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SMS Notification System

10 May, 2022

To provide a more immediate and tailored notification system, current and new subscribers can now also opt-in to receive an SMS notification regarding any new recommendation or update to the Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19 or new or updated clinical flowcharts for specific populations or topic areas. The text message will include a brief sentence outlining the new recommendation...

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Taskforce updates Sotrovimab remark (v54.0)

28 March, 2022

The Taskforce has updated the remarks on its sotrovimab 'for use' recommendations to include: The Taskforce is aware of in vitro data suggesting a potential reduction in efficacy...

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Consumer Panel Recruitment

10 March, 2022

Would you like to use your experience to improve the care of Australians with COVID-19? The National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce is seeking two new members to join...

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Taskforce notes TGA provisional approval for Evusheld

25 February, 2022

The Taskforce notes that on Friday, February 24, 2022, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) granted provisional approval for tixagevimab and cilgavimab (Evusheld) for pre-exposure prophylaxis (prevention). Taskforce guidance...

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Welcome ACNN – new member organisation

15 February, 2022

We are excited to welcome the Australian College of Neonatal Nurses (ACNN), who have joined the Taskforce as a new member organisation. As COVID-19 cases continue to spread...

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Welcome RMSANZ – new member organisation

31 January, 2022

The Taskforce is delighted to welcome the Rehabilitation Medicine Society of Australian and New Zealand (RMSANZ) as a new member of the Taskforce. With many Australians now recovering...

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Taskforce notes concerns about potential Ronapreve effectiveness and Omicron

23 December, 2021

The Taskforce has added the following statement to the remark in all for use casirivimab plus imdevimab recommendations. The Taskforce is aware of concerns about the potential for...

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Taskforce summer holiday schedule

17 December, 2021

The Taskforce project team will take a well-earned break from December 22, 2021 through to January 17, 2022. The Taskforce will continue to monitor the latest global research findings...

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Paediatric and Adolescent Care Panel publish paper in MJA

29 October, 2021

Led by Panel Co-Chairs A/Prof Asha Bowen and Dr Brendan McMullen, together with Methods Chair Dr David Fraile Navarro the Taskforce this week published a paper in the Medical Journal of...

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Guidelines update, v44.1

21 October, 2021

Version 44.1 of the Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19 includes an addition to the remark for prone positioning for adults: For adults with...

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Taskforce Executive Director passes the leadership baton

15 October, 2021

Founding Executive Director of the Taskforce, Professor Julian Elliott, this week stepped down as leader after 18 months at the helm. Julian was instrumental in the establishment of the Taskforce in...

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Coverage: Understanding evidence

17 August, 2021

Science reporter for the The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, Liam Mannix explains the critical role of gold standard evidence and highlights the role of Cochrane and the...

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Taskforce amends remarks for Tocilizumab in response to critical shortage

5 August, 2021

This week the Taskforce was alerted by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to a global tocilizumab shortage for both COVID-19 treatment use and other indications. To help support...

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Guidelines update, v41.2

22 July, 2021

Version 41.2 of the Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19 includes the identification of two new studies on disease-modifying treatments: Canakinumab NEW – one...

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Guidelines update, v41.1

15 July, 2021

Version 41.1 of the Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19 includes the identification of six new studies on disease-modifying treatments. Convalescent plasma - two...

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Guidelines update, v40.3

25 June, 2021

Version 40.3 of the Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19 includes the identification of several new studies on disease-modifying treatments as well as an...

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Guidelines update, v40.2

17 June, 2021

Version 40.2 of the Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19 includes the identification of three new studies on disease-modifying treatments. In addition, the treatment...

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Taskforce publishes guidance to help healthcare workers and organisations make decisions about PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic

10 June, 2021

Following today’s publication of the Infection Control Expert Group (ICEG)’s Guidance on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers in the context of COVID-19,...

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Head to ATAGI or NCIRS for vaccine advice

28 May, 2021

The Taskforce is responsible for treatment guidelines for the management of COVID-19. The body responsible for vaccine advice is the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI). For...

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Guidelines update, v39.1

28 May, 2021

Updates to the Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19 this week includes the following change to the evidence summary section for:   REGN-COV2 The...

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Guidelines update, v38.3

13 May, 2021

Updates to the Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19 this week include the following changes to the evidence summary sections for:   Convalescent plasma...

