Good hygiene and social distancing 'a weapon' in fighting COVID-19

Australia's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Coatsworth says while the country awaits confirmation of a potential coronavirus vaccine, social distancing and good hygiene are "weapons" in protecting against the virus.

Dr Coatsworth told Today the UK's Oxford University trial needs to undergo more testing before it is greenlit for use in Australia.

"It has to go to broader trials, and it looks like 50,000 people will receive the vaccine within the next six weeks, according to the reports, and see if it really does protect against COVID-19," Dr Coatsworth said.

"There are still steps, including assessing the safety over a larger number of participants in those trials. So, it is important that we take hope from it, cautious hope, and the sooner the vaccine comes around, the better."

Dr Coatsworth said cases of influenza are down in Australia this flu season and it is a result of people practicing good hygiene and social distancing to protect from COVID-19.

"It just shows you what can happen to stop a respiratory virus when we have excellent hygiene, when we keep physical distance," he said.

"We have weapons of social distancing, of getting tested when we are sick, and that's what we need to do right at this moment.

"Fortunately we have a vaccine for influenza which has had incredible uptake, so the numbers of cases are extraordinarily low."

You can  get up-to-date information from the Federal Government's Coronavirus Australia app, available on the App Store, Google Play and the Government's WhatsApp channel.

Beyond Blue's Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service is a 24/7 service free of charge to all Australians. Visit the site here or call 1800 512 348.

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