General Practice Gold Coast in Gold Coast, Queensland | Non-profit organisation

General Practice Gold Coast

Locality: Gold Coast, Queensland

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25.01.2022 COVID-19 has changed the way we work... https://www.gps-can.com.au/

20.01.2022 Mask requirements across Queensland are coming into effect from 5pm today (Monday 29 March). You must carry a face mask with you at all times when you leave h...ome, unless you have a lawful reason not to. You must wear a mask in indoor spaces, such as: shopping centres, supermarkets, retail outlets and indoor markets hospitals and aged care facilities hospitality venues such as restaurants and cafés (not required for patrons while seated; customer facing staff only) churches and places of worship libraries indoor recreational facilities and gyms (except if doing strenuous exercise) indoor workplaces (where safe to wear a mask and you can’t physically distance) public transport, taxis and rideshare, including waiting areas and queues for this transport airports and travelling on planes. It is strongly recommended you wear a mask outdoors if you are unable to stay more than 1.5m distance from other people, such as busy walkways and thoroughfares. Masks do not need to be worn in some circumstances, including children under 12 years, where people have certain medical conditions, and in workplaces where it is not safe to do so. You can remove your masks to consume food or drink. For the most up to date information about mask requirements visit: https://www.qld.gov.au//current-st/urgent-covid-19-update Please note a number of the above locations will not be open during the Greater Brisbane lockdown over the coming days. For full details visit: https://www.qld.gov.au/he/covid19/greater-brisbane-lockdown

19.01.2022 There’s never been a more important time to look after your heart. People with heart disease are more vulnerable to the severe complications of COVID-19. Follow the simple steps below from Heart Foundation Chief Medical Advisor Garry Jennings to stay safe during COVID-19.

19.01.2022 If you are feeling unwell with respiratory symptoms, please get tested for COVID-19. Free testing is available every day, from 9am until 9pm, at the Fever Clin...ics at Gold Coast University Hospital and at the Robina Health Precinct Building. No appointment is required. Alternatively, a number of GPs are running Respiratory Clinics around the Gold Coast. Find one near you https://gcphn.org.au/community/covid-19/covid-19-testing/ See more

18.01.2022 #COVID19 #Masks - some nuance for the thoughtful Australia’s Chief Medical Officer (Prof Brendan Murphy) recently recommended using face masks on public tran...sport. As we start to see masks being worn more and more, I’d like to remind our community of a few important facts: 1. Masks primarily protect others from you, not the other way around. Therefore going around with a mask on does not make you safer, it just makes others around you safer! 2. Therefore, physical distancing is still essential, and if you don’t have to be somewhere crowded then don’t go! Don’t trust a mask to protect you. 3. Worn incorrectly, masks may be more dangerous than not worn at all. For example, a mask that keeps slipping makes us touch our face more, and we know for sure that touching our face increases our risk of introducing the virus into our body. 4. If removed incorrectly the mask may actually infect you. After a few minutes of being worn, masks become warm and damp and that’s exactly the kind of place that germs like to live. So when we take them off we need to assume they are now a breeding ground for germs. (See the picture with this post which explains how to wear them safely). 5. At present there are still no studies which show that masks protect people in the general community. I wish there were. There is one that is being done in Denmark but results are not back yet. Some people wonder why we need ‘real world’ studies to show that masks are effective before recommending their widespread use, and I understand their frustration, so here are some reasons: - The only ‘real world’ study we have on masks so far showed that surgical masks were helpful, but cloth masks were WORSE than NOTHING! A possible reason was that the cloth masks became sources of infection themselves. - Doctors in the past have made the mistake of recommending things that seemed to be logically helpful but ended up causing harm. E.g. cigarettes made people feel better, and for decades doctors recommended smoking. We now know that they have killed millions. We used to recommend rest for back pain but now know that makes it worse. We used to prescribe opiates for chronic pain but now know that can create dependence and addiction. So we are wary about recommending something that ‘seems good/sensible’ in the short term without knowing the longer term consequences. - The thing with the MOST evidence for reducing spread of the corona virus is physical distancing (see Lancet article by Derek Chu et al, June 1, 2020). If people start wearing masks and gain a false sense of security, they may reduce their physical distancing and spread the virus more. In addition when we wear masks we often have to stand closer to people to hear each other (I’ve noticed this in my work whenever I put a mask on, and it’s a genuine concern for me). Hopefully this helps increase our understanding and responsible use of masks as a community. If you find it helpful please share.

