What's That Rash? - TopPodcast.com

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The unrelenting slog facing the people trying to stop coronavirus Jun 29, 2020

Show notes

As case numbers in Victoria continue to rise, spare a thought for the people running the State Government's response to the virus outbreak.

The small team needs to manage a growing number of active cases, find out who they've come in contact with and hope it all doesn't spiral out of control.

To make matters worse, even if they manage to bring the latest outbreaks under control, there's little to stop it all flaring up again somewhere down the line.

On today's show:

* What's it like inside the Victorian Government's response to rising case numbers?

* How is Victoria hoping to deal with the outbreak?

* What's keeping Victoria's Chief Medical Officer Brett Sutton up at night?

And a few recent studies have found SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in wastewater in Europe long before the first known cluster in Wuhan. So what's going on? Does this mean coronavirus could have been circulating long before we originally thought?

Can Victoria test its way out of its coronavirus problem? Jun 26, 2020

Show notes

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews wants 100,000 Victorians to be tested for coronavirus over the next 10 days in what he calls an "unprecedented testing blitz".

The blitz aims to find out where coronavirus is and isolate infected people, to try and get on top of that state's growing infection problem.

So can Victoria test its way out of its coronavirus problem? Or are local lockdowns going to be needed?

On today's show:

* Can Victoria test its way out of its coronavirus problem?

* How accurate are the saliva tests?

* What's the strategy here of mass testing?

* Why are we so worried about community transmission? The goal was always to flatten the curve, not eliminate the virus, wasn't it?

* People want to elbow bump me. Is that a risk?

It's also quick-fire Friday!

* Should you put off routine dental checks or colonoscopy checks?

* Is it true that women involved in trials of a coronavirus vaccine overseas have become infertile?

* If 200 Australians were exposed to COVID-19, how many will die?

* Do super spreaders wish they had a different superpower?

We have more on the "quaranjeans" question from Thursday's episode, and Norman has some research about blood types and whether they affect your chances of severe COVID-19 or even catching the virus.

So did Conor McKenna have coronavirus or not? Jun 25, 2020

Show notes

The on again, off again nature of Essendon AFL player Conor McKenna's COVID tests has been a wild ride this week.

McKenna had an irregular test result on Friday, then tested positive on Saturday. Then on Tuesday, tested negative.

So what's going on? Did he have COVID-19? Or has he been clear all along?

On today's show:

* How much can we rely on COVID-19 tests?

* What makes a super spreader? Is it biological or is it behavioural?

* I tried to buy a pair of jeans today but my size was "out the back in quarantine for another 24 hours"! Would putting clothes in a plastic bag for 48 hours kill off any coronavirus?

* Should people in the coronavirus hot spots leave their house to go to work?

Every coronavirus cluster starts with one person Jun 24, 2020

Show notes

If we've learnt anything from the Victorian coronavirus situation, it's that COVID-19 loves clusters.

The first known cluster of coronavirus was the Wuhan wet market in China, infecting more than 40 people.

From there, in only a few months, it has spread around the world, infecting more than 9 million people.

So how do these clusters start? And how do we stop them?

On today's show:

* What's the latest in Victoria?

* Are multicultural communities getting enough official communication about coronavirus?

* I live in a Melbourne hotspot. Do you have any tips on what measures I should take?

* What is "routine testing"?

* How do clusters or hot spots start?

And Norman has some more on "R values" of coronavirus and the flu. He also makes a correction to some comments in yesterday's episode about where the protester at the Melbourne Black Lives Matter protest was infected.

We've stopped social distancing and it's causing problems Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

A month or so ago, we had social distancing sorted.

We weren't hugging or shaking hands and we were keeping our distance.

But as the threat of coronavirus reduced, it seems we've slipped back into old habits.

And according to experts, the complacency could cost us dearly.

On today's show:

* What is the "R value" for coronavirus nationally? What about Victoria?

* What is happening to social distancing? Are we getting worse at it?

* Could the spike in Victoria be due to the colder weather?

* How does genomic testing of the virus work and is this how Victorian authorities know that the latest outbreaks are from family transmission?

