Pandemic Preparedness & Infectious Diseases Surveillance

FluTracking is an online health surveillance system that monitors the spread of COVID-19 and the flu across Australia and New Zealand. Participants complete a quick weekly survey, reporting any symptoms, time off work, and whether they've had a RAT or PCR test. 

FluTracking began in Australia over 17 years ago and expanded to New Zealand 5 years ago. Each week, up to 110,000 people take part, providing valuable data that helps track community-level illness and allows for year-to-year comparisons of timing, infection rates, and severity. 

If you want to learn more about FluTracking or join, click here. 

You can also follow FluTracking on Facebook here. 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all become more aware of how respiratory infections spread. Many of us now keep our distance or wear a mask when we're sick to help protect others. But often, people don’t realise they’re infectious, especially if they don’t have symptoms.

The PREVENT study (Pandemic REspiratory Virus survEillaNce Trial) explored which viruses were circulating in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie area over the course of a year. Each week, participants collected a nasal swab and completed the FluTracking survey. The swabs were tested for a range of common viruses that can cause respiratory illness.

We looked at how many people had detectable viruses even when they felt completely well. We also tested samples from people who had symptoms but no known viruses, to check for the presence of new or emerging infections. This kind of research can help us better understand how viruses spread, and even discover new ones.

To find out what the PREVENT study discovered, click here.

COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which continues to spread rapidly and has led to high rates of hospitalisation. Some patients develop severe respiratory symptoms requiring ventilatory support. In Australia, the case fatality rate has been approximately 2.4%. While treatments remain limited, some medications such as dexamethasone, tocilizumab, and remdesivir have shown benefits for certain patients, alongside supportive care like oxygen therapy.

The ASCOT trial (AustralaSian COVID-19 Trial) is designed to quickly generate evidence on effective treatments for COVID-19 in hospitalised patients who are unwell but not critically ill. Its goal is to reduce the risk of death or the need for mechanical ventilation. The trial uses an adaptive design, allowing researchers to review results as they become available, discontinuing ineffective treatments and introducing promising new ones along the way.

ASCOT is evaluating a range of therapies, including antiviral drugs, which aim to slow the virus’s ability to replicate, and anticoagulant therapies, which help prevent blood clots, a known complication of COVID-19.

To learn more about the ASCOT trial, click here.