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Science Matters: Let's Talk About COVID-19

Approx. 16 hours to complete

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Course Summary

This course provides an overview of the COVID-19 pandemic, its causes, and how to prevent its spread. It covers the epidemiology, clinical presentation, and management of the virus, as well as the social and economic impact of the pandemic.

Key Learning Points

Learn about the origins and spread of COVID-19
Understand the epidemiology and clinical presentation of the virus
Explore strategies for preventing the spread of COVID-19

Learning Outcomes

Understand the origins and spread of COVID-19
Identify the clinical presentation of the virus
Develop strategies for preventing the spread of COVID-19

Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course

Basic knowledge of biology and health
Access to a computer and internet connection

Course Difficulty Level

Intermediate

Course Format

Online
Self-paced
Video lectures
Quizzes

Similar Courses

Pandemic Preparedness
Infectious Diseases: A Global Perspective

Related Education Paths

Notable People in This Field

Dr. Anthony Fauci
Dr. Michael Osterholm

Related Books

Description

Welcome to ‘Science Matters: Let's Talk about COVID-19’, from the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics (J-IDEA) at Imperial College London.

The outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) is the most significant public health emergency of the 21st century so far. As the epidemic spreads, people around the world want to understand the science behind the most pressing questions: how many people have been infected? How dangerous is the virus? When will a vaccine be available? How can the epidemic be contained, and the damages mitigated? What is the economic impact? What’s the role of social media and local communities in the epidemic response? Researchers at J-IDEA and other research institutes at Imperial College London have been at the forefront of the response to the COVID-19 emergency, with clinical, epidemiological and social science analyses informing the outbreak response. They are generating robust empirical evidence that governments and international agencies are using around the world to plan their responses. On this course, you will hear directly from our world-class experts about the theory behind the analyses of COVID-19 and its spread, while learning how to interpret new information using core principles of public health, epidemiology, medicine, health economics, and social science. You will be able to watch regular situation reports about the state of the epidemic, provided by the researchers of J-IDEA and its director Professor Neil Ferguson. If you want to learn even more about these topics, a number of free MOOCs are available from Imperial College London. We also offer a fully online Global Master of Public Health for those of you who want to delve even deeper and join our professional community. Please note: This course was launched in February 2020 and we have continued to develop content as the COVID-19 situation progresses and new insights emerge. While we endeavour to include the most recent information, this is a fast-moving situation and information is constantly changing. This course is to be used for educational purposes only and is open to all and free of charge. The information in this course does not constitute clinical or other advice and must not be used for the purposes of providing any clinical or other advice. If you have any health concerns, please refer to your regional health authorities’ guidelines and consult a medical professional. Please note the views expressed by individuals in the course content do not necessarily reflect those of Imperial College London, J-IDEA and any other funding partners. Imperial College London, J-IDEA and any other funding partners shall not be liable, to the maximum extent permitted by law, for any loss suffered or for any other adverse or negative consequence arising directly or indirectly from your reliance on the information contained in this course.

Knowledge

To be aware of the scale of the emerging outbreak and know how to track trends using reliable sources of information
To recognise the key scientific underpinnings of evidence-based outbreak control methods
To recognise the importance of community involvement, multidisciplinary working and global cooperation in outbreak response
About how infectious disease modelling informs strategic and operational response at the local, national, and international level.

Outline

Introduction to Science Matters: Let's talk about COVID-19
Welcome to Science Matters: Let's talk COVID-19
Let's talk about COVID-19
Contributor Bios
Where to go to find the latest information on COVID-19

COVID-19 Situation Reports: Updates on the Ongoing State of the Epidemic
Sit.Rep #1 with Prof Neil Ferguson [Feb 4th]
Sit.Rep #2 with Prof Neil Ferguson [Feb 12th]
Sit.Rep #3 with Prof Neil Ferguson [Feb 18th]
Sit.Rep #4 with Prof Neil Ferguson [Feb 26th]
Sit.Rep #5 with Prof Neil Ferguson [March 9th]
Sit. Rep #6 with Prof Steven Riley [March 24th]
Sit. Rep #7 with Dr Samir Bhatt [April 6th]
Sit. Rep #8 with Prof Steven Riley [April 9th]
Key definitions in Infectious Diseases Epidemiology
The MRC GIDA Report on Impact of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) to Reduce COVID19 Mortality and Healthcare Demand
The MRC GIDA Report on Exiting Social Distancing in China
The MRC GIDA Report on Number of Infections and Impact of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions in Europe

