Returning to resilience: The impact of COVID-19 on mental health and substance use
As governments race to contain COVID-19, it is important to know the actions society can take to mitigate the behavioral health impact of the pandemic and economic crisis.
The challenge, as he sensibly sees it, are for both the healthcare system and the aged care sector – and how they try to curb the number and seriousness of cases.
Professor Frazer’s talk was delivered under Chatham House rules, but has been relayed on social media and yesterday he confirmed his views remained the same.
It’s clear he’s not out on Thursday night shopping stocking up on toilet paper; he’s going about his job, with clean hands and a dose of extra hygiene.
We are now all receiving notes at home showing how schools are gearing up to implement critical-incident scenarios – and a peek into how teenagers are coping in Italy is worth considering here.
In one family, a mum is in hospital with an unrelated condition. But her family is banned from seeing her or visiting the hospital because of COVID-19.
This family, whose children were our exchange students, will be in quarantine until April to minimise infection of those in the township around them. “We feel like we are in an apocalyptic film," one of the teens told me.
“The government is working to create a different way of living daily life."
Police cars are patrolling the town, and “red areas" are in lockdown. That includes museums, libraries, gyms, theatres, churches and schools – the heart and soul of these towns.
“We have a new way of schooling. On Skype. In two days I will have an exam on Skype. It’s a very, very weird situation."
It is. And it might soon be ours, too. Before that, though, perhaps we should all inoculate ourselves with Ian Frazer’s prescription of a good dose of common sense.
Queensland 'not even at the start' of virus timeline, authorities warn
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk did not hold a media conference on Friday as she had done every other day this week, instead going on ABC radio to update the case numbers and issue a stern warning of the trial ahead.
"We’re not even on the curve yet, so that gives you an indication, so we haven’t even started to climb the curve ... we are about two or three weeks behind New South Wales," Ms Palaszczuk said.
"The peak could be in July, August and September ... but one positive, the fact we are social distancing, we hopefully won’t see a massive flu season on top of this."
Health authorities have repeatedly warned that containment measures would likely not stop the virus even in Queensland, and the state Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young was particularly frank on Friday, admitting the strong measures put in place would almost certainly eventually fail.
