On February 10, the UCI Infectious Disease Science Initiative welcomed more than 100 attendees at the "2019 Novel Coronavirus: Current State of Knowledge and Public Health Response" public seminar at the UCI Student Center. Featured speaker Dr. Matt Zahn, Medical Director of the Division of Epidemiology and Assessment for the Orange County Health Care Agency, opened the event with an overview of coronavirus, clinical characteristics and modes of transmission, state of the outbreak in China, cases in the U.S. and in Orange County, and current public health response.
This presentation was followed by a Q&A session with faculty panelists, Drs. Michael Buchmeier, Andrew Noymer, Vladimir Minin, Albert Chang, Shruti Gohil, Alison Holman, and Matt Zahn, moderated by Dr. Sanghyuk Shin. Topics of discussion included the origin of coronaviruses; trajectory of the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus; responses of UCI, hospitals, and public health agencies; dispelling myths and addressing misinformation of the outbreak; social media's coverage and influence; stigma surrounding the novel coronavirus; and trusted resources for information and updates on the coronavirus. The UCI Infectious Disease Science Initiative would like to thank the students, faculty, staff, and members of the public who attended and would like everyone to stay tuned for future events.
For additional information and updates on coronavirus, visit https://infectiousdiseaseinitiative.uci.edu/coronavirus-resources/.