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Steve McGloughlin: A team approach in an intensive year

7 May, 2021

When the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in early 2020, the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) team at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne set itself the goal that no one...

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WEBINAR – Murray PHN hosts ‘Long COVID Symptoms: Management of long term effects’

6 May, 2021

International event hosted by Dr Norman Swan LONG COVID SYMPTOMS: Management of long term effects – what is known so far? Taskforce Senior Evidence Officer and Primary Care...

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Guidelines update, v38.1

29 April, 2021

Updates to the Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19 this week include the following changes to the evidence summary sections for:   - Lopinavir-ritonavir...

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Webinar: Living Evidence and consumers

22 April, 2021

Are you interested in developing a better understanding of how clinical guidelines can be kept up-to-date with the latest evidence as new research emerges? The Taskforce is proud...

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Guidelines update, v37.1

15 April, 2021

Updates to the Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19 this week include the following changes to the evidence summary sections for:   - Corticosteroids...

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Guidelines update, v36.1

25 March, 2021

Update to the Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19 this week includes:   Bromhexine hydrochloride - additional study has been added to the summary...

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Taskforce continuing to recruit HCWs for IPC consultation

18 March, 2021

The Taskforce will soon be conducting a series of consultations with frontline healthcare workers to provide feedback on the implementability of draft infection prevention and control (IPC) recommendations....

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Taskforce statement on vaccination

15 March, 2021

The Taskforce and its 33-member organisations unanimously support vaccination as the best protection against serious illness or death from COVID-19. Please refer to the Australian Technical Advisory Group...

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Guidelines update, v35.2

11 March, 2021

Updates to the Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19 this week include:   Tocilizumab - The reference for one included study (Wang et al.) was...

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Women who lead: Sutapa Mukherjee and her journey to the Taskforce

8 March, 2021

As the female co-chair of the Taskforce Guidelines Leadership Group, the contribution of Associate Professor Sutapa Mukherjee in the fight against COVID-19 is reason enough to be recognised...

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Guidelines update, v35.1

4 March, 2021

Updates to the Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19 this week include: Tocilizumab - The references for REMAP-CAP and COVACTA (Rosas et al.) trials have...

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WANTED: Frontline healthcare workers for IPC recommendations consultation

3 March, 2021

The Taskforce is currently recruiting frontline healthcare workers in Australia to volunteer to participate in a series of consultations to provide feedback on the implementability of draft IPC...

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Seeking consumers and carers with lived experience of COVID-19

24 February, 2021

Share your lived experiences of COVID-19 and contribute to the national guidelines The Taskforce welcomes people who have been affected by COVID-19 to join the Consumer Panel.  The...

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Guidelines update, version 34.1

18 February, 2021

Updates to the Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19 this week include:   Dutasteride - preprint publication status has been removed from the summary information...

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RECOVERY Trial publishes tocilizumab results

12 February, 2021

The Taskforce notes the publication of results of the tocilizumab arm of the RECOVERY trial in medRxiv Tocilizumab in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): preliminary results...

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Guidelines update, version 33.1

5 February, 2021

Updates to the Australian guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19 this week include: Additional study (Mohan et al.) added to the summary information for Ivermectin recommendation: We...

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Taskforce recommendation for tocilizumab unchanged

29 January, 2021

The Taskforce Disease Modifying Treatments and Chemoprophylaxis Panel and the Guidelines Leadership Group have incorporated the results of the tocilizumab arm of the REMAP-CAP trial (published as a pre-print on January 7,...

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Statement on joint media release from the REMAP-CAP, ACTIV-4 and ATTACC trials regarding anticoagulation

24 December, 2020

The Taskforce acknowledges the publication of a joint media release from the REMAP-CAP, ACTIV-4 and ATTACC trial teams on December 22nd, 2020. The investigators have reported that among...

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Taskforce recommendations for remdesivir unchanged following detailed analysis of disease severity subgroups

18 December, 2020

The Taskforce has completed a comprehensive review to assess the credibility of disease severity subgroups used in its recommendations on remdesivir. This was initiated following the World Health Organisation...

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2020 in review

18 December, 2020

This week marks our 36th weekly guidelines update which now incorporates 118 living guideline recommendations, 10 living clinical flowcharts, and covers over 100 clinical questions. The Taskforce website has been viewed...