* When going to family gatherings, it's not pleasant when relatives are offended by maintaining physical distance from them. How do we do this better?

Coronavirus is taking off again. Is it the second wave? Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

The state of Victoria is now under more restrictions, after being forced to ratchet them up due to a rise in coronavirus cases.

Victoria has had nearly a week of daily double digit increases of COVID-19 cases as coronavirus circulates.

While the situation isn't yet as bad as it was before the lockdowns, it has health authorities and political leaders worried.

So how did we end up in this situation?

On today's show:

* What's going on in Victoria?

* Why don't state governments make people who test positive to COVID-19 go into forced quarantine?

* Is the situation better or worse than when restrictions and lockdowns were first started?

* For every person detected with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test, how many are in the community undetected?

* What is actually a second wave? Does it mean small clusters breaking out here and there, or a big spread of the virus again?

What's social distancing done for sexually transmitted infections? Jun 19, 2020

Show notes

When Australia went into lockdown, it helped more than just coronavirus from spiralling out of control.

Infections of influenza are massively down on average, thanks to social distancing and people staying home.

So what about other illnesses like sexually transmitted infections? Has staying apart helped drive down those cases too?

On today's show:

* How do you manage dating and remain COVID-19 safe at the same time?

* Can coronavirus be transmitted sexually?

* What's social distancing done for sexually transmitted infections?

* Was the virus present earlier than reported in those countries that suffered early on?

* My Victorian family members insist there has been no community spread and new cases in Victoria and NSW are expats returning and in quarantine. Is this right, or is there a community trickle?

* Do you think kids have better immunity because of all the vaccinations they receive during childhood?

And in our new "quick answers" segment:

* How do you get a COVID-19 test done? Where do you go? How much does it cost? Does it hurt?

* What is the difference between COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2?

* My daughter is in Chile and hopes to return to Melbourne early August. Will she have to quarantine in a hotel or can she quarantine at our family home?

Can we trust the hype over steroids as a coronavirus treatment? Jun 18, 2020

Show notes

You might have seen the headlines over the past day or two about the drug dexamethasone, which claims to be a major breakthrough in the coronavirus pandemic.

The drug is a cheap and widely used steroid, and reduced death rates by about a third among the most severely ill COVID-19 patients in hospital.

But news of the drug's success in trials came not from a peer-reviewed scientific paper, but instead via press release and snippets on Twitter.

So how much can we trust the results?

On today's show:

* What is dexamethasone and why is it being touted as a coronavirus treatment?

* Beijing has been battling with a fresh outbreak of the new coronavirus. What’s going on?

The global hotspots where coronavirus is still killing thousands Jun 17, 2020

Show notes

As coronavirus restrictions are loosened in Australia, it's easy to forget we're still living in the middle of a pandemic and globally numbers are still rapidly growing.

A COVID-19 tracker run by Johns Hopkins University in the US has the worldwide tally for coronavirus infections at over eight million cases.

So where are the new hotspots and are any countries beginning a second wave?

On today’s show:

* There's more than eight million cases of coronavirus worldwide. Where are the hotspots?

* My daughter is a bit of an anxious school avoider who sometimes feels "sick" to avoid going to school. Are there any tips to manage this during a pandemic where we must keep sick kids at home to avoid COVID-19 outbreaks?

* And we continue our series looking at other countries. Today we talk about Japan!

The 'ludicrous' coronavirus certificate your boss wants Jun 16, 2020

Show notes

Proving you have coronavirus is easy. You get a test, and it comes back positive.

But what if your boss or school asks you to prove you DON'T have it?

According to the professional body for GPs, some employers and schools are asking people to provide a medical certificate showing they're clear of coronavirus.

So why is a certificate proving you're COVID-19 negative impossible and a waste of time?

On today's show:

* Why employers and schools should stop asking for COVID-19 clearance certificates

* Do researchers know why some people are asymptomatic? Is the virus only mild in these people, or can it be severe and they still show no symptoms?

* Is SARS-CoV-2 the only virus where people are asymptomatic?

* I have woken up with a sore throat and headache but am too scared to get tested. What should I do?

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