Category Archives: Infectious Diseases

Advice from a country with regular shortages: stop hoarding toilet paper, get ready for boredom | Dan McGarry

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In Vanuatu, where cyclones regularly interrupt trade, we are watching the west’s collective panic with bemusement

I’ve lived in the south Pacific island nation of Vanuatu for 16 years. Tropical weather regularly interrupts trade. Even when they’re hundreds of kilometres away, cyclones wreak havoc on shipping. Isolation and deprivation define our lives. We know better than most how to cope.

So imagine our bemusement when we see ranks of empty shelves in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the USA, denuded by people who pretty clearly have never dealt with a shortage before.

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Businesses affected by coronavirus should have access to disaster relief funds, says Queensland

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State says virus ‘is no different’ to floods, cyclones and bushfires as it prepares to ramp up pressure at Coag meeting

Queensland will use the upcoming meeting of state leaders and the prime minister to appeal to the federal government to open up its natural disaster assistance payments to local industries impacted by the coronavirus.

Scott Morrison has previously rejected Queensland’s request for the disaster recovery funding arrangements to be made available for businesses knocked by the economic slowdown resulting from Covid-19 on 4 February, and again on 28 February.

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What is a pandemic?

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The WHO has declared the Covid-19 outbreak to be a pandemic. But what does that mean?

Declaring a pandemic has nothing to do with changes to the characteristics of a disease, but is instead associated with concerns over its geographic spread. According to the World Health Organization, a pandemic is declared when a new disease for which people do not have immunity spreads around the world beyond expectations.

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Coronavirus facts: is there a cure and what is the mortality rate of the virus?

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Covid-19 essential guide: can it be caught on public transport, how is it different from the flu, and how sick will I get?

The Covid-19 virus is a member of the coronavirus family that made the jump from animals to humans late last year. Many of those initially infected either worked or frequently shopped in the Huanan seafood wholesale market in the centre of the Chinese city of Wuhan. Unusually for a virus that has made the jump from one species to another, it appears to transmit effectively in humans – current estimates show that without strong containment measures the average person who catches Covid-19 will pass it on to two others. The virus also appears to have a higher mortality rate than common illnesses such as seasonal flu. The combination of coronavirus’s ability to spread and cause serious illness has prompted many countries, including the UK, to introduce or plan extensive public health measures aimed at containing and limiting the impact of the epidemic.

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Lesbos coronavirus case sparks fears for refugee camp

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Wave of anti-migrant violence has left refugees without food and medical care – and more vulnerable to disease than ever before

News of a confirmed case of Covid-19 on Lesbos has sparked fears of the impact of an outbreak at the overcrowded Moria refugee camp, where refugees live in dire conditions with appalling hygiene and little medical care.

The troubling conditions in the camp have worsened this week, and tensions on the island have seen several NGOs forced to reduce or close services over safety fears.

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Kylie Moore-Gilbert: jailed British-Australian not among 70,000 prisoners freed in Iran as coronavirus spreads

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Political prisoners, including the University of Melbourne academic, have overwhelmingly been excluded from furloughing

Iran has temporarily freed 70,000 prisoners from jails around the country out of fear coronavirus could spread through prisons unchecked, but British-Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert has not been released.

Political prisoners have overwhelmingly been excluded from the furloughing of prisoners, with other dual nationals such as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an Iranian-born British aid worker, remaining imprisoned despite growing concerns for their health.

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Covid-19 outbreak: what do health experts mean by ‘flattening the curve’?

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Public health measures can slow the spread of coronavirus to keep the number infected at any one time at a manageable level

In their response to the coronavirus outbreak, public health experts and government officials have repeatedly referenced the importance of “flattening the curve”. But what does this mean, exactly?

When faced by a threat such as Covid-19, epidemiologists often look for two important numbers: how infectious a disease is, quantified by the number of people infected by each person infected, and the total number of people who die as a result of catching the illness.

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From confidence to quarantine: how coronavirus swept Italy

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Undetected transmissions in early stage of outbreak at heart of current difficulties

Italy appeared well ahead of the curve when the coronavirus outbreak began to spread outside China.

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Coronavirus live updates: Italy-wide lockdown comes into force

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UK and US had worst days trading since 2008 GFC; Global cases near 110,000; Grand Princess passengers disembark. Follow the latest news.

As the whole of Italy goes into lockdown, there are some reassuring signs that measures are starting to work. Across the 11 towns that went into quarantine over two weeks ago, the number of cases is beginning to fall.

