Menu Menu

Caring for people with COVID-19

Supporting Australia’s healthcare professionals with continually updated, evidence-based clinical guidelines

17/12/20: Communique from the National Steering Committee

Latest Guidance

18 January 2021

Living
guidelines

High-priority, evidence-based clinical COVID-19 guidelines updated weekly with the latest research

We have developed recommendations that cover:

  • Definition of disease severity
    • Definition of disease severity for adults
    • Definition for disease severity for children and adolescents
  • Monitoring and markers of clinical deterioration
  • Disease-modifying treatments
    • Corticosteroids
      • Corticosteroids for adults
      • Corticosteroids for pregnant or breastfeeding women
      • Corticosteroids for children or adolescents
    • Remdesivir
      • Remdesivir for adults
      • Remdesivir for pregnant or breastfeeding women
      • Remdesivir for children or adolescents
    • Hydroxychloroquine (not recommended)
    • Interferon β-1a (not recommended)
    • Lopinavir-ritonavir (not recommended)
    • Disease-modifying treatments not recommended outside of clinical trials
      • Aprepitant
      • Azithromycin
      • Baloxavir marboxil
      • Bamlanivimab
      • Bromhexine hydrochloride
      • Chloroquine
      • Colchicine
      • Combined metabolic cofactor supplementation (CMCS)
      • Convalescent plasma
      • Darunavir-cobicistat
      • Dutasteride
      • Favipiravir
      • Fluvoxamine
      • Hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin
      • Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells
      • Interferon β-1a (inhaled)
      • Interferon β-1b
      • Interferon gamma
      • Interferon kappa plus trefoil factor 2 (IFN-κ plus TFF2)
      • Intravenous immunoglobulin
      • Intravenous immunoglobulin plus methylprednisolone
      • Ivermectin
      • Peginterferon lambda
      • N-acetylcysteine
      • Recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor
      • Ruxolitinib
      • Sofosbuvir-daclatasvir
      • Telmisartan
      • Tocilizumab
      • Triazavirin
      • Umifenovir
      • Vitamin D analogues
      • Other disease modifying treatments
    • Disease-modifying treatments under review
      • Ivermectin plus doxycycline
      • Peginterferon lambda
      • Sulodexide
      • Zinc
  • Chemoprophylaxis
    • Hydroxychloroquine for pre-exposure prophylaxis
    • Hydroxychloroquine for post-exposure prophylaxis
  • Respiratory support in adults
    • High-flow nasal oxygen therapy
    • Non-invasive ventilation
    • Respiratory management of the deteriorating patient
    • Videolaryngoscopy
    • Neuromuscular blockers
    • Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP)
    • Prone positioning
      • Prone positioning for adults
      • Prone positioning for pregnant and postpartum women
    • Recruitment manoeuvres
    • Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
      • ECMO for adults
      • ECMO for pregnant and postpartum women
  • Respiratory support in neonates, children and adolescents
    • Requiring non-invasive respiratory support
      • High-flow nasal oxygen and non-invasive ventilation
      • Prone positioning (non-invasive)
      • Respiratory management of the deteriorating child
    • Requiring invasive mechanical ventilation
      • Prone positioning (mechanical ventilation)
      • Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP)
      • Recruitment manoeuvres
      • Neuromuscular blockers
      • High-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV)
      • Videolaryngoscopy
      • Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
  • Venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis
    • VTE prophylaxis for adults
    • VTE prophylaxis for pregnant and postpartum women
    • VTE prophylaxis for children and adolescents
  • Therapies for existing indications in patients with COVID-19
    • ACEIs/ARBs in patients with COVID-19
    • ACEIs in postpartum women
    • Steroids for people with asthma or COPD with COVID-19
    • Oestrogen-containing therapies
  • Pregnancy and perinatal care
    • Antenatal corticosteroids
    • Mode of birth
    • Delayed umbilical cord clamping
    • Skin-to-skin contact
    • Breastfeeding
    • Rooming-in
  • Child and adolescent care
    • Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome (PIMS-TS)
      • Intravenous immunoglobulin
      • Corticosteroids
      • Other immunomodulatory agents
      • Aspirin and antithrombotic agents

View all evidence-based recommendations here:

We will revise and add recommendations each week as our evidence teams and expert panels identify priority clinical questions and synthesise new research.

Clinical
flowcharts

Flowcharts incorporating living guideline recommendations and guidance issued or endorsed by Taskforce members

We have developed clinical flowcharts that cover:

Evidence
under review

Continuously reviewing new evidence to update recommendations and address new priority questions

We are currently reviewing evidence to develop recommendations and flowcharts to guide practice in areas including:

  • Baricitinib new
  • REGN-COV2 new
  • Sarilumab new
  • Sulodexide new
  • Azithromycin
  • Convalescent plasma
  • Favipiravir
  • Post-exposure hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis
  • Immunoglobulin plus methylprednisolone
  • Ivermectin
  • Sofosbuvir-daclatasvir
  • Zinc
  • Care of people with post acute COVID-19

Do you have a clinical question?

Your views help us to identify and prioritise questions to include in the living guideline.

Check if your question is already being considered

Submit your questions here

envelope iconSubscribe here to receive regular updates from the Taskforce

PERSONAL DETAILS

Please enter your email, so we can follow up with you.

SUGGESTIONS

Suggest a new topic or clinical question. Please note that our living guideline aims to

“Provide specific, patient-focused recommendations for the clinical care of people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, where care for this patient group differs from usual care provided to patients with similar clinical conditions (pneumonia, severe acute respiratory distress, etc.)”.

*The following topics are currently included:
• Definition of disease severity
• Monitoring and markers of clinical deterioration
• Disease modifying treatments (e.g. antimalarials)
• Respiratory support
• Corticosteroids
• Anticoagulants
• ACE-I/ARBs

AGREEMENTS

Please enter your email, so we can follow up with you.

COVID-19
Research

Find COVID-19 studies around the world

 

Cochrane’s COVID-19 Study Register is a freely-available, continually-updated, annotated reference collection of human studies on COVID-19, including interventional, observational, diagnostic, prognostic, epidemiological, and economic designs.

Find COVID-19 studies in Australia

 

The ANZCTR is an online registry of clinical trials being undertaken in Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere. A list of coronavirus/COVID-19 studies currently recruiting in Australia is available here.

Core Outcomes for COVID-19 Research

 

The COVID-19-COS project is an international initiative bringing together patients, the public and health professionals to identify, prioritise and agree on the most important outcomes for research in COVID-19.

Taskforce
members

Partners
and funders