By: Pallava Bagla
Date: August 6, 2020
Location: Faridabad, India

Corona Virus is tormenting & torturing India & the world. Scientists have unleashed a 'world war' on COVID-19 by making many candidate vaccines. India has several experimental molecules, some tested platforms with huge heritage, others like the RNA, DNA, Plasmid, and Vectored vaccine platforms that are literally untested in huge numbers, some genetically-modified candidates. Which one should you put the bets on? Dr. Gagandeep Kang, India's Vaccine Guru, the only one to have spearheaded making an indigenous vaccine candidly explains the biology, regulatory, human challenge, genetic engineering, and disease control strategies of these 20 plus candidate vaccines in a 60-minute primer for lay-persons on corona vaccines like never before to Pallava Bagla on August 6, 2020. She feels a vaccine will come. 'Corona harega, desh Jeetega'.

Prof. Gagandeep Kang talks about what is new post-lockdown - Vaccines and Antibodies."Because what appears right today might actually be wrong tomorrow".

Find the complete webinar here.

How do geopolitics affect vaccines development and distribution? Funding and distribution methods remain critical as the world waits for the COVID-19 vaccine. Listen here to Prof. Gagandeep Kang, Umang Vohra (Cipla Ltd.) and David E. Bloom (Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health) as to how global alliances are aiding these processes. The webinar "Science, Business and Vaccine Development" was organized by the India Research Center, Harvard Business School; The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asian Institute, Harvard University and moderated by Tarun Khanna (The Mittal Institute, Harvard University).

Will your doggo give you SARS-CoV2? Will the flu vaccine prevent COVID-19? Taking a hot bath will prevent infection. Dr. Gagandeep Kang responds to and busts some COVID-19 myths. We put together her conversation with little Ritu worried for her mother who keeps getting misinformed because of Fake News circulating through WhatsApp. The conversation is made into a comic available in

English

Hindi

Punjabi

Illustrations: Yashika Kapoor

Translations: Dr. Tarun Kumar Sharma and Dr. Siuli Mitra (Hindi); Dr. Lovejeet Kaur (Punjabi)

With the advent of COVID-19 pandemic, we are also witnessing an 'infodemic' - spread of misinformation and fear. In such times, the role of journalists, media professionals, community reporters and science and health communicators are of immense importance. THSTI has partnered with DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance, IAVI and Nature India to bring together a series of webinars where experts answer questions about COVID-19. The webinar provides an opportunity for media professionals and those seeking credible information on the pandemic to interact with experts to better understand COVID-19’s science and public health impacts, as well as best practices and tools of fact-checking and reporting.
The areas that we have taken up range from vaccines to virology to ethics of reporting, accurate messaging and communication without stigmatizing. Tomorrow we talk about urban and rural perspectives on impact of the pandemic on those living in the fringes of healthcare.

What do we know about the different vaccines being made for COVID-19? Does BCG work?
How does drug repurposing work and is it the way to go to have an early cure for COVID-19?
How should people with limited/no water wash hands regularly to prevent infectious diseases?
Dr. Gagandeep Kang was a panelist on three of the webinars in the series and addressed questions about SARS-CoV2, its pathogenicity, COVID-19, vaccine development, drug repositioning and public health response to the pandemic among other questions. We put together some of the key takeaways from the webinar here.
Designed by: Ankita Rathore