Today began the 18th edition of the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit (HTLS), which is being held virtually. The theme of this year’s edition is ‘Defining a new era’ as the world grapples with the new coronavirus pandemic.
The virtual summit will bring together world leaders to map out what is coming next for India and the world.
Today’s live discussions began with the Covid-19 session; Where we are? With Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director of India’s leading Institute of Medical Sciences, and Dr. Ashish K Jha, Dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University, speaking about the challenges facing the pandemic across the world.
Follow our Live Blog at livemint.com for the latest updates on HTLS 2020.
Live updates from Ashish Jha, Randeep Guleria’s speech:
Ashish jhaOn the rapid advancement of the Covid-19 vaccine, Dr. Ashish K Jha said, “It is indeed good news.”
Guleria: “The announcements of the two pharmaceutical companies are encouraging. There are many obstacles. The first one is crossed,” said Guleria.
“You will have many vaccines to choose from, it is a very interesting time,” added Guleria.
Guleria: “By the first quarter of next year, we should have vaccines available in India.”
Guleria: “The Indian government is in talks with Pfizer, not so much with Moderna. We have two challenges in front of us now. One, to break the chain of transmission, two, to make the vaccine available to everyone.”
Ashish jha: 70,00 people have been vaccinated between two vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer).
Guleria: “There is light at the end of the tunnel. That is what these two vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer) have shown. Proper behavior of Covid-19 is more important now than ever. We could save several lives in a few months as vaccines arrive. “.
Ashish jhaOn understanding SARS-CoV-2, he said: “We had spent years developing vaccines for the original SARS virus … SARS-CoV-1 … So we had a huge advantage.”
Ashish jhaAt Covid, a much more complex disease than previously thought, he said the infection has something to do with people’s host immunity. “Some people do not have any symptoms. In the initial phase, it works like a normal virus. In the second phase, it worsens. We know better than before, but much is still unknown,” added Dr. Jha.
Guleria: “If we will have enough doses to really offer everyone, if the cost can be covered and if the vaccine arrives, how much will be needed is something we will know in the coming months.”
There were several signs of a massive pandemic, but the world did not pay much attention, says the Director of AIIMS.
Ashish jha: About 100% immunity, said now there have been cases of reinfections. “At this point, we are not looking for 100% immunity.” Dr. Jha went on to say, “The immunity seems pretty long-lasting for at least eight or nine months. I guess right now we may need to get a booster shot every year.”
GuleriaOn how to deal with the novel coronavirus pandemic, he said: “It has been a great learning. There has been a lot of research done over the last 8 to 9 months.”
“India’s response has been groundbreaking. The nine-month trip has shown us that India is a very resilient nation. We started with a shortage of PPE. We are doing millions of tests every day. We may face another pandemic. There will be more investment in public sector, in infrastructure ”, added the director of AIIMS.
Guleria: a “That’s a tough question. I hope we can do a large amount. All frontline and healthcare workers would be vaccinated.”
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