While Coronavirus does not discriminate, our ability to protect ourselves from infection is inequitably distributed. To reduce the impact of COVID-19 on all of us, we have to address the social, psychological, and practical dimensions of COVID-19 as one community – now.
Increasingly, we are realising that our system is ill prepared to cope with a significant increase in demand for healthcare services as well as compliance with enhanced infection control measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The impacts of the pandemic are felt beyond biomedical consequences of Coronavirus infection and COVID-19, the illness it causes.
The indirect social, health and wellbeing impacts of the necessary Federal and State Government measures put in place to reduce the rate of Coronavirus transmission are also significant. These unintended consequences include an exacerbation of pre-existing societal issues such as domestic violence, food security, homelessness, and social isolation. COVID-19 should not be conceived only as a viral pandemic, but as a social justice issue since people who are less well-off are less likely to be able to protect themselves and others effectively from becoming infected.
The ability to respond effectively hinges upon keeping health systems protected from avoidable pressures (influenza season about to start, ongoing supply of high-quality personal protection equipment (PPE) and sanitiser). This means there is a need to equip not only health service providers, but also the community with the knowledge, skills, and resources to effectively reduce the rate of transmission. At the same time, there is a need to enable not-for-profit organisations to provide support geared towards reducing the negative impacts of the pandemic and associated measures so that people can comply with ‘stay at home’ guidance safely and sustainably.
Applications are to be submitted to soenke@primaryprojects.com.au by April 15, 2020. The successful applicant(s) will be announced by April 20, 2020. Further information is available on the website, https://www.primaryprojects.com.au/covid-response
