers' lives at risk and is out of step with scientific evidence. READ MORE
Opinion: NSW could relax social distancing rules for venues but only if masks are mandated
The NSW government is considering relaxing the four-square-metre distancing rule and limitations on large gatherings. These, and the closure of international borders, are hurting the economy. READ MORE
Machine wash your cloth masks, study finds
Cloth masks have been somewhat controversial during the pandemic, with a randomised trial in health workers in Vietnam a few years ago suggesting they increased the risk of respiratory infections.
One of the original authors of that study, Professor Raina MacIntyre of the Kirby Institute has led a re-analysis of the work and found that one of the problems was how re-useable cloth masks were cleaned. HEAR the interview.
Hand-washing masks increases risks: study
Hand-washing cloth masks only increases the risk of COVID-19 contamination but machine-washing them can make them as safe as surgical masks, according to new research.
Professor Raina MacIntyre, of UNSW Sydney's Kirby Institute, says cloth and surgical masks should be considered contaminated after use. READ MORE
Do cloth masks work? Only if you machine wash them after use, researchers say.
A new publication from researchers at UNSW Sydney recommends daily washing of cloth masks to reduce the likelihood of contamination and transmission of viruses like SARS-CoV-2. READ MORE
Expert’s third wave warning for Australia
We haven’t even beaten the coronavirus second wave yet, but things are so bad overseas that an expert has warned Australia could be hit again. READ MORE