COVID-19 Global Challenges & Prospects Forum 2020

Over the course of human history at least twenty catastrophic epidemics and pandemics have gripped our planet causing tremendous suffering and death. These diseases have devastated human health and changed the course of history. The current COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most severe pandemics in history. Our situation is unprecedented. As of October 2020 over?40?million people have been infected and over a?million people have died from COVID-19. No previous pandemics have shut down the planet as COVID-19 has. More than 4 billion people in more than 90 countries have been asked or ordered to stay at home by their governments.

Since the pandemic emerged in China in December 2019 there have been global efforts to limit the spread of the disease. People around the world have demonstrated remarkable solidarity. Scientists have shared data and resources to help accelerate discovery and development of therapies and vaccines. There are currently 321 vaccine candidates in development. No candidate has completed?clinical trials?to?prove safety and efficacy, however, there are 42 vaccines in?clinical research, 33 vaccines in?Phase I–II trials,?and 9 vaccines in?Phase II–III trials.

COVID-19 Global Challenges & Prospects Forum

On November 4-5, scientists, vaccine developers, healthcare providers, humanitarians, and decision makers from around the world came together for the COVID-19 Global Challenges & Prospects Forum. The Forum was a vital event that provided a hub for leading COVID-19 scientists, regulators, developers, and distributors to learn about COVID-19 vaccines in development, make decisions about the best vaccines to use, and develop appropriate plans for global distribution and pricing.

Top scientists from Harvard University Medical School, Stanford University School of Medicine, University of Oxford, Imperial College London, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Gamaleya National Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Jazan University, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, King Fahad Medical Research Center, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, and. Nova Southeastern University. Vaccine developers from Moderna, Janssen, Johnson & Johnson, Inovio?Pharmaceuticals, and The National Institutes of Health will present at the Symposium.

Welcome Messages

Bandar AlKnawy, MD, FRCPC

CEO, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs

President, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences

President, Riyadh Global Digital Health Summit

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 11th Annual Forum for Medical Research COVID-19 Global Challenges & Prospects Symposium. The event is one of the most important events in its field in this year. It aims to bring together leaders in the field of COVID-19 vaccine development and production, health institutions, academic institutions, businesses and world organizations to discuss the latest updates on COVID-19 vaccine development and possible availability to the public. This two-day global forum is structured to represent all aspects of the vaccines in development for COVID-19 to ensure global participation from experts, decision makers, news agencies, health workers and the public in general. We thank the speakers who accepted to present, collaborators, sponsors and the organizing committee members of the event. We look forward to seeing you all on the 4th-5th of November 2020.

Dr. Ahmed Askar

Executive Director, KAIMRC

President of 11th KAIMRC Annual Forum for Medical Research

On behalf of King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), it is an honor to welcome you to the 11th Annual Forum for Medical Research with the theme?COVID-19 Global Challenges & Prospects Forum. KAIMRC organized the virtual forum to review the status of vaccine development in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The event is unique and significant, enabling the scientific community, health workers, governmental and non-governmental institutions and the public to be informed regarding the progress of COVID-19 vaccines, and discuss concerns and issues. We thank all the prominent speakers who are presenting during the symposium, the organizing committee, the collaborators and sponsors who made it possible. In alignment with the Saudi Arabia Vision 2030, KAIMRC is leading a transformation in biomedical research in the Kingdom to transfer basic research in tangible products.

KAIMRC’s vision is to lead innovation and technology development in medical and health research, with an impact on the economic and healthcare development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Infectious diseases are a major R&D focus area at KAIMRC, with a key strategic focus on vaccine development. This strategic drive to develop an excellent vaccine R&D and innovation program, has led to several vaccine initiatives, in collaboration with world-renowned academic and industrial partners, some of whom will be presenting during this symposium. We invite participants to network, exchange thoughts and build collaborations during the symposium to enable us to control and end the COVID-19 pandemic. We wish you all possible success and a pleasant attendance.

Dr. Mohamed Boudjelal

COVID-19 Forum Chairperson?

We would like to welcome you attend the COVID-19 Global Challenges & Prospects Forum. We believe this virtual forum is vital and the most awaited event by all in such, individuals, health providers, scientists, decision makers and charities would benefit from the presentations and discussions to be carried out, to make the right choice of the vaccines and learn how to access to them. The COVID19 symposium is one stop shop to review the front runners of these vaccines to be presented by the original developers. We thank all the prominent speakers who are presenting during the symposium, the organizing committee, the collaborators and sponsors who made it possible. In addition to reviewing the latest data of these vaccines, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Gates Foundation are presenting their plan in helping distributing the vaccines in needy parts of the world. We look forward to your participation.

Margaretta Colangelo

Leading AI Analyst

San Francisco, California

It is an honour to welcome people from all over the world to our global event that will highlight the international efforts for reaching a vaccine for COVID-19 pandemic. This is the annual KAIMRC forum that comes this year focusing on COVID-19 Global Challenges & Prospects. It brings together many of the international pharmaceutical and academic vaccine developers to discuss what the humanity has achieved so far on fighting the pandemic through vaccine development. It is unprecedented time of history to have a number of vaccines in phase III clinical testing only within a year from discovering the causing virus of the pandemic and we will be glad to host this discussion in the forum.?

All audience sectors from all over the world are welcomed including audience from academia, industrial, media, public, etc. We are aiming in this conference to highlight all the related issues and updates about the Global Efforts on COVID-19 Vaccines Development, Clinical Trials, Funding, Manufacturing and Distribution. We are honored to have many high-profile speakers representing the most advanced COVID-19 vaccines in Phase-3 clinical trials globally including speakers from Oxford/AstraZeneca, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, NIH, Gamaleya and others, in addition to different international funding organizations as CEPI, GATES Foundation, charities and vaccine manufacturers. Global collaboration and mutual assistance beyond borders are the keys to tackle this health crisis and facilitate the equitable access and distribution of these vaccines to protect people in all countries.

SPEAKERS

Organizing Committee

This Global Symposium was organized by leading scientists, health providers, entrepreneurs, regulators and humanitarian workers. We aim to educate the population and decision makers on the best COVID19 vaccines to consider based on scientific facts and to urge vaccine producers to care about low-income populations and countries when pricing and distributing these vaccines.

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Copyright ? 2020 Margaretta Colangelo. All Rights Reserved.

This article was written by?Margaretta Colangelo.?Margaretta is a leading AI analyst based in San Francisco. She serves on the advisory board of the AI Precision Health Institute at the University of Hawai?i?Cancer Center.?

Twitter?@realmargaretta