COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) Information

Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination program will commence with priority population groups, find out more about the national roll-out strategy here.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration have created a COVID-19 vaccine information page for consumers and health professionals which answers common questions about how the TGA assesses and monitors a vaccine for safety, quality and effectiveness.

Where can I find trusted sources of information?

Whilst media coverage of COVID-19 can help  you feel informed, it can also trigger feelings of anxiety and agitation. To stay up to date with accurate, factual information you can access:

• NSW Government COVID-19 webpage: gov.au/covid-19
• Services NSW App (available in the Apple App Store  or Google Play)
• The Australian Government Department of Health Coronavirus Australia App (available in the Apple App Store or Google Play)
• The Australian Government’s WhatsApp channel on iOS or Android for official advice and information in real-time
• Australian Government Department of Health website: health.gov.au
• World Health Organisation Confirmed Cases Overview Map
• The Australian Government Department of Health ‘Coronavirus at a glance’ infographic. This is designed to give an overview of the COVID-19 situation in Australia and is updated daily.

Sometimes the information provided by the NSW Ministry of Health and Australian Government Department of Health may differ. This is because the NSW Government provides information  specifically for NSW, which has the highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19. The Australian Government provides information which is relevant for the whole of Australia – as a result, their messages may not be identical.

Multilingual Resources

NSW Health COVID-19 Information and resources in languages other than English

COVID-19 in-language resources from NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service

Translated resources for health workers and communities

Information from the Australian Government in your language  Find information on health, education, business and financial support, visas and the border during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SBS Radio Coronavirus Information in Your Language

Australian Government Department of Health COVID-19 Fact Sheets

COVID-19 – What you need to know

COVID-19 – Information on social distancing 

COVID-19 – Information about routine environmental cleaning and disinfection in the community 

COVID-19 information for hotel guests 

NSW Health and Australian Government Department of Health Information

NSW Health Novel coronavirus FAQs

Australian Government Department of Health Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Information 

Australian Government Department of Health Watch

Australian Government Department of Health Novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) information on the use of surgical masks.

Healthdirect 

healthdirect website coronavirus (COVID-19) hub – first point of reference for reliable information about COVID-19

healthdirect Symptom Checker – an online tool that allows people to check their symptoms using a simple self-guided process.

Information for people who are deaf or hearing-impaired

Expression Australia is providing regular Auslan-only video updates accompanied by a English text summary – view them here. These will also be posted on their social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

Supporting people with disabilities during COVID-19

Person-centred emergency preparedness planning for COVID-19

• information on how to assist people with disability in planning for how they will manage the impacts of the pandemic

Coronavirus (COVID-19) hospital companion for people with disability

• information on how to assist a person with disability if they need to go to hospital

Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Information for Families

• information for families of a person with intellectual or developmental disability during the COVID-19 pandemic

Information for Disability Support Providers and Workers

• information and guidance for disability support providers and workers who provide health care to people with intellectual or developmental disability

Guide to personal protective equipment (PPE) for disability care providers

• information and guidance for disability care providers on the use of PPE

Information for support workers and carers on coronavirus (COVID-19) testing for people with disability

• information on who should be tested, where testing can be done, and how to explain the testing process to a person with disability

Community feedback

Do you have a ‘good news’ story about your community? If so, the Community Engagement Team at SNHN would love to hear from you. Perhaps a local business is supporting the vulnerable or you know someone who is going ‘above and beyond’ to help others. Email your story and any accompanying photographs to community@snhn.org.au

It is important to ensure you are still taking care of your health during this unprecedented time. GPs and Allied Health Practitioners are here for you during COVID-19.

Practices are taking extra measures to ensure patient welfare, so it is still safe to visit your GP, Physio, Podiatrist or Dietician.

If you have a chronic disease, or if you are concerned about a change to your health, you must visit a health professional.

You can contact your local practice to book a face-to-face appointment or arrange a telehealth consultation over the phone.

The following videos have been designed to provide you with further information about using health care services during COVID-19.

It is safe to return to your GPs, specialists, allied health professionals and hospitals during this time to receive regular healthcare.

Geriatrician, Professor Sue Kurrle, tells us why older Australians should look after their health in the times of COVID-19. It is safe to return to your GPs, specialists, allied health professionals and hospitals during this time to receive regular healthcare.

