Australia now has two different booster options to choose from when the inevitable time comes for the third dose of coronavirus vaccine. Moderna was approved by the country's vaccine expert group ATAGI over the weekend. We'll also be able to get the booster a month earlier, with the Government announcing a shorter period due to the threat of waning immunity and new variants. So if Moderna is a choice, should you take it over Pfizer? Does it even matter? And why is the Moderna booster only a half...
Dec 12, 2021•11 min
As the data from initial studies into how Omicron evades our immunity continue to flow in, it's becoming more and more likely that a third dose - or booster - is going to be essential. Several more studies have been released, all showing large falls in immunity to the Omicron variant. One thing that the studies imply though is that there are much higher antibody levels in people who have either been infected, or received a third dose. So how much will third doses be needed to combat Omicron? Als...
Dec 09, 2021•11 min
As the data from initial studies into how Omicron evades our immunity continue to flow in, it's becoming more and more likely that a third dose - or booster - is going to be essential. Several more studies have been released, all showing large falls in immunity to the Omicron variant. One thing that the studies imply though is that there are much higher antibody levels in people who have either been infected, or received a third dose. So how much will third doses be needed to combat Omicron? Als...
Dec 09, 2021•11 min
One of the first studies into Omicron and immunity has reported back and it's not super great news: there's significant evasion of antibodies produced by the Pfizer vaccine. But not all is lost. The study says that the Omicron variant uses the same way of getting into our cells, meaning our existing tools and techniques should be relatively easy to change so they work better. The study is not yet published, and is a very small sample size so it's worth keeping in mind that this is still a very n...
Dec 08, 2021•11 min
One of the first studies into Omicron and immunity has reported back and it's not super great news: there's significant evasion of antibodies produced by the Pfizer vaccine. But not all is lost. The study says that the Omicron variant uses the same way of getting into our cells, meaning our existing tools and techniques should be relatively easy to change so they work better. The study is not yet published, and is a very small sample size so it's worth keeping in mind that this is still a very n...
Dec 08, 2021•11 min
Beyond the nasty and sometimes life-threatening symptoms that COVID can bring, there's another risk: long COVID. It's the collection of prolonged symptoms including brain fog, smell loss and fatigue. And while we know that being vaccinated drastically reduces your risk of a bad bout of COVID itself, a lingering question has been whether it also protects you from long COVID. Well, according to a yet to be peer reviewed study, the answer is yes it does. Also on today's show: * Is there any researc...
Dec 07, 2021•10 min
Beyond the nasty and sometimes life-threatening symptoms that COVID can bring, there's another risk: long COVID. It's the collection of prolonged symptoms including brain fog, smell loss and fatigue. And while we know that being vaccinated drastically reduces your risk of a bad bout of COVID itself, a lingering question has been whether it also protects you from long COVID. Well, according to a yet to be peer reviewed study, the answer is yes it does. Also on today's show: * Is there any researc...
Dec 07, 2021•10 min
Over the next several months, the fight between Delta and Omicron is going to be scientifically fascinating. In the red corner is the current world champion Delta, which easily beat out every other variant of concern to date. In the blue corner is the challenger Omicron, whose continued existence probably relies on its ability to beat out the champion. But how will we know who's winning and when will we get a better sense of it all? Also on today's show: * What makes a virus go viral? * Who deci...
Dec 06, 2021•12 min
Over the next several months, the fight between Delta and Omicron is going to be scientifically fascinating. In the red corner is the current world champion Delta, which easily beat out every other variant of concern to date. In the blue corner is the challenger Omicron, whose continued existence probably relies on its ability to beat out the champion. But how will we know who's winning and when will we get a better sense of it all? Also on today's show: * What makes a virus go viral? * Who deci...
Dec 06, 2021•12 min
It's been a bit more than a week since we learned of Omicron, the newest coronavirus variant of concern. And while we're still a while from knowing solid answers, the world's scientists have done an amazing job over the last 7 days unraveling parts of Omicron's mysteries. The three big questions are will our vaccines continue to work? For people who do get the virus, will it be severe and will it beat Delta to become the coronavirus champion of the world? So on today's Coronacast, what we know f...
