What's That Rash? - TopPodcast.com

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What's going on with the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine? Nov 30, 2020

Show notes

As the days have passed since the drug company AstraZeneca announced its coronavirus vaccine results, the questions about those results and what they could mean have only grown.

Last week, AstraZeneca reported a 90 percent efficacy rate for its vaccine - but also another lower rate for another part of the trial.

Now questions are emerging around how the trial was run, and if parts of it were accidental or if they were on purpose.

It's all very confusing, so here's today's Coronacast to help sort it out.

Also on today's show:

* Why haven't Pfizer and Moderna been subject to similar criticism as AstraZeneca?

* Is there any logic to forcing international arrivals who may or may not be infected with coronavirus to quarantine in a hotel, yet those who are confirmed to be infected are able to stay at home?

And will Norman back down on his highly inflammatory pineapple pizza comments?

Wait, so can you catch coronavirus from a pizza or not? Nov 27, 2020

Show notes

After a dramatic state-wide lockdown which was swiftly lifted when a patient revealed he'd lied about how he caught coronavirus, there is yet another twist in South Australia's latest outbreak.

A schoolgirl in Adelaide has been diagnosed with COVID-19, and has been linked to the same pizza restaurant which is now at the middle of Adelaide's cluster.

So on today's Coronacast what might have happened?

Also on the show:

* SARS-CoV-2 detected in sewage around Geelong

* COVID-19 and deaths in the US and 18 other countries

And Quick Fire Friday returns!

Please note, Norman's pineapple on pizza comments are his own, but I guess if you must complain please send to:

Why does Norman Swan hate pineapple and what has it ever done to him?C/O: Norman Swan's BossGPO BOX 9994Sydney NSW 2000

Borders are coming down. Were they based on science or politics? Nov 26, 2020

Show notes

Australia will soon - mostly - be a country where you can once again travel freely between states and territories.

Many borders will finally come down in December 1, after they were put up to stop coronavirus jumping from state to state during Victoria’s second wave.

But how much have they been about politics and how much about science?

And if we can bring domestic borders down, when might international borders follow?

Also on today’s show:

* More on the testing of the Oxford vaccine

* Would it be a good idea to take all the vaccines at once?

Is the Oxford vaccine worse than the other ones? Nov 25, 2020

Show notes

All of a sudden, the world has three strong vaccine options to fight coronavirus. There's the Moderna vaccine, the Pfizer vaccine and now the Oxford vaccine.

But while Moderna and Pfizer both reported they were more than 90 per cent effective, the press release for Oxford said it was only 70 per cent effective on average.

Australia has a deal to get access to the Oxford vaccine if it's approved, but is it as good?

* Australia has a deal to get the Oxford vaccine, but it seems to have a lower effectiveness. Are we getting the s*#t vaccine?

* I am a frontline healthcare worker so will likely have first access to the vaccine. I am also pregnant. Is there any evidence of safety in a pregnant population? Should I wait until I've given birth to receive the vaccine?

* After 11 months of no proven vaccines, we've gotten results about three effective vaccines in just the last two weeks. Does Norman think this timing is simply a coincidence?

And Norman's been watching coronavirus seminars again. What's he learnt regarding how masks worked in Melbourne and NSW clusters?

Is coronavirus seasonal after all? Nov 24, 2020

Show notes

As coronavirus has now had a year to spread around the world, scientists are starting to become more confident the virus could be more seasonal than originally expected.

Models are showing caseloads in America, which will soon be in winter, will possibly plateau around January.

So if coronavirus is seasonal, what could that mean for Australia's next winter?

On today's show:

* If the world just stood still for two weeks would coronavirus die altogether?

* What is the latest with the Queensland University vaccine?

* I don't have a smart phone and have no intention of getting one. Will I be turned away from any venues in NSW because I can't complete a QR code?

Is South Australia out of the woods? Nov 23, 2020

Show notes

After plunging the state into a full lockdown, then dramatically performing a massive U turn a few days later, South Australia is hoping its outbreak is under control.

It's been a week since health authorities discovered coronavirus had somehow broken out of hotel quarantine and had infected nearly 20 people.

Since then, 4500 people are in quarantine and the number of cases has slowed - despite claims that the state was dealing with a particularly fast moving virus.

So has South Australia managed to control it? Are they out of the woods?

A donut day before the storm? Is six days going to be enough? Nov 20, 2020

Show notes

South Australia posted a donut day yesterday recording zero new coronavirus cases.

The state is now under a severe lockdown for the next five days, with people only being allowed out under strict conditions.

But if there's fear of a major outbreak and the virus is supposedly moving very fast and is very active, why zero cases? And will SA be able to keep it up?

On today's show:

* Is 6 days lockdown in South Australia going to be long enough?

* Coronavirus fragments have been detected in wastewater from Benalla and Portland

* I got a negative coronavirus test, but it also told me that I had another virus. Is this common? What else are they testing for?

So what's the deal with this new coronavirus strain in Adelaide? Nov 19, 2020

Show notes

South Australia has started its first day of a strict six day lockdown that health authorities have described as a "circuit breaker" to stamp out Adelaide's coronavirus outbreak.

So far, the number of new cases remains relatively small. But authorities are worried they're dealing with a variant of the SARS-Cov-2 virus which moves much more quickly and patients don't show symptoms.

So how likely is it that the virus has changed and is now far sneakier? And will the six day lockdown solve the problem?

Why South Australia's outbreak isn't going away anytime soon Nov 18, 2020

Show notes

The number of cases in Adelaide's coronavirus cluster has jumped again, and health authorities are warning it'll likely continue to grow.

There are more than 4000 people currently in quarantine, and authorities say there are a handful of people that they are treating as highly likely to test positive in coming days.

It's worth remembering that even if everything goes the right way, this outbreak is going to take weeks to resolve as all contacts are traced and tested.

So on today's Coronacast, why the citizens of Adelaide can't let up or relax for at least the next fortnight or so.

Also on today's show:

* What does the results around the Moderna mRNA vaccine mean for fighting COVID?

* Why are there still three remaining cases in Victoria especially since they've gone so long without a case?

Lockdown early or wait and see? The big questions facing Adelaide Nov 17, 2020

Show notes

South Australia has spent its first night under increased restrictions as the state battles a coronavirus cluster that increased dramatically in size yesterday.

From when the first case was discovered on Saturday, the number quickly jumped to double figures by Monday as authorities conducted contact tracing and testing.

So far, the cluster is primarily centred around a single family with a link to an Adelaide hotel quarantine facility.

But on today's Coronacast, the big question remains: when did the virus manage to escape and what could that mean for South Australia's chances of getting it under control?

On today's show:

* What went wrong in hotel quarantine?

* Is it time to mandate mask wearing in SA?

* What is Norman's view on testing workers in medi-hotels?

* Do you think the black death would have been easier to handle than COVID-19 if the people back then had the resources we do now?