Tagged: COVID-19

Featured image: Reducing the risk of Covid-19 transmission through the use of air purifiers

Reducing the risk of Covid-19 transmission through the use of air purifiers - Public Health Expert

Public Health Expert • Oct 26, 2021 •

Prof Mark Jermy, Dr Julie Bennett, Dr Jason Chen, Phoebe Taptiklis and Dr Caroline Shorter* Indoor environments increase the risk of transmission for the virus that causes Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) by containment and concentration of the airborne virus. However, to reduce such transmission, the particles that carry the virus can be diluted by bringing in as much outdoor air as possible. Read More

Featured image: New Zealand’s mass vaccination event lifts uptake but highlights dangerous inequities as the country prepares to open up

New Zealand’s mass vaccination event lifts uptake but highlights dangerous inequities as the country prepares to open up - COVID-19

Guest Author • Oct 22, 2021 •

Jesse Whitehead, University of Waikato   New Zealand’s mass vaccination event last Saturday, when more than 130,000 people turned up to get their first or second dose, surpassed Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s expectations. Super Saturday and a televised “vaxathon” were part of the government’s push towards a 90% vaccination goal. About 85% of New Zealanders have now had their first … Read More

Featured image: COVID-19 cases rise when schools open – but more so when teachers and students don’t wear masks

COVID-19 cases rise when schools open – but more so when teachers and students don’t wear masks - COVID-19

Guest Author • Oct 19, 2021 •

Zoë Hyde, The University of Western Australia   As students return to schools in Victoria and New South Wales after months of lockdowns, many people may be worried about the risks to their kids – and transmission overall. The role that schools play in transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been difficult to work out, but new evidence … Read More

Featured image: COVID-19 in Aotearoa: what does public health do now?

COVID-19 in Aotearoa: what does public health do now? - Public Health Expert

Public Health Expert • Oct 18, 2021 •

Dr Belinda Loring, Dr Ruth Cunningham, Dr Polly Atatoa Carr* Public health activities have collectively made an incredible contribution to minimising the impact of COVID-19 in Aotearoa. But the work for public health is not over. As the situation in Auckland heralds a transition point in our approach to the pandemic, the challenge now is to be bold and clear … Read More

Featured image: COVID-19 Worried about getting your vaccine or want a simple explanation?

COVID-19 Worried about getting your vaccine or want a simple explanation? - Code for life

Grant Jacobs • Oct 16, 2021 •

Worried about getting your vaccine? Let me tell you a secret. No-one likes getting a vaccine. People do it because they know they’re better off to. Let me tell you another secret, a weird one: the vaccine doesn’t really “do” anything. Confusing? Let me explain… Vaccines are a face at the right place, at the right time. The vaccine isn’t … Read More

Featured image: Why Jacinda Ardern’s ‘clumsy’ leadership response to Delta could still be the right approach

Why Jacinda Ardern’s ‘clumsy’ leadership response to Delta could still be the right approach - COVID-19

Guest Author • Oct 15, 2021 •

Suze Wilson, Massey University   Leading people through the pandemic is clearly no easy task. But does the criticism currently directed at New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reveal a major misstep on her part, or something deeper about the nature of leadership itself? Ardern has previously won widespread praise for her COVID-19 response and crisis communication, topping … Read More

Featured image: How a random sampling regime could help detect COVID and highlight infection hotspots

How a random sampling regime could help detect COVID and highlight infection hotspots - COVID-19

Guest Author • Oct 15, 2021 •

Stephen John Haslett, Massey University and Richard Arnold, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington   For the detection of community transmission of COVID-19, New Zealand currently relies on contact tracing, testing of self-selected people with symptoms and those with permission to travel between different alert levels, and surveillance testing of staff at businesses permitted to … Read More

Featured image: No, COVID-19 vaccines don’t affect women’s fertility

No, COVID-19 vaccines don’t affect women’s fertility - COVID-19

Guest Author • Oct 13, 2021 •

Michelle Wise, University of Auckland   Some women are holding off on being vaccinated against COVID-19 because of concerns the jab could affect their fertility, at times taking to social media to voice their concerns. Anti-vaccination campaigners appear to be fuelling these fears and misleading women into thinking the vaccine may affect their chance of getting pregnant now or in … Read More

Featured image: Hit hard by the pandemic, researchers expect its impacts to linger for years

Hit hard by the pandemic, researchers expect its impacts to linger for years - COVID-19

Guest Author • Oct 12, 2021 •

Sora Park, University of Canberra; Jennie Scarvell, University of Canberra, and Linda Botterill, University of Canberra   The impacts of COVID-19 on Australian university researchers are likely to have consequences for research productivity and quality for many years to come. According to an online survey of academics at the University of Canberra between November 2020 and February 2021, they have … Read More