Webinar: ‘COVID and YOU’ by Dr. Soumya Swaminathan

On June 12, 2021, a live webinar was held by renowned researcher and Chief Scientist-World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Soumya Swaminathan on the topic of ‘Covid and You’. Dr. Swaminathan is an Indian pediatrician and clinical researcher known for her research on tuberculosis and HIV. Since March 2019, Dr. Swaminathan has served as the Chief Scientist at the WHO. 

During the webinar, Dr. Swaminathan discussed the impact that the Covid pandemic has had so far and the various details and actions it has brought upon importance. Providing a basic explanation of how viruses have adapted and spread throughout history, Dr. Swaminathan discussed the actions of various countries against the pandemic and the way the world has responded to the situations, both in the past and present. She explained how viruses and infections might increase with rapid changes in human, animal, and environmental sectors and how people need to start monitoring, learning, and working towards research. She discussed the importance of data and people’s support in medical learning and analysis. 

Dr. Swaminathan also talked about the monetary imbalance and inequity among people and the ways it impacts various individuals and how it may affect different countries. She talked about the vaccine and explained how vaccines will continually be researched and developed as long as possible to defeat the pandemic. She further discussed all that has been worked on and the precautions and guidelines provided to everyone and the importance of following those guidelines to remain safe. 

Finally, Dr. Swaminathan tackled the questions from her audience with detailed yet simple answers, helping solve any conflicts of the audience.