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Priyanka Chopra Busts Coronavirus Myths With WHO Chiefs; Nick Jonas Joins The Conversation
Amid the Novel Coronavirus pandemic, Bollywood stars have been using their celebrity clout to spread awareness and share tips about how to combat this deadly virus. On Tuesday, Priyanka Chopra conducted an Instagram Live session about Coronavirus with WHO General-Director Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's Technical Lead for COVID-19.
Sharing the video on her Instagram page, the Quantico actress wrote, "There is so much information circulating about Covid-19. And right now we're all searching for clarity. My friends at @WHO and @glblctzn graciously brought the doctors working on the front lines here to give us answers straight from the experts. Please take some time to watch my IG Live with Dr. Tedros (General-Director at W.H.O.) and Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove (Technical Lead for Covid-19) from @WHO, who answered some questions that so many of you sent in." (sic)
She further added, "Guys, let's make it our duty to donate to @WHO and stand in solidarity to help flatten the curve (link is up in my bio) and please tag your friends and family below who are looking for answers and action steps. Thank you so much Dr. Tedros and Dr. Maria for taking the time, and thank you @glblctzn for everything you do. Everyone please be responsible, stay home and stay safe." (sic)
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Priyanka Chopra Jonas (@priyankachopra) on
Priyanka began the Q & A session from her home in Los Angeles by asking questions submitted by the general population. At one point, her hubby Nick Jonas popped by with a question and asked, "How can someone who's diabetic like me and asthmatic like her protect ourselves from the virus?"
To this, Dr Maria said that the couple was taking the right precautions by staying at home, but that others who don't have pre-existing conditions should also do the same thing. She also told young people, "You are not invincible."
Further, on being asked by Priyanka if the virus can spread via the air, Dr Maria clarified, "The virus is not airborne. It's spread if the droplets from your nose and mouth. If you touch that and rub your eyes, nose or mouth, then you get the virus. Coronavirus is not spread through food. If you wash your hands throughly, even if you touch the droplets on surfaces that can be mitigated."
However, she warned that the virus can be transmitted through fomites, but that doesn't mean that one can get the disease simply by touching an infected surface. She also urged everyone to wash their hands and follow hygiene protocols.
Answering a question about whether someone who has recovered from the illness can contract it again, Dr Maria said that those who are infected can be expected to develop an immune response, but the data around that is still being gathered.
Priyanka then asked the doctors if heat can kill Coronavirus, to which, Dr Maria said, "We don't have the full picture of the virus yet. We are all learning ... We don't if this virus can spread in cold temperatures alone or when summer comes, will it go away? All we know is that we humans and our bodies behave differently during summer months. We are only 12 weeks into finding how this virus will behave and we are still putting the evidence together. We don't have answers to those questions yet."
Talking about the vaccine for Coronavirus, Dr Tedros said, "We started more than 8 weeks ago and we had 400 scientists participate and we are working on a few vaccine candidates. But vaccines will be ready only 12 to 18 months from now."
Meanwhile, Priyanka expressed her gratitude towards all those who are fighting actively against COVID-19. The actress also said that she believes that coronavirus has turned out to be the biggest leveller in her life.
"We are all in the same boat now. This is a weird leveller because coronavirus will not look at where you come from. It is going to affect each one of us in some way or the other ... So let be socially responsible and not panic. Let's also not hoard gloves that medical professionals need," The Sky Is Pink star said in her video.
