OzSAGE, a multi-disciplinary network of Australian experts, is today sounding the alarm on the number of daily deaths due to COVID-19 in Australia. With COVID cases still increasing and winter rapidly approaching, Australia must take protective action to prevent deaths and disability. Hospitalisations remain high, with over 3,000 people admitted nationwide. This has resulted in […]
OzSAGE’s advice regarding Brisbane Independent School’s ventilation-filtration system
Key Points Using OzSAGE principles and a consultative process, a ventilation and filtration system was designed and proposed. Air flow was modelled within each room to create optimal ventilation settings and identify locations for HEPA filters. This has, thus far, kept the school a low-transmission environment. The benefits extend beyond COVID to other respiratory illnesses […]
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Floods and COVID-19
Floods and COVID-19: OzSAGE urges governments to act immediately to prevent further illness and death. The floods in Northern NSW and Queensland are a public health catastrophe which will worsen the ongoing transmission of COVID-19 and increase the numbers of people with severe illness while the local health systems are already compromised by flooding and […]
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OzSAGE advises against removing all preventive measures against COVID-19
21 February 2022 In December 2021 we saw a surge in Omicron which resulted in preventable illness, death and severe societal impacts. There have been more deaths from Omicron in January and February 2022 than the whole of 2020 and 2021 combined. The Australian Bureau of Statistics confirms that deaths were due to COVID-19, and […]
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OzSAGE says governments must act immediately to decrease the death rate from COVID-19
OzSAGE says governments must act immediately to decrease the death rate from COVID-19. The consensus of a broad range of OzSAGE experts today is that we must care about and respectfully acknowledge deaths due to COVID-19, disclose data on mortality objectively, and talk about the causes with scientific authenticity and integrity. The deaths are far […]
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We urgently need better masks (respirators)
Australia is an outlier in not yet recommending or providing high-quality face coverings that provide filtration- respirators (N95/P2/KF94/FFP2) to the community. The Covid-19 virus is transmitted through breathing in small particles known as ‘aerosols’ that contain the virus. These small particles are produced by breathing, talking, and coughing, and they float and linger in the […]
Working Group: All Advice Documents, Community Masks
“Living with COVID-19” requires governments to resource Rapid Antigen Tests
COVID-19 infections – and the diagnosis and recording of infections as ‘case numbers’ – will always matter. However with the collapse in testing, test positivity rates soaring, PCR restricted to a small fraction of people and rapid antigen tests (RATs) largely unavailable and unaffordable, case numbers are no longer informative. Trends can only be reliably […]
Working Group: All Advice Documents, omicron
Maintaining Ambulance Service Capacity During COVID-19
During the Omicron surge, ambulance services are experiencing increased patient numbers, emergency department ramping, shortages of supplies such as personal protective equipment (PPE), and staff absences resulting from staff being furloughed, awaiting testing, becoming infected or as a result of exhaustion and burn-out. As a result, we are now seeing the predicted overwhelming of ambulance […]
I live in an apartment. How can I cut my risk of getting COVID?
