Coronavirus expert commentaries
Short commentaries on scientific and societal responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, from researchers around the world and across disciplines.
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COVID-19 science videos
COVID-19 & SOCIETY
Francesco Giovinazzo, A. Gemelli University Hospital
6 August 2020 | Performing surgery during a global pandemic requires a very different approach to patient management: we need to learn quickly to prepare hospitals and patients for a second wave, explains Francesco Giovinazzo of the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A Gemelli IRCCS in Rome, and Specialty Chief Editor of Frontiers in Oncology. »Watch
COVID-19 IMMUNOLOGY
Adrian Hayday, King’s College London
9 July 2020 | New research on the immune response reveals possible early warning signs for severe COVID-19 symptoms, as discovered by Adrian Hayday and his team at King’s College London. »Watch
COVID-19 & SOCIETY
Elliot Berry, Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School
25 June 2020 | What lessons have we learned about coping in a global pandemic? Elliot Berry of Hebrew University on coping strategies developed during the pandemic - many of which may be here to stay. »Watch
CORONAVIRUS TREATMENT
Eric Vivier, Aix Marseille University & Innate Pharma
17 June 2020 | Levels of immune complement component C5a correlate with COVID-19 severity – and blocking its actions may provide a new treatment, explains Eric Vivier from Aix Marseille University and Innate Pharma. »Watch
COVID-19 DIAGNOSTICS
David Atienza Alonso, EPFL
17 June 2020 | Can COVID-19 be diagnosed by artificial intelligence? Prof David Atienza Alonso of Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) on leveraging signal processing, pervasive computing and machine learning to develop an app and website to screen for COVID-19. »Watch
COVID-19 EPIDEMIOLOGY
Claire Steves, King’s College London
2 June 2020 | How data shared by 3 million participants through the COVID-19 Symptom Study has highlighted new symptoms including loss of taste and smell, with Dr Claire J Steves, Senior Clinical Lecturer and Consultant Physician at King's College London. »Watch
CORONAVIRUS IMMUNITY
Donna Farber, Columbia University
2 June 2020 | Understanding the lung immune response to SARS-CoV-2 – and specifically, a protective response versus immunopathology – is essential for understanding COVID-19 pathogenesis and identifying therapies, explains Prof Donna Farber of Columbia University. »Watch
COVID-19 SEVERITY
Francesca Dominici, Harvard T.H. Chan
28 May 2020 | New research links COVID-19 mortality to small increases atmospheric levels of fine particulate matter, explains Professor Francesca Dominici from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. »Watch
COVID-19 & SOCIETY
Dinesh Bhugra, King’s College London
14 May 2020 | Mental health impacts of surviving COVID-19 and living & grieving through a pandemic with Dinesh Bhugra, former President of the World Psychiatric Association and Emeritus Professor at King’s College London. »Watch
COVID-19 & SOCIETY
Lydia Giménez-Llort, Uni. Barcelona
8 May 2020 | How is the process of mourning playing out during COVID-19? Lydia Giménez-Llort, Professor of Psychiatry at the Autonomous University of Barcelona outlines the stages of grief seen within individuals and societies. »Watch
CORONAVIRUS VACCINE
Mihai Netea, Radboud University
7 May 2020 | The BCG vaccine for tuberculosis also provides protection against respiratory viruses. Mihai Netea from Radboud University Medical Center discusses how BCG may provide a bridge until a COVID-19 vaccine is available. »Watch
CORONAVIRUS IMMUNITY
Andreas Radbruch, DRFZ
5 May 2020 | The body's adaptive immune system is very powerful – but vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 will give more reliable protection, explains Andreas Radbruch, Scientific Director, Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum Berlin. »Watch
COVID-19 DIAGNOSTICS
Lisa Ng, A*STAR Singapore
1 May 2020 | How does COVID-19 testing work? Professor Lisa Ng, Senior Principal Investigator at A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network, outlines different methods and how they will help shed light on the disease’s epidemiology. »Watch
COVID-19 TREATMENT
Rachel Humphrey, TIO Bioventures
30 April 2020 | Treatments for side effects of some cancer immunotherapies show promise for COVID-19 patients, explains Rachel Humphrey, Head of R&D at TIO Bioventures Discovery Engine. »Watch
COVID-19 TREATMENT
Michael Lisanti, University of Salford
28 April 2020 | SARS-CoV-2 may target senescent cells, which become more common with age -Michael Lisanti, Specialty Chief Editor of Frontiers in Oncology - Cancer Metabolism, on potential targets for treatment. »Watch
COVID-19 TREATMENT
Hannah Wunsch, Sunnybrook Centre
21 April 2020 | Medical staff are overloaded and underequipped: Hannah Wunsch, staff physician and senior scientist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, on coping with frontline shortages and lessons for the next pandemic. »Watch
COVID-19 TREATMENT
Eleanor Fish, University of Toronto
23 April 2020 | Early data (under review) on promising results following the treatment of COVID-19 patients with interferon-alpha, from Eleanor Fish, Professor at the University of Toronto. »Watch
COVID-19 & SOCIETY
Hannah Bradby, Uppsala University
21 April 2020 | The impact of lockdown through a sociological lens: Hannah Bradby, Professor at Uppsala University and Field Chief Editor of Frontiers in Sociology on integrating social costs into epidemiological models. »Watch
CORONAVIRUS HEALTH IMPACTS
Thomas Hartung, Johns Hopkins
14 April 2020 | Discovering the effects of coronavirus on the human brain with Thomas Hartung, Professor at Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health and Field Chief Editor, Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence. »Watch
CORONAVIRUS SPREAD
Francesco Sannino, CP³-Origins
8 April 2020 | Predicting coronavirus spread using particle physics with Francesco Sannino, Director of the Centre for Cosmology & Particle Physics Phenomenology, University of Southern Denmark, and Associate Editor, Frontiers in Physics. »Watch
COVID-19 TREATMENT
Giovanni Maga, CNR Italy
7 April 2020 | When will we find a treatment for COVID-19? The latest on a promising new drug therapy for coronavirus patients with Giovanni Maga, Director of the Institute of Molecular Genetics, National Research Council, Italy. »Watch
CORONAVIRUS SPREAD
Paolo Vineis, Imperial College London
6 April 2020 | Is there a link between global land use change Paolo Vineis, Field Chief Editor of Frontiers in Public Health, explains how changes in land use worldwide are influencing the spread of coronavirus. »Watch
COVID-19 & SOCIETY
Olinga Taeed, CCEG
2 April 2020 | How can blockchain help prevent goods shortages during the coronavirus pandemic? Olinga Taeed, Field Chief Editor of Frontiers in Blockchain and CCEG Director, on creating trust through technology. »Watch
COVID-19 VACCINE
Rino Rappuoli, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
2 April 2020 | How long until a vaccine for COVID-19, and how is science speeding up the process? Rino Rappuoli, Chief Scientist and Head of Research & Development at GlaxoSmithKline, shares his insights. »Watch
COVID-19 & SOCIETY
i3Health Annual Lectures
27 March 2020 | Hear five leading experts debate on citizenship empowerment, health diplomacy, the role of economists in overcoming the coronavirus crisis, and fostering collaborations across borders. »Watch