Corona 2025: How the epidemic is changing our world - a series of video lectures

In the video series "Corona 2025: Our World in the Next Five Years", leading scientists from the University of Chicago discuss a variety of questions, including how the Corona will change health services and international relations, education and urban life, and many other aspects of our lives. In the series, from the creator of the Big Brains podcast, the speakers bring new insights and knowledge about the epidemic

By: University of Chicago, July 23, 2020, Translation: Ziv Adaki

The corona virus is changing the routine of life that we have known on a day-to-day basis. What will our world look like in the next five years? How is the pandemic reshaping, and forever, our lives?

Preparing for the next epidemics

Infectious disease expert, Emily Landon, describes how the corona virus will change public health, medical technologies and the way medical care is delivered. Video by: UChicago Creative

The corona epidemic has significantly changed the way we think about public health in the US and how we provide treatment to the patient, says Prof. Emily Landon, an infectious disease specialist from the University of Chicago.

In this episode of "Corona 2025: Our World in the Next Five Years," Landon discusses the need to build a resilient defense front against pandemics through dedicated battalions of epidemiologists who will respond to future outbreaks through smartphone encounter tracking. She further claims that hospitals must rethink how they use the personal protective equipment provided to the medical staff, while also relying on remote medicine technologies to protect and empower the medical staff.
Although we have learned a lot from this epidemic, Landon claims that to better protect the population from future outbreaks, fundamental changes in public health are required. According to her, we must base our public health on experts, combined with health regulation, as well as build a more equitable health system, one from which everyone contributes, in order to fight Corona and future epidemics.

How the corona disease will challenge and change the cities

Urban science researcher Louis Bettencourt discusses how the coronavirus is changing the way cities operate - and creating opportunities to improve urban life. Video by: UChicago Creative

The corona epidemic presented special challenges to urban areas - not only in the field of public health but also in their basic functioning, says Luis Bettencourt, a leading researcher in the field of urban sciences at the University of Chicago.

In this episode of "Corona 2025: Our World in the Next Five Years," Betancourt discusses how the pandemic has forced cities to reexamine the complex systems and networks that underlie every aspect of urban life. The worldwide shutdown provided urban researchers with a rare opportunity to glimpse the working core of cities. This x-ray provided a clear picture of socio-economic disparities between neighborhoods and populations - and of the serious consequences they have on the spread of the virus.
Bettencourt claims that it is necessary that we learn from the current crisis. The knowledge we gain will help policy makers and local officials to create better living conditions, infrastructures that promote better public health, human development and sustainability.

Change the rules of international relations

Political science researcher, Paul Faust, discusses the issue of how the corona virus will change the global economy, US-China relations and the World Health Organization. Video by: UChicago Creative

The corona epidemic revealed how vulnerable international systems are, it ignited changes in alliances, institutions and the global economy, says Prof. Paul Poast, a leading researcher in the field of political science at the University of Chicago.

In this episode of "Corona 2025: Our World in the Next Five Years," Faust addresses the question of how the pandemic is accelerating changes in international relations, with nations distancing themselves from each other instead of taking joint steps to deal with the virus. In the years to come, among other things, we will be able to see China strengthening itself more and more as an alternative to the US on the world stage, alongside the withdrawal of many countries, including the US, from international institutions, such as the World Health Organization.
An issue that is just now beginning to surface is the potential for a sweeping impact of the corona virus on developing countries; This could have a profound effect on the global economy in the coming years. On top of that, says Foast, we were preparing for continued growth in the global power of the US Federal Reserve Bank and for a clear increase in the need to develop global political solutions and not just technological progress.

Changing the face of the health system

Health economist Catherine Baker discusses how the coronavirus will change health insurance, telemedicine and the medical workforce. Video by: UChicago Creative

The corona epidemic is putting the healthcare system in the USA on the brink of an abyss. This may lead to substantial changes, ranging from a considerable expansion in remote medicine to a sharp turn in the way we think about health insurance, says Prof. Katherine Baicker, a leading health economist at the University of Chicago and dean of the Harris School of Public Policy.

In this episode of "Corona 2025: Our World in the Next Five Years", Baker discusses how the pandemic has revealed the internal connections between the US population - and how old distinctions between the insured and the uninsured are no longer wise. The epidemic may lead to support for the creation of a more immune public medical system and a variety of new tools for monitoring public health, and alongside these, an increase or decrease in economic activity will be required as needed.

At the same time, Baker sees the potential for new measures to increase the flexibility of the US health care system. For example, a uniform license that allows nurses to work in different countries, allow physician assistants to provide extensive care, and remove liability barriers to allow medical equipment manufacturers to increase production during a crisis.

How the spread of distance learning is changing education

The jurist, Randall K. Picker, deals with the question of how the widespread changes ignited by the pandemic in teaching will reshape the face of education. Video by: UChicago Creative

The Corona epidemic caused the USA and other countries around the world to hurry up and switch to distance learning. This sharp turn will have a huge impact on teaching and learning long after the corona crisis is over, says Prof. Randal C. Picker, a leading jurist at the University of Chicago Law School.
In this episode of "Corona 2025: Our World in the Next Five Years", Picker says that the technology and infrastructure of distance learning, built in the US over the past decade, is what makes the massive jump online possible. This sharp turnaround is considered an experiment on a global scale, which brings to light disparities based on income and place of residence that have existed for a long time, Picker says.

Distance learning is a powerful tool from elementary school to vocational education classrooms, Picker says. And although it does not replace the presence in the classroom, it reduces distances and supports teaching in new and interesting ways. For example, allows you to invite a guest speaker from Europe with the click of a button.

However, deep regulation will be required over the next five years to support the growth of distance learning, including addressing privacy issues and increasing federal funding for infrastructure to increase broadband access. According to Picker, in order to reduce the digital divide, the federal government should treat broadband like the postal services at the beginning of their development, the focus should be on connecting all residents to broadband and not just to communities where the service is economic/profitable.