16.01.2022 A great article written by one of our local Gold Coast GPs with info about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Beware of scammers trying to get you to 'register' for the vaccine! http://theconversation.com/do-i-need-to-register-for-a-covi

15.01.2022 #COVID19 Is the rest of Australia going to end up in lockdown too? Here are my thoughts, for respectful discussion.... The bad news: 1. The current spike of cases in Melbourne (July 2020) is more concerning to me than the previous spike in March. That is because current cases are due to community transmission, not from overseas or cruise ships. 2. Also unlike in March, we are all getting tired of social distancing. The novelty has worn off. And because we’ve done so well, we have seen very little actual COVID19 in Australia, making the effort sometimes seem like it isn’t even needed. The good news: 1. We now know a lot more about the virus: - We know it is highly responsive to social distancing and handwashing. - Most doctors also agree that it is aerosolised, so it can hang around in the air for hours. Meaning that other really effective practices are to keep our places well ventilated, meet outside where possible, and wear masks. 2. In Australia we have very high rates of testing, and we test anyone with symptoms (I know many countries where testing is very expensive or not even accessible to the general public/community). This means that we should be able to detect early when clusters of infection develop in the community. Testing is absolutely critical to containing the spread of the virus, and is probably where many of the countries that have seen the virus spread out of control went wrong. We do have the tools to avoid spikes of infection occurring across Australia. These tools in summary are: 1. Continue social distancing and hand hygiene 2. Keep homes and workplaces well ventilated (even in winter!) 3. Wear masks wherever there is community spread 4. Get tested if any symptoms develop. Be grateful we are in a country that allows testing and even encourages it! Maybe I am overly optimistic. But I do believe that we have the ability to avoid spikes and lockdowns across the rest of Australia. The choice does rest in our hands as a community. The tools are there will we use them?

14.01.2022 We need 1687 new blood donors in Queensland to help people in need across Australia this month. Can we count on you?

14.01.2022 Hey Queenslanders we’re returning to school-based learning. On Monday 11 May 2020, Kindy, Prep, Year 1, Years 11 and 12 students will return to their Queensla...nd state school or community kindergarten, joining children of essential workers, vulnerable children and children in designated Indigenous communities. All other students will continue to learn at home. If low transmission rates continue, students in Years 2 10 will return to school from Monday 25 May. It’s important that our schools remain safe and hygienic environments, which is why the following measures will continue to be in place in our schools: Students and staff who are unwell must stay home Physical distancing of 1.5 metres is required by all adults Adults must not congregate in and around school grounds, school gates and outside classrooms Parents should use stop, drop and go rather than walking children into school grounds Effective handwashing and hygiene protocols, including regularly washing hands with soap and water or using hand sanitiser and covering coughs and sneezes Increased cleaning of high-touch surfaces such as light switches and door handles Strict hygiene protocols in place for the use of school equipment, including musical instruments, books, gym gear and playgrounds School swimming pools remain closed and excursions, camps, trips and interschool activities postponed. We know you’ll have lots of questions so we’re going to bring more info to you later in the week, in the meantime you can read all about the changes on the Queensland Education website here: www.qed.qld.gov.au You can also check out updates from our Education colleagues via their Facebook page Queensland Department of Education

13.01.2022 Great article on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout by one of our lovely Gold Coast GPs!

12.01.2022 PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT Queensland Health has expanded its list of venues where confirmed COVID-19 cases have visited. New locations include: BENOWA Royal P...ines Resort: Tees clubhouse restaurant and Golf shop 24 August 2020 Between 7:45am and 3:00pm WACOL Gailes Golf Club 27 August 2020 Between 9:00am and 3:00pm While the alert relates to a recently identified case, these locations were visited some time ago. We're publishing this alert as another important reminder about getting tested if you have symptoms, regardless of whether you have visited the same venue as a confirmed case. Anyone who has been to these locations at the times specified should monitor their health and if they develop any COVID-19 symptoms, even mild, get tested and isolate until they receive their test result.

