Our COVID-19 Coverage
Since February 2020, we have regularly provided the latest COVID-19 developments through our conversations with internationally renowned public health experts from Hong Kong and abroad, as part of our COVID-19 updates series. Head over to our YouTube to watch the complete playlist.
Episode 45: Recovering from Covid’s Disruption to Education
Jan 06, 2023
Susanna Loeb, a Professor of Education at Stanford University and Director of the National Student Support Accelerator in discussion with S. Alice Mong about efforts in the US to recover from the loss in academic achievement from COVID.
Episode 44: How Effective are New Vaccines? Lessons from the US
Dec 13, 2022
In this episode, Lauren Rodda, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Immunology of the University of Washington will update us on the latest vaccines and treatments, and their effectiveness in combating Covid in the US.
Episode 43: Youth Mental Health Challenges during Covid-19
Nov 28, 2022
In this discussion between Professor Paul S. F. Yip and S. Alice Mong, the two experts will explore what can we do to help our most vulnerable citizens manage their anxiety and stress in light of ongoing restrictions and uncertainty.
Episode 42: Conversation with Dean Michelle A. Williams
Aug 23, 2022
In another episode of COVID Conversations Dean Michelle A. Williams discusses health disparities and the Covid pandemic. How has COVID amplified longstanding health inequities?
Episode 41: Conversation with Professor Ivan Hung
Jul 11, 2022
Prof. Ivan Hung is back for another episode of our COVID-19 updates series, in which he forecasts possible vaccine developments and reviews current social distancing measures.
Episode 40 - Dr. Melissa Giglio: Mental Health Challenges for Kids and Youth
June 9, 2022
How can parents support their children through mental health challenges during the pandemic? Dr. Melissa Ortega Giglio, Director of the Central Health Partners Child Development Team in Hong Kong shares her insights.
Episode 39 - Tim Nguyen: Access to Reliable Health Information
May 18, 2022
WHO's Tim Nyuyen delves into best practices in infodemic management, and highlights what the WHO is doing to support universal access to reliable health information.
Episode 38 - Singapore's Covid Journey Thus Far: Valuable Lessons Learned from the Past Two Years
April 26, 2022
What can we learn from Singapore's COVID-19 journey over the past two years? Prof. Vernon Lee shares his take on lessons learned from "living with the virus", and his predictions on future development.
Episode 37 - Catherine Sun: Lending Support During Lockdown
April 19, 2022
Senior Vice President of Hong Kong Shue Yan University Prof. Catherine Sun shares tips on ways to deal with mental health issues during lockdown, including stress, trauma and anxiety, and to support those closest to you.
Episode 36 - Judy Blaine: Mental Health Matters
March 17, 2022
Dr. Judy Blaine, Founder of Odyssey, touches on the psychological consequences of COVID-19 for the local expat community, effects of mandatory quarantine in Hong Kong, and tips to maintain your well-being in lockdown.
Episode 35 - Vivian Lin: Hong Kong After the 5th Wave
March 8, 2022
Prof. Vivian Lin, School of Public Health and Executive Associate Dean, Strategy and Operations, at The University of Hong Kong, shares her observations on the Australian government's measures to counter the spread of Omicron, and the inspiration that can be drawn from them and applied to the current 5th wave Hong Kong is experiencing.
Episode 34 - Siddharth Sridhar: Resource Allocation to Combat Virus in Hong Kong
February 24, 2022
In the latest episode of our COVID-19 updates series, Dr. Siddharth Sridhar, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Microbiology Dept. at the University of Hong Kong, shares his view on resource allocation between public and private hospital systems to combat the epidemic in Hong Kong.
Episode 33 - Benjamin Cowling: Pandemic-Free Hong Kong
February 16, 2022
When will we see the pandemic end in Hong Kong? We commemorate the second anniversary of our ongoing COVID-19 updates series by hosting Prof. Benjamin Cowling, Head of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health, who speaks to our Executive Director S. Alice Mong about Omicron, Hong Kong's zero-COVID policy and mandatory vaccination.
Episode 32 - David Ho: Everything You Need to Know About the Omicron Variant
January 18, 2022
Renowned researcher and virologist Dr. David Ho, Clyde and Helen Wu Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, discusses his latest COVID-19 research conducted at Columbia University, and the latest developments of the Omicron variant.
Episode 31 - Soumya Swaminathan: The Latest on the Delta Variant
August 27, 2021
How does the Delta variant affect current vaccination policies? When can we expect to return to normal life? Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, WHO Chief Scientist, highlights the latest developments of the Delta variant in conversation with Keiji Fukuda, Director of The University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health.
