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haviours according to people's health literacy and language. These have the potential to undermine efforts to reduce viral transmission and may lead to social inequalities in health outcomes in Australia. People with the greatest burden of chronic disease are most disadvantaged, and are also most likely to experience severe disease and die from COVID-19. Addressing the health literacy, language and cultural needs of the community in public health messaging about COVID-19 must now be a priority in Australia.

COVID-19 has left no healthcare system untouched. In New South Wales (NSW), the most populous state in Australia, COVID-19 case numbers have to date been relatively low. However, that does not mean the state's healthcare system has been unaffected. Preparations to create sufficient capacity to accommodate a COVID-19 surge resulted in widespread deferment of scheduled medical procedures and appointments. Patterns of healthcare-seeking behaviour changed, with a reluctance to visit healthcare settings. The aim of this study was to quantify the changes in activity seen in the NSW health system in the first half of 2020.

Healthcare data were drawn from multiple sources, including primary care, ambulance, emergency departments and inpatient settings. Volumes of healthcare activity in 2020, overall, by urgency of cases and by reasons for care were compared with the figures for the same period in 2019. Changes in the modality of care provision were also examined.

In March to June 2020, compared with the same period in 2019, primary care face-to-face consultations decreased by 22.1%, breast screening activity by 51.5%, ambulance incidents by 7.2%, emergency department visits by 13.9%, public hospital inpatient episodes by 14.3%, and public hospital planned surgical activity by 32.6%.

There were substantial declines in a wide range of healthcare activities across the NSW health system between March and June 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although activity levels were recovering by September 2020, they had not yet returned to 'normal'. The implications of these changes - and the indirect impact of COVID-19 - require further study.

There were substantial declines in a wide range of healthcare activities across the NSW health system between March and June 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although activity levels were recovering by September 2020, they had not yet returned to 'normal'. The implications of these changes - and the indirect impact of COVID-19 - require further study.In this perspective paper, I describe the terror of being trapped in an isolated village on the New South Wales (NSW) South Coast as a catastrophic bushfire approached. In the aftermath of the 2019-20 'black summer', I reflect on factors that could have helped reduce the trauma and stress experienced by residents, both during and in the wake of the bushfire event. Education, community planning and preparedness for a situation where modern communication methods fail are key factors to consider.Public interest journalism has faced a longstanding funding crisis, cutbacks of staff and resources, and closures of newsrooms. This crisis is a critical public health concern, and it has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, the pandemic has highlighted the important roles played by public interest journalism - including in addressing health equity issues. The pandemic has also highlighted the need to address structural weaknesses in the media industry, with concentration of media ownership and underfunding of public broadcasters leading to many communities being under-served and under-represented. The public health sector can make important contributions to developing and sustaining a robust, public interest journalism sector. Public health professionals and organisations can advocate for policy reform to support public interest journalism, and incorporate consideration of public interest journalism into advocacy, education, research and practice.Mosquitoes and mosquito-borne disease are a normal part of the Australian summer but the 2019-2020 summer was anything but normal. Above average temperatures and below average rainfall resulted in drought across many parts of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, which then contributed to catastrophic bushfires. However, by late summer, above average rainfall resulted in a dramatic increase in mosquito abundance. While the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic unfolded, NSW experienced increased activity of mosquito-borne Ross River virus. All these extreme events created many challenges for managing the pest and the public health risks associated with mosquitoes, from maintenance of mosquito monitoring and control programs through to unique challenges of communicating mosquito bite prevention advice to local communities. There are important lessons to be learned in situations where extreme weather events may influence the risk of mosquito-borne disease through driving changes in the abundance and diversity of mosquito populations, while also influencing the abundance and distribution of native wildlife that represents important local reservoirs of arboviruses. Similarly, supporting the maintenance of mosquito monitoring and management programs while local authorities face competing priorities due to extreme natural disasters and/or public health events is critical.The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused major disruptions to many aspects of life in Australia and globally. This includes actual and potential future impacts on Australia's three national screening programs for breast, bowel and cervical cancer. These programs aim to improve cancer outcomes through an organised approach to the early detection of cancer and precancer in asymptomatic populations. The design of each program varies according to biological differences in the three cancers, the available screening technology, the target population, and variations in their administration of Australia's federal, state and territory jurisdictions. The observed and potential impacts of COVID-19 on these programs, and on related activities such as the current national enquiry into lung cancer screening feasibility, therefore vary significantly. This article focuses on observed short-term impacts, adaptations and the longer-term outlook for cancer screening in relation to COVID-19. GSK2110183 chemical structure It summarises potential responses to minimise the harms of disruptions caused by COVID-19, and highlights research and policy opportunities in the pandemic response and recovery which could inform and accelerate optimisation of cancer screening in the long term.