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Millions of Australians are again staying home, donning masks, cancelling social events and sanitising their hands as the Omicron COVID variant surges across the country.
Trying to adapt to living with the virus has been jarring for many of us.
But as Jenny Davies, mother of a childhood cancer survivor and Curtin University PhD student, explains, it’s all too familiar for families of children with cancer. As children undergoing cancer treatment are very vulnerable to infections, their families were often taking such measures to avoid illnesses, even before COVID.
In mid-2020 Davies interviewed 34 parents of kids with cancer to hear about their pandemic experiences. Many reported finding silver linings, as everyone was in the same boat and there were fewer colds and flus circulating.
“Either way she didn’t miss out on anything, because everybody missed out,” said one parent.
Despite these positives, Davies writes, many families also told stories of profound loneliness, often due to COVID restrictions on hospital visits.
“For the whole year I was on my own […] it was the loneliest year”, said one mother.
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Liam Petterson
Deputy Editor, Health + Medicine
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Jenny Davies, Curtin University
The pandemic lifestyle we are all adjusting to is the life families of children with cancer have already been living. But there have been positives, too.
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Cassandra Goldie, UNSW
With Australia now in the worst stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, there could hardly be a worse time for Australian government to cut and restrict its Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment.
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Jack Heinemann, University of Canterbury
The Doomsday Clock has never before been as close to midnight as it is now. There is scant hope of it winding back on its 75th anniversary.
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Ian Anderson. Palawa, Australian National University
Despite the promising data on the level of student interest and applications since November, universities and governments have much work to do to restore Australia’s lost market share.
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Xin Hu, Deakin University
People living in sustainable dwellings may use less energy and water which leads to lower bills. But older people may suffer cognitive decline and struggle to use sustainable technology devices.
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Science + Technology
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William Turner, The University of Melbourne; Daniel Feuerriegel, The University of Melbourne; Stefan Bode, The University of Melbourne
New research shows the choices we make, and our perceptions of the world, are biased by our initial impressions.
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Jenny Graves, La Trobe University
The monumental Earth Biogenome Project has galvanised hundreds of geneticists and bioinformaticists from all over the world.
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Environment + Energy
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Kirsten Benkendorff, Southern Cross University; Chamara Benthotage, Southern Cross University; Victoria Cole, Southern Cross University
Leaf oysters can form reefs, produce mauve pearls, and reach the size of a dinner plate. They’ve been ignored for far too long.
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Arts + Culture
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Nick Haslam, The University of Melbourne
A youth-focussed exhibition about experiences of mental health is interactive and expansive, kicking down the barriers between science and art.
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Featured jobs
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Featured Events & Courses
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— Victoria, Australia — The Conversation Weekly Podcast
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— UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia — UNSW
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— UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia — UNSW
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