What is next? A view from around the world when considering Covid-19

The longer the pandemic continues, the more international examples there are of managing the Delta strain (with varying degrees of success). Below is a list of some thought provoking initiatives and ideas which I found particularly interesting in observing how countries around the world are approaching the challenge.?

1.??????Vaccination:

Celebrate vaccination: The overseas experience sees the championing and celebration of vaccination.

?Enlist iconic venues: Iconic venues and destinations around the world have been enlisted to support the vaccination roll-out. Lord’s cricket ground, Dodger Stadium, Disney Land, the shadow of Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue are but a few landmarks used to create momentum and community spirit around vaccination.

Vaccination Pop Ups: To increase the pace of delivery in the UK, temporary vaccination (pop up) centres were set up as part of a drive to increase vaccination levels in those yet to be vaccinated. These included on the grounds of Universities and rural towns.

Mobile Vaccine Buses: The NHS in the UK have adapted the model of our NSW BreastScreen buses and are using ‘vaccine buses’. NHS staff are stationed on the buses to deliver the vaccine, alongside other staff and volunteers. They are able to answer questions about the vaccine, testing, and staying safe.

Free Home Test Kits: People visiting the ‘vaccine buses’ can also pick up free COVID-19 home testing kits. The NHS state that the twice-weekly symptom-free tests can help prevent spreading the virus (more points on testing later).

Recruit Volunteers: Volunteering to build and bolster capacity. The UK ran a volunteer call-out program and have a collated a network of more than 200,000 people who expressed an interest in volunteering to assist in vaccine roll-out, including stewards and first-aiders. Australia is renowned for our volunteer spirit, we have Surf Life Savers, many with first aid skills, RFS and SES across the regions.

Collaborate: In some areas in the UK, GP’s combined their efforts to create a mass vaccination destination, rather than working in silos. For instance, Wembley’s Olympic Office became a mass vaccination venue with nearby GP’s working together with other local GP Practices to provide the vaccines, rather than doing vaccinations at their practice.

2.??????Communicating a sense of a ‘national mission’:

Aggressively correct misinformation about vaccines: A consistent effort to fight the scare tactics around vaccines, particularly reluctance to use Astrazenca, and help people be correctly informed is vital. In other jurisdictions this has been done in a number of ways. Some easily replicable models include deploying public figures to communicate important messages to a variety of demographics.

Use Public Figures and Celebrities: This has been be done by encouraging public figures to share the fact they’ve had their vaccination, or that they are looking forward to being vaccinated via social media platforms.

Use national symbols and institutions: In the UK, Royal Mail applied a special postmark to stamped mail in support of their campaign to encourage vaccine for under-50’s.

Speak to hope: The ‘every vaccination gives us hope’ campaign rolled out in the UK in April utilised various media platforms and created a TV advert to showcase the collective effort of those who played a part in the largest vaccination programme in UK history. This included scientists and clinical trial participants, NHS and care sector staff and volunteer stewards at vaccination sites.

Use hyper-local goodwill and venues: The previously mentioned ‘Vaccination Bus’ in the UK partnered with local Football Clubs to increase awareness of vaccination and also provide a central point (the football ground) that local communities were not only familiar with but familiar with queues at the venue (albeit this for vaccination, not to watch the footy!). This provided a double impact of local sports stars promoting vaccination as well as an appropriate venue for vaccination. You can imagine this being replicated at local suburban footy fields and stadiums.?

3.??????Building business and partner support:

Create a sense of a national mission with partners: The UK Government characterised the involvement of the business community as being part of a ‘national mission’.

Leverage business goodwill: Businesses’ support in the UK includes flexibility for staff receiving the vaccine during working hours, giving paid time off, and providing sick pay for the minority who experience minor side effects. This is to some extend being deployed in Australia already. Large employers are increasingly partnering with government to produce targeted campaigns to encourage employees to get vaccinated.

Allow innovative companies to do what they do best: In 2020, Amazon the online retailing giant set up laboratories in Kentucky and in Greater Manchester to process employees' PCR tests.

4.??????Testing regimes and building confidence in the live events sector:

The research is there: The United Kingdom has undertaken a study on the use of various styles of testing to safeguard and effectively reopen the event industry. The aim of this study was to provide evidence on the feasibility of pre-event rapid antigen testing and the impact of different event settings in mitigating the risk of COVID-19 transmission amongst spectators, participants or audiences at cultural and sporting events, with and pre- and post-event PCR testing.

Either be vaccinated or have proof of a negative test result: At the end of September the UK plans to make full vaccination a condition of entry to those high risk settings where large crowds gather and interact. By this point everyone aged 18 and over will have had the chance to be fully vaccinated and so everyone will have that opportunity to gain the maximum possible protection. As a condition of entry to these venues, people will need to show that they are fully vaccinated and proof of a negative test will no longer be sufficient.

This is not the case everywhere: Approaches to live events and venues vary dramatically in the US. For instance, The Chase Centre in San Francisco, (home of an NBA team) began in April to admit fans who have been vaccinated or can show proof of a negative test result. The arena offered to provide ticketholders with a free at-home COVID-19 test.

Large sport events in the US: Alternatively, Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles has a ‘vaccinated area’ and non-vaccinated (socially distanced area). Social distancing is not practiced in the fully vaccinated section. However, face masks are required throughout the stadium — including the fully vaccinated areas — except when eating or drinking.

5.??????Further use of technology:

Digital tokens and Bluetooth to enhance contact tracing: In an attempt to further support contact tracing, the Singaporean Government has deployed a NFT token and Bluetooth program to assists their contract tracing teams. In simple terms, a ‘TraceTogether’ token is carried on the person (in the same way a mobile phone is) and bluetooth signals are exchanged with nearby tokens or apps (on other people). These interactions are kept for 25 days then deleted, and if someone is Covid positive then the data is used by contact tracers. It has received mixed reviews.

The next step for the ServiceNSW app?: The UK has rolled out the ‘NHS COVID Pass’. This allows people to demonstrate their COVID status whether it’s proof of vaccination status, test results or natural immunity. Anyone can access a Pass via the NHS app on the NHS website. People can also demonstrate proof of a negative test result. It is being used for venue entry and international travel. Elements of this model could be adopted and integrated into the trusted ServiceNSW app.

Obviously some of these ideas are not applicable or workable in NSW, or Australia, given differences in geography and density.?

This document is not health advice or government policy.?

James Griffin MP