AMA calls for more mask-wearing and restrictions on social gatherings

NSW Health is also stepping up its advice on mask wearing, especially indoors and on public transport and at gatherings.

Welcome to The Medical Republic‘s COVID Catch-Up.

It’s the day’s COVID-19 news into one convenient post. Got any tips, comments or feedback? Email me at bianca@biancanogrady.com.

7 August

• AMA pushes for more mask-wearing and tighter restrictions on social gatherings.
• Australian team wins international hackathon with innovation for sterilising air in small spaces.
• Los Angeles mayor shuts down power and water to party houses.
• A firm ‘no’ on hydroxychloroquine from Australian COVID-19 guidelines taskforce.
• Second COVID-19 case in Newcastle area visits several venues and a soccer match.

• The AMA is pushing for tighter controls on social gatherings and encouraging more widespread mask use, especially indoors.
  In a joint statement, AMA President Dr Omar Khorshid, and AMA (NSW) President, Dr Danielle McMullen, said they were lobbying for the government to tighten restrictions on indoor gatherings. They also stressed the importance of wearing masks in indoor settings.
  At the same time, NSW Health is also encouraging more widespread use of masks, particularly in indoor settings where social distancing is more difficult, such as public transport and gatherings.
  “By wearing a mask, you are protecting other people,” NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said in a statement. “If you are unknowingly infected, wearing a mask will reduce the chance that you pass the virus on to others.”
  If using cloth masks, at least two and preferably three layers are needed, and masks should be washed and dried after use, and stored in a clean, dry place. Single-use masks should not be reused.
• A team of Australian clever clogs has won an international competition to design innovative solutions for COVID-19 problems.
  The NASA Global Hackathon calls for solutions to one of twelve COVID-19-related challenges. The Australian team from ANSTO developed an air purification technology using UV light for use in lifts, confined spaces, and on public transport. It sterilises the air and changes airflow direction to reduce the risk of spreading the viral particles.
• The mayor of Los Angeles is so incensed at the number of people holding large parties despite the risk of spreading COVID-19 that he authorised police to shut off power and water to those homes, according to a report in The Guardian.
  Turning off the party tap might have other health benefits too: the mayor singled out one party in Beverly Hills involving hundreds of unmasked people which ended in a fatal shooting.
• Australia’s COVID-19 guidelines taskforce has issued a flat-out ‘just don’t’ on the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19.
  In the latest update from the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce, the advice on hydroxychloroquine has a welcome finality to its tone: “Do not use hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19.” The only exception is still in the context of randomised clinical trials, such as those using hydroxychloroquine in combination with other treatments.
  The latest update also recommends against using the combination of immunoglobulin plus methylprednisolone to treat COVID-19 in adults, unless it is in randomised trials with appropriate ethical approval.
• A second case of COVID-19 has been reported in the Newcastle area in NSW in an individual who attended numerous public venues and events including the Newcastle Jets match at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday, 2 August.
  Anyone who attended the Bennett Hotel in Hamilton on July 31, Bar 88 in New Lambton on August 2 and the Sydney Junction Hotel in Hamilton on August 1 is urged to self-isolate and get tested.
  Victoria has recorded another 450 new cases since yesterday, and 11 deaths, including a woman in her 50s. In his daily press conference, Premier Dan Andrews noted that more people were obeying the rules about staying home after a positive test; of 1150 doorknock visits yesterday, around 1000 people were at home, which is a significant improvement on a few weeks ago.
  If you’re wondering why Western Australia’s tally has gone backwards by 28 cases since yesterday, it’s because the state has removed cases that were diagnosed by blood test (presumably serology) and indicative of past infection, but are no longer infectious. This move brings the state’s practice into line with the rest of Australia.
  Here are the confirmed COVID-19 infection numbers from around Australia to 9pm Thursday:
  National – 19862, with 255 deaths and 600 hospitalised
  ACT – 113
  NSW – 3832
  NT – 33
  QLD – 1088
  SA – 456
  TAS – 229
  VIC – 13,469
  WA – 642