RACGP President, Dr Harry Nespolon shares the importance of maintaining your healthcare appointments during COVID-19.

Clinical and Counselling Psychologist, Ros Knight, shares the importance of looking after your physical and mental health in the times of COVID-19.

Local GP, Professor Simon Willcock shares the importance of maintaining your regular health check-ups during COVID-19.

What is it?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). COVID-19 is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified.

Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was discovered in China in late 2019 when number of people in the province of Wuhan sought medical advice for pneumonia-like symptoms. When tested by doctors, it was discovered that these individuals had developed a strain of coronavirus that hadn’t been seen before.

What are the symptoms?

Coronavirus symptoms include fever, flu-like symptoms (coughing, sore throat, head aches) and difficulty breathing. Severity can range from from mild illness to pneumonia.

Experts believe that this outbreak is likely to have originated in an animal species and spread to humans. Some countries, including Australia, have reported human-to-human transmission.

How is it spread?

Human coronaviruses are spread from someone with confirmed coronavirus to other close contacts with that person through contaminated droplets spread by coughing or sneezing, or by contact with contaminated hands, surfaces or objects.

To help stop the spread of COVID-19 everyone should:

• Find out what you can and can’t do in NSW under the new laws. Follow the rules and stay safe whether you are working, visiting family and friends, or going out.
  
• Practice good hygiene measures
  – make sure ​you clean your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, or an alcohol-based hand rub
  – cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing with tissue or a flexed elbow
  – avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms
  – clean and disinfect your home or business to help to prevent the virus from spreading from contaminated surfaces
  – stay at home if you feel unwell or are experiencing any symptoms
• Practice social distancing – You should stay at least 1.5m away from others. Avoid physical greetings of any kind such as hugs or handshakes.
• Wear a mask in some situations – The NSW Government is strongly encouraging greater use of masks in high-risk public settings to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The advice from the NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant specifically recommends:
  
  • the use of face masks in indoor settings where physical distancing is hard to maintain, such as on public transport or in supermarkets
  • the use of face masks (where practical) in indoor settings with a higher risk of transmission, such as for the staff of hospitality and customer-facing venues i.e. cafes, restaurants, pubs and clubs
  • during attendance at places of worship.

  For more information, click here.

  For a quick guide on how to wear a mask, click here. (NB: this resource is available on 67 other languages here.)

How to wear a medical mask safely:

Some people should:

• Self-isolate – If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 you must separate yourself from other people to prevent the spread of the virus for 14 days. Click here for more information on self-isolating.
• Self-quarantine – If there is potential that you are carrying the virus because you have returned from overseas or have been in contact with someone who has a confirmed case of COVID-19 you must also avoid contact with other people for 14 days.
  Find information on self-quarantining if you have been overseas
  Self-quarantining information if you are a close contact of a confirmed case

Australian Government Department of Health COVID-19 Resources

Information on social distancing

Information about routine environmental cleaning and disinfection in the community

Posters for your home or workplace – effective handwashing or use of alcohol-based handrub

• Handwashing instructions poster (World Health Organisation)
• Hand-rubbing instructions poster (World Health Organisation)

If you have been identified as a contact of a person with confirmed COVID-19 infection in Australia, the local public health unit will contact you with advice. You need to isolate yourself at home for 14 days after contact with the infected person, and to monitor your health and report any symptoms.

Person-to-person spread of coronaviruses generally occurs between people who are close contacts with one another. A close contact is typically someone who has been face to face for at least 15 minutes, or been in the same closed space for at least 2 hours, with a person that was infectious. The public health unit will keep in touch with people who are close contacts of patients with COVID-19 infection. If any symptoms develop contacts must call the public health unit to report those symptoms.

Click here for NSW Government advice on who needs to self-isolate, and how

If your contact with the person was less than this, there is a much smaller risk of you being infected. However, as a precaution you must still monitor your health until 14 days after you were last exposed to the infectious person. If you develop symptoms including a fever and/or respiratory signs, please call ahead to talk to a doctor or call healthdirect on 1800 022 222. Tell your doctor that you have been in contact with someone with COVID-19. The doctor may tell you to attend your nearest emergency department – if so when you arrive, immediately tell staff you have had contact with someone with COVID-19.

