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Widening the lens for pandemic preparedness: children must be seen and heardThe Australian and New Zealand Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ANZPID) Group of the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID) calls for urgent consideration of the needs and voices of children in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in planning for future pandemics.
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BCG vaccination of healthcare workers for protection against COVID-19: 12-month outcomes from an international randomised controlled trialBacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has immunomodulatory effects that may provide protection against unrelated infectious diseases. We aimed to determine whether BCG vaccination protects adults against COVID-19.
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Efficacy thresholds and target populations for antiviral COVID-19 treatments to save lives and costs: a modelling studyIn 2023 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was declared endemic, yet hospital admissions have persisted and risen within populations at high and moderate risk of developing severe disease, which include those of older age, and those with co-morbidities. Antiviral treatments, currently only available for high-risk individuals, play an important role in preventing severe disease and hospitalisation within this subpopulation.
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Potential immunological effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy in transgender people – an unexplored area of researchThere are well-described sex-based differences in how the immune system operates. In particular, cisgender (cis) females have a more easily activated immune system; associated with an increased prevalence of autoimmune diseases and adverse events following vaccinations. Conversely, cis males have a higher threshold for immune activation, and are more prone to certain infectious diseases, such as coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
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Variation in excess all-cause mortality by age, sex, and province during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in ItalyAlthough previous evidence suggests that the infection fatality rate from COVID-19 varies by age and sex, and that transmission intensity varies geographically within countries, no study has yet explored the age-sex-space distribution of excess mortality associated with the COVID pandemic.
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The Mental Health Implications of Domestic Violence During COVID-19Citation: Newnham EA, Chen Y, Gibbs L, Dzidic PL, Guragain B, Balsari S, et al. The Mental Health Implications of Domestic Violence During COVID-19.
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Can positive mindsets be protective against stress and isolation experienced during the covid-19 pandemic? A mixed methods approach to understanding emotional health and wellbeing needs of perinatal womenThe aim of this study was to explore the relationship between emotional health and wellbeing and support needs of perinatal women during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to understand their experiences and need for support. This is a potentially vulnerable group and a critical developmental phase for women and infants.
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End-user acceptability of personal protective equipment disinfection for potential reuse: a survey of health-care workers in Aotearoa New ZealandThe COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted personal protective equipment (PPE) supply, distribution, and disposal issues worldwide. Calls to conserve PPE stocks and increase supply resulted in the rapid development of potential disinfection methods, with the possibility of improvements in medical waste reduction. However, how receptive health-care workers are to PPE reuse remains unknown. We aimed to examine the views of health-care workers who used PPE during the first COVID-19 wave in Aotearoa New Zealand, in relation to acceptability of PPE disinfection and reuse.
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Unfinished business and self-blaming emotions among those bereaved by a COVID-19 deathIn view of the mounting death toll of COVID-19 worldwide and the complicating circumstances that commonly accompany such losses, we studied the grief experiences of 209 adult mourners who lost a loved one to coronavirus with a focus on self-blaming emotions and unresolved issues with the deceased.
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An Unusual Resurgence of Human Metapneumovirus in Western Australia Following the Reduction of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 TransmissionNon-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission disrupted respiratory virus seasonality. We examined the unusual return of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) in Western Australia following a period of absence in 2020.