Vaccine policies fall on a spectrum, from mandates to recommendations. Deciding what to use and when is not so much a science but a balancing act between personal autonomy and public good.
Australia needed a federal government-inquiry into the management of the pandemic. Albanese recognised this and before the election he indicated Labor would have one. But he was vague about its form.
Hundreds of thousands of red hearts adorn a wall directly opposite parliament, yet successive prime ministers have nothing to say about officially marking the lives lost in the pandemic.
Deciding what to eat can be mentally taxing, especially when you are not feeling well. But, our diet plays a role in preventing and managing poor health, including COVID.
The new bivalent boosters against COVID-19 have failed to halt omicron infections. However, new technologies are being developed that pave a way forward.
Strict lockdowns, quarantines and testing have prevented many people in China from catching COVID-19. With concerns over Chinese vaccine efficacy and uptake, China may be facing a looming COVID-19 surge.
Systemic social issues affect vaccine access and acceptability. Yet, the term ‘vaccine hesitancy’ overlooks this, reducing the multiple factors that affect vaccine uptake to individual-level choices.
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne