International webinar on COVID-19 organize by Sapatgram College

DHUBRI: The Department of Economics and NSS unit, under the aegis of IQAC of Sapatgram College, organized an international webinar on 'From Virus to Vaccine: An Insight into COVID-19 on Mental and Physical Health' recently.

Dr Hemanta Adhikary, Institute of Biochemistry, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, Dr. Manoj Kumar Sarma, Department of Radiological Sciences, David Gaffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, USA and Dr. Swati Chawla, Psychologist, Health & Welness Expert, Delhi were the resource persons.

Prof. Jogen Chandra Kalita, Professor of Zoology and former director, UGC- Human Resource Centre, Gauhati University inaugurated the webinar. While inaugurating the webinar, Prof. Kalita applauded efforts of the organizing committee and said that though the spread of COVID-19 has affected almost all spheres of human life, the fury of the pandemic could be reduced through sensitization and awareness.

Prof. Kalita opined that COVID-19 pandemic could be reduced through sensitization and awareness. The COVID-19 pandemic is a colossal test of leadership, therefore, the need of the hour is for decisive coordinated and innovative action from all, and for all, he added.

Earlier, Dr RP Singh, Principal, Sapatgram College, welcomed all the distinguished guests and participants joining the event through web link and said that during this ongoing crisis they must stand together.

Speaking on the topic, Dr Hemanta Adhikary from Canada explained about the genesis of COVID-19. He said that doctors and scientists were working in tandem to analyse the nature of coronavirus, which was similar to influenza because both cause respiratory disease, yet there were differences between the two viruses and how they spread.

"Many countries are working on vaccine considering as panacea and clinical trials are being done but the result is not as satisfactory as it is expected to be," Dr Adhikary added. However, he assured that sooner or later vaccination would be the solution to the problem. While answering the question of a participant related to the Russian vaccine as remedy, he summed up by saying it was too early to make any comment about that.

Joining the discussion from USA, Dr. Manoj Kumar Sarma focussed on immunological aspects through medication and nutritious diet. At this point in the pandemic, there is not enough evidence about effectiveness of antibody medicated immunity to guarantee the accuracy of immunity, he clarified. However, he maintained that as coronavirus was spreading, it was more important than ever to support the immune system by remaining stress-free. Citrus fruits, garlic, broccoli and spinach can be had as immunity booster. He also added that toxins could be devastating for the immune system during the infection.

Speaking from Delhi, psychologist and wellness expert Dr. Swati Chawla said that as the government had introduced measures to restrict movement as part of efforts to reduce the number of people infected with COVID-19, more people find difficulty with mental health conditions. She urged that a little planning and care could be handy in this regard. The webinar was well attended by more than 350 participants through Google Meet and Facebook live.

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