Going Viral

The number of confirmed monkey pox cases in Australia and the world Transmission can occur via respiratory droplets and aerosols, close contact with bodily fluids, lesions and fomites Diagnosis of a monkey pox rash – When to suspect and where to go from there Treatment and prevention   Host:  Dr David Lim |  Total time: 12 mins Guest: A/Prof Nicholas Wood, Staff Specialist Gen...

Current burden and variants Long COVID and vaccines COVID vaccine boosters - effectiveness and safety and the need for a 4th dose Update on safety of COVID vaccines   Host:  Dr David Lim |  Total time: 25 mins Guest: A/Prof Nicholas Wood, Staff Specialist General Paediatrician; Associate Director, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance   Register for ou...

New advice on when to vaccinate after COVID infection Coronary emergencies after vaccination, hepatitis in children - cause for concern Ba5 update   Host:  Dr David Lim |  Total time: 32 mins Guest: A/Prof Paul Griffin, Infectious Diseases Physician and Clinical Microbiologist; Director of Infectious Diseases, Mater Hospital; Lecturer, University of Queensland; Principal Invest...

Should GPs have a fourth booster? The Ba4 and Ba5 variants More information on the antivirals Long COVID is an emerging public health issue Host:  Dr David Lim |  Total time: 42 mins Guest: Prof Nancy Baxter, Clinical Epidemiologist; Head of the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne   Register for our upcoming FREE WEBCAST! Every second Tuesday |...

A look at our local and national infection rates Third and fourth boosters - more data on benefits Influenza and other respiratory infections will cause a problem sooner or later The antivirals - Paxlovid and Lagevrio What does the medium to long term future look like? Host:  Dr David Lim |  Total time: 46 mins Guest: Prof Kristine Macartney, Infectious Disease Specialist, Director, Nati...

Overseas travel and COVID - booster before travelling? What’s the evidence? The more transmissible OMICRON subvariant... is there any cause for concern here? Pre-exposure Prophylaxis - understanding how to use EVUSHELD - what/when/for who/safety and side effects Which Anti-COVID drugs DO NOT work for OMICRON?...most of the MABs Paed vax programme issues… data suggests rapidly waning p...

Olfactory disturbances with COVID19 is evidence of brain involvement Whilst olfactory changes mostly resolve, cognitive changes may not return to normal Consider a neuropsychological assessment for patients complaining of fatigue, poor attention span, slower processing speed. It is important to not let these patients suffer in silence Host: Dr David Lim | Total time: 42 mins Guests: Dr Lucette Cys...

A clinical overview of Novavax Is a fourth booster imminent for Australia? Post-COVID cardiovascular risk Host: Dr David Lim | Total time: 32 mins Guest: A/Prof Nigel Crawford, Chair, ATAGI, Infectious Disease Specialist; Director, Surveillance of Adverse Events Following Vaccination In the Community (SAEFVIC), Murdoch Children’s Research Institute; Head of Immunisation Services Royal Childr...

With the opening of the borders and the relaxation of COVID related social distancing measures, the risk of infectious respiratory disease is significantly elevated COVID is not the only preventable infectious disease - influenza, pertussis, and pneumonia are also very important The risk is elevated for those with chronic respiratory disease but these considerations are important for all people, e...

Vaccine inequity is not the main reason the Congo is not immunised against COVID-19 Vaccine scepticism is not the only reason for reduced vaccination rates in the Congo There are so many factors to take into account with a world immunisation programme   Host: Dr David Lim | Total time: 40 mins Guest: Lindsay Thitchener, Pathologist; Catalyst Project Manager, Sonic Healthcare; Accredited Educa...

Boosters - will we need a fourth? Will it work? Are we really in the final phase of the pandemic? Other recent development   Host: Dr David Lim | Total time: 38 mins Guest: Prof Stephen Duckett, Health Economist; Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia; Health and Aged Care Program Director, Grattan Institute; Australian public policy think tank and Emeritus Professor of Hea...

From the start the strategy to ditch all COVID restrictions and open the borders was risky The National Strategy was designed for Delta rather than the very different Omicron Economic activity is down regardless because people voted with their feet and began to lockdown themselves Communication from the authorities must be honest, reflect the reality of the situation and carefully manage changes t...

