FAQs on the Epidemiology of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) with Epidemiologist Dr. Giovanni Filardo (Coronavirus COVID19 series)

What is Public Health with Dr. Kee Chan

"Without data, all you have are opinions" - Dr. Giovanni Filardo, MPH, PhD

What do statistical models really tell us about the spread of the coronavirus (COVID19)?

In this episode, on April 9, 2020, I interviewed Dr. Filardo who went over our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the epidemiology of coronavirus (COVID19). He will share with us his latest statistical model and his recommendations on using data and evidence, and not your gut feeling, to make informed decisions. Dr. Giovanni Filardo is a public health expert and epidemiologist who has created statistical models to understand the spread of coronavirus (COVID19). He has over 15 years of work experience in epidemiology, health services research, and comparative effectiveness. He has received over $35 million from different funding agencies including the NIH and he published over 160 manuscripts and presented at more than 30 conferences. He is currently a Clinical Professor of Health Services Research at Baylor University Waco and Research Associate Professor of Statistics II at Southern Methodist University in Texas. Dr. Giovanni Filardo earned his Master of Public Health (MPH) from Emory University and his PhD in Epidemiology with a concentration in cardiovascular disease from Yale University.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

1. Based on the President Trump most recent briefing, the model showed that even with mitigation, we could expect between 100,000 to 200,000 deaths. What factors are taken into account for that model?
2. Did we overestimated the number of deaths?
3. What is happening with the COVID19 in term of testing or the lack of testing?
4. Why was there a delay at the start? Why didn’t the CDC use the test from WHO? Why did CDC want to make their own three tests which turned out only two of three were working?
5. What are countries have done to contain and/or mitigate covid-19?
6. What are the differences in characteristics of covid-19 positives among countries?
7. What is the difference in mortality rates among countries?
8. What are the risk factors associated with mortality?
9. Are all countries testing for COVID-19 using WHO guidelines?
10. Are all countries assessing mortalities for COVID-19 using WHO guidelines?
11. How many ventilators do we 'actually" need to care for COVID-19 patients?
12. What will happen after we reach the ‘peak’?
13. How can we use surveillance using serological testing to assess how many people has been infected?
14. What are possible treatment available given the high number of ongoing studies?
15. What is the likelihood that we can develop a vaccine for those people who were not infected? How soon?
16. Would it be better that we all ‘get infected’ in low doses to develop immunity and thus, herd immunity?
17. How long do you think we would need to ’stay-at-home”?
If you have public health topics or questions, please connect with me at [e-mail] or visit the website: www.whatispublichealthpodcast.com and submit your question on the 'Contact Us' page. Or leave a voice message on the https://anchor.fm/whatispublichealth Watch the Washington Post Questions/Answers (Q/A) with Dr. Giovanni Filardo on Youtube at https://youtu.be/SzoBV6kVWkA Follow Dr. Giovanni Filardo on Twitter @GioFila

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