Melissa Cunningham
The Sydney Morning Herald
Australia
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Past articles by Melissa:
Time called on shared COVID-related funding for public hospitals
State and territory health ministers have failed to secure an extension of the funding arrangement, which will end on New Year’s Eve. → Read More
GPs blast decision to ‘take away vital tools’ as fresh COVID wave hits
General practitioners are accusing the federal government of robbing them of crucial pandemic resources, warning that vulnerable people are already “slipping through the cracks”. → Read More
Nearly 10,000 Australians have died from COVID-19. Who is still dying?
The figure is barely a fraction of death totals recorded in similar countries around the world. → Read More
FINA ruling based on ‘opinion not science’, Australian researchers say
A decision to effectively ban transgender women from elite level international competition is based on ‘opinion not science’, Australian researchers warn. → Read More
Experts brace for surge in illness as COVID meets influenza
Will cases of coronavirus soar again this winter? Will there be a new, more virulent variant, and what is “flurona”? Winter is coming, so we asked infectious disease experts to look at what’s in store. → Read More
‘I’ve given up’: Experts call for long COVID data as patients despair
Can’t get out of bed, have trouble remembering words and food tastes like garbage? You may be one of the tens of thousands of Australians experiencing long COVID. → Read More
‘It’s really dangerous now’: Australia’s influenza hiatus set to end
Infectious diseases specialists are particularly concerned about babies and toddlers who have never been exposed to the virus. → Read More
Too early to make call on fourth COVID vaccine: Cheng
ATAGI co-chair says the need for a second booster can’t be ruled out, especially if a more infectious and vaccine-evasive strain emerges or if Omicron continues to push healthcare systems to the brink. → Read More
Scary numbers and worst-case scenarios: Why modelling is not a forecast
COVID-19 modelling can make for grim reading, but leading epidemiologists say models aren’t meant to be precise future predictions. → Read More
As corporate customers snap up rapid tests, others go without
“It’s like the most vulnerable people that need the most support are the ones that tend to miss out.” → Read More
Booster gap remains despite fears
It comes despite surging COVID-19 cases in NSW. → Read More
How surrogacy allowed a single man to keep hold of his fatherhood dream
When Shaun Resnik found himself single at 40, with a lot of love to give and deep yearning for a child of his own, he had an epiphany. → Read More
Is Australia ready for Omicron?
Deep inside a concrete containment lab, Australian scientists in hazmat suits keep a watchful eye on a microscopic sample of Omicron growing in a lab dish. → Read More
Is Omicron more dangerous? Will vaccines work? Here’s what we know so far
Scientists say there is reason to be concerned over the variant due to its mutations and warn there is still a lot to discover, particularly about how effective vaccines will be. → Read More
In the ICU where only Maria is vaccinated, others die in disbelief
Healthcare workers on the sharp end of the pandemic are not just fighting a war against coronavirus, but combating a never-ending scourge of misinformation about the disease. → Read More
Opening up: Living with COVID in Australia
There is now widespread recognition that we’ll need more than just a high rate of vaccination to live more freely in Australia. So what might life look like? → Read More
Alert issued as 20 ‘high-risk’ sites added to exposure list
Health authorities are urgently flagging 20 sites of concern tied to a COVID-positive worker from a large food distribution centre who visited sites across Melbourne over a 10-day period. → Read More
‘Critical 24 hours’ as more COVID-19 cases emerge, exposure site list swells
The next 24 hours will be critical in determining whether Victorians are to face greater coronavirus restrictions, as the latest cluster has grown to 15 cases and exposure sites are now spread across Melbourne and the Bendigo area. → Read More
Life after the pandemic: will we meet COVID again?
“It won’t be a big wave that shuts down the hospital for three months,” says Professor Nancy Baxter. “But it doesn’t mean that you won’t get cases.” → Read More
Syphilis epidemic in Melbourne suburbs: scientists use genomic sequencing to track STD
Melbourne scientists will use genomic sequencing for the first time to track fast spreading syphilis outbreaks running rampant in the city’s outer western suburbs, as doctors warn immediate intervention is needed to contain an evolving epidemic of the sexually transmitted disease. → Read More