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Why vaccination is only the end of the beginning Feb 22, 2021

Show notes

Australia's coronavirus vaccination campaign started a day earlier than expected yesterday, with an 85 year-old World War Two survivor being the first in the country to receive a COVID vaccine.

Ever since the pandemic began last year, vaccinations have been keenly anticipated as a way of hopefully returning to a more normal life.

But if international modelling is anything to go by, it could be a while longer before things like overseas travel are back.

On today's Coronacast, why vaccination is only the end of the beginning.

Could the UK strain mean longer time in quarantine? Feb 19, 2021

Show notes

Scientists are slowly discovering more about the so-called UK strain, or more precisely the variant of coronavirus known as B.117.

The variant of concern is often said to be more infectious and faster moving, and now scientists think it might keep its human host infectious for longer.

It could have ramifications for the way our hotel quarantine system is run.

So on today's Coronacast, what else have scientists worked out about the UK strain that is becoming more and more common around the world?

Also on today's show:

* I've heard multiple doses of the vaccine are coming from the same bottle. What's the deal?

* How protected am I after my first vaccine shot? How long do I need to wait for full protection after my second shot?

Global cases falling. Is it the vaccines or something else? Feb 18, 2021

Show notes

The World Health Organisation has reported that the number of new coronavirus cases around the world has fallen 16 per cent compared to the week before.

In more good news, the number of deaths has also fallen 10 per cent.

It comes as the global vaccine rollout continues, with millions of doses being administered.

So on today's Coronacast are vaccines finally starting to see off the worst of the pandemic? Or could the fall be down to something else?

Also on today's show:

* NSW announces it'll vaccinate 35,000 frontline workers over the next three weeks

* Victoria comes out of lockdown after five days

* A clarification on yesterday's comments regarding the Astra vaccine and efficacy rates

* If a person takes the AstraZeneca vaccine would it be medically safe for the same person to also get another COVID vaccine?

Astra approved! But do we have a boomer problem? Feb 17, 2021

Show notes

The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for use in Australia, but it comes with fine print around who should get it.

In its approval, the Therapeutic Goods Administration noted that the "decision to immunise an elderly patient should be decided on a case-by-case basis with consideration of age, co-morbidities and their environment".

While there are no safety concerns for people who are aged over 65, there weren't enough people infected with COVID-19 in the clinical trials to determine efficacy in that age group.

So on today's Coronacast, why didn't the TGA give the Astra vaccine carte blanche for everyone over 18?

Vaccines arrive in Australia. Now the challenge begins Feb 16, 2021

Show notes

142,000 doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine have arrived in Australia, and will soon be divvied up and given to people next week.

While it's a great start, it's only the beginning of a very long process to get as many as people across Australia vaccinated by the end of the year.

It's a huge challenge, and obstacles include keeping the Pfizer vaccine cold enough, making sure the right people receive it first and keeping records to ensure it's working as hoped.

So on today's Coronacast, what's next for the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine?

Also on today's show:

* Study finds anaphylaxis to be rare after mRNA vaccinations

* An update on Melbourne's case numbers

* What can infection, age and obesity tell us about super-spreading?

* Why COVID-19 is not like the flu

Two days of lockdown in, does Melbourne need more time? Feb 15, 2021

Show notes

The Holiday Inn outbreak in Melbourne has continued to grow, despite the city being in hard lockdown now for two days.

Additional exposure sites have been identified, with the popular Queen Victoria Market being added to the ever-growing list.

The five-day lockdown was sold as a 'circuit breaker' to put a stop to the so-called UK coronavirus variant before it could spread too far.

So on today's Coronacast with all the cases so far being linked back to the original outbreak and no mystery cases, what's the chance Victoria can come out of lockdown on Wednesday?

Also on today's show:

* A special guest interview with Dominic Dwyer, who has just returned from a WHO mission to China to try and track down the origins of coronavirus. How did he go?

What makes Melbourne's outbreak hot or not? Feb 12, 2021

Show notes

The Holiday Inn cluster in Melbourne has continued to grow, with close contacts yesterday testing positive to COVID and more exposure sites being added to the growing list.

So far, 11 people are connected to the outbreak which started in a Melbourne hotel quarantine facility before being spread to workers and another resident.

Other states are keenly looking on - deciding if they should once again throw up border closures and restrictions.

But the next moves will all depend on how hot the hotspot in Melbourne is. So on today's Coronacast, what makes an outbreak hot or not?

Also on today's show:

* How big of a pinch of salt should we be taking the WHO investigation in China?

* Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly says the Astra vaccine will very shortly receive TGA approval

* Why didn't SARS-CoV-1 not blow out to the proportion like the current SARS-CoV-2?

GUEST:

Hassan Vally, epidemiologist, Associate Professor at La Trobe University

What's going on in Melbourne's quarantine hotels? Feb 11, 2021

Show notes

Melbourne has temporarily shut down one of its quarantine hotels for deep cleaning after several different people seemed to catch it from within the facility.

The 'working theory', according to Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton, is that the virus may have spread further than expected because someone with COVID in the hotel had to use a nebuliser for medical reasons.

It's one of a couple of times in the past week or so that someone's caught the virus in a quarantine hotel, apparently without any close contact with an active case.

So on today's Coronacast, what does this mean for our understanding of how the coronavirus spreads through the air?

Also on today's show:

* Do quarantine hotels have an airflow problem?

* How did a NSW returning traveller test negative twice, then positive after their 14-day quarantine?

* What did the WHO fact-finding team discover about the origins of the virus on their trip to China? Is there any chance it escaped from a lab?

* Do vaccines for other diseases only prevent severe illness and not infection, like we keep hearing about coronavirus vaccines?

(NOTE: This episode was recorded before two additional cases were announced by the Victorian Government)

Should you try to convince your (unsure) friends to get vaccinated? Feb 10, 2021

Show notes

Never before have we watched vaccines being developed in real time, and so rapidly.

There's elation one day as a vaccine is announced to be safe and highly effective; disappointment another day when it's revealed it doesn’t work as well against new variants.

And the backdrop to this is wonder and sometimes suspicion that these vaccines are able to have been developed so quickly.

So today on Coronacast, how you can make sense of the rollercoaster that is waiting for a vaccine rollout, what sources to trust and should you try to convince your vaccine hesitant friend to get vaccinated?

GUEST:Julie Leask, Professor at University of Sydney in the Faculty of Medicine and Health

South Africa suspends Oxford vaccine rollout. What does it mean? Feb 09, 2021

Show notes

South Africa says it's suspending the rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine while it goes through the results of a recent study which has thrown the vaccine's effectiveness into question.

Data from a recent study showed the vaccine only gave small amounts of protection against mild-to-moderate infection caused by the country's dominant coronavirus variant.

The country's dominant coronavirus variant is the so-called South African variant, which has been the centre of much attention over the past few months.

So considering Australia is relying on the AstraZeneca vaccine too - what could this mean for the vaccine more generally?

GUEST:Dr Larisa Labzin, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland

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