By Tony O’Riley-
The Australian Government has said it will donate $3 million toward two research centres investigating the treatment of patients with COVID-19.
A Sydney University project assessing the use of CT scanning to determine which patients are most likely to end up in intensive care or need a ventilator will receive $1 million in funding, the Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced.
The APPRISE Network, led by the Doherty Institute which researches communicable diseases in collaboration with universities across Australia is to receive a $2 million funding injection.
The purpose of the network’s establishment was to help prepare Australia’s response to future communicable disease outbreaks, such as the coronavirus. The outstanding organisation is known for its co-ordination of multidisciplinary research teams and key stakeholders to provide a national focus and international links for infectious disease research.
Its wide network of experts are involved in medical, scientific, public health and ethics research. APPRISE is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council. A spokesperson for APPRISE network told The Eye Of Media.Com:
”This is an important step taken by the Australian government because infectious diseases have a huge impact on children too, even if because of its higher risks on adults who care for them. Our central focus are generally on populations with a potentially at higher risk of infectious diseases, and refugees and other socially vulnerable or disadvantaged groups.
Mr Hunt said:
Our activities build evidence and develop capacity to inform Australia’s preparedness, response and policy-making for infectious disease emergencies. The two donations would save lives and “assist with preparing for better, earlier, more rapid diagnosis of patients in aged care and support for patients in intensive care.
“Many of you would have heard about the concept of herd immunity, or people becoming immune to the virus without ever getting sick. “We still have no idea how commonly that occurs.”
The project to be led by Christine McCartney from the University of Sydney will analyse thousands of Australians from different risk groups to understand how common immunity is.
A second project, run through the University of Western Australia would look at the use of anti-viral and immune loading modulating drugs for people sick in intensive care.
“It builds on a pre-existing network that was established before we ever knew coronavirus existed. This was a network to look at new treatments … for people that are in intensive care with severe pneumonia,” Professor Lewin said. Other projects would also look at rapid COVID-19 testing in aged care centres and how immunity may differ among Indigenous Australians. The Australian Government will donate $3 million toward two research centres investigating the treatment of patients with COVID-19. The news comes as Australian researchers claim to be a few weeks from concluding clinical trials of drugs to reduce the deadliness of the coronavirus by early diagnosis and treatment.