On January 30, the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency on the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that originated in Wuhan. Healthcare experts have warned that COVID-19 could rapidly spread, if not properly contained, and many governments around the world have begun to take precautionary measures to ensure public health safety. Amid the international concern and heightened fears about the disease, what is fact and what is fiction? The Asia Society Hong Kong Center brings you regular updates on the coronavirus story in Hong Kong that has reverberations elsewhere in the world. We are pleased to present on-the-ground public health experts and internationally renowned specialists with the latest facts and evidence-based findings regarding this epidemic outbreak. In Episode 17, hear from Professor Peter Horby, Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Global Health at the University of Oxford who serves as the Executive Director of the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC). John Power, Reporter at the South China Morning Post, will moderate the discussion. 

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Professor Peter Horby is Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Global Health at the University of Oxford, as well as Executive Director at ISARIC. Peter is leading on the RECOVERY trial which is currently testing a range of potential treatments that have been suggested for COVID-19. He is the former, and founding, Director of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Hanoi, Vietnam. The unit was established in early 2006 and conducts research on infectious diseases which crosses the disciplines of basic science, medical science and public health. Peter returned to Oxford in 2014 and established the Epidemic disease Research Group Oxford (ERGO). ERGO is engaged in an international program of clinical and epidemiological research to prepare for and respond to emerging infections that may develop into epidemics or pandemics. ERGO is involved in a number of international projects including the European Commission funded PREPARE project, in addition to ISARIC. The group is conducting research on a range of epidemic diseases including Ebola virus disease, bird flu (H5N1 and H7N9), MERS-CoV, and Enterovirus 71. ERGO currently comprises a team of eight people under the leadership of Professor Peter Horby and is funded by Wellcome, the Medical Research Council, and the European Commission.

John Power is a Reporter at the South China Morning Post. He joined the Post in 2018 after nearly a decade as a journalist in the Asia region.  He is a reporter for Asia Desk and This Week in Asia, with a special focus on Korean affairs.