The Australian Alumni Association of Cyprus is presenting  the COVID-19 Australia-Cyprus Forum in association with the Australian High Commission in Cyprus and The University of Cyprus.

Focusing on the last two years which have been trying for all institutions and every individual across the globe, the forum aspires to elaborate on solutions based on the observations that the scientific community has made during tis time.

The objective of the forum is to compare the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the public health responses, and issues encountered in implementation of vaccination programs in Australia and Cyprus. All systems underwent a rigorous crash test: Healthcare institutions, political and economic systems, law enforcement agencies, information technologies, and communication channels. Nothing remained unaffected and especially human relations and behaviours.

So, what have we learned from all this in Australia and Cyprus? How can the accumulated scientific research, evidence, data and knowledge help us respond to the current challenges posed by the pandemic and in particular the Delta variant? How can we make effective use of evidence and good practices?

It is these questions that the Australian Alumni Association of Cyprus aims to answer by bringing together a group of esteemed scientists, clinicians, and researchers from both countries, who have been and continue being on the frontline in order to reflect on the responses to the pandemic, the immunization programs, the current situation, vaccines and vaccination rollouts. What was done well, what was done poorly, and what were the outcomes and lessons.

The speakers are:

  • Professor Allen Cheng (Co-Chair of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization and Victoria’s former Deputy Chief Health Officer)
  • Dr Stefanos Herodotou (Lecturer at University of Melbourne School of Medicine and doctor at the Northern Hospital)
  • Dr Constantinos Tsioutis (Head of the Advisory Committee in Cyprus and specialist in Internal Medicine and Infection Prevention & Control)
  • Dr Nikolaos Dietis (head of the Experimental Pharmacology Laboratory & Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Cyprus Medical School and former lecturer in Pharmacological Science at the University of Tasmania)*The High Commissioner of Australia to Cyprus, HE Mr Sam Beever and the High Commissioner of Cyprus to Australia, HE Ms Martha Mavrommatis will also give welcoming speeches.

The Forum will take place on Wednesday 22 September, 2021, at 10:00am in Cyprus and 5:00pm AEST in Australia for this important event, which will be broadcasted live on Facebook and YouTube.