How to Forecast an Epidemic: Epidemiology and Infectious Disease Modelling
Welcome to How to Forecast an Epidemic
The Basic Reproduction Number
The Case Fatality Ratio and the Fatality Rate of Infections
Phylogenetics
International Surveillance of COVID-19
The MRC GIDA Report on the Transmissibility of COVID-19
The MRC GIDA Report on the Severity of COVID-19
The MRC GIDA Report on the Symptom Progression of COVID-19
The Case Fatality Ratio of Influenza A(H1N1pdm09), a Systematic Review (BMJ)
The MRC GIDA Report on the Phylogenetics of COVID-19
The MRC GIDA Report on the Relative Sensitivity of International Surveillance of COVID-19
Textbooks, Journals Articles, and other MOOCs

Health Systems and Economic Impacts
Welcome to Health Systems and Economic Impacts
Capacity Planning, Efficiency and Opportunity Costs
The International Health Regulation Metric (IHR): Predicting Emergency Preparedness
Financing Epidemic Responses: Lessons from the West Africa Ebola Outbreak
Low and Middle Income Countries: The Direct and Indirect Effects of Pandemics
How Governments Respond to Pandemics
The J-IDEA Hospital Planner
Using Science to Inform Policy: Scientists Provide Evidence at the House of Lords
Textbooks, Planning Tools and Journals Articles

Community Engagement and Response
Intro to Community Participation and Engagement
Community Engagement
Misinformation
Podcast: Perspectives on Community Engagement in the UK
The Ebola Outbreak in West Africa: Perspectives and Lessons for COVID-19
What is the right level of community participation: Arnstein's ladder of citizen participation
WHO Strategy and Community Engagement
Community Engagement: What is next?
Further Reading on Misinformation
Let’s look at some community Engagement Research PERC reports
Follow-up about PERC Reports
Further Learning: Behaviour Change in Public Health Practice
The Ebola Outbreak in West Africa: Perspectives and Lessons for COVID-19
Further Learnings from Ebola
Participatory approaches: Introduction to Theory and Methods
Explaining the underpinnings of community Engagement: Doing, Knowing, Changing: How do we think about participation?

The Virology of COVID-19
Intro to the Virology of COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2: Understanding the Virus to Estimate Risk
The General Structure of Viruses and the Differences between nCOV-2 and Influenza
The Genetics of SARS-CoV-2
The Replication Cycle of Coronaviruses: How The Virus Can Change over Time
PCRs and Antibody Tests: What They Mean (and What They Don't)
Intro to the Virology of COVID-19
Further Reading on the Risk of Coronaviruses
The Virology of Coronaviruses and Influenza Viruses
The SARS-CoV-2 Genome
Coronavirus Replication: Understanding the Principles
How Testing Approaches Can Influence the Epidemiology of COVID-19

The Clinical Presentations of COVID-19
The Clinical Features of COVID-19
Treatment of COVID-19
Intro to the Clinical Presentations of COVID-19
Further readings on the clinical features of COVID-19
Emerging therapies: Remdesivir, dexamethasone and more

Summary Module
A Final Overview: The Key Concepts
Evolving Research, Shifting Focus, and New Questions: Some Insights
A Concluding Note from your Course Leads

Summary of User Reviews

Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course

The course provides up-to-date information and practical knowledge on COVID-19, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding the pandemic.

Pros from User Reviews

Well-structured and easy to follow
Insightful and informative lectures
Engaging and interactive assignments
Expert instructors with real-world experience
Excellent supplementary materials and resources

Cons from User Reviews

Some technical difficulties with the platform
Not as in-depth as some users were expecting
Some of the content may be repetitive for those already familiar with COVID-19
Not suitable for those seeking a more advanced or specialized course on the topic
Limited opportunities for interaction with other learners

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Science Matters: Let's Talk About COVID-19

Welcome to ‘Science Matters: Let's Talk about COVID-19’, from the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics (J-IDEA) at Imperial College London....

Save Course