Masks matter for more than mandates

The amount of virus per amount of snot, air, monkey or whatever is a way to describe the concentration of virus present in that thing. It might seem intuitive to Read More ...

An early & big flu rise in Australia

Influenza (flu) cases have been rising rapidly in Australia this year. Some see this as a result of waning immunity during our border closures. Some see this as the harbinger Read More ...

The Swiss cheese infographic that went viral

A visual representation of how to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 struck a chord with many in 2020. I won’t rehash all that has already been written about the Swiss cheese Read More ...

Whatever happened to communication?

I’m not an expert in many things. But I’m enough of a scientist to conclude with confidence that what’s happening now with COVID-19 in Australia and in many other countries Read More ...

Happy Festive Season to all who read this….

Posted onDecember 24, 2020December 24, 20202 Comments

..whatever your shape, colour, gender, sex, size, beliefs, weight or disposition, I wish you a safe and happy festive season. May 2021 be a better year for those of us Read More …

The “false-positive PCR” problem is not a problem

Posted onNovember 22, 2020December 30, 202058 Comments

If you haven’t seen all the chatter that states PCRs using more than thirty-something (someone even suggested 25 to me!) cycles will suffer from false positives and so is useless, Read More …

More testing shows more iceberg

Posted onOctober 29, 2020November 3, 20205 Comments

COVID-19 case numbers are rising quickly in many parts of the northern hemisphere. Already some totals have outstripped the peaks seen in the first wave of the pandemic. Europe and Read More …

Sigh, yes, the ‘COVID virus’ is real

Posted onOctober 6, 2020November 3, 202024 Comments

There has been talk out thar in the wildlands of Twitter from people who don’t believe the evidence that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is real. Has Read More …

Yes, PCR tests can detect “the COVID virus”

Posted onAugust 4, 2020September 14, 2020113 Comments

I was asked to write some comments for a fact check article about some of the myths going around about PCR-based testing and whether PCR tests can detect “the COVID Read More …

And another thing…on false positives

Posted onJune 29, 2020June 29, 202025 Comments

Sometimes the full story can’t fit into a media article. A lot of words can be said during an interview with a journalist but sometimes it’s just really hard to Read More …

Rhinovirus rampant or testing triumphant?

Posted onJune 27, 2020September 14, 202017 Comments

Turns out, this physical distancing thing actually works as advertised. Who would have thought that keeping the things viruses need for their survival – hosts full of cells – far Read More …

We don’t yet know the origin story for SARS-CoV-2

Posted onMay 4, 2020May 4, 202025 Comments

By Katherine E Arden, PhD & Ian M Mackay, PhD The existence of a coronavirus related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) was first hinted at by a researcher Read More …

Kits and reagents and viruses

Posted onApril 12, 2020April 18, 202212 Comments

The COVID-19 pandemic has driven the use of the words “kit” and “reagent”. I completely feel for you if you still have no real idea of what is meant by Read More …

COVID-19 cases slow a little in Australia

Posted onMarch 27, 2020March 28, 202014 Comments

Our borders have been shut to non-citizens for about a week and despite being regularly admonished for being terrible at obeying confusing, constantly changing or poorly communicated new rules, the Read More …

COVID-19 is not a virus, but SARS-CoV-2 is

Posted onMarch 21, 2020March 23, 202050 Comments

For about two weeks we lived with, published using, and talked about, a disease-causing virus called the “novel coronavirus”. That name was always going to create problems like, what do Read More …

Politically infectious period

Posted onMarch 20, 2020March 20, 20206 Comments

A senior Australian politician arrived in Australia from the United States (US) carrying a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Many infected travellers are arriving from the US at the moment. He self-reports becoming Read More …

Why does soap work so well on SARS-CoV-2?

Posted onMarch 9, 2020March 9, 202047 Comments

This is a guest post from Prof Palli Thordarson of the Uni of New South Wales. It was previously posted in a Twitter thread and on Facebook and has been Read More …

COVID-19 in Australia

Posted onMarch 9, 2020March 9, 202011 Comments

As the cases begin to build up – but are still pretty low with limited community spread having been detected – now is a good time to start watching where Read More …

Face off

Posted onMarch 8, 2020March 29, 202015 Comments

We touch our faces often. Maybe 3 to 23 times an hour often! But if our hands haven’t just been washed and we’ve touched surfaces contaminated by viruses surviving in Read More …

Virology Down Under

Facts, data, info, expert opinion and a reasonable, occasionally grumpy, voice on viruses: what they are, how they tick and the illnesses they may cause.

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