February 25, 2020

coronavirus – panel of experts to answer journalists questions

We gathered another panel of scientists to answer journalists  questions about the coronavirus outbreak.

Journalists came to the SMC to hear experts discuss issues such as:

– Why is this not yet a pandemic?  Do we know if it will likely become one?

– Where are we in the outbreak in terms of the peak in cases, and what might happen next?

– What have we learned so far about this virus and what do we still not know?

– Do we know what might happen in the UK and how many more cases we might get?

Speakers included:

Prof David Heymann, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Prof Christl Donnelly, Department of Statistics, University of Oxford, and WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics (J-IDEA), Imperial College London

Dr Nathalie MacDermott, NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer, King’s College London

Prof Julian Hiscox, Chair in Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool (appearing by phone)

Dr Michael Skinner, Reader in Virology, Imperial College London