UQ COVID-19 vaccine shown to induce potent protective response in pre-clinical trials
29 April 2020 The University of Queensland’s COVID-19 vaccine has passed another important milestone, showing the ability to raise high levels of antibodies that can neutralise the virus in early pre-clinical testing. UQ was tasked by the Coalition for Epidemic…
83% Survival in COVID-19 ARDS Patients with Remestemcel-L
24 April 2020 Mesoblast Limited (ASX:MSB; Nasdaq: MESO) today announced 83% survival in ventilator-dependent COVID-19 patients (10/12) with moderate/severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) treated during the period March-April 2020 with two intravenous infusions of Mesoblast’s allogeneic mesenchymal…
Major Coronavirus Testing Blitz Targets 100,000
27 April 2020 Up to 100,000 Victorians will be tested for coronavirus over the next two weeks as part of a major testing blitz across the State, to better understand how the virus is spreading in the community…
Extension of time to enrol for the JobKeeper scheme
27 April 2020 The Australian Commissioner of Taxation has extended the time to enrol for the initial JobKeeper periods, from 30 April 2020 until 31 May 2020. If you enrol by 31 May you will still be able to…
Coronavirus SME Guarantee Scheme – supporting the flow of credit
27 April 2020 From the Australian Government Treasury The Coronavirus Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Guarantee Scheme will support up to $40 billion of lending to SMEs (including sole traders and not-for-profits). Under the Scheme, the Government will guarantee…
COVIDSafe: New app to slow the spread of the coronavirus
26 April 2020 The Australian Government today launches the new voluntary coronavirus app, COVIDSafe. The app is an important public health initiative that will help keep you, your family, and your community safe from further spread of coronavirus…
Jobkeeper update
24 April 2020 The Morrison Government’s historic $130 billion JobKeeper payment will support millions of Australian jobs and help cushion the blow from the severe economic impact from the coronavirus. The $1,500 per fortnight JobKeeper payment is the…
COVID-19: rapid response boost for Australia’s intensive care units
23 April 2020 Ensuring Australian hospitals are able to respond rapidly in the event of increased patient demand during the COVID-19 health emergency is a national priority. Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, announced the Australian Government has funded…
Gilead, Kite and oNKo-innate announce research collaboration
23 April 2020 Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD), Kite, a Gilead Company, and oNKo-innate announced the companies have entered into a three-year cancer immunotherapy research collaboration to support discovery and development of next-generation drug and engineered cell therapies…
Clinical trial into two potential COVID-19 treatments commences
21 April 2020 A clinical trial aimed at testing the effectiveness and safety of two existing drugs in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 has opened at the first site, The Royal Melbourne Hospital. Led by Associate Professor Steven Tong, a Royal…
Victoria’s coronavirus (COVID-19) modelling confirms staying at home saves lives
20 April 2020 The Victorian Government has released modelling to provide greater understanding of the spread of coronavirus in Victoria. The modelling, done by Victoria’s epidemiological experts at the Department of Health and Human Services and in collaboration…
NHMRC gives $2m for COVID-19 research in areas of urgent need
13 April 2020 The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) will provide an additional $2m of funding for COVID-19 research that will generate maximum benefits for the Australian public. The funding is for nine critical COVID-19 research projects as…
