Australia has turned a corner, but we must be careful about when we lift restrictions, what restrictions we lift, and in what order.
Health
Is the COVID-19 glass half full or half empty?
Driven by tighter restrictions at the border, new cases of COVID-19 have fallen rapidly in Australia. But local transmission has not shared the same fate, with the rate of new cases remaining relatively flat over the past week or so.
Australia’s COVID-19 cases are still growing rapidly. Our hospitals may soon hit capacity.
The lessons from overseas are clear: unless Australians comprehensively comply with spatial distancing, those measures won’t work and our hospitals will be over-run.
read more Australia’s COVID-19 cases are still growing rapidly. Our hospitals may soon hit capacity.
As more Australians get COVID-19, will we have enough hospital beds?
We should be clear: a shutdown of anything that isn’t truly essential will be needed to avoid overwhelming the healthcare system.
read more As more Australians get COVID-19, will we have enough hospital beds?
Grattan Institute is sending its staff home. Here’s why other employers should urgently consider doing the same
The less people are physically near each other, the lower the rate of transmission of coronavirus. That’s why ‘social distancing’ – or more accurately, spatial distancing – is a key strategy to slow the spread of the virus.
We’re not doing nearly enough on COVID-19 and time is running out
The impact of the new measures by the Australian Government will take time to show up in official COVID-19 cases. It’s a step in the right direction, but we are unlikely to see the flow-through to lower case numbers for another week.
read more We’re not doing nearly enough on COVID-19 and time is running out
More of the same in private hospital insurance data
There is no good news for private health insurers in the quarterly health Insurance statistics released today.
read more More of the same in private hospital insurance data
Debunking a private health scare campaign
The private health insurance industry likes to warn Australians of a doomsday scenario. Don’t believe it.
Deaths of despair in Australia
‘Deaths of despair’ are rising in Australia, particularly among middle-aged men.
Young Australians continue to turn away from private health insurance
About 65,000 fewer Australians had health insurance in December 2018 compared to December 2017.
read more Young Australians continue to turn away from private health insurance