Module 2: Pandemic Preparedness & Response Measures

Welcome to Session 2:  Pandemic Preparedness and Response Measures

In this session, we will explore the public health response measures of how to manage an outbreak. In particular, we will discuss the strategies of Containment and Mitigation and how these have been used not only in Seattle, but around the world. We will discuss topics such as quarantine, contact tracing and social distancing measures such as school closings, mass gatherings, telecommuting, and travel restrictions and explain why these measures are being used. We will also look at how other countries such as China, South Korea, and Italy have responded to this pandemic and compare their responses to what has been in the United States. Lastly, we will have a discussion on COVID-19 modeling and projections and how this technology is being used to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic both locally and around the world.

Learning Objectives

After completing this module, you will be able to:

• Describe Pandemic Preparedness and Response Measures use in the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Understand how modeling is being used to control COVID-19.

Guest Lecturers

Ruanne Barnabas, Links to an external site. DPhil, MSc, MBChB
Associate Professor, Global Health, Associate Professor, Medicine, Adjunct Associate Professor, Epidemiology

Ruanne Barnabas is an Associate Professor in Global Health and Medicine at the University of Washington and affiliate at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She is a South African Physician-Epidemiologist. Currently, she holds the King K. Holmes Endowed Professorship in STDs and AIDS. Her research focuses on interventions for HIV and STD treatment and prevention. She is the protocol chair of the Delivery Optimization for antiretroviral (DO ART) Study, which will evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of decentralized, community-based ART initiation and follow-up compared to clinic- based care. She is the protocol chair for the Kenya Single-dose HPV vaccine Efficacy (KEN SHE) Study, which will evaluate the efficacy of single-dose HPV vaccination for adolescents and young women. She leads the cost-effectiveness evaluation of other projects including scale-up of cervical cancer and HIV treatment and prevention in high burden settings. 

David Pigott Links to an external site., DPhil 
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Global Health
Assistant Professor, Health Metrics Sciences

David Pigott, DPhil, is Assistant Professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. He is a faculty member in the Local Burden of Disease team, focusing on improving the spatial resolution at which disease burden and health metrics are considered, expanding and refining existing techniques to a wider number of pathogens and sequelae. He also leads work defining at-risk areas for a number of pathogens with outbreak potential and quantifying heterogeneities in global response capacity to better inform future preparedness planning. 

Recorded  Session  (50 minutes)

 Readings 

• Simon Collins, Median estimated incubation period of COVID-19 is five days – but can be two weeks. Links to an external site.27 March 2020.27 Ma