COVID-19 in Australia: being prepared and understanding the role of cellular immune responses
COVID-19 in Australia: being prepared and understanding the role of cellular immune responses
Date: May 27, 2020
Time: 10:00 (UTC+2)
Australia has managed to not just flatten but squash the curve of infections with COVID19 and relatively few people have died. This is as a result of extensive PCR testing starting in late January, informed leadership from our government and regular input to policy from our scientific community. In addition, the establishment of a research network focused on pandemic preparedness back in 2016 led to several pre-approved protocols for observational and international clinical trials that could be activated immediately following the first diagnosis of COVID 19 in Australia.
What role do cellular immune responses play in squashing the curve of COVID-19 infections? Sharon Lewin and Katherine Kedzierska will show how immunity to SARS-CoV2 has demonstrated the breadth of concomitant immune responses associated with recovery in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 requiring hospitalisation. Their study indicates that robust multi-factorial immune responses can be elicited towards the newly-emerged SARS-CoV-2 and early adaptive immune responses might correlate with better clinical outcomes.