More information about home isolation is available for:

• people suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 infection
• close contacts and recently returned travellers.

Mental and Emotional Wellbeing

Many aspects of life are affected by a pandemic. Most people have little experience of an event like COVID-19 and it can be quite overwhelming when your health, social life, employment and financial situation are impacted. It is important to look after your mental health during this time. You can do this by:

• Spending time outside during the day if possible – fresh air and daylight will help you sleep and improve your overall mood.
• While it’s normal to feel anxious or uncertain during this time, you can seek help if these feelings start to affect your everyday functioning. There are a number of free support services, resources and mobile apps available:
• Way2Wellness
• Head to Health
• Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service (BeyondBlue): support via phone, web chat, community forum, and suicide & crisis support
• Black Dog Institute
• Time 2 Talk: 1300 022 966 Free telephone support service for members of the NSW community around a range of COVID-19 related challenges relating to individuals, couples, families, and households. Time 2 Talk is a telephone service staffed by a team of qualified relationship counsellors and social workers.
• Clevertar (Available on Apple iStore or Google Play)
• Headspace: Meditation and sleep (Available on Apple iStore or Google Play)
• Smiling Mind (Available on Apple iStore or Google Play)
• If you know children or a young people who are feeling concerned by the situation, this 6-minute video from SchoolTV can help your family feel informed.
• Listen to the COVID-19: Fear and Anxiety SoundCloud panel discussion from Sydney Ideas (The University of Sydney)
• COVID-19 – Look after your mental health during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic document
  Also available in Arabic, Armenian, Assyrian, Bangla, Burmese, Croatian, Dari, Dinka, Farsi, French, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Kurdish-Kurmanji, lao, Macedonian, Mongolian, Nepali, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Serbian, Spanish. Swahili, Tamil, Traditional Chinese, Thai, Turkish, Urdu,Vietnamese
• Remember – stay on top of the facts, but limit your exposure to the hype!

Physical care

Nutrition

• Eating balanced, nutritious meals will help your immune system defend itself, as well as recover if you become unwell.
• Limit your intake of sugary food, drinks and alcohol to help improve your body’s immune system. Read more about the importance of moderating alcohol consumption.
• Drink plenty of water to maintain your hydration levels
• For more information on nutrition and COVID-19, see:
  • American Society for Nutrition
  • Eat for Health

Exercise

Although it is may be more challenging to stay fit when self-quarantining, daily exercise is critical to overall physical and mental health. You could take up running, yoga, or other home workouts. There are many free online guides and mobile apps to guide you through home workouts. Some of these include:

• Online exercise for seniors: a six-week video course you can do at home to improve balance, strength and flexibility
• Home workouts from accredited exercise professionals
• How to stay fit and active at home during the coronavirus self-isolation
• Exercise at home for over 50s, 60s, 70s and older

What if I need to see a doctor?

If you need to see a doctor, call (don’t visit) your local practice. The staff will help you decide whether you require a face-to-face consultation, or a consultation over the phone or by video (‘telehealth’).

• Telehealth is designed to protect you, your GP and the wider community by reducing the number of people visiting GP waiting rooms, where the virus could potentially spread
• If you have symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath, headache, cough, sore throat or muscle aches, your doctor may refer you to a Respiratory Clinic or an Emergency Department. If you need a prescription your doctor will send this directly to your local pharmacy where you can collect it, or your pharmacy may be able to deliver to your home.

The Home Medicines Service is available for people in home isolation and for vulnerable patient groups who wish to limit their potential exposure to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the community. For more information click here.

What if I need to see a dentist?

As coronavirus restictions are eased and dental practices open up for the full range of dental procedures once again, the Australian Dental Association (ADA) is reminding people to book an appointment with their dentist.

To find out more, read the ADA’s media release here.

Accessing support services during COVID-19

Mental Health Services

Homelessness Services

Domestic Violence Services

Community feedback

Do you have a ‘good news’ story about your community? If so, the Community Engagement Team at SNHN would love to hear from you. Perhaps a local business is supporting the vulnerable or you know someone who is going ‘above and beyond’ to help others. Email your story and any accompanying photographs to Community@snhn.org.au

With the exception of essential workers, most people are now working from home. You may also be sharing your home office with partners, housemates or family members who are working or learning remotely.

