Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation announces major grant to The Alfred in response to COVID-19
The $250,000 grant will support The Alfred’s Department of Infectious Diseases to understand the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on vulnerable people including those living in residential aged care or those with compromised immune systems.
The research will provide evidence and advice that will inform how best to look after people with COVID-19 and improve the public health response to the virus.
The Alfred’s Department of Infectious Diseases Head of Clinical Research Unit and Infectious Diseases Physician Dr James McMahon said the grant will allow them to rapidly conduct research on COVID-19 at the beginning of the epidemic in Australia.
“The forward thinking of Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation to support these projects means we can begin immediately to try and understand how to improve outcomes for people with COVID,” added Dr McMahon.
The grant will support an extension of clinical studies already underway and enable new studies to be implemented quickly.
The current research collects clinical data from sites around Australia on people hospitalised with influenza-like illnesses. The Foundation’s grant is supporting the collection of additional data on people with and without COVID-19 infection.
As a result, the Alfred’s Department of Infectious Diseases will be able to provide more detailed data to public health units to improve the public health response to COVID-19 and advise how best to deploy interventions such as flu vaccine programs and infection prevention interventions in the community.
Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer Dr Catherine Brown OAM said the Foundation was aware of the urgent need to fund medical research with a treatment focus at this crucial time.
“The Alfred's Department of Infectious Diseases is one of the largest and most comprehensive infectious disease clinical services in Australia. They are in an excellent position to translate medical research into clinical practice and we are very pleased to support Alfred Health during this health crisis.”
Findings from the study will have immediate clinical application at the Alfred and will be shared nationally and internationally so that other health organisations can increase their capacity to respond to COVID-19.
The Alfred extends its sincere thanks to the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation for helping it to ensure the most disadvantaged and vulnerable communities are a priority in the healthcare response during the COVID-19 pandemic.
