What's That Rash?

While millions of young people wait for enough vaccine to arrive in the country, there are still large numbers of people who are eligible today that haven't yet gotten a shot. According to Commonwealth data, roughly 40 per cent of Australians in their 60s have not yet been vaccinated. It's vital that as many people are vaccinated as possible, and for the Delta variant currently circulating in the...

A lot is riding on NSW being able to get its hand around its COVID-19 outbreak and bring it all back under control, but there's no guarantee that it'll be able to do it. And there are huge implications for the rest of the country. What will happen to hotel quarantine? Will other states give up vaccine allocations to the state most in need? And how will people travel in and out of NSW? Also on toda...

Ever since the pandemic begun, we've all be looking forward to the day it's finally over. As Australia grapples with Delta outbreaks in three capital cities, other places in the world - like the UK - are throwing the doors open and hoping for the best. The UK's experience can give a guide on how many people need to be fully vaccinated before big moves are made, but with surging infections it also...

South Australia has spent the first night of a week long lockdown after discovering a bunch of community cases of the highly infectious Delta variant. It's a different way of handling an outbreak, especially when compared to NSW which waited much longer before declaring a lockdown. So why do we still see some states act faster than others? And has the Delta variant changed the way contact tracing...

The standard way of testing for coronavirus is to shove a swab up your nose, and then run the sample through sensitive equipment in a pathology lab. But while its the gold standard way of working out if someone is positive or not for COVID-19, it can take a while to get the result back. So it is time to consider a different way of testing people where you need lots of tests done quickly - like spo...

COVID-19 is in a bit of a holding pattern at the moment. It's not getting worse in Sydney, but then again despite lockdowns now going for several weeks it's not getting better yet either. In Melbourne, it's still too early to know how the outbreak is trending, but case numbers have remained in the high teens over the weekend. But we are learning more by the day about the Delta variant, and how it...

With Australia's two biggest cities now in lockdown, you'd be forgiven for wondering when is this all going to end. Lockdowns are an incredibly blunt tool to control pandemics, but in many cases - if you want to keep control over spread - they're one of the only options available. Yesterday, Melbourne joined Sydney in locking down thanks to the highly infectious Delta variant, which continues to p...

It should be clear by now that coronavirus, especially the Delta variant, is incredibly infectious. Victoria is the latest state to get hit, after the Delta variant found its way in two different ways: a family returning from Sydney and a removalist crew. In Sydney, it's proving hard to get under control - with the NSW Government extending the lockdown in Greater Sydney by at least two weeks. Also...

Every day when cases fall is a good day, and in NSW yesterday the numbers reduced in two key areas. The first was the total number of new cases, and the second was the number of people out in the community while infectious. However a single day does not make a trend, but the entire country is no doubt hoping that Sydney's outbreak has peaked. Also on today's show: * Origins of the coronavirus * Wa...

Knowing for sure how long a lockdown will last is almost impossible, but scientific modelling might help us at least get a ballpark idea. NSW yesterday recorded 112 new COVID-19 cases, despite being in lockdown for the last few weeks. Modelling from the Burnet Institute has shown that while the current lockdown settings will work, it'll take months for caseloads to drop significantly. So on today'...

It's certainly taken a turn for the worse in Sydney, with the number of COVID-19 cases per day doubling over the last four to five days. We've heard that it's going to get worse before it gets better, and there are forecasts of more than a hundred cases today. So how much longer are we in the upward trajectory of this curve? When will numbers finally start to come back down? And how long, realisti...

Nearly two weeks into Sydney's lockdown, and yesterday the state has recorded its highest daily number of COVID-19 cases in the outbreak so far. It's not good news for residents, as many of the cases were in public while infectious - which may lead to further chains of transmission. It's also becoming clearer that this outbreak is dragging on longer than hoped, and it seems the epidemiological fig...

