Study protocols and reliable resources

Please find a list of useful COVID-19 resources for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Populations:

• Australian Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for Novel Coronavirus (Management Plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations)
• Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet COVID-19 updates and information
• National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation COVID-19 updates and information
• Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia
• Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association COVID-19 updates

Across AAMRI’s members there are more than 100 research projects currently in progress relating to COVID-19, covering vaccines, drug trials, diagnostics, screening tests, mental health and indigenous health. The growing list of research projects is available on the AAMRI website.

The BRACE trial is a multi-centre randomised controlled clinical trial of the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine against COVID-19. University of Western Australia researchers are hopeful local trials of the BCG vaccine will not only determine if it is an effective way to boost the immune systems of frontline health workers but show whether it can be used as a whole-population COVID-19 protection measure when Australia’s borders are eventually opened again. Learn more

For over 20 years the CCHRN has been enabling researchers, policy makers and others seeking community views to capture the voices of the community in a broad cross section of their research work. Most recently, CCHRN has established a pool of community members interested in being involved in research relating to COVID-19. CCHRN Consumer and Community Involvement Coordinators are working hard to support partnerships between community members and researchers working in this area. Read about the ways in which CCHRN is supporting researchers as part of the COVID-19 Research Collaboration.

Join CCHRN's mailing list if you would like to stay up to date with their COVID-19 activities.

The WA COVID Research Response (CRR) team brings together researchers, scientists and clinical trial teams under the WAHTN as ‘one voice’ in collaboration, building a coordinated response for WA. The immediate core objective is to build a platform for realtime accurate patient data supported by biological samples that can be relayed in a de-identified manner for all researchers and scientists.

Learn more about WA CRR

The Australian Academy of Science has created a COVID-19 Expert Database so governments, the business sector, research sector and other decision-makers can easily access experts across many fields.

The fully searchable database is a collaboration between Australia’s leading academies; Australian Academy of Science, Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, Australian Academy of the Humanities, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering and the Australian Council of Learned Academies.

It is championed by Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel AO and represents more than 3000 of Australia’s scientists, researchers and other experts.

Search for an expert or register your expertise

Maridulu Budyari Gumal, Sydney Partnership for Health, Education, Research and Enterprise (SPHERE) has joined forces with the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service in consultation with NSW Health to create a series of 36 fact sheets containing medical advice and instructions covering Arthritis, Asthma, Cardiovascular Health, Diabetes and Stroke. The fact sheets have been written in easy-to-understand English and translated into Arabic, Chinese, Chinese (Standard and Simplified), Greek, Italian and Vietnamese.

The Western Australian, national and international statistics below are updated daily with an overview of the current situation and the latest case numbers:

• Western Australian statistics
• Australian National statistics
• International World Health Organisation statistics

A consultant neurologist at the Perron Institute has created a list of resources from local, Australian and overseas organisations about COVID-19 and its effects on neurological conditions. These resources can be found on the Perron Institute's website.

The aim of the CovMat Study is to explore the experiences of receiving and providing maternity care in Australia during the COVID-19 Pandemic. This research is being conducted by an experienced team of researchers across Australia. The researchers have formed a national collaboration between Curtin University, Deakin University, Burnet Institute and University of Melbourne.

To learn more about the study or to get involved please visit the CovMat Study website.

Murdoch University researchers in the Science, Health, Engineering and Education (SHEE) college, and the Perron Institute, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Melbourne, are undertaking a study addressing the impact of COVID-19 and the Australian bushfires on people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

In this study, researchers are interested in the healthcare experiences, and needs, of the MS community. It aims to identify the impact these pandemics have had on the health and lifestyle of persons with MS, and how this community could prepare for crises like these in the future to lessen the impact. The research includes surveys, interviews and meetings with stakeholders and will involve interviewing people with MS, their carers and others who are involved within the MS community.

The research is funded by grants from the Melbourne Disability Institute and the Melbourne School of Population and Global Heath Centre for Health Equity.

