Meet the coronavirus pivoters — workers changing careers to help on the health front line

The coronavirus pandemic has upended the lives of millions of Australian workers, with many losing their jobs or taking pay cuts.

At the same time, there has been an increased need for some types of workers such as cleaners, supermarket staff, doctors and nurses.

And it has been the urgent demand for frontline health workers, especially, that has seen many workers make a career pivot to help battle the pandemic.

Important to ‘fight the good fight’ against COVID-19

Like most people, 32-year-old Michael Krasovitsky envisioned his year going a little differently.

The oncology advanced trainee was planning to take 2020 off to recharge, travel, do some medical research and attend conferences overseas before finishing off the last year of training required to become a cancer specialist.

“I was meant to be jetting off to America in a couple of days,” he told 7.30.

“And then I was going to spend a number of months in Europe.

“It became pretty clear early on that that was not going to be possible, so rather than just sitting around in Sydney, I