Tagged: SARS-CoV-2

B.1.1.7 variant – early result suggests longer infections, management questions - Code for life

Grant Jacobs • Feb 21, 2021 •

• B.1.1.7,
• COVID-19,
• infection,
• management,
• SARS-CoV-2,
• variant

Sometimes it’s smaller, intensive studies that shed light on issues. Just reported results of daily sampling of COVID-19 patients indicate patients with the B.1.1.7 variant first observed in Kent, UK may have a longer infection compared to patients infected with non-B.1.1.7 variants. This is the variant seen in NZ’s most recent outbreak in Auckland. If this observation bears out in … Read More

Upgrade of NZ’s COVID-19 Alert Levels Needed to Help Regain NZ’s Elimination Status - Public Health Expert

Public Health Expert • Sep 03, 2020 •

• alert level system,
• COVID-19,
• elimination goal,
• SARS-CoV-2

Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Amanda Kvalsvig, Prof Michael Baker In this blog we comment on the current COVID-19 situation globally and in NZ. We focus on potential revisions to NZ’s Alert Level system that involve improved use of mass masking, targeted internal travel restrictions, and gathering/event limits. These interventions could all help accelerate rapid progress back to elimination status … Read More

Children and young people and COVID-19: The urgent need for improved guidance in NZ - Public Health Expert

Public Health Expert • Aug 27, 2020 •

• COVID-19,
• covid-19 and children,
• covid-19 risk for young people,
• SARS-CoV-2

Dr Amanda Kvalsvig, Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Amanda D’Souza, Prof Michael Baker In this blog we consider the ‘Auckland August cluster’ in the light of the changing landscape of international evidence about COVID-19 risk for children and young people. The high proportion of Pasifika children and young people in the Auckland outbreak may be a preview of what an uncontrolled … Read More

NZ’s COVID-19 response compared to selected other jurisdictions: Australia, Taiwan and the United States - Public Health Expert

Public Health Expert • Aug 26, 2020 •

• COVID-19,
• international pandemic response,
• pandemic planning,
• SARS-CoV-2

Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Jennifer Summers, Dr Andy Anglemyer, Prof Tony Blakely, Prof Michael Baker Media discourse in NZ has involved comparing NZ’s COVID-19 response with a range of other jurisdictions, especially: Australia, Taiwan and the US. In this blog we update the data comparisons for these selected places. We find that Taiwan is the top performer with a … Read More

COVID-19: sequence the viral genomes of all border cases - Code for life

Grant Jacobs • Aug 17, 2020 •

• August 2020,
• border,
• COVID-19,
• genome,
• New Zealand,
• outbreak,
• SARS-CoV-2,
• sequence

New Zealand has an advantage in managing COVID-19: all our cases come from the border, one way or other.[1] We can exploit this in how we shut down outbreaks. One way is to have at the ready the viral genomes of all border cases. With this we can quickly find the starting point of any outbreaks inside the country. If … Read More

Eliminate the pandemic virus causing COVID-19 or risk an animal reservoir - Public Health Expert

Public Health Expert • Jul 01, 2020 •

• animal reservoir,
• COVID-19,
• pandemic planning,
• SARS-CoV-2

Prof John Potter* Elimination has been an effective strategy for New Zealand in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic virus (SARS-CoV-2). Most other countries have not pursued this goal and are ignoring the opportunity even now. SARS-CoV-2 is not manageable by the influenza playbook; its longer incubation period makes tracing and isolation more practicable and puts elimination within reach. There … Read More

Lifting our game against COVID-19 - Code for life

Grant Jacobs • Mar 23, 2020 •

• #COVID19,
• COVID-19,
• New Zealand,
• quarantine,
• SARS-CoV-2,
• social distance,
• testing,
• tracing,
• tracking

We need to be lifting our game against COVID-19. [Edit: this was written before to the announcement of the Level 4 lockdown, and the National State of Emergency. The explanation of why we’re doing this, and general points should still be useful.] You and I need to help those working to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while they’re trying to … Read More

Coronavirus update: spread outside China and a new name - Infectious Thoughts

Siouxsie Wiles • Feb 16, 2020 •

• 2019-nCov,
• algal blooms,
• Aqil Haziq Mahmud,
• China,
• conversation,
• coronavirus,
• COVID-19,
• Diamond Princess,
• Dr Ian Mackay,
• Dr Katherine Arden,
• Jalelah Abu Baker,
• Japan,
• MS Westerdam,
• quarantine,
• SARS-CoV-2,
• Singapore

With over 69,000 confirmed cases and 1,600 deaths, here’s your round-up of the latest coronavirus news. New disease and virus have now officially been named On the 11th February, the WHO Director General announced a new name for the disease: COVID-19 which is short for coronavirus disease 2019. The naming follows the WHO’s commitment not to call diseases after … Read More