The recent pandemic of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), which caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) started in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019, has recorded more than 30 million cases of infection and over 1 million deaths worldwide to date. Although such conditions are almost a year old, the accessibility of effective vaccines and therapeutics against the COVID-19 virus or disease is still far from the world. Under these circumstances, the global scientific community has made a great deal of dedication and effort to provide insight into COVID-19 knowledge from the very beginning of the pandemic outbreak to the present. Nevertheless, there are also knowledge gaps that are still unknown or need to be clarified. Therefore, in order to broaden the understanding of COVID-19 response, which has already entered the long-term epidemic, the IUMS-2020 organized three COVID-19 special sessions as follows.
COVID-19 Special Sessions
* COVID-19 Special Sessions are supported by Daejeon Metropolitan City.
- COVID-19 Special Sessions
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SS 01. Viral characteristics of SARS-CoV-2
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When an unknown viral pathogen such as SARS-CoV-2 which causing COVID-19, introduces to human being with public health threatening, the most important activity is understanding of the pathogenicity of the virus itself. These include host responses such as analyzing the immune status of the before and/or after infection of the pathogen. Scientific knowledge and experience with a new pathogen infection have never been explored when the virus identified. Accordingly, lessons from similar diseases that have been experienced are of useful to help understanding bran-new pathogen. In this session, the latest scientific knowledge will be discussed on the basic properties of these viruses and the characteristics of their host response to infection.
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SS 02. Medical interventions using vaccine and therapeutics
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To respond to a disaster that has not been experienced, non-medical interventions such as social distancing and wearing masks have been making great contributions to defending against the COVID-19 so far. More importantly, ultimate disease control requires medical accessibility of appropriate therapeutics and preventive vaccines to establish host defense equipment through securing immunity. In this session, the latest scientific knowledge will be discussed on the basic properties of these viruses and the characteristics of their host response to infection. In this session, a review and scientific advances of the antiviral development accomplished by the drug-repurposing strategy and the cutting-edge platforms for vaccine development technology will be discussed.
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SS 03. Diagnosis and response for the control of COVID-19
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Securing fast and accurate identification of causative pathogen in order to provide scientific clues and direction in response of SARS-CoV-2 infection is the prerequisite factor for early response of the pandemic. After the identification strategy has been stable, various ways of public health response strategies have been implemented to prevent further transmission and spreading of the disease based on pathogen diagnosis and chasing. In this session, scientific bases of molecular diagnostics that played a major role in the pathogen recognition process and future direction of molecular diagnostic strategy will be discussed. In addition, successful plans and policies executed by public health authority will be pointed out in detail.
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COVID-19 Special Speakers
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Steven M. Wolinsky
Northwestern University
USA
