We are entering the age of pandemics, expert tells Rahul

After his interaction with former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan and Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi interacted with global health experts on Covid-19

1.Rahul Gandhi interacted with global health experts

Rahul Gandhi spoke to Professor Ashish Jha, a globally recognised public health professional and Director of Harward global health institute and to Professor Johan Giesecke, the famous Swedish epidemiologist, on the COVID-19 crisis.

2.Rahul Interacted with Prof.Ashish Jha and Prof. Johan Giesecke

Talking to Prof Ashish Jha, Rahul Gandhi asked about the uncertainty the migrants are facing, answering Rahul's question Prof Ashish Jha said that the pandemic might continue till 2021

3. The pandemic might continue till 2021: Prof. Ashish Jha

Professor Jha said that since the uncertainty is the biggest problem of the coronavirus pandemic, people must be taken into confidence with proper communication

4. People must be taken into confidence with proper communication

Professor Ashish Jha also said that the government must have a strategy to minimise the risk of the pandemic

5. Government must have a strategy to minimise the risk

Rahul Gandhi asked the expert about the testing to which Professor Jha said that we must follow countries like South Korea and Taiwan and must test everybody with symptoms

6. Everybody with any symptoms must be tested: Professor Jha

The health expert also said that a testing strategy of surveillance of high risk areas,hospitals and elderly people is a must for India

7. High risk areas must follow a strict surveillance strategy:Prof.Jha

Rahul Gandhi raised concern over the elderly people and younger population with diabetes, heart and lung diseases

8. Rahul raised concern over elderly and young people with health problems

, Professor Jha said that since India is a country of joint family setup, young ald elderly all must be tested and protected

9.Indian joint family setup needs more testing: Professor Jha

In conversation with Rahul, Professor Jha also said that we are entering the age of pandemics and coronavirus is not the last pandemic we face

10. we are entering into the age of pandemics: Professor Ashish Jha

The health expert also said that due to the climate change, deforestation, global connection and eating habits of the people,we are more vulnerable to such pandemics now

11. Global climate change will cause more such pandemics

Professor Jha said,it might take an year to get a vaccine but India will need a strategy to procure and cover people with approximately 60 crore vaccine doses

12. Vaccine will take around an year to reach us: Professor Jha

Professor Jha asked Rahul on what he thinks about how the pandemic will change the society,to which Rahul said

every state will have its response,more decentralised states will do better

13. Decentralised states will have a better response: Rahul Gandhi

Rahul added that large urban centres will get badly affected but people will come together and realise that you can't fight the disease alone, everybody has to work together

14. Everybody has to work together: Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi also interacted with Swedish health expert Professor Johan Giesecke and asked him about the best strategy to  come out of lockdown?

15. Rahul Gandhi asked Professor Johan about the best exit strategy

According to Professor Johan, the lockdown should be lifted stepwise, one restriction should be taken away at a time, Professor Johan said, it will take months but it is important to go slow

16. Lockdown should be lifted step by step: Professor Johan

The video of the conversation was released on Wednesday on Rahul Gandhi's YouTube channel that is part of his on-going series of dialogues with globally recognised experts in the fields of economics, social sciences, healthcare and other fields on tackling the pandemic.

17. Rahul Gandhi's series of conversation will continue