XClose

UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction

Home
Menu

IRDR on coronavirus

22 April 2020

As the coronavirus crisis continues, IRDR staff are in demand by global media outlets for their knowledge and expertise.

IRDR staff have been making numerous media appearances on the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19). The topics range from prevention, preparedness, and emergency management for a pandemic to the international political effects, the consequences of lockdown, and digital epidemiology.

David Alexander has been quoted in the New Statesman, The Guardian, The Independent, The Telegraph, and many more, along with several television appearances on Al Jazeera and Sky News. Ilan Kelman (jointly appointed with the UCL Institute for Global Health) has written several blogs and was quoted in The Express, The Telegraph, and the New York Times, while appearing on Sky News and the BBC. Both also did several radio interviews and podcasts. Meanwhile, Patty Kostkova was quoted in Scientific American and Knowable Magazine.

This is part of IRDR’s mandate of ensuring that science serves society. We have a duty to ensure that our research generates messages to help everyone during, and preferably before, disasters. We hope we can continue working with all media to continue informing us all about the value of risk and disaster reduction work.

Take a look at some of our academics in action:

Social Media Posts and Online Searches Hold Vital Clues about Pandemic Spread. Knowable Magazine (Patty Kostkova)

Why weren't we ready? The New Statesman (David Alexander)

Coronavirus response: why Cuba is such an interesting case. The Conversation (Ilan Kelman)

Coronavirus special – disaster preparation, environmental change and disease emergence New Scientist podcast (David Alexander)

UK shutdown will need at least 90pc of people to obey it to be effective, pandemic adviser warns. The Telegraph (Gordon Woo)

Lockdown could be lifted when coronavirus cases fall below 50 a day, says global health expert. The Telegraph

Can the coronavirus pandemic be stopped? Al Jazeera (David Alexander)

China's Coronavirus Diplomacy? The Polar Connection (Ilan Kelman)

Risks to Arctic Communities from the Coronavirus. Polar Geopolitics (Ilan Kelman)

Coronavirus: Could we have prevented COVID-19 and can we prevent it happening again? Express (Ilan Kelman)

Government guidelines over what makes a family 'vulnerable' have left many confused and at risk. The Telegraph (Ilan Kelman)

Coronavirus: How mass testing and health passports could ease UK lockdown. The Independent (David Alexander)

Digital disease surveillance: Tracking a pandemic. Knowable Magazine (Patty Kostkova)

A Professor of Disasters and Health on COVID-19. Nautilus (Ilan Kelman)

EU Confidential coronavirus edition #4: Pandemic preparations — Behind the masks ⁠— Coronavirus apps. EU Confidential blog (David Alexander)

This Is What Could Happen If The Coronavirus Lockdown Was Lifted Tomorrow. Huffpost (Gianluca Pescaroli)

Britain is in a state of emergency. So where are its emergency planners? The Guardian (David Alexander)

Coronavirus: The Whole Story - What are the lockdown exit strategies? UCL podcast (David Alexander)

Cause of Death – Coronavirus iai.tv (David Alexander)

Crisis as opportunity: China and coronavirus diplomacy in the Arctic Polar Geopolitics (Ilan Kelman)

A Think-Tank on Civilization Resilience Post Covid Civilizology LLC (Ilan Kelman)

Failing to plan, planning to fail iai News (David Alexander)

The wrong kind of government to deal with a pandemic The Guardian (David Alexander)

Warm weather may help Europe avoid second wave of coronavirus - for now The Telegraph (David Alexander and Gianluca Pescaroli)