Virgin Atlantic has called on the European Commission and UK flight slots co-ordinator to relax rules amid the coronavirus outbreak, PA reports.

Chief executive Shai Weiss said: “Last month Virgin Atlantic and industry partners committed to achieving net zero carbon by 2050.

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‘This is a mess. Put on your mask’: diary from the frontline of the coronavirus health crisis

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This week we will hear from people working on the frontline of the health system as it manages the outbreak of Covid-19 around Australia. Today, we hear from a GP working in a private practice in Sydney’s southern suburbs

Bleary eyed as usual on an 8am Saturday morning start, I stumble into work, sit down at my desk and sip on the coffee my wonderful colleague has left for me. I glance at the screen and notice the familiar list of 30 patients booked in six hours. Sigh.

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Can a face mask stop coronavirus? Covid-19 facts checked

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The truth about how easy it is to catch coronavirus, who is most vulnerable and what you can do to avoid infection

Wearing a face mask is certainly not an iron-clad guarantee that you won’t get sick – viruses can also transmit through the eyes and tiny viral particles, known as aerosols, can penetrate masks. However, masks are effective at capturing droplets, which is a main transmission route of coronavirus, and some studies have estimated a roughly fivefold protection versus no barrier alone (although others have found lower levels of effectiveness).

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How did China get to grips with its coronavirus outbreak?

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World is looking at Beijing to see what lessons can be learned as new cases of infections fall

As coronavirus infections around the world rise, the number of new cases in China has plummeted dramatically, prompting some observers to look to Beijing for lessons.

In recent days, the number of daily new cases in China has gone from almost 2,000 less than three weeks ago to under 100. On Monday, China’s national health commission reported 40 new cases, its lowest daily since authorities began tracking the outbreak in January. According to the official figures, new infections in the rest of China, outside of Hubei province which has been hardest hit, have almost completely stopped.

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Saudi Arabia seals off Shia Qatif region over coronavirus fears

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Only essential services will be allowed to operate in area home to 500,000 people

Saudi Arabia has cordoned off an oil-rich Shia region, suspended air and sea travel to nine countries and closed schools and universities, in a series of measures to contain the fast-spreading coronavirus.

Related: Saudi Arabia releases images of King Salman after purge of royals

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Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should I see a doctor?

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What are the symptoms caused by the virus from Wuhan in China, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?

It is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has come from animals. Many of those initially infected either worked or frequently shopped in the Huanan seafood wholesale market in the centre of the Chinese city.

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Can a face mask stop it spreading? Coronavirus facts checked

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The truth about how easy it is to catch Covid-19, who is vulnerable and what you can do to avoid infection

Wearing a face mask is certainly not an iron-clad guarantee that you won’t get sick – viruses can also transmit through the eyes and tiny viral particles, known as aerosols, can penetrate masks. However, masks are effective at capturing droplets, which is a main transmission route of coronavirus, and some studies have estimated a roughly fivefold protection versus no barrier alone (although others have found lower levels of effectiveness).

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Facebook will ban certain ads to prevent efforts to exploit coronavirus fears

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Tech company will temporarily ban ads for medical face masks on the social network and Facebook marketplace

Facebook is temporarily banning advertisements for medical face masks as part of an effort to prevent use of its social media platform to exploit people’s concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.

Related: Coronavirus: US deaths rise to 19 as New York declares state of emergency

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Egypt announces 33 new Covid-19 cases on cruise ship

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Prime minister claims ‘Egypt is safe and the situation is under control’, though 45 of the ship’s passengers are now infected

Egypt has announced 33 new cases of Covid-19 as the Arab world’s most populous nation works to contain both the virus and public concern.

Thirty-three additional infected passengers were found onboard a cruise ship that had travelled between the southern Egyptian cities of Aswan and Luxor. Twelve cases on the same ship were announced yesterday, bringing the number of infections onboard so far to 45.

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Italy set to quarantine whole of Lombardy due to coronavirus

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Government’s draft decree would impose fines on anyone caught entering or leaving northern region

The Italian government is to lockdown the northern region of Lombardy, as it battles to contain the spread of the coronavirus. A draft decree would extend the quarantined areas, so-called “red-zones”, ordering people not to enter or leave the region.

The country is grappling to contain Europe’s worst outbreak of Covid-19, which has claimed 233 lives and infected a total of 5,883 people.

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