International Science Council launches COVID-19 Global Science Portal
by Tropicaldisease.com Apr 28, 2020
Dr. Heide Hackmann, Chief Executive Officer, International Science Council (ISC) International Science Council launches COVID-19 Global Science Portal. https://council.science/covid19/ The International Science Council has launched the COVID-19 Global Science Portal in response to this rapidly changing global emergency. The portal aims to share scientific commentary and analysis, as well as to provide access to information on various initiatives by an international science community that includes scientific unions and associations, academies and research councils. Highlighting the scale and scope of response, and encouraging ISC members and partners to collaborate and share best practices during the pandemic, the portal contains information on responses by scientific communities in different fields and different countries/regions of the world. It also provides access to rapidly emerging scientific debate on the situation. Some of the collaborations include a recent statement by the German Research Foundation and the National Natural Science Foundation of China on Encouraging and Supporting the Scientific Community to Jointly Respond to the Novel Coronavirus; a verified and reliable COVID-19 information service for the general public launched by the Australian Academy of Science; a COVID-19 resource page set up by the National Academies of Science in the USA and the launch of a webinar series focusing on the Coronavirus called Frontiers of Immunology by the International Union of Immunology Studies. "This portal highlights how quickly the international scientific community has sprung into action, offering multi-disciplinary reflection that must contribute solutions to policy-makers in this time of crisis. It also shows the scope of knowledge being shared by the community, which includes think-pieces from social scientists on the broad impacts of the pandemic", said Heide Hackmann, CEO. The International Science Council hopes to populate the portal with compelling essays and discussion that will drive international action in the months to come. "This is no longer business as usual, and when we return from the lockdowns, we will be entering a new normal", Dr Hackmann said. "We want the scientific community and poilcy-makers to be prepared, to make sure we still have our eye on the 2030 Agenda, and to think of how mission-oriented science can build pathways to solutions for the complex systemic challenges facing humanity". Contributions so far have included think-pieces from the International Network for Government Science Advice on the importance of evidence-informed policy decisions; the Global Research Programme on Inequality and their concern on the uneven impacts COVID-19 will have on the poor; and Future Earth on the opportunities the pandemic presents for sustainable transitions and the 2030 Agenda. The ISC welcomes contributions from the international science community. Visit https://council.science/covid19 for more information.
Bringing the power of global innovation to tackle COVID-19
by Tropicaldisease.com Apr 28, 2020
The fight against coronavirus COVID-19 is at a crucial tipping point. All over the world lives have been lost, and changed beyond recognition. Now, COVID-19 threatens to take hold in the developing world. In this context of often-fragile health systems and social structures, its impact could be catastrophic. In response, and in little over two weeks of around-the-clock working, UNDP and Hackster, the largest online open-source hardware community, have mobilized some of the biggest names in the technology world, with support from Amazon Web Services, Arduino, Arm, Avnet, Edge Impulse, Google, Microsoft, NVIDIA, NVP, Nordic Semiconductor, Soracom, and The Things Industries. In partnership, we are launching the COVID-19 Detect & Protect Challenge. We are calling on all hardware and software developers, product designers, scientists, hackers, makers, innovators and inventors to come together and help those who could be most affected by this pandemic. This initiative is a major global effort to identify innovative solutions for the developing world that are easy to produce and low-cost. The aim of the COVID-19 Detect & Protect Challenge is simple: to build a global platform of open-source solutions that can detect COVID-19 cases, prevent the spread of the disease, and protect individuals and societies. UNDP and Hackster will collaborate with those who develop promising innovations over the coming weeks and, together with our global tech partners and worldwide network of country offices, work to get these solutions to those on the frontlines of fighting this pandemic. These efforts will be targeted to meet the needs of countries and regions where COVID-19 could have the greatest impact: the developing world. In fragile settings, the disease threatens to create devastating social, economic, and political crises. It has real potential to reverse the progress made over recent decades, and stall or irreparably damage the world’s ability to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The global impact of COVID-19 has reaffirmed how the difficulties we are encountering in the 21st century do not respect borders. In the context of such a massive and unprecedented challenge, it is essential that innovation and other solutions are also not constrained by geography, or other barriers. Echoing this importance, our focus on open-source solutions, and our commitment to innovation more broadly, aims to identify and mobilize promising ideas wherever they may be found. In the face of this humanitarian emergency, we need to catalyze human ingenuity from every region, country, and community. This will be crucial in the fight against COVID-19, and critical to prevent more lives from being affected, destroyed, and lost. Together, we can win.
Madagascar COVID-Organics
by Tropicaldisease.com Apr 28, 2020
Is this realy a miracle cure for COVID-19? Can natural medicine be the answer to COVID-19? Madagascar says this cure COVID-19. Please comment