1.5 million face masks on their way to GPs, Hunt announces

Eleven million face masks are coming for Australian healthcare workers, including 1.5 million for the GP workforce, Hunt announces

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That’s it for today from The Medical Republic‘s live COVID-19 blog.

Thanks to our sponsor and supporter for funding this project with an independent grant, Boehringer Ingelheim. Stay healthy, folks.

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The latest

• Eleven million face masks coming for healthcare workers, including 1.5 million for GPs, Hunt announces.
• AGPA calls for GP rescue package to aid with telehealth transition, PPE purchases and staff retention.
• Old-fashioned telephones fine for telehealth too, RACGP says..

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4.15pm, 8 April

• • TMR‘s data wizards Felicity Nelson and Stephen Pollack have come up with nice data visualisations of some COVID-19 data:

[covid-19-graph]new_covid19_by_infectionsource_over_time/NewCasesbyDayandLikelySourceofInfection[/covid-19-graph]

[covid-19-graph]cum_covid19_by_infectionsource_over_time_15863433633660/CumulativeNumberofCOVID-19CasesbyLikelySourceofInfection[/covid-19-graph]

3.35pm, 8 April

• • • Eleven million face masks are being distributed to Australian healthcare workers, including 1.5 million for GPs, Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced.
      In a press conference this afternoon, Hunt praised healthcare workers as heroes for their role in helping to control, manage and treat COVID-19.
      He also praised collaborative efforts to completely redesign Medicare in Australia in just 10 days, and said there have been 2.5 million telehealth consultations so far.
      “Australians are adapting to a new way of speaking to their doctor,” Hunt said.
      He also stressed the importance of people continuing to manage their health, especially those with chronic conditions; a message that was reinforced by Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd and AMA President Dr Tony Bartone.
      Professor Kidd said experience from past epidemics and pandemics suggested people often neglect their regular healthcare, and this could lead to more mortality and morbidity than from the epidemic itself.
      “If you have an acute health problem that is worrying you, please reach out to your GP,” he said.
      Dr Tony Bartone welcomed the announcement about the provision of masks for healthcare workers on the frontline, saying that they were urgently required and would be appreciated.

2.43pm, 8 April

Don’t have time to read a blog? No problem. We’re going to be producing re-caps of all the GP-relevant updates on the TMR podcast. You can subscribe on iTunes or Spotify. Here’s the first one, with myself, podcast hosts Felicity Nelson and Francine Crimmins, as well as TMR publisher Jeremy Knibbs venting his spleen on the huge impact COVID-19 has had on GP practices, and the lack of adequate support for them.

1.05pm, 8 April

• • • How is this pandemic impacting Australian families? Deakin University has launched a population-based longitudinal study in an attempt to answer this question.
      They’re looking to recruit 2000 volunteer families – particularly those with children aged 0-18 years – from across the country to explore the impacts of social distancing and other measures, on a fortnightly basis.
      The study will involve an initial 20-minute online survey, followed by a 10-minute survey every fortnight for six months.

12.45pm, 8 April

• • • The Australian Indigenous Doctors Association is hosting twice-weekly online peer support forums to support and connect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors through the COVID-19 pandemic.
      The forums are every Tuesday and Friday night, from 8pm-9.30pm AEDT. Email AIDA at communications@aida.org.au for details on how to connect.

12.25pm, 8 April

• • • Many general practices are struggling with the transition to telehealth and facing significant revenue drops, says the Australian General Practice Alliance, which has called for a government rescue package for GPs.
      The AGPA said that if general practice was to lead the fight against COVID-19, it needed a “more robust financial setting” as a matter of urgency.
      The move to telehealth has not come cheap, and at the same time some practices have seen revenue drops of up to 70%, the organisation said.
      Grants are needed to help both with the transition to telehealth, purchasing extra protective equipment needed for infection control, and to retain staff and registrars.
      “If general practices fail financially they cannot assist with COVID-19, this will force people into hospital clinics which will quickly be overwhelmed” said AGPA director Dr Maria Boulton.

10.30am, 8 April

• • • With Easter and the inevitable overconsumption of chocolate looming, the Australian Dental Association says some dentists are still offering emergency consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they can be found on the ADA website.
      Dentistry is now under level 3 restrictions, meaning that routine examinations and treatments are deferred, and dental practitioners are only able to perform treatments that do not generate aerosols. Face mask shortages are also forcing some dental practices to consider closing their doors.

10.05am, 8 April

• • • The RACGP has issued a reminder that ‘telehealth’ includes good old-fashioned telephones, not just those new fandangled smart-phone doodads like what Dick Tracy had.
      There are reports that some patients (and maybe a few doctors, mmmm?) are freaked out by telehealth because they’re not comfortable with newer technologies such as video conferencing. So they can rest assured that even a rotary phone (see below, for the young ‘uns) can be used to connect to their GP.
      

9.05am, 8 April

• • • Today’s confirmed COVID-19 infection statistics, to 3pm yesterday, are:
      National – 5,908 (up 113) and 45 deaths
      ACT – 97
      NSW – 2686
      NT – 27
      QLD – 934
      SA – 415
      TAS – 88
      VIC – 1191
      WA – 470
    • Here are some of the big-breaking COVID-19 stories from yesterday:
      The Australian government released the modelling from the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at Melbourne University that has underpinned its COVID-19 strategy. The Prime minister announced a mandatory code governing tenancy agreements during the pandemic, which may help GP clinics having issues with tenants or landlords. Queensland is expanding the COVID-19 testing criteria in Brisbane, Cairns and the Gold Coast in an attempt to combat community transmission. A second study points to a possible role for plasma transfusions from patients who have recovered from COVID-19 to those who are still suffering severe infection. And around one-quarter of patients admitted to intensive care with COVID-19 in Lombardi, Italy, have died, according to a case series.

Disclaimer:  The content on the Medical Republic COVID-19 blog is independently created by Medical Republic without input from Boehringer Ingelheim Pty Ltd. The views, information, or opinions expressed on the Medical Republic COVID-19 blog are Medical Republic’s own and do not necessarily represent those of Boehringer Ingelheim Pty Ltd. Boehringer Ingelheim Pty Ltd is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of any content on the Medical Republic COVID-19 blog.