Sadly, greater Sydney and surrounding areas are to spend another week in lockdown after COVID-19 cases have refused to come down to more comfortable levels. The NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has warned cases today will likely also be high, and that additional restrictions may need to be imposed. So on today's Coronacast, why do authorities need more time? And what can we tell about the Delta vari...

It's been over a week and a bit since greater Sydney and surrounds were put into lockdown to battle the Delta outbreak which started three weeks ago. While case numbers haven't soared over the last two weeks, they haven't dramatically reduced either. And there are still people testing positive without being in isolation. Today, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is expected to provide more information...

With all the uncertainties a pandemic brings, it's sometimes worth remembering that it will one day be over. It might not be tomorrow, but it will eventually end - and one of the main ways we'll manage that is by mass vaccination of the global population. Currently, countries are at various stages of the rollout, and one much further ahead than Australia is Singapore. So on today's Coroncast, what...

Over the weekend, lockdowns ended in WA, NT and Queensland - leaving only Greater Sydney and surrounding areas with heavy restrictions. New South Wales' health authorities have been battling a much bigger outbreak, but there's hope that it might finally being brought under control. But many challenges remain, such as an outbreak in an aged-care home and still several mystery cases. So on today's C...

As we well know with coronavirus by now, sometimes you just have wait to see if things will get better - or worse. We're nearly a week in since COVID-19 exploded across the country, with outbreaks and lockdowns in NSW, Queensland, NT and WA. So as we head into the weekend, how's it looking in the hotspots of Sydney and Brisbane? And what - if any - lockdowns may need to be extended? That's on toda...

If there's one thing everyone can agree on regarding Australia's vaccine rollout it's that it's a bit of a mess. As politicians, health authorities and health experts seem to give conflicting advice - it might be worth looking back to see how we go here in the first place. What exactly changed on Monday with the Prime Minister announcing that under 40s can now access the AstraZeneca vaccine and wh...

Much has been said about the AstraZeneca vaccine over the past year. We've discussed its production, distribution, efficacy, link to rare blood clots, availability and everything else in between. On Monday night, the Prime Minister said that anyone under the age of 40 can go to their GP and request the AstraZeneca vaccine. But on today's Coronacast, if you're under 40, should you? Also on today's...

Sydneysiders are being warned to expect daily case numbers to jump around over the next few days, as the scale of the outbreak becomes clearer. In other states and territories, the outbreaks are smaller - but it's still too early to know where this might head next. One thing is for sure: the Delta variant is far more infectious than previous strains - and according to modelling, that means we can...

If you haven't been paying attention to the news over the weekend, there's some bad news. Sydney is in lockdown. Darwin is too. And there's new restrictions for Perth. Rather quickly, coronavirus has found its way around the country from the east to the west and to the top end. So on today's Coronacast, what has happened and how did it all go so badly so quickly? Also on today's show: * Re-examini...

As Sydney's outbreak continues to grow, so do the number of people who have been fully vaccinated. But, as more people are vaccinated - many are wondering, since they're fully vaccinated, why do they have to be subject to lockdowns and restrictions? Well, it's because of several reasons, as today's Coronacast explains. Also on today's show: * Quick Fire Friday with all your quick fire questions!

People living in Sydney and surrounding cities are living under much heavier restrictions today, after the COVID-19 outbreak significantly worsened yesterday. There are now serious limits on the number of people who can visit at home, capacity limits on businesses and masks are essential in public spaces. Part of the increased concern was a superspreading event at a birthday party, where at least...

There's been a rather large jump in the number of COVID-19 cases in Sydney, with the cluster growing beyond 20 people. While the majority of the cases reported yesterday were already in isolation, there was at least one mystery case in which contract tracers have had to hunt down the source. The NSW Government has mandated the use of masks on public transport and in all public indoor venues Sydney...

While it's still too early to know how many people have cancelled their second Astra dose, doctors are urging people to make sure they receive both doses of the same vaccine. The risk of serious side effects from the second dose are reported to be significantly lower, and on the plus side - a second dose gives you even better protection against COVID-19. Currently, there's no approval from medicin...