It’s been a month since the Australian COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce joined forces to deliver real-time updates to Australians during the pandemic. Representing Mater as part of the Hospital and Acute Care Panel, Dr Lucy Burr has expansive knowledge of respiratory illness which is helping the taskforce build living guidelines for the treatment of COVID-19.

Dr Burr and her Mater Research colleagues feed topics of concern into weekly Taskforce meetings, to discuss any emerging changes around the disease, which are then used to inform and update the public every Friday.

Currently, a review process is being developed on what level of anticoagulation should be given to patients.

“We are lacking in evidence at the moment, particularly with regard to effective treatments, so our work needs to continue. For now, containing the spread by practising social-distancing is still our best bet to beat this virus,” Dr Burr said.

Australia faces a unique challenge. Early self-isolation measures enforced by the Australian Government to limit travel and social contact, combined with vast community uptake and acceptance of these measures, has meant that we are successfully controlling the spread of the disease. Although this has led to challenges for research due to a lack of patients to study, it is a delightful and surprising turn of events—demonstrating Australia’s regard for medical authority, and abiding by the guidelines.

 “We are very lucky to live in Australia where we seem to have so far been able to contain the spread of the virus, meaning that we are able to treat everyone with the highest quality care possible,”  she said.

Visit Mater’s website to stay up to date with COVID-19 developments.