What's That Rash? - TopPodcast.com

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What is remdesivir and what's all the fuss about? May 01, 2020

Show notes

An experimental antiviral drug called remdesivir is being touted as a possible treatment for COVID-19 patients.

An unpublished, non-peer reviewed trial from America has found that it seems to lower the time patients spend in hospital, and might help reduce death rates.

So how excited should we be about this drug?

On today's show:

* What's remdesivir?

* Where does it come from?

* What do we know about side effects?

* What about that study from China that found it provided no benefit?

* Is lifting restrictions now too risky?

* What does all the research into SARS-CoV-2 mean for the common cold?

Are kids and young people affected more badly than we thought? Apr 30, 2020

Show notes

Several worrying cases involving coronavirus infection of children and younger adults have emerged from the UK and USA in the last few weeks.

In the UK, a few children have shown up at hospitals with a serious illness.

And in America, younger adults have shown up at hospitals after suffering from strokes.

While the total numbers are low, it reveals there's still a lot we don’t know about this virus.

On today's show:

* What is happening with children in the UK?

* What about younger adults suffering from stroke in America?

* Is loss of sense of taste and smell a good enough symptom to get tested?

* How does COVID-19 possibly change the way we think?

Were Australian lockdowns worth it? Apr 29, 2020

Show notes

As states slowly wind back restrictions and release the brake on lockdowns, it’s a good time to look back to see if they were worth it.

So far, Australia has had less than 100 deaths related to COVID-19, and new case numbers remain small.

But what about deaths that occurred because of the lockdown? And how many deaths would have occurred anyway?

On today's show:

* Were the lockdowns worth it?

* Why is the tracing app critical time set to 15 minutes?

* When is it likely that we will be able to travel interstate again?

So should we download the coronavirus app or what? Apr 28, 2020

Show notes

The Federal Government's contact-tracing app has smashed expectations and has been downloaded more than two million times since its release.

It's hoped it will help track down contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases, but there is still a lot we don't know about the app.

And is there any evidence that it will even help?

Today, Coronacast is joined by tech reporter Ariel Bogle from the ABC's science unit to help answer your questions.

On today's show:

* What is the COVIDSafe app supposed to do?

* Is it spying on me?

* Is being fit and healthy a good thing to help tackle coronavirus?

* What happened to all those suburb hotspots?

* Is there a possibility of infertility occurring from this virus?

And Dr Norman Swan has a study that dives into antibodies, which might give us some clues around immunity.

Is being overweight a bigger risk factor than smoking? Apr 27, 2020

Show notes

Data from overseas suggests that after age, obesity is the biggest risk factor causing more problems than smoking with coronavirus patients.

So why could that be?

On today's show:

* What's the NSW schools report all about?

* Queensland is reducing some restrictions. Why now?

* People are volunteering to be exposed to coronavirus to help test the vaccine. Is that a good idea?

* What is the role of obesity in serious outcomes from COVID-19?

* Why do I need a flu shot to visit my father in an aged care home?

* Are vegans and vegetarians the least affected by COVID-19?

And don't forget to check out Dr Norman Swan's "The Health Report" podcast for more on the issues around volunteering for the coronavirus vaccine.

How do we avoid the dreaded second (third or fourth) coronavirus wave? Apr 24, 2020

Show notes

Whichever way you look at it, coronavirus is going to be with us for quite a while.

Elimination seems unlikely and overseas it’s infecting people in large numbers.

While cases remain low, there's always the risk of it reappearing.

So how do we avoid getting smashed by waves of coronavirus again and again and again?

On today's show:

* How do we make sure that our health system and economy doesn't get smashed every time there's a coronavirus wave?

* In a previous episode, Norman mentioned that coronavirus might come back in two or four years. Where would it go in between?

* Why do people often suffer more from COVID-19 in the second week?

And we are joined by two time Archibald Prize winner Del Kathryn Barton! She's here to talk about the Together In Art Kids project — an exhibition featuring kids' artwork about the coronavirus.

For more information, see togetherinart.org/kids

Human vaccine trials begin! What happens next? Apr 23, 2020

Show notes

Human trials for a coronavirus vaccine have begun in the UK, and it's all actions go.

Depending on what happens there’s a long way to go before you might be innoculated.

Usually the process could take years, but this isn’t your usual vaccine trial.

On today's show:

* What are the phases of vaccine trials?

* Wasn’t the vaccine 18 months away?

* Are death rates worse in hotter or cooler climates?

* Will we see a better flu season because everyone is indoors?

And Norman has found a paper from Nature Medicine, published in 2015, that has some spooky predictions about the current pandemic.

SPECIAL: Deputy Chief Medical Officer answers your questions Apr 22, 2020

Show notes

Why aren't we being told to wear masks? Are we trying to eradicate coronavirus or what? What’s going on with schools?

There are so many big coronavirus questions Australians have, so we asked the country’s deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly to come on the podcast to help answer them.

On today's show:

* What’s the deal with masks?

* Why does the Federal Government seem to have different views to the states on schools?

* How do you socially distance and go to school?

* Why have you shut playgrounds but not schools?

* Can we eradicate coronavirus?

* If you knew what you know now, what would you do differently?

When might Australia reach zero coronavirus cases? Apr 21, 2020

Show notes

New Zealand has announced it will soon loosen restrictions, as the number of cases there has continued to fall.

So when might Australia reach a low enough caseload to consider doing the same thing?

On today's show:

* If Australia and NZ had low cases, could there be a “bubble” where we can travel between each country but no where else?

* How far does Norman think Australia is away from zero or near zero cases?

* If Australia goes for elimination, do we risk creating a COVID-19 vulnerable population?

* Is there somewhere in the middle between zero cases and New York/Italy, eg Sweden?

And Norman explains research from the journal Science about what the world could look like post-pandemic.

Why can't I test myself for coronavirus at home? Apr 20, 2020

Show notes

As getting a test for COVID-19 becomes far easier in Australia, people are starting to wonder why you can’t just do it yourself at home.

On today's Coronacast, Dr Norman Swan explains while getting tested is easy, making sure you do it properly is a lot harder.

On today's show:

* When does the virus show up in testing?

* Why can’t I do a test at home?

* If anti-bodies are low in recovered patients, what does that mean for any vaccine?

* What is the latest on vaccines?

* What’s going on with the possible treatment using the drug remdesivir?

And Norman gets a scalding from a three-year-old listener.

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