COVID-19

This page aims to provide resources about the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic including links to official information and guidance, commentary and resources about the role of nutrition in the response to the pandemic, and updates about how we are adapting our operations.

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The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and its resulting disease, COVID-19 emerged in late 2019 and by March 2020 had spread to 6 continents, touching almost every country on the globe. The pandemic presents an unprecedented challenge for our times, as the impacts of the virus itself and the resulting socio-economic disruptions are felt around the world.

Doctors For Nutrition extends compassion to all those who are affected both directly and indirectly by the wide-reaching impacts of the pandemic, and stands in solidarity with our healthcare colleagues both in our region and beyond.

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We have put together this page to provide quick links to the latest official updates, outline our response, and provide a selection of nutrition-related resources.

This page will be reviewed and kept updated regularly. As always, we’ll also be communicating via social media and email. Please do stay connected with us through these channels. 

Official information and updates

The following links are our recommended sources for authoritative information about COVID-19. 

For everyone

For health professionals

AUSTRALIA

• Federal Department of Health resources for the Australian community as a whole

• For travel advice see Smartraveller

• Local state or territory health department websites:
  • NSW • VIC • TAS • ACT • SA • WA • NT • QLD

NEW ZEALAND

• New Zealand Ministry of Health information for the public 

• New Zealand Ministry of Health travel advice

• Local District Health Board websites

GLOBAL

• Latest updates from the WHO

• UN resource list on Food Systems and Nutrition responses

• Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center

AUSTRALIA

• Federal Department of Health resources for health professionals

• Also refer to your state or territory health department, professional peak body or college for further specific guidance. Popular quick links:

  • RACGP

  • ANZICS

  • RACP

  • APNA

NEW ZEALAND

• New Zealand Ministry of Health resources for health professionals

• Also refer to your professional peak body or college for further specific guidance. Popular quick links:

  • RNZCGP

  • ANZICS

  • NZNO

GLOBAL

• WHO and UN updates (as above)

• The International Association of National Public Health Institutes has also gathered publicly available resources, links and documents for public health professionals globally.

DFN's response

Our position

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From the earliest days of the COVID-19 outbreak, we have seen that chronic diet-related conditions such as insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, obesity, poor immune function and chronic inflammation are all risk factors for the most serious outcomes of infection. 

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With our focus on bringing food back to healthcare, we are working as hard as ever to elevate the importance of healthy lifestyle approaches, and plant-based diets in particular, as a proven means to address these conditions. This includes advocating for a healthy recovery that positions nutrition as a central pillar of our public health response, as well as continuing to empower healthcare practitioners and individuals with the evidence on the efficacy of a whole food plant-based dietary lifestyle.

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Please see further resources on nutrition and COVID-19 below, both from the DFN team and curated from other experts and commentators.

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Our daily operations

As our charity staff members are a small dispersed team working remotely, our day-to-day operations are continuing as normal without any major disruptions to our projects and services, except in relation to in-person meetings and events, which are being kept under careful review and moved to a virtual environment, or rescheduled as necessary.

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Nutrition in Healthcare Conference

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In light of foreseeable disruptions to travel and the numerous medical conferences being rescheduled to 2021, we have postponed the next Australasian Nutrition in Healthcare Conference to 18-20 February 2022. 

Resources on nutrition and COVID-19

From the DFN team​​

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• An update on nutritional factors and COVID-19, by DFN International Advisory Council member, Dr Shireen Kassam (published online, September 2020)

• Joint statement on plant-rich diets for resilient food systems and planetary and human health, led by ProVeg International, June 2020 [pdf]

• Open letter to G20 leaders in support of a #HealthyRecovery from COVID-19, promoted by the Global Climate and Health Alliance, May 2020 [website]

• Can nutrition and lifestyle improve your resistance to COVID-19?  by GP Resources Advisor, Dr Malcolm Mackay and Lead Research Advisor, nutritionist Jenny Cameron (web page, published May 2020) 

• Nutrition in the time of COVID-19 by our WA Lead Dietitian, Angela Genoni, PhD (blog article, April 2020)

• Food Choices and the Pandemics: Revenge of the Bat-Man? by our International Advisory Council member, Kim Williams MD, with co-authors Mashaal Ikram MD and Waddah Malas MD (journal article, April 2020)

• Vegetarian-Based Dietary Patterns and their Relation with Inflammatory and Immune Biomarkers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by NSW Lead Dietitian, Joel Craddock APD (journal article published April 2019 and featured in themed collection on Nutrition and Immune Support, May 2020)

• Emotional wellbeing resources:

  • Mental health topic summary, published June 2020​

  • Diet plays a key role for mental health blog article for World Mental Health day 2019 by our WA Ambassadoc Dr Alyce Churchill, published Oct 2019

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External resources

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• No Protection from Pandemics Unless we Fix our Food Systems – Open letter to the G20 from the EAT Advisory Board (published October 2020)

• COVID-19 and the future of food systems at the UNFCCC – Comment article in The Lancet Planetary Health by Gralak S, Spajic L, Blom I, et al (published August 2020)

• Covid-19: What we eat matters all the more now – Editor's Choice article by Fiona Godlee, BMJ editor in chief (published July 2020)

• Doctor shares the health advice he gives to every COVID-19 patient – opinion piece by US physician Dr Ron Weiss in Today (published May 2020)

• Smart Immunity Handbook by the Food Revolution Network (published April 2020)

Note, if you missed the 2020 Food Revolution Summit, which included talks on nutrition and COVID-19 by Dr Michael Klaper, Dr David Katz and Dr Matt McCarthy, you can access the talks free on demand here.

• Healthy food: The unexpected medicine for COVID-19 and national security – opinion piece by US Dr Casey Means in The Hill (21 April 2020) 

How to Survive a Pandemic book

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• How to Survive a Pandemic by Michael Greger, M.D., FACLMA, New York Times bestselling author of How Not to Die, available as a book, e-book and audiobook.

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