ATLANTA, Dec. 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Health Crisis Coordination Center (GHC3) is proud to close the year with the release of its latest podcast episode “Omicron: First View from South Africa.” Special guest Professor Shabir Madhi of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa joined GHC3 Talks host Dr. Rob Breiman to discuss what we do and don’t know about the Omicron variant so far.
Professor Madhi described the pioneering science and research on COVID-19 conducted in South Africa but also the challenges faced by the region. Restrictions and travel bans imposed by high-income countries have damaged economies and destroyed livelihoods but not halted the spread of Omicron worldwide. Professor Madhi explained, “Imposing a travel ban on a handful of countries in Southern Africa does not reduce your chances of importing the virus. There is absolutely no scientific basis to close your borders to a handful of countries and still keep it open to others.”
Hosted by Dr. Rob Breiman and Ken Berta, GHC3 Talks launched in October 2020 with a focus on COVID-19, but also other critical issues that affect global health, such as antimicrobial resistance. Some of its most popular episodes have included:
- The Fight to Bare Arms – a frank look at ethics and equity in distributing COVID-19 vaccinations with Professor Jim Lavery of Emory University and Pima County Public Health Department Director, Dr. Teresa Cullen.
- Indian Innovation Rising to the COVID Challenge – the story of Bharat Biotech’s race to develop Covaxin from Raches Ella, Bharat’s Head of Business Development and Lead for the Covaxin development team.
- Access not Excess: AMR The Silent Pandemic - Professor Dame Sally Davies, the U.K.’s Special Envoy for Antimicrobial Resistance, highlights the urgent public health challenge posed by antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
2022 will open with an interview with celebrated physician scientist and Fogarty Center Director, Roger Glass, who talks about the bidirectional benefits of global health work.
You can find all GHC3 Talks episodes at www.globalhealthc3.org/talks.
About GHC3
The Global Health Crisis Coordination Center, a division of the Center for Global Health Innovation, serves as a coordinating hub to share information and mobilize resources to support public health response to global health crises. Its mission is to bring together solutions from the public sector, the private sector and philanthropic organizations to address health issues for people everywhere, especially those in at-risk and underserved communities.
