What's That Rash? - TopPodcast.com

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Why Victoria's success matters to us all Oct 19, 2020

Show notes

Victorians aren't the only ones who should be celebrating that things are looking up.

The number of new daily coronavirus cases in that state have been kept in low single digits for several days now, and on Sunday restrictions were loosened a little.

While there's a long way to go, Victoria's success in crushing the virus hasn't been seen many other places in the world.

And for the rest of the country, that means we're all slightly closer to internal borders being opened and can once again glimpse a somewhat normal life.

Are we just going to have to get used to dealing with outbreaks? Oct 16, 2020

Show notes

In recent days both NSW and Victoria have recorded very similar numbers of locally transmitted coronavirus cases.

NSW is dealing with an outbreak at a doctor's clinic, and Victoria is dealing with an outbreak in Shepparton.

So it seems unlikely Australia's two largest states will be able to get to zero community spread at least in the short term.

So as health authorities deal with outbreaks, is this just the new normal and what does that mean for those states that are currently more or less coronavirus-free?

On today's show:

* Is what is happening in NSW something we have to get used to?

* If a person who has the virus uses a toilet does the next person inhale the virus spray when the toilet is flushed?

And it's Quick Fire Friday:

* Has any other state or country actively knocked back 700+ daily cases to 5 or so like Victoria has succeeded in doing?

* Are some older people asymptomatic or is it just young people?

* You've previously mentioned that the coronavirus started with a person getting it from a bat. Is that really true?

* Why is it not mandatory to wear masks on flights?

* Can the coronavirus test nose swab damage the internal walls of your nose?

How do contact tracing systems differ between NSW and Victoria? Oct 15, 2020

Show notes

Outbreaks of coronavirus are growing in Victoria and New South Wales, and in Queensland health authorities are testing people in several cities.

At the heart of the investigations are teams of contract tracers, who help track down contacts of all COVID positive cases.

A lot has been said over the last few months about how New South Wales' system is the "gold standard" that Victoria should follow.

So on today's Coronacast, how do the systems in the two states differ? And how do contact tracers work?

What are the real numbers Victoria needs to focus on? Oct 14, 2020

Show notes

Every day we get a news alert informing us exactly how many new cases of coronavirus have been detected in Victoria.

From there the rolling average is calculated and analysed as to how close Melbourne is to finally taking the next step out of lockdown.

But what if that's not the right number to focus on?

On today's Coronacast, could another number tell us more about what's really going on and how far away the next step might be?

On today's show:

* Norman re-thinks his earlier criticism about Victoria's contact tracing system

* Johnson & Johnson pauses its COVID-19 vaccine trial

* China announces first locally acquired cases in two months and announces it'll test a whole city

Why is the seemingly simple science of masks so complicated? Oct 13, 2020

Show notes

Masks are back in the spotlight as Victoria has tightened its guidelines about what face coverings are allowed.

Originally, people were allowed to use a face mask, scarf, bandana or face shield — but not anymore. Now only fitted face masks are allowed.

Throughout the pandemic there has been mixed messaging on how important they are in the fight against COVID-19.

Today, what you need to know about face shields and washing masks to help protect yourself and others.

Also on today's research roundup episode:

* A study on if a baby can catch coronavirus from breast milk

* A study on the best way to point the nose swab used for COVID testing

* Can SARS-CoV-2 develop resistance to the drug Remdesivir

* The best way to communicate social-distancing and other public health messages

* And what do we know about getting infected by SARS-CoV-2 from meat

Why can NSW dodge lockdowns, but Victoria can't? Oct 12, 2020

Show notes

The average number of daily coronavirus cases in Melbourne has plateaued in recent days.

It's raised concerns that the city won't be able to open up as fast as it had hoped.

But the number of cases is now about equal to what it was in NSW several months ago, but Sydney didn't have any lockdowns and managed to keep control.

So why is it that Victoria still can't open up?

On today's show:

* Looking at NSW stats around mid-July, there were 15/18/14/20 new coronavirus cases a day. It never escalated. No lockdown & life was covid-normal. Why isn't that happening now in Victoria on their current numbers?

* How is metro Melbourne going to get to the third step?

* Some kids are going back to school in Melbourne today - what do we know about how infectious kids are?

* Is President Trump out of the woods?

And Norman and Tegan talk about some CSIRO research about SARS-CoV-2 and surfaces.

Why are scientists obsessed with the coronavirus G strain? Oct 09, 2020

Show notes

One of the big unknowns with coronavirus to date is how much it's mutating and how that could hurt the effectiveness of a vaccine.

The worry is that by the time scientists have found a vaccine and tested it, the virus would have already changed rendering the vaccine ineffective.

The dominant coronavirus strain is known as the "G strain", which has a mutation right where vaccines are targeting.

So what does this mean for the rollout of a coronavirus vaccine?

On today's show:

* What has the CSIRO found regarding coronavirus' "G strain"?

* Another study has found that antibodies can disappear after three months. What does this mean for longer term immunity?

* NSW records more COVID cases than Victoria

* An update from the White House. How is President Trump tracking?

Why have three community cases suddenly popped up in NSW? Oct 08, 2020

Show notes

NSW Health authorities are urging people across Sydney with even the mildest symptoms to get tested, as they continue contact tracing three new mysterious cases.

After 12 days straight of no community transmission, the three new cases have popped up in different parts of the city.

Testing rates in NSW have plummeted recently, despite the virus still circulating in the community.

So how did Sydney go for nearly a fortnight of no community cases, only to get three all at once?

Also on today's show:

* Why are cases suddenly popping up in NSW after almost two weeks of no community transmission?

* A big group of doctors have published a letter saying lockdown measures are causing more harm than good

* Good news in Victoria as yesterday's case numbers went down again, and cases with health care workers also continues to drop

* And how do Australian health authorities approve vaccines? Do they just rubber stamp them if they are approved in the United States?

Are big families the centre of Victoria's second wave? Oct 07, 2020

Show notes

Victoria has hit a road bump on its pathway to reopening, recording 15 new cases of coronavirus yesterday as it tries to suppress a new outbreak.

The Chadstone cluster has continued to grow, and has spread to a regional town about 60km from Melbourne.

It comes as the state's Chief Health Officer has revealed that Melbourne's second wave appears to have focused on larger families.

So why are households with more than six people at the centre of this outbreak?

On today's show:

* How has an outbreak happened in Melbourne when it's supposed to be still under restrictions?

* In NSW, why were there so many cases yesterday in hotel quarantine?

* How significant is the risk that the steroid that President Trump is taking can lead to euphoria and affect his sense of well being?

* Norman has mentioned treating people on their stomachs a few times lately, what does he mean by that?

Why is Trump getting drugs reserved for serious coronavirus cases? Oct 06, 2020

Show notes

With each new day, we're learning a little bit more about the US President's battle with COVID-19.

Yesterday, doctors said the president's oxygen level had dropped a couple of times and that he had been put on a steroid drug used in the most severe of COVID cases.

So what could his treatment of experimental drugs and now steroids tell us about President Trump's condition?

On today's show:

* What is going on with President Trump's treatment?

* If he's not that sick what could the steroid dexamethasone do instead?

* What's happening in Victoria and New South Wales?

Also Norman discusses the UK reset on expectations about who'll get a vaccine first, and chats about a study showing that maybe obesity isn't such a risk factor when it comes to COVID.

Risk Factors for Hospitalization, Mechanical Ventilation, or Death Among 10131 US Veterans With SARS-CoV-2 Infectionhttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2770946

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