Background Briefing

Pregnancies and births around the world have been radically changed by the spread of COVID-19. Background Briefing reporter Katherine Gregory is 39 weeks pregnant, and has been watching this news closely. In this episode, as she goes through her own pregnancy journey, she uncovers how maternal health experts are trying to prevent any long-lasting impacts on new mothers and their babies.This is the final episode of our three-part series on how Australia is coping with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Social distancing measures have robbed many charities of the human connection so crucial to their already vulnerable clients.But, as our reporter Geoff Thompson finds out, one charity has radically transformed its service, and still feeds almost eight thousand people a week. This is part two of a three part series into how Australia is coping with COVID-19 Pandemic.

Australian prison operators say they're well equipped to deal with a possible COVID-19 outbreak inside their walls. But inmates claim unhygienic conditions are making them fear for their lives.Now, some are being released early to protect them from getting the virus. Reporter Meghna Bali speaks to one prisoner about her early release. This is part one of a three part series into how Australia is coping with COVID-19 Pandemic.

People experiencing homelessness are being moved from the street and shelters into four-star hotels. The radical plan is meant to protect them from the pandemic and it's temporary. But as Hagar Cohen discovers, there are questions about what happens once the virus crisis is over.

The coronavirus pandemic is causing pain and suffering the world over, but then there are always those who never let a good crisis go to waste.Some are benefiting from COVID-19 for legitimate reasons: just think of companies that make video conferencing apps, ventilators, or canny investors.But there are also more nefarious players looking to bank a win off the back of coronavirus fear and confusion: scam artists, fraudsters, counterfeiters. This week, Geoff Thompson, Mario Christodoulou, Meghna Bali and Kat Gregory investigate who's winning in these turbulent times and how.

What does it take to prepare for a pandemic? Many hospitals around the world are already overwhelmed by patients infected with COVID-19.Australian doctors and nurses are bracing for something most of them have never faced before.In our country hospitals, resources are already stretched: beds are in short supply and there’s a greater proportion of older people.Preparation will, in many cases, be the difference between life and death.
ABC National Regional Reporter Jess Davis takes us inside the Wimmera Base Hospital in Horsham, Victoria, as the team tries to prepare for the unimaginable.

Coronavirus is changing the way the entire human race lives.Emergency workers are scrambling together contingency plans, fearing hospitals could soon be overwhelmed.Scientists are racing to invent a faster, cheaper Covid-19 test kit available for us all.Restaurants are reinventing themselves as delivery services, artists are turning to live-streaming to make a living.This week, the entire Background Briefing team investigates how each of us are finding new ways to get by.

Tristan was a kind and gentle 23-year-old surfer from Byron Bay.One night he suffered a drug-induced psychotic episode.And ended up driven to hospital in a small steel cage.Police say it is probably the worst place he could be.Tristan later died in hospital.Mario Christodoulou investigates the series of tragic events that led to Tristan's death that raise questions about how emergency services treat young drug-affected people in New South Wales.

Even after the black summer Australians have just endured, it's not bushfires that's keeping the nation's insurers awake at night. Climate change is bringing cyclones further south - towards highly populated areas like Brisbane, the Gold Coast and northern NSW.Insurers are warning that unless the Federal Government takes drastic action, parts of the country may even become uninsurable.And as Geoff Thompson discovers, it's not some threat on the horizon - the conditions are already here.