As we move to the next phases of the pandemic, there are many people who are yet to make the psychological jump and mental readjustment to a different life.

Many are only mildly anxious, but there are also groups of people who are still worried about leaving their house.

So what can you do if you have a friend or family member suffering from pandemic related anxiety or even depression?

GUEST:

Professor Frances Kay-Lambkin, a psychologist and mental health researcher at the University of Newcastle

It's taken several weeks, but the number of new COVID-19 cases in Western Australia is now increasing rapidly.

At the start of February, WA had a 7-day average of 19 cases a day. Now that average is nearly 100.

So from here, can we expect to see a very rapid increase in cases like we saw in the eastern states over Christmas/New Year?

Or could the delayed reopening and closed borders help flatten that curve?

Also on today's show:

* Victoria and NSW announce they're loosening restrictions even more

So, where's this pandemic actually heading? It's a good question and quite hard to answer as... well... no one can tell you the future.

But experts have never shied away from making some educated guesses, including SAGE, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies in the UK.

They've published four scenarios ranging from as good as it can be given the circumstances to downright doom and gloom.

So on today's Coronacast, what does SAGE think we can expect from the pandemic over the next few years and which scenario is most likely to be right?

When COVID burst onto the scene in late 2019, it came as a shock to most of the world's population and we've all been dealing with it ever since.

But to many researchers, it was less of a surprise and more of an inevitability - and now they're urging governments to act now to stop the next one.

It comes down to the old medical saying: prevention is better than cure.

So what can be done to help prevent the next pandemic and how much will it cost?

For months now, experts have been saying we'll need three doses to be protected from coronavirus, especially the Omicron variant.

And now, it's official.

Yesterday, the rules changed and people over 16 will be required to have all three doses of a COVID vaccine to be considered "up to date".

So why make the change now when previously two vaccines were considered good enough? And might it mean for vaccine mandates down the track?

Also on today's show:

* Should me and my family just go out and get Omicron?

* Should I wait the full eight weeks to get my daughters second vaccination or should I do it at six?

* Does testing positive just after my booster reduce its effectiveness?

Two years into the pandemic, we're still discovering new things about COVID almost daily.

The latest is what COVID can do to your heart, a year after you've been infected.

A huge study has shown really disturbing problems from heart attacks, to strokes, to blood clots on the lungs to heart failure.

So on today's Coronacast, who is at most risk? And what does this tell us about COVID as a disease?

Also on today's show:

* International tourists - what will they bring?

* The real story about aged care

* Who needs a fourth dose, when and why?

When it comes to ways to fight COVID-19, vaccines have been the main tool we've used so far during the pandemic.

But new antivirals are being produced for use including in Australia which has recently provisionally approved two different drugs.

They promise to help stop at-risk people ending up in hospital and dying.

So what are the drugs, how do they work and will they usher in a new way of handling the pandemic?

GUEST:Professor Josh Davis, Infectious Diseases, Uni Newcastle, past president of the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases and member of the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce

As the Omicron wave continues to subside, there's the temptation to hope that now that it's over, the whole pandemic is done.

And while we can dream that it's true, hoping unfortunately won't help that become reality.

The general weariness is understandable for us everyday people, but what about for policy makers and their preparations for new variants or the next wave?

Also on today's show:

* Are we really at Omicron's peak?

* Can a person be infected simultaneously with two or more strains of coronavirus?

* Why aren't COVID case numbers exploding in WA?

* Will Novavax be offered as a booster?

* Can you be asymptomatic and get long COVID? Could this explain why I am so tired?

Looking at the family tree of coronavirus is a bit like taking a trip down memory lane.

The whole crew is there including the famous ones like Alpha, Beta and Delta, and the ones that never really made it into the big time.

But what if we zoom in on Omicron? Lately, there's been a bit of noise made about a few Omicron sub variants. What are they? And how much should we worry?

Also on today's show:

* TGA releases a post-market review for rapid antigen tests. What can we learn from it?

References:

https://www.tga.gov.au/post-market-review-antigen-and-rapid-antigen-tests