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The Association Between Obesity and COVID-19 Severity in Children Differed Between SARS-CoV-2 Variants: A Multicountry Hospital-based Observational StudyObesity was a risk factor for severe COVID-19 in children during early outbreaks of ancestral SARS-CoV-2 and the Delta variant. However, the relationship between obesity and COVID-19 severity during the Omicron wave remains unclear.
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SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Childhood Islet AutoimmunityThis cohort study examines whether there is a temporal association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of islet autoimmunity among Australian children with a first-degree relative with type 1 diabetes.
Engaging the community in COVID-19 rapid research
The research that is reducing the impact on families done by The Kids Research Institute Australia.
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A novel precision-serology assay for SARS-CoV-2 infection based on linear B-cell epitopes of Spike proteinThe COVID-19 pandemic illustrates the need for serology diagnostics with improved accuracy. While conventional serology based on recognition of entire proteins or subunits thereof has made significant contribution to the antibody assessment space, it often suffers from sub-optimal specificity. Epitope-based, high-precision, serology assays hold potential to capture the high specificity and diversity of the immune system, hence circumventing the cross-reactivity with closely related microbial antigens.
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Forecasting COVID-19 activity in Australia to support pandemic response: May to October 2020As of January 2021, Australia had effectively controlled local transmission of COVID-19 despite a steady influx of imported cases and several local, but contained, outbreaks in 2020. Throughout 2020, state and territory public health responses were informed by weekly situational reports that included an ensemble forecast of daily COVID-19 cases for each jurisdiction.
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Randomized Trial of BCG Vaccine to Protect against Covid-19 in Health Care WorkersThe bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has immunomodulatory "off-target" effects that have been hypothesized to protect against coronavirus disease 2019.
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Mind the distance: experiences of non-face-to-face child and youth mental health services during COVID-19 social distancing restrictions in Western AustraliaFollowing the outbreak of COVID-19, social distancing restrictions limited access to face-to-face mental health services in Western Australia (WA), necessitating a rapid transition to non-face-to-face alternatives, including telehealth. The current study investigated barriers and facilitators to telehealth access and engagement, and preferences for child and youth mental health service delivery during and beyond COVID-19.
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Mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for children: Attitudes of Western Australian parentsAustralian governments have used vaccine mandates to drive high uptake of routine childhood vaccines and adult Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and influenza vaccines. We sought to understand the attitudes of Western Australian parents regarding mandating COVID-19 vaccines for children, interviewing 44 parents of children aged up to 18 years between May and December 2021. Transcripts were analysed to ascertain parents' attitudes and sources of reasoning.
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‘COVID Is Coming, and I’m Bloody Scared’: How Adults with Co-Morbidities’ Threat Perceptions of COVID-19 Shape Their Vaccination DecisionsAustralian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children in rural/remote areas suffer high rates of persistent otitis media (OM) from early infancy. We aimed to determine the proportion of Aboriginal infants living in an urban area who have OM and investigate associated risk factors.