COVID-19 in Asia: Viral Transmission, Host Immunity and Vaccination

COVID-19 has rapidly spread to many parts of Asia since the introduction of the virus from travelers in early 2020. The global pandemic has put a strain on resources worldwide. An increased demand combined with limited resources led to limited diagnostic capabilities during the early phase of the pandemic, particularly in low income regions. In this talk, we will share our experience in providing support to laboratory diagnostics and meeting the challenges faced while responding to COVID-19 in Southeast Asia and Japan. We will also discuss differences in epidemic patterns among regions and the associated host-immune responses. This in turn can drive differential immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 and provide insights into vaccination strategies in response to the emergence of new variants. In this webinar you will learn - (1) Current COVID-19 situation in Asia: past situation and updates (2) Early challenges in diagnostics and control (3) Viral-host immune dynamics pre- and post-pandemic (4) Vaccination strategies in response to the emergence of variants of concern