WHO 30 March 2020

In a week that has been filled with rising panic and lots of misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the image above struck a chord with me, as it clarifies the situation in a way nothing else can. As you’ll see, it shows a row of matches that have caught fire, one after another, until there’s a match that has ‘stepped back’ – and, in doing so, saves the rest from lighting. The message is “the one who stayed away saved all the rest”. Simple, yes. But very effective. While it is without doubt frustrating to have events put on hold, holidays cancelled and be told to stop hugging and handshaking, it really is the simple act of staying away – or ‘social distancing’ as it has now been coined – that will…

LaPaglia locked out of ‘Survivor’ finale Survivor All-Stars has joined the list of shows disrupted by COVID-19. Series regular Jonathan LaPaglia was set to fly in from the US to film the finale this week, but the new government restrictions mean he would face 14 days of self-isolation. Network Ten had planned to record the show in front of friends and family of the cast, but it will now be recorded in a closed studio with LaPaglia appearing by satellite and Osher Günsberg lending a hand. Jacqui Patterson, who was voted out on Monday, said it was sad that there wouldn’t be a live audience. “That’s just what the world is living through,” she reflected. “We’ve just got to go with it. Let’s just hope Osher doesn’t offer us a rose!” Bikers’…

In the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic, Australians are bracing to cope with an escalating crisis at home. The virus – which is characterised by a fever, dry cough and difficulty breathing – has spread to 157 countries and territories so far, and new cases are cropping up daily. “We need to be concerned without panic,” Dr Mark Wenitong from Apunipima Cape York Health Council tells WHO. “The ways we can personally respond can really limit it.” According to Australia’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Paul Kelly, between 20 and 60 per cent of the population could catch the virus. “It’s something in that range,” he said. “This is an infectious disease ... The death rate is about one per cent, so you can do the maths.” Around 200,000 have been infected worldwide…

Thousands of lives would be saved if Australians manage to ‘flatten the curve’ and delay the spread of the virus. Population health analyst Drew Harris first revealed the graph, which illustrates the difference between a steep spike in infections in the next few weeks and the same number of cases, but over a much longer time period, which would give doctors the ability to treat more people. It was summed up neatly by Randy Renstrom, a professor and social psychologist from Iowa, who compared the slowing down of the virus to the recent rush of panic buying. “Imagine that same thing in hospitals, but instead of toilet paper, it’s ICU beds and ventilators,” he tweeted. “This is why everything is cancelled.”…

The streets of Italy are usually filled with colour and music, but the national lockdown to contain the rapidly spreading COVID-19 virus has left the vibrant country like an eerie ghost town. But amid the panic and grim updates on the pandemic, residents in quarantine are making an effort to keep up their spirits by singing, playing music and dancing from their balconies to prove that social isolation doesn’t have to be lonely. One resident in Siena, Tuscany, seemingly started the feel-good trend on social media, tweeting a video of people singing the popular folk song ‘Il Canto della Verbena’ from their apartment windows. “People of my hometown #Siena sing a popular song from their houses along an empty street to warm their hearts during the Italian #Covid_19 #lockdown,” the resident wrote next…

When the toilet paper aisles were first stripped bare all over the country, it left a lot of Aussies scratching their heads. Yes, the coronavirus pandemic was looming – and it has since arrived – but given that COVID-19 is closer to the flu than a gastro-type disease, there didn’t seem to be a need to bulk-buy loo paper. And yet, for weeks now, it’s been tough to get your hands on any. Fights have broken out in supermarkets over the stuff, leading to police being called in; public restrooms have been ransacked for their rolls; and bootleg packs are going for amounts in the hundreds on eBay. “We tend to need a sense of control” While making sure you have enough soap and pasta to keep you going for a couple of weeks…