COVID-19

Featured image: Should a COVID-19 vaccine be compulsory — and what would this mean for anti-vaxxers?

Should a COVID-19 vaccine be compulsory — and what would this mean for anti-vaxxers?

Guest Author • Aug 07, 2020

Claire Breen, University of Waikato With COVID-19 vaccine developers reporting promising results, it is probable we will one day face a major public health question: can the government compel New Zealanders to be vaccinated? Just as inevitably, some people will refuse a vaccine. As we have seen overseas with debates over the wearing of masks, and more generally with … Read More

Featured image: I’ve been talking to conspiracy theorists for 20 years – here are my six rules of engagement

I’ve been talking to conspiracy theorists for 20 years – here are my six rules of engagement

Guest Author • Jul 24, 2020

Jovan Byford, The Open University With prospects of a COVID-19 vaccine looking up, attention is also turning to the problem of anti-vax ideas. According to a recent survey, one in six Britons would refuse a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available. Although vaccine hesitancy is a complex problem with multiple causes, the number of conspiracy theories circulating … Read More

Featured image: Coronavirus lockdown reduced seismic activity around the world – new study

Coronavirus lockdown reduced seismic activity around the world – new study

Guest Author • Jul 24, 2020

Paula Koelemeijer, Royal Holloway and Stephen Hicks, Imperial College London Seismic activity doesn’t just come from earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides. Everyday human activity also gives rise to vibrations that travel through the ground as seismic waves, something we call “anthropogenic noise”. When pandemic lockdown measures brought daily life to a standstill, it didn’t just change life at the surface and … Read More

Featured image: There is no legal right to free quarantine — but there is a fair way to set the price

There is no legal right to free quarantine — but there is a fair way to set the price

Guest Author • Jul 22, 2020

Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato Welcome home – now here’s your invoice. The debate over whether New Zealand should charge arriving Kiwis for quarantine has divided opinion, but one thing is clear: citizens and permanent residents have the right to return home. However, like many other liberties, this right can be subject to reasonable limits, especially during times of global … Read More

Featured image: Immunity to COVID-19 may not last. This threatens a vaccine and herd immunity

Immunity to COVID-19 may not last. This threatens a vaccine and herd immunity

Guest Author • Jul 17, 2020

Nigel McMillan, Griffith University How is the world going to go back to the days when we could grab a coffee, see a movie, or attend a concert or footy game with anyone? Opinion suggests there are two options: an effective vaccine, or herd immunity via at least 60-80% of people becoming infected. Either one of these options requires that … Read More

Featured image: How New Zealand could keep eliminating coronavirus at its border for months to come, even as the global pandemic worsens

How New Zealand could keep eliminating coronavirus at its border for months to come, even as the global pandemic worsens

Guest Author • Jul 17, 2020

Michael Plank, University of Canterbury; Alex James, University of Canterbury; Audrey Lustig, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research; Nicholas Steyn; Rachelle Binny, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, and Shaun Hendy Stringent border controls and mandatory quarantine give New Zealand a good chance to remain free of COVID-19 for months to come, according to our latest modelling. It’s been 76 … Read More

Featured image: Lockdown, relax, repeat: how cities across the globe are going back to coronavirus restrictions

Lockdown, relax, repeat: how cities across the globe are going back to coronavirus restrictions

Guest Author • Jul 15, 2020

Maximilian de Courten, Victoria University; Bojana Klepac Pogrmilovic, Victoria University, and Rosemary V Calder, Victoria University The World Health Organisation reported more than 230,000 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday — the world’s largest daily increase during the pandemic. The surge has forced governments in many places across the world to order new lockdowns. This includes Melbourne, which is back … Read More