In the time of dramatic pandemic developments, science-based and credible information is crucial. The European Science-Media Hub looks for the opinion of leading virologists and experts from different European countries. What do we know about the spread of the virus? What are the best strategies to fight the epidemic? Which lessons can we learn? What is the experience in different European countries? Read our interviews with experts from Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, the UK and other countries.
COVID-19 interviews
Ilaria Capua: A preparedness plan against unknown viruses is crucial for Europe
Interview on COVID-19 with Ilaria Capua, DVM, PhD, Director of the One Health Center of Excellence for Research and Training, University of Florida, USA. There are tests for COVID-19 which detects the virus, other which detects antibodies. Could you briefly describe the differences of these two tests? The rapid spread of the outbreak required rapid ...
Helena Legido-Quigley: “Austerity saps the ability of a health system to respond to COVID-19”
Interview on COVID-19 with Helena Legido-Quigley, Associate Professor of Global Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and at the National University of Singapore. What role has Spain played in the COVID-19 pandemic? Helena Legido-Quigley: Spain has been slow, but as equally slow as the rest of Europe. The continent lost a ...
Prof. Andrea Crisanti: “Active surveillance is crucial in containing the epidemic”
Interview on corona virus and what is the best approach to fight epidemic with Andrea Crisanti, professor of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology and director of the Department of Molecular Medicine at the University of Padua. From your experience in Italy what should have been the best approach to fight epidemic? Andrea Crisanti: I have been ...
Prof. Marion Koopmans: ‘We will see more of this if we topple natural balances’
Interview on the COVID-19 pandemic with WHO expert Prof. Marion Koopmans, Virologist and Veterinary, Director of Virosciences, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam. She was appointed, together with six other leading European experts, as a member of the advisory panel on COVID-19 of the European Commission. How is your assessment: did this virus come as a surprise? This ...
How to Achieve the “Nuova Normalità”?
Interview with Walter Ricciardi, Professor of General and Applied Hygiene at the Catholic University, Advisor to the Italian government for Italy’s relationships with international health organisations. How was the Italian response to the spread of Covid-19 organised? Walter Ricciardi: From an institutional point of view, in Italy, there are two entities dealing with public health: ...
Prof. Alexander Kekulé : “The EU needs a trustworthy appointee for pandemics and an epidemiological expert council”
Interview on the Corona crisis with Professor Alexander Kekulé, virologist and epidemiologist. Prof. Kekulé is Director of the Institute for Biosecurity Research (IBS) and Director of the Institute for Medical Microbiology at Martin Luther University in Halle, Germany. Europe has become the epicentre of the Corona crisis — were governments too slow to act, and ...
