Stopping the Australian Spread
![Coronavirus and Vegemite at a bar. Coronavirus says, 'Internationally, all people want to do is stop my spread.' Vegemite responds, 'I'm hearing you, buddy!' Coronavirus and Vegemite at a bar. Coronavirus says, 'Internationally, all people want to do is stop my spread.' Vegemite responds, 'I'm hearing you, buddy!'](/sites/default/files/2024-11/2020_th04_04_stopping-the-spread_golding.jpg)
Matt Golding
When one of America’s best-loved actors, Tom Hanks, was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Queensland’s Gold Coast in March, it brought the reality of the pandemic home to many. Twitter exploded after Hanks posted an image from quarantine featuring toast thickly spread with Vegemite: ‘Cripes, we’ve given him coronavirus *and* Vegemite.’ Many were shocked that he’d used ‘waaaaaaay too much vegemite’, though one noted that ‘killing coronavirus with nuclear levels of vegemite might be our only hope’.