COVID-19 Why Australia Is Falling Behind

Our opening article looks at some good and bad advice on COVID-19, and highlights the need for immediate action: “If we do nothing more now in Australia, by April 7 our intensive care units will be overwhelmed – that’s the prediction. We’ve got 14 days before we turn into Italy”

Good Advice

A 22 March 2020  issue of The Conversation, Coronavirus special: myths busted and the science explained, covers

COVID-19 in graphs – Scott Morrison has said we’ll face at least 6 months of disruption. Where does that number come from? Coronavirus: how long does it take to get sick? How infectious is it? COVID-19 basics explained 

Let’s look at Singapore – Singapore’s response to the coronavirus has been held up by many around the world as a model. As of this week, the country has had 266 total cases (with zero deaths), and its infection rate is much slower than the rest of the world. In this piece, Professor Dale Fisher explains why Singapore’s coronavirus response worked – and what we can learn from it.

Coronavirus by numbers – Scott Morrison last Wednesday warned Australians will face at least six months of disturbance to our day-to-day lives as we navigate the coronavirus pandemic. But where did the six month figure come from?

We asked Joel Miller, a mathematician with a background in modelling infectious disease spread, to explain.

More on…

Toilet paper and panic buying

• Desperately seeking toilet paper, pasta or hand sanitiser? Some relief is just weeks away
• Psychology can explain why coronavirus drives us to panic buying. It can also provide tips on how to stop 

Self isolation

• Kids at home because of coronavirus? Here are 4 ways to keep them happy (without resorting to Netflix)
• Get dressed and set goals: some routines not to break if coronavirus means you have to work from home
• Couch culture – six months’ worth of expert picks for what to watch, read and listen to in isolation
• Virtual karaoke and museum tours: how older people can cope with loneliness during the coronavirus crisis

 All things #auspol

• Our politicians are not fit to oversee the coronavirus response. It’s time they got out of the way
• Grattan on Friday: We are now a nation in self-isolation
• More than a rate cut: behind the Reserve Bank’s three-point plan

 Slowing the spread

• How to clean your house to prevent the spread of coronavirus and other infections
• Coronavirus will devastate Aboriginal communities if we don’t act now
• Schools are open during the coronavirus outbreak but should I voluntarily keep my kids home anyway, if I can? We asked 5 experts

Juice Media Podcast Ep 10

Perhaps the most incisive and practical advice comes from a March 21, 2020 Juice Media Podcast interview with Dr Norman Swan, presenter of ABC’s Health Report, ”about the latest Covid-19 situation in Australia, our Government’s response, school closures, potential treatments, and what we need to do right now to avoid Italy’s nightmare.”

Juice Media Podcast Ep 10 is the podcast companion to the Juice Media Honest Government Ad about Coronavirus. ICYMI,

(Warning, the Honest Government Ads are satirical and contain strong language.)

Dr Swan reports that “If we do nothing more now in Australia, by April 7 our intensive care units will be overwhelmed – that’s the prediction. We’ve got 14 days before we turn into Italy”

See Juice Media Podcast Ep 10

Bad Advice

Unfortunately, not all COVID-19 advice is reliable. A notice from the Stanford University Hospital Board advises:

Important Notice

A widely circulating Google document claiming to have identified a potential treatment for COVID-19 in consultation with Stanford’s School of Medicine is not legitimate. Stanford Medicine was not involved in the creation of this document, nor have we published a study showing the effectiveness of this drug. Please click here for accurate information about COVID-19, and please consult a physician before taking any sort of prescription medication.