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Greater than the sum of its parts: how The Ian Potter Foundation’s early and generous support helped the Taskforce deliver in 2020

9 December, 2020

Looking back over what’s universally recognised as a most extraordinary year, the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce represents something greater than the sum of its parts. On one...

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New expert panel to bring latest evidence and clinical experience together to prevent COVID-19 transmission in healthcare settings

30 November, 2020

The National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce has today announced the membership of its new expert panel for infection prevention and control (IPC), which will be jointly chaired by...

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A year like no other: Professor Carol Hodgson takes a look back at the collaboration, collegiality and contributions inspired by COVID-19

28 November, 2020

Professor Carol Hodgson knows first-hand the challenges facing frontline health workers, researchers and guideline developers in the time of COVID. A few months into 2020, she was already...

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Help shape the guidelines

19 November, 2020

The second Taskforce impact survey was launched today. We are calling on Australian healthcare practitioners to participate in a brief 5-minute survey to help us understand how the...

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Care and comfort in the time of COVID: Natasha Smallwood takes a holistic approach to health

11 November, 2020

‘COVID is one of those illnesses that speaks to how much we need a holistic approach to care and comfort,’ says Associate Professor Natasha Smallwood, Deputy Chair of...

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Julian Elliott on ANZICS ‘Meet the Experts’ podcast

10 November, 2020

This week Taskforce Executive Director, A/Prof Julian Elliott, was interviewed by Dr Swapnil Pawar on ANZICS Meet the Experts podcast to discuss the processes and challenges involved in forming the...

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ANZJOG publishes Taskforce paper

2 November, 2020

Led by A/Prof Joshua Vogel, the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ANZJOG) has published an early access version of a Taskforce paper on the Clinical...

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IPC Panel Co-Chairs announced

29 October, 2020

The Taskforce and the Infection Control Expert Group (ICEG) today announced the appointments of Dr Phillipa Hore and A/Prof John Ferguson as Co-Chairs for the new Infection Prevention...

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COVERAGE: A/Prof Julian Elliott on Trump treatment

7 October, 2020

Our Executive Director, A/Prof Julian Elliott spoke with Liam Mannix from The Age and Sydney Morning Herald about President Trump's treatment for COVID-19.      

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COVERAGE: COVID ‘long-haulers’, A/Prof Elliott on Saturday AM

26 September, 2020

Our Executive Director, A/Prof Julian Elliott joined Linda Mottram on ABC Radio's Saturday AM program to discuss the importance of recognising prolonged symptoms after the acute phase of...

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Navigating COVID-19 ‘tiger country’

22 September, 2020

In the first of a new series profiling Taskforce members, we catch up with Professor Josh Davis. An Infectious Diseases physician at Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital and researcher...

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What happens if I get COVID-19?

15 September, 2020

Finding trusted answers amid the widespread coverage of questionable claims and dubious data on unproven treatments is not easy. The good news is there are clear guidelines and...

Explainer

New palliative care flowchart

10 September, 2020

The Care of Older People and Palliative Care Panel has published a clinical flowchart for the Management of people with COVID-19 who are receiving palliative care. Co-Chair of the...

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Commonwealth announces new ICEG/Taskforce partnership

9 September, 2020

Commonwealth Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP, this week announced the establishment of a new partnership between the Infection Control Expert Group (ICEG) and the Taskforce as...

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New evidence of life-saving benefit of corticosteroids in critically ill people with COVID-19

3 September, 2020

A landmark meta-analysis conducted for the World Health Organisation was published in JAMA this week, reporting that corticosteroid use improves survival in critically ill patients with COVID-19. The analysis pooled...

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Landmark publication of COVID-19 Core Outcomes Set

26 August, 2020

Our congratulations to Taskforce colleagues Professor Allison Tong and the COVID-19-Core Outcomes Set (COS) Workshop Investigators on publication of their landmark work in Critical Care Medicine. The paper reports...

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Coverage: Taskforce hydroxychloroquine recommendation

5 August, 2020

Science reporter for the The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, Liam Mannix spoke to Taskforce Executive Director, A/Prof Julian Elliott regarding the 'Do Not Use' recommendation for the...

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