Dec 05, 2021•12 min
It's been a bit more than a week since we learned of Omicron, the newest coronavirus variant of concern. And while we're still a while from knowing solid answers, the world's scientists have done an amazing job over the last 7 days unraveling parts of Omicron's mysteries. The three big questions are will our vaccines continue to work? For people who do get the virus, will it be severe and will it beat Delta to become the coronavirus champion of the world? So on today's Coronacast, what we know f...
Dec 05, 2021•12 min
Just like we're likely going to be stuck with COVID for the rest of our lives, we're probably also going to be stuck wondering which is the most effective vaccine to protect against it. Well lucky we've got science to help sort it out, with a new study putting the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines head-to-head across hundreds of thousands of people. And other scientists have been busy working out how much protection you have against reinfection, if you are infected in the first place. Also on today's ...
Dec 02, 2021•9 min
Just like we're likely going to be stuck with COVID for the rest of our lives, we're probably also going to be stuck wondering which is the most effective vaccine to protect against it. Well lucky we've got science to help sort it out, with a new study putting the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines head-to-head across hundreds of thousands of people. And other scientists have been busy working out how much protection you have against reinfection, if you are infected in the first place. Also on today's ...
Dec 02, 2021•9 min
As the days tick by since Omicron was discovered, it's slowly spreading around the world. One example is reports of a couple of Israeli doctors who likely picked up Omicron in the United Kingdom, before flying back home. Their symptoms are said to be mild at the moment, but more worryingly, both of the doctors were fully vaccinated with Pfizer - that's all three doses. So what do we know about how Omicron works with our current vaccines? Also on today's show: * If we have been vaccinated to reco...
Dec 01, 2021•10 min
Nearly two years into the global coronavirus pandemic, it's probably safe to say that we're all pretty much ready for it to be done. So no wonder we're hoping that very early reports from South Africa are possibly, just maybe, indicating that the Omicron variant is "milder" than variants before. But how much evidence is there for that yet? Is it true, or just wishful thinking? Also on today's show: * Is it possible that the emergence of this variant is actually an encouraging development for the...
Nov 30, 2021•10 min
Nearly two years into the global coronavirus pandemic, it's probably safe to say that we're all pretty much ready for it to be done. So no wonder we're hoping that very early reports from South Africa are possibly, just maybe, indicating that the Omicron variant is "milder" than variants before. But how much evidence is there for that yet? Is it true, or just wishful thinking? Also on today's show: * Is it possible that the emergence of this variant is actually an encouraging development for the...
Nov 30, 2021•10 min
As the world desperately awaits news from scientists on anything Omicron, some experts have started thinking about where the variant might have come from. One theory is that it's from someone severely immunocompromised, where the virus has had millions of opportunities to evolve against a poor immune response. But it's far from the only theory. So on today's Coronacast, a few other possibilities of where - and when - Omicron might have popped into existence. Also on today's show: * The evolution...
Nov 29, 2021•11 min
As the world desperately awaits news from scientists on anything Omicron, some experts have started thinking about where the variant might have come from. One theory is that it's from someone severely immunocompromised, where the virus has had millions of opportunities to evolve against a poor immune response. But it's far from the only theory. So on today's Coronacast, a few other possibilities of where - and when - Omicron might have popped into existence. Also on today's show: * The evolution...
Nov 29, 2021•11 min
It's the news we didn't want: There's a new variant of concern in town and it's got all sorts of mutations just where you don't want them. It's also got a new fancy name: Omicron, and it's reportedly outpacing Delta in countries in southern Africa. But is it really? Is it more infectious? Is it more virulent? Is it vaccine resistant, and if so by how much? How much do we really know at the moment? Should I panic? Also on today's show: * What if the Omicron variant is the sort epidemiologists exp...
Nov 28, 2021•14 min
As pandemics go, the coronavirus one is pretty big. It rapidly spread around the world, and is still causing problems. But how does it compare to past pandemics? Are we actually living in a fortunate time in human history? If we could magically replace COVID with a bug from the past, would it be a good or bad idea? Would you prefer the plague? Syphilis? Perhaps a flu pandemic might tickle your fancy. Well to help you decide, on today's Coronacast, we go through the pandemics in history. Also on ...