For most, this will be a new way of working. Here are some suggestions on how to get the best out of your working day:

• Maintain a routine much as possible – and make room in it for things you enjoy
• Ensure each person has their own work station
• Take a 2-minute stretch break every 30 minutes [app and stretch sheet]
• Exercise at least once each day, preferably outside in the daylight
• Eat lunch away from your workstation
• Speak to at least one person from school, work or university each weekday by telephone or video call

Tips for home schooling

Educational online games for kids

Activities for children

• CatholicCare Naremburn and Waitara are running supported online playgroups via Zoom for families with children aged 0-5. For more details, click here: https://sydneynorthhealthnetwork.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Zoom-playgroups.pdf

Community feedback

Do you have a ‘good news’ story about your community? If so, the Community Engagement Team at SNHN would love to hear from you. Perhaps a local business is supporting the vulnerable or you know someone who is going ‘above and beyond’ to help others. Email your story and any accompanying photographs to Community@snhn.org.au

What can we do to stay socially connected?

Social distancing doesn’t have to mean social isolation.

• Keep in touch with colleagues, neighbours, friends and family by telephone, video call, text or email. Do this at least once a day and make a special effort to connect with those who are unable to have visitors.
• If you don’t know your neighbours, consider introducing yourself by putting a note through their letterboxes to let them now you’re willing to connect if they want to. Here’s a note template you could print out and use.
• Older or vulnerable people can contact Service NSW on 13 77 88 or visit nsw.gov.au/. This service provided daily check-in phone calls and can assist with making arrangements for grocery shopping, medication and other tasks if needed.
• As this is a difficult time for local businesses, consider checking in with business owners. If you (or someone you know) are experiencing difficulties with your business due to COVID-19, you can access a number of support resources:
  • Australian Government Cash flow assistance for businesses 
  • business.gov.au – Coronavirus Information and Support for Businesses
  • Australian Banking Association – Financial Difficulty
  • Money Smart – COVID-19 Making Financial Decisions
• If you’re over 65 and like the idea of having a postcard pen pal at this time, consider taking part in Your Side’s Pen Pal Project. This project involves connecting children under the age of 18 and older people over the age of 65 in our community to send postcards to one another. To take part or find out more, visit https://sydneynorthhealthnetwork.org.au/postcard-pen-pals-calling-people-over-the-age-of-65/.

Job Loss

With many businesses having to close their doors lots of people are facing unemployment. The stress and uncertainty of losing a job can weigh heavily on individual conscience and  on relationships. Consider the following to support friends and family in this situation:

• Acknowledge the person’s concerns
• “Suggest looking into the new Australian Government financial supports for those who’ve lost employment resulting from the COVID-19 measures. These include freezing mortgage repayments and changes to Newstart allowance through Centrelink. Find out more here.
• Encourage them to keep their body and mind active. It is important to find new hobbies and exercise to alleviate stress and anxiety.

Community feedback

Do you have a ‘good news’ story about your community? If so, the Community Engagement Team at SNHN would love to hear from you. Perhaps a local business is supporting the vulnerable or you know someone who is going ‘above and beyond’ to help others. Email your story and any accompanying photographs to Community@snhn.org.au

Breast cancer screening: Following a temporary suspension of services to protect the community, BreastScreen NSW will now gradually resume routine breast screening. Find out more at the BreastScreen NSW website.

Cervical cancer screening: The Department of Health is monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health services. It is important for people to keep seeing their healthcare provider for their cervical screening and any follow-up investigations recommended. If you have received a reminder about your screening and have any questions or concerns, please call your doctor or healthcare provider to talk about your circumstances. More information on COVID-19 is available through the Department of Health website or through the COVID-19 hotline on 1800 020 080.

Bowel cancer screening: During COVID-19, people eligible for bowel cancer screening will still receive invitations, test kits and reminder correspondence about bowel screening in the mail (as long as the mail is being delivered in your area). If you have a test kit at home, you should still do the test. For more details, read the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program COVID-19 FAQs. If you have any questions or concerns, please call your doctor or healthcare provider to talk about your circumstances. More information on COVID-19 is available through the Department of Health website or through the COVID-19 hotline on 1800 020 080.