11.01.2022 Do you have some questions when it comes to the science around immunisation? The Australian Academy of Science provides information that explains the science of... immunisation in clear and easy-to-understand language, with the aim of supporting you to make good health decisions based on science. Visit: http://ow.ly/yXMG50zqgsR to find out more.

10.01.2022 Covid-19 testing options on the Gold Coast. Contact your GP for a telehealth appointment for a referral where necessary. If you are sick, even with the mildest symptoms, please stay home, get tested and isolate until you get the results and are well.

08.01.2022 Beware non-medical-experts giving medical advice! https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au//7ec82a25017d5347be8a

08.01.2022 1200 Victorian healthcare workers have now tested positive to coronavirus. I've been "on mute" for a few weeks now, as I felt there was not much more I could ...add to discussion. However I'm BEGGING people to STOP SHARING posts that say there is either prevention or a cure for COVID19. If there was, do you think that we (healthcare workers) would allow our Government to stop us from using it?! Seriously. We are not stupid, we are not lacking information, we have not been 'duped' by 'the media'. We are not in the pockets of 'Big Pharma'. We are trained to be skeptical, and to actually research information for ourselves, not just accept what someone else wearing a white coat says. We don't stop at just reading the one article we are told supports the use of a medication/vitamin etc....we go looking for ALL the research. (And we actually read it, critically analyse it, and interpret it...not just take the summary that the authors give at the end). OUR LIVES are at stake here, as are the lives of our colleagues, our families, our friends. So while I really wish that there was a prevention or a cure, the fact is there is no convincing published evidence of one to date. Not even close. Instead of sharing false hope, and creating more anxiety, lets share encouragement to hold the line on what we DO know works: 1. Physical distancing (+ full isolation for those with the virus) 2. Hygiene (hand-washing, covering coughs/sneezes) 3. Stop aerosol spread (wear masks, ventilate buildings well, meet outdoors rather than indoors whenever possible) 4. Get tested for any symptoms that could be COVID19. Catch cases early so that we can contact trace and stop spread. This is a marathon not a sprint. Lets support each other as we hobble forward. Please share THIS post if you find it helpful!

08.01.2022 Whether you’re worried about symptoms of #COVID19 or any other health concerns, your local GP is more accessible than ever before. You can turn to your GP via telehealth, to get the best advice possible as quickly as possible. #GPexpertadvice Find out more: https://bit.ly/34crdbH

07.01.2022 Children under 5 years of age have some of the highest rates of the flu and associated complications of any group. In fact, flu is the leading cause of hospital...isation of children under 5 years of age. Children also contribute greatly to the spread of the flu in the community Vaccination provides young children with the best protection against flu. The flu vaccine is safe, free and available for kids 6 months to under 5 years. Book in with your GP today or visit qld.gov.au/vaccinationmatters for more information. #calltoarms #fluseason

05.01.2022 The flu can cause serious illness in children, and sometimes involves visits to the emergency department or GP due to high fever, cough, pneumonia and seizures.... While rare, severe complications such as encephalitis (life threatening brain inflammation) can also occur. Not only are flu infection rates high among children, they also contribute greatly to spreading the flu in the community. Vaccinating young children protects the wider community by reducing the number of people with the flu virus. It also helps protect the people who are more vulnerable like very young children, older people and people with long-term medical conditions. For further information on children and the flu please visit qld.gov.au/vaccinationmatters #calltoarms #immunisations #fluseason

04.01.2022 "Did you know that Australia has one of the most comprehensive publicly funded immunisation programs in the world? The National Immunisation Program Schedule... outlines the recommended vaccination schedule for: Babies and young children School-aged children Older Australians Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people Visit: http://ow.ly/Baxa50zqgN4 for more information about the schedule in Queensland.

