News
Contact tracing apps are vital tools in the fight against coronavirus. But who decides how they work?
Last week the head of Australia’s Digital Transformation Agency, Randall Brugeaud, told a Senate committee hearing an updated version of Australia’s COVIDSafe contact-tracing app would soon be released. That’s because the current version doesn’t work properly on Apple phones, which restrict…
Action needed to protect kids from COVID-19 racism spike
Urgent attention is needed during this pandemic to protect children from the harms of rising racism, experts say. A series of recommendations published in the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) outline steps to combat racism…
Australians worried about infection and jobs due to COVID-19
Two-thirds of Australians say they feel anxious or worried about their own and others' safety and more than 600,000 have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, according to a new study from The Australian National University. Almost four-in-10 people say they feel it is either very likely or…
Singing the unsayable
Dr Bonnie McConnell’s new book opens with the musician Fatou singing the unsayable. “You know I am HIV positive and taking my treatment. Don’t worry, let’s join hands and fight the virus.” It’s 2007 in the Gambia, and Dr McConnell was onstage playing keyboard next to Fatou. In the front row of…
Why self-determination is vital for Indigenous communities to beat coronavirus
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people know very well the challenges of dealing with infectious diseases introduced from overseas to which the people have no immunity. Historically, epidemics have brought a double threat: first to Indigenous health, then to Indigenous self-determination.…
Lost without words
By Dr Sonia PertsinidisApart from wreaking havoc across the globe, the COVID-19 crisis has spawned a host of new jargon, from ‘social distancing’, ‘herd immunity’ and ‘flattening the curve’ to ‘PPE’ (Personal Protective Equipment), and ‘The Great Lockdown’. But, a lot of the vocabulary that we have…
Online learning in isolation
This year on Good Friday, Belinda Kamarga was a week and a half into self-isolation. As it was for many around the world, Easter just wasn’t the same for her. “It's not the same because of Coronavirus. It's a bit of a bummer I can’t go to church to celebrate,” Belinda says. The Bachelor of…