No images? Click here COVID-19 This week's news and analysis from Australia's top thinkers. At the time of writing on Friday, COVID-19 had infected more than 243,000 people globally and caused over 10,000 deaths. Things are moving quickly and so too are changes to our day-to-day lives. As tough as social distancing measures are, the reason they're all in place is to "flatten the curve". You've probably heard this term before, but essentially, it means we actually want the pandemic to last longer rather than to be over quickly. We want to avoid a huge peak in infections which would put more pressure on our health system than it could handle. This is going to mean these disruptions will last for some months. We've collated some of our COVID-19 coverage from the past week. We're facing difficult months ahead, but we'll continue to bring you fresh content from our expert authors, many of whom are at the coalface of the pandemic. PS. These articles reflect information and advice current at time of publication. Given the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, information and official advice may change. - Phoebe Roth, Deputy Health Editor, The Conversation COVID-19 in graphs Let's look at Singapore Singapore’s response to the coronavirus has been held up by many around the world as a model. As of this week, the country has had 266 total cases (with zero deaths), and its infection rate is much slower than the rest of the world. In this piece, Professor Dale Fisher explains why Singapore's coronavirus response worked - and what we can learn from it. Coronavirus by numbers 6 months Scott Morrison last Wednesday warned Australians will face at least six months of disturbance to our day-to-day lives as we navigate the coronavirus pandemic. But where did the six month figure come from? 1.5 meters The Australian government is recommending we stay 1.5 metres away from each other, one of several social distancing moves designed to limit spread of the coronavirus. In this piece, Associate Professor Philip Russo explains the science behind that figure. 100 people Prime Minister Scott Morrison also announced gatherings of more than 500 people outdoors would be banned, along with gatherings of more than 100 people indoors, in an attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus. We asked epidemiologist Associate Professor Hassan Vally where the 100 figure came from and why being indoors matters. More on... Toilet paper and panic buying
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