[Online Event] Nearly three years ago, the first case of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) was confirmed in Hong Kong. We have since experienced dramatic shifts in the ways we work, live, and interact. Now, we are seeing a gradual emergence from social distancing and the start of a new normal of life with Covid-19, in part thanks to rapidly developed and deployed vaccines and therapeutic treatments.

From the time the Covid-19 virus was first identified, the race was on for an effective vaccine with the hopes of stopping the pandemic, or at least mitigating its worst effects. Updated vaccines targeting a wider range of variants have been available in the United States for the past few months and have just been introduced in Hong Kong. Will these new vaccines lead to the end of the pandemic? What does data from the Untied States tell us?

Asia Society Hong Kong Center brings you regular updates on the coronavirus story in Hong Kong that has reverberations elsewhere in the world. We are pleased to present on-the-ground public health experts, mental health professionals, and internationally renowned specialists with the latest facts and evidence-based findings regarding this pandemic. In the past three years, we have recorded 43 episodes and welcomed more than 250,000 online views for this groundbreaking series.

In our latest update, we are pleased to host Lauren Rodda, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Immunology of the University of Washington. In this discussion, we will get an update on the latest vaccines and treatments, and their effectiveness in combatting Covid in the United States. S. Alice Mong, Executive Director of Asia Society Hong Kong Center, will moderate the discussion.