The China Current with James Chau

While the world mourns the loss of lives in many countries including China, Iran, South Korea, the public is paying particular attention to Europe as the new epicenter of the pandemic. Within a few short weeks, the region has seen confirmed cases of the coronavirus skyrocket. As governments everywhere are struggling to respond to the fast-moving virus, scientists in the UK are working to better understand the epidemiology, and the public tries to adjust to the new reality impacting their day-to-day lives. Our host James Chau speaks with Laura de Belgique, a London-based contributing editor for The China Current. Follow us for the latest stories in our special coverage on the novel outbreak.

 

Lena, a local teacher in Wuhan, China, has not left her apartment since January 20th. The historic city was shocked into lockdown in January when it became the epicenter of the outbreak. After reporting 15,000 infections a day in China, that number has now dropped to a handful a day. But Wuhan remains under lockdown. Lena tells our host James Chau about life under quarantine— she is separated from her father, who is living alone nearby, and her mother, who was traveling at the time of the outbreak, was unable to return. Yet, despite all the challenges, Lena says she feels grateful to be alive and is happy to be in quarantine for the health of her family and the good of the country. This is a story of resilience and solidarity.

 

Last Wednesday, I interviewed Andrea Pastorelli, a friend in Rome who graciously agreed to speak on record about his experience in lockdown in Italy. What I didn't know was that Andrea and his husband Seth Doane, had that same day been tested for COVID-19. Seth's result returned positive, Andrea negative, but because of their close contact. Andrea has been told he could be a false negative. They are at home in Rome. Seth, a CBS correspondent, spoke just now with Gayle King on the 'This Morning' show - about his illness and being in quarantine. We wish him and Andrea the very best of health. I knew none of this when I sat down and Facetimed Andrea. So, this is our interview - after the test, but before the results - a kind of public-private account of an extraordinary country in lockdown, but also two friends who are part of these extraordinary times.

Early data from the outbreak indicates that the ageing population, particularly those with pre-existing medical conditions, are more susceptible to infection. Nursing homes and elderly homes globally have reported community clusters. But the downside of that caution is the false sense of security that is sending to young people - especially those who are healthy. Our host James Chau speaks to Dr. Art Reingold, an epidemiologist at Berkeley with decades of first-hand experience with infectious diseases, including eight years at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He looks at the evolving outbreak in the US, and provides a balanced insight into different at risk groups, the impact of public health measures in different cultures, and the likelihood that it's going to take a turn for the worse without strong interventions. 

 

There is not one word that captures Gabriel Leung, member of the ongoing joint WHO-China COVID-19 mission. He is an international epidemiologist instrumental in the SARS response, a former Under Secretary for Food and Health in Hong Kong, and current Dean of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong. Our host James Chau called Professor Leung in Hong Kong to discuss the scientific community’s evolving understanding of the epidemiology of the new virus, and the stigma and misinformation that attempts to undo the science.

(Photo by HKU)

Health systems around the world are struggling to meet the needs of a changing population - and in some countries that's further strained by war, pandemics, and other emergencies. Dr. Vanessa Kerry, a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, and co-founder and CEO of Seed Global Health, is committed to addressing this critical issue. She has helped train thousands of nurses and midwives in some of the world's most fragile communities, and is helping to lead a global movement to realize that success everywhere. As a new outbreak grips the world, many health workers in Wuhan are infected and some of them dying. Dr. Kerry speaks to James Chau.  

It's almost 40 years since HIV and AIDS was identified in New York and San Francisco, triggering an unprecedented response that has reshaped how we approach health, political leadership, and civil society. Now, Professor Kamarulzaman, President-elect of the International AIDS Society and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Malaya, says some of the experiences from AIDS applies to this new viral outbreak. The two are not the same: but they share similar challenges in stigma, travel bans, community mobilization, treatments, and putting humanity at the heart of an effective response. Professor Kamarulzaman speaks with James Chau.

The George HW Bush Foundation for US-China Relations has initiated a donation of two million masks for health workers and infected people in China. Neil Bush, son of the former American president, and founding chair of the Foundation that honors his legacy, speaks to James Chau. He discusses the meaning behind the donation and hopes for a vaccine, and looks at other outbreaks including Ebola as examples of positive bilateral collaboration. As the outbreak spreads globally, he describes the planet as one human race where "problems in China aren't exclusive to China".

Singapore is one of the affected countries in the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. But of the dozens of confirmed cases, over half have been discharged, and there have been no deaths. Kishore Mahbubani, the author of 'Has the West Lost?' and the upcoming book 'Has China Won?' was Singapore's Permanent Representative to the UN, during which time he served as President of the UN Security Council. He speaks to James Chau on the critical role of the United Nations, Singapore's measures to fight COVID-19, and what China must do next to prevent a worse global outbreak. 

Professor Sharon Lewin is the founding Director of the Doherty Institute, a world-leading center for research, laboratory, and clinical care - and the first outside China to isolate the coronavirus now known as COVID-19. Her team is working on a vaccine, a major global development she shared with Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison when he visited the Doherty in Melbourne last week. She speaks to James Chau about the progress in science, the need for a vaccine, the treatments that could save lives in the meantime, and the likelihood that the virus could become endemic.