Return to lock-down sees Victorian pharmacists step up for community members
With parts of Victoria entering Stage 3 restrictions last night (8 July) pharmacists on the frontline are stepping up to provide essential services to local residents facing six-week stay-at-home orders. With over 932 active COVID-19 cases in Victoria, Victorian pharmacists in the greater Melbourne and Mitchel Shire are responding to the crisis swiftly to ensure…
Mental health of Australians with asthma impacted by COVID-19
Early findings from a recent survey by Asthma Australia reveal 44 per cent of Australians with asthma experienced new or increasing symptoms of anxiety or depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, and one in four say the stress has been triggering their asthma. The findings, published in a report submitted to a Senate enquiry into the…
Improving clinical standards for the screening, diagnosis & management of osteoporosis across APAC
The Asia Pacific Consortium on Osteoporosis (APCO), comprising 39 clinical experts from 19 countries and regions across Asia Pacific (APAC), and its proposed ‘Framework’ aims to drive, and facilitate benchmarking for the provision of quality osteoporosis care across the region. According to a co-authored APCO member and Chair viewpoint article published on Monday, June 22,…
New report reveals the impact of MedTech collaborations on COVID
A series of reports released today by MTPConnect, an independent, industry-led organisation, highlight the key role the MedTech sector played in the COVID-19 pandemic response. The reports, welcomed by the Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA), reveal how the MedTech, biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector was impacted by COVID-19 at local and multinational levels, as well…
VIVA!’s COVID Comms Cast harnessing their health communications expertise “for good”
In response to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic, and to give back to the Australian health + wellness community, independent health + wellness PR agency, VIVA! Communications (VIVA!), has today (May 4, 2020) launched the ‘COVID Comms Cast’. Comprising VIVA!’s most senior health + wellness communicators well-versed in navigating issues and crisis-rich environments, this strategic…
CEO of Epilepsy Action Australia slams “appalling” TikTok ‘seizure challenge’ trend
CEO of Epilepsy Action Australia, Carol Ireland, released a public statement yesterday, following a recent controversial viral trend on the video app TikTok, known as the “seizure challenge”. Ms Ireland commented she is “appalled that people are pretending to have seizures as if it’s a joke”. The latest challenge to have gone viral on TikTok,…
Top tips for WFH video calls
How to avoid faux pas & respect your fellow zoomies Working from home presents unique challenges and opportunities for those fortunate enough to be able to do so. Businesses and their employees are doing their best to navigate these unprecedented times, so it’s important to practice patience and respect. Here at VIVA! we are doing…
Aussies with CVD at higher risk from COVID-19
Tracking the incidence of COVID-19 globally, it is understood that people over the age of 60 with a pre-existing chronic condition, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) or diabetes, are considered at greater risk to serious infection and complications.1 There has been a high prevalence of CVD in those dying from COVID-19 in Italy and China, two of the worst…
What’s in a name? Coining history’s deadliest pandemics
Here’s some scientific nomenclature to help kick-start your Monday! For centuries before the advent of coronavirus, many contagions, including the Bubonic Plague, syphilis, smallpox and tuberculosis, claimed the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Ironically, many of these contagions were awarded a ‘rainbow’ of names. Syphilis – a bacterial infection commonly spread by…
The role of strategic communications in helping to navigate unchartered COVID-19 waters
Our very own VIVA! Communications Principal and owner, Kirsten Bruce, Sydney was recently quoted in pharmaceutical industry publication, Pharma in Focus on how to engage with staff while working from home during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Today, Kirsten shares further insights on how companies should communicate both internally and externally in this challenging, unchartered landscape.…