As coronavirus sends communities into isolation, services and businesses close and many workers face an uncertain future, people are rightly worried about what the future holds.

As a medical professional, I'm hugely concerned about the impact of coronavirus. In the health sector we're bracing for enormous demand on services in coming weeks.

This is just the latest in a series of challenges we've had to face as a country this year.

We must not forget that Australians have been through a series of sharp shocks recently, that have shaken our nation to the core.

It's hard to believe that just a few months ago we went through our worst-ever bushfire season. Then there were the heatwaves and floods, also fuelled by climate change. And now this, all before regional communities have had the chance to recover from summer.

One of the most frightening climate impacts over summer was the haze of bushfire smoke that hung heavy over many regions for months.

In fact, new data shows that air pollution from the bushfires was responsible for hundreds of deaths, with medical researchers also estimating smoke led to more than 4450 hospitalisations for heart and breathing problems across the eastern states alone.

We still don't know the long-term damage to people's lungs from prolonged exposure to smoke. With a virus that attacks the lungs currently spreading amongst the community, this is a big concern.

And now, just a short time later, we're in the grip of another crisis, fighting another invisible enemy that threatens our way of life.

Then, it was a smoke pall keeping us isolated in our homes. Now, it's "physical distancing". After the trauma of summer, the potential impact on people's mental health and wellbeing is worrying.

But as we proved over summer during the bushfire crisis, Australians are an extraordinarily adaptable group of people.

Over the coming months, we'll need to draw on this spirit. Standing together, we can respond to the threats we face, from coronavirus to climate change, and rise to the challenge.

From frontline healthcare workers, to policymakers, to ordinary people, we all have a role to play.

We're all in this together.

Dr Arnagretta Hunter is a cardiologist and member of Doctors for the Environment Australia