Six Months In: Lessons Learned From Covid-19 and What’s Next
06/15/2020
As we near the six-month mark after the first confirmed COVID-19 case in the U.S., life as we know it has changed. Social distancing, face coverings and contact tracing are now normal. The rate of infections is beginning to slow down and we are seeing early signs of recovery as businesses, public areas and more take steps to re-open. Yet, every day new questions arise about how to help keep people healthy, reduce exposures to the new coronavirus and slow the spread of the disease in the midst of demonstrations for the victims of oppression and racism.
WHAT: Join us for a media briefing during which Johns Hopkins experts will discuss what we’ve learned from the pandemic, what we are experiencing now and how it all will inform how we continue to move forward.
WHEN: Noon–1 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 17
WHERE: To receive the Zoom meeting information, please register here.
WHO: Speakers are listed in order of appearance:
COVID-19: Lessons Learned and Where Are We Headed?
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Since the start of the year, scientists around the world have worked tirelessly to understand SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, including how it spreads and how it may mutate. Lisa Maragakis, M.D., M.P.H., senior director of infection prevention in the Johns Hopkins Health System, discusses what we know about the disease and the projected trends.
Children and COVID-19: What We Are Seeing Now
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COVID-19 affects everyone, but it manifests differently in children. Aaron Milstone, M.D., M.H.S., professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, shares what he is seeing in his practice, including a rise in the number of children who need aggressive treatment due to COVID-19 as well as multisystem inflammatory syndrome, a condition that can cause inflammation in the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain and other parts of the body.
Health Equity in the Time of COVID-19: Disparities and Civil Rights
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The COVID-19 pandemic has made more evident the grave health disparities that affect communities of color. Not only is the disease’s mortality rate higher among African Americans than any other group, systemic racism also puts their health and their lives at greater risk than their white counterparts. Sherita Hill Golden, M.D., M.H.S., vice president and chief diversity officer at Johns Hopkins Medicine, discusses the importance of addressing these issues now.
Contact Tracing COVID-19 and How to Safely Re-open Society
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As states begin to re-open, contact tracing — a public health tool that identifies and alerts those who may have been exposed to disease — will play a critical role in containing COVID-19, alongside social distancing and widespread testing. Crystal Watson, Dr.P.H., M.P.H., senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, explains how to expand contact tracing in the U.S. so that we may re-open society safely and mitigate more waves of the disease. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health launched a free online course to train contact tracers.
Convalescent Plasma as a COVID-19 Therapy
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Convalescent plasma therapy leverages immune system components found in the plasma portion of blood from people who have recovered from COVID-19 illness. Shmuel Shoham, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, discusses the effectiveness of this approach as a potential treatment for patients with COVID-19.
Moderator
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Pulmonary and critical care medicine physician Panagis Galiatsatos, M.D., M.H.S., moderates the briefing. He has been active in the COVID-19 response through his role as assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and co-chair of the Johns Hopkins Health Equity Steering Committee in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.