Nov 25, 2021•12 min
As pandemics go, the coronavirus one is pretty big. It rapidly spread around the world, and is still causing problems. But how does it compare to past pandemics? Are we actually living in a fortunate time in human history? If we could magically replace COVID with a bug from the past, would it be a good or bad idea? Would you prefer the plague? Syphilis? Perhaps a flu pandemic might tickle your fancy. Well to help you decide, on today's Coronacast, we go through the pandemics in history. Also on ...
Nov 25, 2021•12 min
All around the country at the moment are family discussions and debates about what to do about that one relative or friend who still doesn't want to get vaccinated. The numbers of double vaccinated people continue to rise as people realise it's in their benefit to get the jab. But there will always be holdouts, no matter what policies are put in place. So how much does it matter if someone at the Christmas party is unvaccinated when nearly 90 percent of us 12 or older are double dosed? Also on t...
Nov 24, 2021•9 min
All around the country at the moment are family discussions and debates about what to do about that one relative or friend who still doesn't want to get vaccinated. The numbers of double vaccinated people continue to rise as people realise it's in their benefit to get the jab. But there will always be holdouts, no matter what policies are put in place. So how much does it matter if someone at the Christmas party is unvaccinated when nearly 90 percent of us 12 or older are double dosed? Also on t...
Nov 24, 2021•9 min
When the slew of variants popped into existence last year, scientists began worrying what it could mean for vaccine resistant variants down the line. So far, the Delta variant has remained top dog. While it is much more infectious than the original coronavirus, thankfully it doesn't evade our vaccines by much. But what about down the line? As more and more of the world is vaccinated, will the virus find a way to evolve to get around vaccines? That’s on today’s Coronacast. Also on today’s show: *...
Nov 23, 2021•10 min
When the slew of variants popped into existence last year, scientists began worrying what it could mean for vaccine resistant variants down the line. So far, the Delta variant has remained top dog. While it is much more infectious than the original coronavirus, thankfully it doesn't evade our vaccines by much. But what about down the line? As more and more of the world is vaccinated, will the virus find a way to evolve to get around vaccines? That’s on today’s Coronacast. Also on today’s show: *...
Nov 23, 2021•10 min
As we start to reopen to the world, it's inevitable that we'll start to see more cases of COVID-19 travel over our international and domestic borders. But it's far from the only bug that will make the journey while travelling inside a human. Influenza is one viruses we've been largely protected from over the last 18 months, after international border closures put a halt to incoming flights. So on today's Coronacast, what do we have to keep in mind when reopening and can we protect ourselves and ...
Nov 22, 2021•9 min
It's become a common claim among people who are still COVID-19 vaccine hesitant, that they say they're "waiting for Novavax". While there are currently three safe and effective vaccines available in Australia, Novavax is still not approved for use. Australia ordered Novavax a year ago, but as yet there's still no sign of it and the TGA says its application for approval is still under evaluation. So on today's Coronacast, if someone says they're waiting for Novavax, here's what you might want to ...
Nov 21, 2021•9 min
It's become a common claim among people who are still COVID-19 vaccine hesitant, that they say they're "waiting for Novavax". While there are currently three safe and effective vaccines available in Australia, Novavax is still not approved for use. Australia ordered Novavax a year ago, but as yet there's still no sign of it and the TGA says its application for approval is still under evaluation. So on today's Coronacast, if someone says they're waiting for Novavax, here's what you might want to ...
Nov 21, 2021•9 min
The head of the umbrella organisation for Australia's Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations says she's nervous about the country's reopening over the next month. CEO of NACCHO Pat Turner says while some Indigenous communities are 100% fully vaccinated, others are far from done. She says part of the problem is state and territory governments wanting to leave it to the Commonwealth, and also certain religious groups bringing in misinformation and myths from the United States. On tod...
Nov 18, 2021•13 min
The head of the umbrella organisation for Australia's Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations says she's nervous about the country's reopening over the next month. CEO of NACCHO Pat Turner says while some Indigenous communities are 100% fully vaccinated, others are far from done. She says part of the problem is state and territory governments wanting to leave it to the Commonwealth, and also certain religious groups bringing in misinformation and myths from the United States. On tod...
Nov 18, 2021•13 min