Booster update Introduction to the Novavax vaccine School immunisation and RATs The new Anti-viral therapies Omicron BA2... cause for concern?   Host: Dr David Lim | Total time: 39 mins Guest: Prof Kristine Macartney, Infectious Disease Specialist, Director, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) Register for our fortnightly FREE WEBCASTS Every second Tuesday | 7:0...

There are two schools of thought emerging with regard to the future of the pandemic and there is a great deal of tension between them Our politicians, business sector and mainstream media are very committed to the idea that Omicron is essentially the end of the pandemic - they want to open the country up now There are many other scientific experts who feel that it is better to be cautious and act...

The government and the media have propelled anti-scientific disinformation into the mainstream We are seeing very significant post-COVID sequelae including diabetes & neurocognitive issues and more are emerging Omicron infection is less protective than the booster COVID has generated a major variant every six months for the past two years… more are likely to emerge so we are unlikely to...

COVID-19 vaccine boosters work well against the Omicron variant Awaiting more data before we know if a 4th jab will be needed COVID vaccination in children 5-11 yrs have shown a good safety record A third primary dose for children 5-11 yrs with immunosuppression Novavax was not superior to mRNA vaccines as a booster so patients should not be waiting for it You can have both flu and COVID shots at...

Rapid antigen test kits should be provided for free and an app to upload results both negative and positive Why the Omicron wave is not the end of the pandemic Stay on the look out for long COVID, especially in patients under 40 years of age Post-COVID depression, anxiety and diabetes in young people are a concern   Host:  Dr David Lim |  Total time: 48 mins Guest: Prof Mary-Louise...

COVID vaccine boosters & Novavax  Rapid antigen testing  Debunking recent COVID myths Why we should be optimistic Host:  Dr David Lim |  Total time: 37 mins Guest: Dr Gary Grohmann, Virologist; Vaccine Manufacturing Expert; Former Director of Immunobiology and WHO ERL at the TGA, Office of Laboratories and Scientific Services   Register for our upcoming free webcast Tu...

Latest data on immune escape, infectivity and pathogenicity Implications for the Australian and world public health effort Is Omicron a sign that the pandemic is burning out? Host:  Dr David Lim |  Total time: 43 mins Guest: Dr Gary Grohmann, Virologist; Vaccine Manufacturing Expert; Former Director of Immunobiology and WHO ERL at the TGA, Office of Laboratories and Scientific Services &...

Practical details on boosters and their combination The 5-11yo vaccination programme…safety and efficacy Infant immunisation is coming soon Host: Dr Vivienne Miller | Total time: 32 mins Guest: Prof Kristine Macartney, Paediatrician; Infectious Disease Specialist, Staff Specialist in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead; Director, National Centre f...

•    Long COVID is emerging as a major public health issue •    It seems to primarily involve the CNS •    GPs to be up to speed on this relatively under recognised issue Host:  Dr David Lim |  Total time: 13 mins Guest: Prof Mary-Louise McLaws, Epidemiologist; Director, Immunisation Coalition; Professor of Epidemiology, Healthcare Infection a...

What we know about Omicron so far Boosters should be given earlier than six months Children are the current Covid target group Host:  Dr David Lim |  Total time: 50 mins Guest: Prof Mary-Louise McLaws, Epidemiologist; Director, Immunisation Coalition; Professor of Epidemiology, Healthcare Infection and Infectious Diseases Control, UNSW   Register for our upcoming FREE WEBCAST! Tuesd...

At this stage, Omicron does not appear to be causing severe disease so right now there is little cause for alarm  But we need more time to understand it, especially its impact on the most vulnerable groups The key information will become available within 2-3 weeks This development highlights vaccine equity as a very important issue Per capita, Australia has donated more covid vaccines than an...

More information has emerged regarding theories about the origin of the virus An understanding of when and how to use PCR and RAT Future waves/outbreaks are likely, what should we be doing about it? Host: Dr David Lim | Total time: 33 mins Guest: Prof Dominic Dwyer, Medical Virologist and Infectious Diseases Physician; Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, ICPMR, Wes...

This is the Novavax update we've been waiting for All of the frequently asked questions Novavax promises to be a very positive addition to our national COVID strategy Host: Dr David Lim | Total time: 39 mins Guest: Dr Gary Grohmann, Virologist; Vaccine Manufacturing Expert; Former Director of Immunobiology and WHO ERL at the TGA, Office of Laboratories and Scientific Services     Registe...