Nowhere near the end with COVID-19

The virtual NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN) COVID-19 Q&A Forum took place on 31 March 2020. The Forum brought together world-renowned scientists and practitioners from across NSW and ACT to inform Australians about how research institutions and thought leaders are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professor Justin Gooding, Co-Director at NSSN, opened the virtual Forum and said the constantly evolving information on COVID-19 leaves many people feeling concerned, confused, and unsure about what is the right thing to do.

"We assembled a panel of experts to answer all your questions, whether they be very simple practical things like how often do I need to wash my hands, or more scientific things, such as how does the virus enter a cell," said Professor Gooding.

As a consortium of the leading universities in NSW and ACT, the NSSN is well-placed to inform society of the research and development taking place in NSW that is contributing to the wellbeing and health of the public.

Professor Bill Rawlinson, Senior Medical Virologist & Director of Virology at NSW Health, provided the audience with a brief scientific introduction to COVID-19.

"The virus SARS-CoV-2 is very close genetically to other Coronaviruses," said Professor Rawlinson. "It's also more similar to bat Coronaviruses and very closely related to the SARS Coronavirus [SARS-CoV] that caused infections during 2003."

As Professor Rawlinson explained, Coronaviruses can occur in bats and rats and can be transmitted to a number of other animals such as alpacas, cows, sheep, pigs and camels. Such viruses can jump between different species and, in some cases, they can infect humans.

"These viruses that are infecting humans are most closely related to bat coronaviruses and may well be a direct jump from a bat to a human," Professor Rawlinson said. 

According to the Australian Government Department of Health, there have been 4,557 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia as of 31 March 2020. Of the 4,557 confirmed cases, 19 have died. More than 244,000 tests have been conducted across Australia.

"The way we diagnose Coronavirus-2 is very similar to the way we diagnose all viral disease now, which is using molecular tests and PCR," said Professor Rawlinson. "We also increasingly look for antibody using serology that can tell you if somebody has had an infection in the past."

The Forum, moderated by science journalist and broadcaster Robyn Williams, continued with a Q&A between the audience and the experts. 

The panel of experts participating in the virtual NSSN COVID-19 Forum included: Prof. Bill Rawlinson, Senior Medical Virologist & Director of Virology, NSW Health; Prof. Justin Gooding, Co-Director, NSW Smart Sensing Network & Co-Director, Australian Centre for NanoMedicine, UNSW; Prof. Sacha Stelzer-Braid, Scientist, School of Medical Sciences, Prince of Wales Hospital; Prof. MaryLouise McLaws, Health Emergencies Program Experts Advisory Panel for Infection Prevention and Control Preparedness, Readiness and Response to COVID-19, World Health Organization and Prof. Pall Thordarson, Acting Head of School of Chemistry, UNSW.

The Forum also hosted a number of experts from across the NSSN member universities including Prof. Nathan Bartlett, Head of Viral Immunology & Respiratory Disease, Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle; Prof. Garry Myers, Interim Director, ithree Institute, UTS; Prof. Antonio Tricoli, College of Engineering and Computer Science, ANU and Prof. Subhas Mukhopadhyay, School of Engineering, Macquarie University.

The audience asked practical questions such as whether or not the Sun could sterilise clothing? If handmade fabric masks are protective enough? Or how long will all this [the pandemic] last? 

Some questions were formed around more technical topics such as using HIV medicines in treating COVID-19, utilising electrochemical biosensors in detecting COVID-19 and employing rapid testing methods for improving detection rates.

Recent studies carried out by Chinese researchers show the virus is most likely to be found on shoes and not necessarily on clothing Professor MaryLouise McLaws said. "We suggest to the healthcare workers to wash their linen with bleach. If you can't add bleach, soap wash should be just fine."

Professor Pall Thordarson said there are indications that similar viruses do not tolerate sunlight for long, but in this case, sterilising clothes with sunlight might not be a very effective strategy. "If you are unsure, just wash the clothes," said Professor Thordarson.

Professor McLaws said handmade cloth masks are unlikely to protect against COVID-19. "There has been a systematic review of different mask types, and cloth masks are found to not protect against influenza A and B," said Professor McLaws.

"We are nowhere near the end, but we are at least slowing down," said Professor McLaws. "So please don't stop social distancing and hand hygiene."

To watch the full NSSN COVID-19 Q&A Forum online, please click here.

Disclaimer: The content in this recording is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Media: Shahrzad Abbasi - 0466 548 145

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