03.01.2022 As restrictions ease, it’s more important than ever to get tested for COVID-19. In order to help Gold Coasters return to their regular lifestyles as soon as pos...sible, we need to find existing traces of the virus and isolate it. We are asking Gold Coasters to get tested even if they have the mildest COVID-19 symptoms, which can include cough, sore throat, fever, trouble breathing, fatigue or a runny nose. If your friends, family, colleagues or neighbours have any symptoms tell them to get tested. See more from Queensland's Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young https://youtu.be/EpQRASdaR-0 See more

03.01.2022 Another great article about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout by one of our Gold Coast GPs. https://theconversation.com/the-second-phase-of-australias-

01.01.2022 #COVID19 #secondwave GPs in Australia are starting to see the corona virus second wave already.... People are not presenting with cough and fever. Their symptoms are more vague: insomnia, headaches, tightness in the chest, breathlessnessand many other presentations. The diagnosis is not COVID19. It is potentially deadlier yet sadly less discussed. It is Anxiety and/or Depression. Experts are now predicting more deaths from suicide than from the corona virus itself. Almost every consultation I have had in the past two weeks (I am a GP) has also included a mental health ‘check-in’; and a number of times this has led to a full discussion about how my patients are coping (or not). I am writing this post to both reassure and equip our community: 1. Be reassured that you are not alone if you are experiencing physical, emotional, mental or spiritual symptoms right now. It would almost be strange for you not to be! 2. Realise that there are some things that YOU CAN DO about it: - Take a daily dose of exercise (whatever you can do just don’t do nothing!) daily exercise is as powerful as medication for mild clinical depression. - Get into nature whenever you can. - Allow yourself to complain! Call it lamenting if you don’t like to feel you are whining - but if you don’t do this, you are actually denying the losses, pain, grief and struggles that you and others are going through. Denial only allows it to fester and grow. - Don’t allow yourself to stay in a complaining mindset. Practice gratitude. Write or speak out at least 10 things a day that you are grateful for. This may not make up for the loss and pain, but it will start a process of healing. - Do all of the above with others whenever possible. - Seek professional help if things are getting worse, or if the people you share your life with ask you to do so. A GP is usually a good start, find one who listens to you and takes you seriously. Some may also want to seek spiritual help if their concerns are primarily about meaning and purpose. We know that once someone expresses no sense of purpose/ hope for the future, they are at higher risk of suicide. Finally, just like with containing the corona virus, we need a WHOLE of community approach to this second wave. As a doctor I am not actually the frontline. YOU are! If we pull together as a community, actively encouraging each other to do the things above, I believe we can flatten this curve too. Please share this if you believe it could help others.

01.01.2022 #holidays #covidsafer Friends and patients are asking me how to be sure to have a #covidsafer holiday this school holidays. Here are my top 5 tips: 1. Choose ac...commodation with as few shared spaces as possible (ie lifts, bathrooms, kitchens) - but if you are staying where you share surfaces with others then be sure to carry sanitiser around and decontaminate your hands if you touch them. 2. Choose outdoor activities wherever possible. This includes eating, shopping and playing. 3. If you get any symptoms while on holidays, GET TESTED and stay isolated until you get the result. If everyone does this, we will hopefully avoid the second wave that has unfortunately hit parts of Europe. Remember that early detection is key to putting out spot fires. 4. Masks are not mandated in most parts of Australia but I personally will be wearing them whenever I'm on public transport- because thats when I'm sharing air with strangers in an enclosed space. 5. HAVE FUN - this is my most important tip!! Yes, be covid aware but don't let that spoil your much-needed break. Instead of focussing on what you can't do and places you can't go, look for options that ARE possible. And don't feel you have to spend money to have fun. Look for free and cheap activities (often put on by local councils in the holidays). Hope this helps our community to enjoy these holidays safely! Please share if you think your family and friends would find this helpful