LAUSR

With the recent bushfires and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian community has been subjected to serious threats. Repeated waves of widespread SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks have been described as the biggest threat of the 21st Century, heightened by the recent emergence of the highly infectious Delta variant. Therefore, it is useful to explore factors which may influence how people deal with health threats, including innate levels of optimism, cognitive style and access to a support person (https://www. blackdoginstitute.org.au/news/10-tipsfor-managing-anxiety-during-covid19/). We explored these issues in patients with schizophrenia, and general practice attendees, as part of a larger study on risk perception during the 2009 swine influenza pandemic. We are not aware of a similar study during the current COVID-19 pandemic.