Presentations

2020 Virtual Nobel-Inspired Lecture:The Meaning of Science in the Age of Covid-19

In this lecture on 8th October, Professor Salim Abdool Karim, Infectious Disease Epidemiologist and Co-Chair of the South African COVID-19 Ministerial Advisory Committee, and Dr Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s State Epidemiologist, in conversation with Mia Malan, Editor-in-chief at Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism, explore the meaning of science; its promise, ethos and method; the sociology of science; the interplay between the social context and scientific knowledge; and the actual search for a cure.

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COVID-19 Conference, Special Session: Making sense of the science

Scientific developments, adapted technologies, and new collaborative models have evolved rapidly since SARS-CoV-2 was first identified. Building on the science and public health responses from other infectious diseases including SARS, MERS, Ebola and HIV, the existing body of knowledge has been applied to inform and bolstered the urgent response to the challenges posed by SARs-CoV-2. This special session will showcase perspectives from three world leading scientists in the response to COVID-19 including views for the ways forward and prospects for bringing the pandemic under control. The session will provide updates on the latest science on COVID-19 (epidemiology, infectivity, pathogenesis, incubation period), how the virus affects people as well as address the status of potential treatments and vaccine prospects. The session will also offer an opportunity to learn about the response to COVID-19 across Africa and in the USA, learnings gained from previous pandemics and social and economic consequences of control measures in low and middle-income countries.

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