Episode 30 - Ravindra Gupta and Sharon Peacock: Update on the Latest COVID-19 Variants
April 27, 2021
In this episode, Prof. Ravindra Gupta, Professor of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Cambridge, and Prof. Sharon Peacock, Professor of Public Health and Microbiology at University of Cambridge, shed light on the latest COVID-19 variants.
Episode 29 - Manfred Green: Israel's Rapid Vaccine Roll-Out
April 8, 2021
Prof. Manfred Green, Professor of Public Health at the University of Haifa, speaks about Israel’s successful rapid vaccine roll-out.
Episode 27 - Benjamin Cowling: The Pandemic One Year On
February 16, 2021
Prof. Benjamin Cowling, Head of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health, and inaugural speaker of our COVID-19 webcast series, is back! In this wide-ranging chat, he reflects on the past, present, and future of COVID-19 in the Year of the Ox.
Episode 26 - Keiji Fukuda and Vivian Lin: Pandemic Updates
January 8, 2021
Prof. Keiji Fukuda, Director and Clinical Professor at The University of Hong Kong School of Public Health, and Prof. Vivian Lin, Professor of Public Health Practice at The University of Hong Kong, share the latest insights vis-a-vis the pandemic.
Episode 25 - Shirley Li and Yuanli Liu: Latest COVID-19 Facts [Mandarin]
December 9, 2020
Dr. Yuanli Liu from the Peking Union College School of Public Health, and Dr. Shirley Li from the Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy at the University of Hong Kong, discuss the government's response to the pandemic, and latest facts about COVID-19 in Hong Kong.
Episode 24 - Honglin Chen and Kiat Ruxrungtham: The Latest Pandemic News
November 26, 2020
Prof. Honglin Chen from State Laboratory of Infectious Diseases at The University of Hong Kong, and Dr. Kiat Ruxrungtham, Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine Chulalongkorn University, discuss the latest developments of the pandemic.
Episode 23 - Hamilton Hung and King Lun Yeung: Germagic Technology Can Eliminate SARS-CoV-2
September 22, 2020
Hamilton Hung, Co-Founder of Germagic, and King Lun Yeung, Director of HKUST-CIL Joint Laboratory of Innovative Environmental Health Technologies, talk about Germagic, a germicidal technology from Hong Kong that can eliminate SARS-CoV-2, and over 100+ viruses and bacteria.
Episode 22 - Gigi Gronvall: Antigen Tests, Serology Testing, and Serosurveys
September 3, 2020
Dr. Gigi Gronvall, Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, talks about antigen tests, serology testing and the Center’s latest report, Developing a National Strategy for SARS-CoV-2 Serosurveys in the United States.
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Episode 21 - Bhavna Bharvani: Creating Greater Mental Resilience
August 28, 2020
Bhavna Bharvani, Clinical Counselor from Central Minds, discusses critical tips and useful resources for professionals, parents, and teenagers to help manage mental wellness during the COVID-19 crisis.
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Episode 20 - Warren Mok, Peter Piot and Josette Sheeran: Their COVID-19 Recovery Story
August 12, 2020
Warren Mok, a world-renowned Chinese opera singer, Peter Piot, Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and Josette Sheeran, President of Asia Society, share their experience with the virus and recovery.
Episode 19 - Ashish Jha: Pandemic Response in the U.S., Europe, and India
July 29, 2020
Dr. Ashish K. Jha, Director of Harvard Global Health Institute, and an authority figure on the national health policies, discusses various governmental responses to the virus.
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Episode 18 - Ivan Hung: Curing COVID-19 with Plasma from Recovered Patients
June 30, 2020
Have we discovered the cure for COVID-19? Hear from leading Hong Kong University researcher, Prof. Ivan Hung, if the use of plasma from recovered Coronavirus patients is a viable medical remedy.
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Episode 17 - Peter Horby: The Latest on the RECOVERY Trial
June 9, 2020
Prof. Peter Horby, leader of the RECOVERY Trial and Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases & Global Health at Oxford University, updates us on the range of potential COVID-19 treatments being developed.
Read more:
- https://www.research.ox.ac.uk/Researchers/peter-horby
- https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-05-29/ISARIC-report-updates-fatality-rate-of-COVID-19-inpatients--QTsYrFDyLu/index.html
Episode 16 - Jeffrey Burns: Impact of COVID-19 on Children
June 2, 2020
Dr. Jeffrey Burns, Chief of Critical Care and Chair of ICU Governance Committee at the Boston Children's Hospital, discusses the risks posed to younger generations by the COVID-19 virus.
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Episode 15 - Honglin Chen and John P. Cooke: Vaccine R&D, Manufacturing and Collaboration
May 29, 2020
Prof. Honglin Chen, researcher at the State Laboratory of Infectious Diseases at the University of Hong Kong, and Dr. John P. Cooke, Director of the RNA Therapeutics Program at the Houston Methodist Research Institute, analyze the latest developments of the Coronavirus vaccine.
