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From 18-19 Feb, SEACOVARIANTs project public engagement team members from Thailand, Viet Nam and Indonesia hosted a workshop, Southeast Asia Social, Ethical, and Engagement Aspects of Pandemic Preparedness, in Da Nang, Viet Nam.

Group photo of participants to the workshop

More than 30 experts, researchers, and policymakers from across the region attended the workshop to reflect on key lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, share best practices and to discuss strategies for regional pandemic preparedness.

Funded by Wellcome, SEACOVARIANTs (Southeast Asia initiative to combat  SARS-CoV-2 variants and future pandemics) is a consortium of MORU, OUCRU and Oxford researchers that seeks to understand the biology of SARS-CoV-2 and strengthen preparedness for emerging pathogens of concern.

Workshop discussions on public health communication, ethical challenges, economic and social impacts, and engagement with vulnerable communities followed sessions with research presentations on pandemic responses in Thailand, Indonesia and Viet Nam, and a panel on integrating pandemic preparedness frameworks into national policies.

The workshop met its objectives to develop and begin implementing a collaborative communications and engagement framework for Viet Nam, Thailand, and Indonesia based on community findings, and to act as a platform for engaging with key national stakeholders in pandemic preparedness. It concluded with a clear path forward to disseminate and implement comm frameworks.

- Text courtesy of Natinee Kulpijit. Photo: SCOPE team, Viet Nam.

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