Privacy and health: The lessons of COVID-19

Despite public support, the COVIDSafe app failed to reach its download target. So, what are the implications for future policies that need citizens to share information?

Could politicians be prosecuted for mishandling COVID-19?

A physician and executive editor of the British Medical Journal believes that politicians should be held accountable and prosecuted for botched responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tracking COVID’s mental health impact via Twitter

Data scientists have analysed 94 million tweets from the first months of the pandemic to track COVID-19’s effect on mental health in NSW.

China and Russia aim to undermine free world COVID vaccines

Propaganda campaigns by hostile nations aim to undermine vaccine uptake and trust in the public health agencies tasked to deal with ending the pandemic.

Lessons learned from the plague year

A year on, the COVID pandemic has proved the value of science and the importance of social solidarity in the face of a common threat.

Vaccinating against misinformation

Australia’s top scientists urge Australians to continue to consult reputable sources of evidence-based information about COVID-19 vaccines.

Hang in there, Australia

Australia’s COVID exit strategy will be built around vaccines, but current COVID controls may still be required for another year, and perhaps some will endure beyond that.

We need a Federal push on vaccinations

The COVID outbreak in NSW, the emergence of a more virulent strain in Britain and a new wave of infections in the USA and Europe should provoke a greater sense of urgency in the Federal Government to vaccinate Australians as quickly as possible.

Heeding the lessons of 2020

No one could have predicted some of the hard lessons we’d learn in 2020. So what do we know at the end of this year that we had absolutely no clue about before?

How COVID-safe Santa can save Christmas

Given how depressing 2020 has been, Santa’s sleigh run needs to be classified as an essential service, so here is how Mr Claus (and his reindeer) can be a super spreader of goodwill and not COVID-19.

Enjoy a COVID-free Christmas

Christmas may not be cancelled, but it will certainly be different to any before, say leading COVID-19 experts. Despite the virtual eradication of the virus in this country, precautions over the holiday season will help prevent a resurgence.

Tackling vaccine ‘hesitancy’

UniSA researchers are evaluating a new vaccination education initiative – the COVID-19 Peer Hub – to help immunisation and public health professionals to tackle the emerging dangers of vaccine hesitancy amid the pandemic.