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Episode 14 - Peter Forster: Why COVID-19 Started Spreading Among Humans in September 2019
May 13, 2020
Where did the Coronavirus originate? When exactly did the virus start spreading? Why are there different strains? Dr. Peter Forster, Geneticist at Cambridge University, breaks down genetic research he has done on the COVID-19 virus.
Episode 13 - Peter Doherty: Lockdown Can Buy Time
May 4, 2020
How is the World Health Organization responding to the pandemic? How can individuals help their government contain COVID-19? Nobel Laureate in Medicine Peter Doherty underlines his views on nations' COVID-19 response, and vaccination development.
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Episode 12 - Roberto Bruzzone: Good Healthcare System is Key
April 23, 2020
Prof. Roberto Bruzzone, Co-Director of the HKU-Pasteur Research Pole and Visiting Professor at the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of The University of Hong Kong, shares his thoughts on research done on COVID-19, and the protection provided by a good national healthcare system.
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Episode 11 - Rebecca Katz: Quarantine as an Obligation
April 16, 2020
Prof. Rebecca Katz, Director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University Medical Center, gives her take on how everyone can play their part to eradicate COVID-19.
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Episode 10 - Jessica Manning: Surviving the New Normal
April 9, 2020
How are developing countries impacted by COVID-19? Are there ways we can stop COVID-19 from spreading? Dr. Jessica Manning, an infectious diseases physician-scientist with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, provides answers.
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Episode 9 - Gabriel Leung: Balancing Health, Economic Growth and Social Well-Being
April 3, 2020
How many waves of COVID-19 should be expecte in Hong Kong? How far are we from resuming normal life? Prof. Gabriel Leung, Dean of Medicine at The University of Hong Kong who advises the Hong Kong S.A.R. Government and World Health Organization on COVID-19,, imparts his expertise.
Read more:
- https://sph.hku.hk/en/about-us/faculty-and-staff/academic-staff/leung,-gabriel-m
- https://fightcovid19.hku.hk/category/research/
Episode 8 - David Hui: Bracing for Another COVID-19 Wave
April 2, 2020
Prof. David S.C. Hui, who has clinical experience with SARS, MERS and various types of influenza, details how COVID-19 infection spreads. He touches on how we should brace for another wave of COVID-19, as locals return to Hong Kong from high-risk areas.
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Episode 7 - Marc Lipsitch: Social Distancing and Control Measures
March 26, 2020
Prof. Marc Lipsitch, Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard University, elaborates on the source of COVID-19, and possible solutions to contain its spread.
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Episode 6 - Wilson Lam: Eight Ways We Can Protect Ourselves from COVID-19
March 19, 2020
How does COVID-19 compare to SARS? Dr. Wilson Lam, Physician of Infectious Diseases at Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong and frontline doctor during the SARS outbreak in 2003, explains. He shares his tips on preventing COVID-19, and his thoughts on the latest treatments.
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Episode 5 - Peter Piot: Misinformation and Travel Bans
March 12, 2020
Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Diseases, Prof. Peter Piot, who discovered the Ebola virus in 1976, explains how coronavirus differs from other viruses and the underlying issues beyond medical affairs.
Read more:
- https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/people/piot.peter
- https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/expert-opinion/100-questions-peter-piot-lshtm-director
- https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/research-action/covid-19
Episode 4 - UC Berkeley, HKU and U.S. CDC Experts: Community Transmission and Containment
March 5, 2020
The University of Hong Kong's Prof. Keiji Fukuda, UC Berkeley's Dr. Nicholas Jewell and Prof. Arthur Reingold, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Dr. Jordan Tappero share their insights on the latest COVID-19 developments, including data modeling projections and predictions for the spread of coronavirus.
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Episode 3 - Paul Chan: What Makes Coronavirus Particularly Concerning
February 27, 2020
Paul Chan, Clinical Professor and Chairman of the Department of Microbiology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, clears up common misconceptions about COVID-19 and introduces unique information about the virus.
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Episode 2 - Michael Levitt: Possibility of a Cure
February 20, 2020
Prof. Michael Levitt, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry from the Stanford School of Medicine, gives his insight on coronavirus and the likelihood of a cure, whilst addressing general queries about the virus.
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Episode 1 - Benjamin Cowling: What the Public Should Know
February 14, 2020
Prof. Benjamin Cowling, Head of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Hong Kong University's School of Public Health, demystifies misunderstandings of the Coronavirus and outlines basic knowledge about COVID-19.
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The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers and participants and, unless expressly stated to the contrary, do not reflect the opinion, position or official policy of Asia Society Hong Kong, its members, or its committees. Asia Society Hong Kong does not endorse or approve, and assumes no responsibility for the content of the information presented.