I live in an apartment. How can I cut my risk of getting COVID? Shutterstock Geoff Hanmer, University of Technology Sydney Governments are pressing ahead with home quarantine for returning travellers and people are isolating at home due to COVID-19. So now is a good time to think about what you can do to reduce your […]
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UK Omicron data shows Australia must shorten its vaccine booster interval
The latest findings about the real world impact of Omicron, published by the UK Health Security Agency (10 Dec 2021), show that Australia must take immediate steps to tackle this new variant of concern. The data outlines that Omicron appears more transmissible and has significantly impacted the effectiveness of vaccines in the United Kingdom. Critically, […]
Working Group: All Advice Documents, omicron
Reduce the risk of lockdowns during the holiday season- Response to new variant of concern: Omicron
“Reduce the risk of lockdowns during the holiday season.” OzSAGE calls for coordinated action to control the spread of Omicron, including the use of air gapped quarantine facilities and rapid 3rd dose vaccine uptake. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the B.1.1.529 a new variant of concern orginating in southern Africa and have named […]
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COVID-19 in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – update Nov. 8th, 2021
Statement for Oz-Sage Conference 8th of November 2021 – Dr. Kalinda Griffiths Before we begin today, I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the many lands of which we are meeting. I am coming to you from Larrakia Country in Darwin, upon which lands sovereignty was never ceded, and pay my respects to […]
Working Group: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, All Advice Documents
COVID-19 in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – update Oct. 25, 2021
I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the many lands of which we are meeting. I am coming to you from Bidjigal Country in Sydney, and pay my respects to all Elders past, present and emerging and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people online today. My name is Ebony Lewis, I’m an Associate […]
Working Group: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, All Advice Documents
Protecting Regional, Rural and Remote Communities during the Covid–19 pandemic
Today, OzSAGE, a multi-disciplinary network of Australian experts, releases its advice paper for protecting Australia’s Regional, Rural and Remote communities (“regional Australia”) and health system from Covid-19. The full advice may be found below. In safer opening up of Australia, the strain on regional Australia from outbreaks of Covid-19 must be considered. Regional health services […]
Working Group: All Advice Documents, Regional, Rural and Remote
Advice on protecting people with disability from COVID-19
Almost one in five Australians live with disability. International evidence shows us that people with disability are at much high risk of serious disease and death from COVID-19 due to their medical conditions, disadvantage and difficulties accessing quality health care. Australia is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with […]
Working Group: All Advice Documents, Disability
COVID-19 in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – update Oct. 11, 2021
Dr. Kalinda Griffiths Before we begin today, I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the many lands of which we are meeting. I am coming to you from Larrakia Country in Darwin, upon which lands sovereignty was never ceded, and pay my respects to all elders those of the past, present and the […]
Working Group: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, All Advice Documents
Creating safe workplaces during the Covid-19 pandemic
Back to work – supporting employers to create safe and productive workplaces. Going back to work is a major part of opening up society, and we need to adapt to a world where COVID-19 will remain a risk at work. We need to be smart and agile in how we plan business continuity, to ensure […]
Working Group: All Advice Documents, Business
Back to school – Protecting children from COVID-19 and making schools and childcare safer
Back to school – Protecting children from COVID-19 and making schools and childcare safer Children should be at school as much as possible. For that to happen with minimal disruption, we need a focus on what a ‘safer school’ would look like, and OzSAGE provides a plan for schools and childcare. All children in Australia […]
Working Group: All Advice Documents, Children and Schools
Protecting children from COVID-19 and making schools and childcare safer
Protecting children from COVID-19 and making schools and childcare safer During this pandemic, nearly all unvaccinated individuals will eventually be infected. Most children in Australia are currently unvaccinated, and only children 12 and over are eligible for vaccination presently. If they are not protected, 1-3% of unvaccinated Australian children may become hospitalised with COVID-19, and more may suffer from ongoing symptoms lasting […]
Working Group: All Advice Documents, Children and Schools
A stronger, safer NSW Reopening Plan to avoid lockdowns
The latest New South Wales ‘Roadmap to recovery’ outlines the relaxing of restrictions in three stages: at the 70%, 80% and 90% double dose (persons over 16 years) vaccination marks (about 56%, 64% and 72% of the total population, respectively). OzSAGE commends the rapid vaccination campaign in NSW and the high rates achieved already, including […]
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Community Partnerships: An Essential Foundation to Successful COVID-19 Control
OzSAGE today released scientific guidance on community partnerships for controlling COVID-19. Many communities, including culturally and linguistically diverse communities, are at higher risk of COVID-19 infection because they are over-represented in essential, low paid work; live in larger, crowded, households; live in buildings with shared public spaces; or have few links to social supports. Many communities […]
Working Group: All Advice Documents, Community Driven Response