Culture

Last Night’s ‘Q+A’ Provided Clear, Direct Answers To Some Big Questions About Coronavirus

The panel answered questions on vaccines, treatment options, border security, and ICU beds.

by Joseph Earp  24 March 2020
ABC Q+A host Hamish Macdonald on coronavirus

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Last night, in a special socially isolated episode of Q+A, host Hamish Macdonald helped answer some of the biggest questions that Australians have about the coronavirus pandemic.

Joined by Norman Swan, the host of the Health Report, Professor Sharon Lewin and Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly, Macdonald worked through some of the greatest areas of concern associated with the virus.

First, the panel were asked why airports aren’t testing the temperatures of people arriving home from all over the world, including parts of the world affected by coronavirus.

“One of the problems has been … contradictions and it has unsettled the public,” said Dr. Swan, agreeing that the mixed messaging about borders is confusing.

“There may need to be an increase in the amount of observation of people in quarantine,” Lewin agreed.

From there, conversations turned to testing. The testing criteria for coronavirus has been very strict so far in Australia. No matter the symptoms that you present, you’ll only get tested if you’ve been overseas in the last 14 days, or if you’ve been in contact with a confirmed case. This has angered some Australians, who are in the position of presenting with all the symptoms of coronavirus, but are sitting through an agonising waiting period without knowing if they actually have the illness.

When asked to explain the current system, Kelly defended the practice of current testing in a number of ways. First, he noted that most cases of the virus are coming from overseas. For that reason, he explained, it’s more effective to look for coronavirus in places that you think it might be. Secondly, Kelly acknowledged that Australia has limited number of testing kits, meaning that they must be used resourcefully.

Then, the panel discussed treatment options and vaccines. It has been widely reported that if a coronavirus vaccine were to hit the market in a year, that would be considered quick. Lewin repeated that information, saying that a vaccine is still some “12 to 18 months” away.

However, Lewin also broached the idea of treatment methods being produced sooner than that. Currently, tests are being done on an arthritis medicine that might serve as a treatment — rather than a cure — for the illness. The medicine could reduce the chance that those who have the illness get seriously ill, and also make them less infectious, slowing the spread of the disease.

Then, in uncharacteristically succinct form, the panel shut down the claim that hot water kills the virus.

And finally, the panel addressed a concern from an older audience member, who asked whether older people who catch the virus might be denied a ventilator in the case of a shortage.

The short answer: if Australia’s hospitals are overloaded in the same way as Italy, then maybe. But the panel assured Australians that they are doing whatever they can to make sure that doesn’t happen — including encouraging social isolation procedures.

All in all, it was one of the calmest, most informative episodes of Q+A in recent memory.