The C-RIMS team at Murdoch University includes:

• Dr Yvonne Learmonth
• Dr Brody Heritage
• Professor Allan Kermode (also of the University of Western Australia)
• Dr Petra Skeffington
• Psychology Honours student Lydia Frampton

The Murdoch team is thrilled to partner with Dr Claudia Marck and Professor Lisa Gibbs at the University of Melbourne. The team are also joined by Associate Professor Ingrid van der Mei at the University of Tasmania and Emmeritus Professor Diana Walker of the University of Western Australia.

The research is currently recruiting people living with MS, carers, healthcare providers and MS advocates for a short survey https://bit.ly/C-RIMS.

To learn more, read the preliminary report following the first 6 weeks of the study.

For further information, contact healthresilience@murdoch.edu.au.

ISARIC have developed a portfolio of clinical research resources to accelerate outbreak research and response. All resources are designed to address the most critical public health questions, have undergone extensive review by international clinical experts and are free to use.

The Medical Forum magazine is an independent monthly magazine for health professionals in WA. You can read the e-magazine on the Medical Forum website.

A coalition of peak Australian experts have come together to develop new ‘living guidelines’ that will provide continuously-updated, evidence-based guidance to clinicians treating people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infections across primary, acute and critical care settings.

The guidelines will form a key part of Australia’s response to COVID-19. Clinicians are being encouraged to submit questions or suggestions.

The National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce is convened by the Australian Living Evidence Consortium, based at Cochrane Australia at Monash University. The Taskforce received $1.5 million from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to deliver the guidelines.

The initial focus of the guidelines will be:
• definitions of disease severity
• monitoring and markers of clinical deterioration
• antiviral medications and other disease modifying treatments
• respiratory support

NHMRC have released guidance on clinical trials for institutions, HRECs, researchers and sponsors that reflects the shared views of all state and territory Departments of Health, the Clinical Trials Project Reference Group, NHMRC and the Therapeutic Goods Administration. The advice represents current thinking and best practice at the Government level and will be reviewed and updated regularly to reflect changes in government policy and public health advice.

NCRIS is making a cooperative and consolidated effort to support Australia's COVID-19 response - both clinical and research. The following information pack describes the offerings provided by a cross-section of NCRIS facilities and outlines how NCRIS might be able to help the Australian research community in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

REMAP-CAP has released a novel and innovative adaptive trial design to evaluate a number of treatment options simultaneously and efficiently. View REMAP-CAP's adaptive trial resources and their platform trial for ICU patients with COVID-19.

In response to the risk to clinical trials, ARCS is running weekly webinars focused on COVID-19 to help everyone understand what is happening and the strategies different groups are adopting to keep clinical trials going as effectively as possible.

The CIVIC study is an observational study investigating the health implications of coronavirus exposure in the community. CIVIC involves the completion of a series of heath related questionnaires assessing the progress of physical health risk factors, mental health factors (such as depression, anxiety, PTSD etc) and the social implications for the community following COVID-19 exposure and the resulting change in the way our community functions. A specific focus will be on those people at high risk of COVID-19, those in isolation, the essential and healthcare workforce, and the young and old. Findings from the CIVIC study will help provide information on the short and long term health outcomes from COVID-19 across the community. For further information please visit the CIVIC study webpage or contact the Curtin University CIVIC team.

The Lancet website offers the latest in content, correspondence and articles related to COVID-19 to assist health workers and researchers:

• What policy makers need to know about COVID-19 protective immunity

We have received offers from organisations who are willing to provide assistance toward our WA COVID-19 Research Collaboration efforts. These organisations include:

• September AI Labs

September AI Labs are a consultancy and AI product prototyping and building lab that works with clients to discover, plan and execute their full AI potential, including, advanced algorithm and model exploration, design and testing. As an example, September AI Labs can assist in quickly determining why a healthy individual might succumb to COVID-19 by using their machines to break down millions of variables, including patient biomarkers.

Meeting minutes of the WA Mental Health COVID-19 Research Panel can be found below:

• Tuesday, 21 April 2020
• Tuesday, 14 April 2020
• Tuesday, 7 April 2020
• Tuesday, 31 March 2020