COVID-19 Awareness

We are in the middle of a major coronavirus disease or COVID-19 pandemic. This disease, which is caused by a new coronavirus, has spread all over the world. It has turned things upside down, resulting in thousands of deaths, overloading healthcare systems, scaring people and, as we are beginning to find out, also causing serious social and economic disruption.

Webinar: Energizing lifestyle medicine in challenging times

Dr. Ravinder Mamtani explains how lifestyle medicine approaches can continue to be effective at preventing and treating disease even in times of upheaval. During this one-hour webinar Dr. Mamtani presents research which shows that the interruption of healthy habits caused by pandemics can lead to reduced physical activity, poor food choices and indulgence in substance abuse, all of which make non-communicable diseases such diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, obesity and depression more likely. To combat this, Dr. Mamtani recommends purposeful adoption of lifestyle medicine approaches by individuals, focused on eating a well-balanced diet, taking 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each day, fostering stable and healthy social relationships, developing strategies to manage stress, avoiding risky substances like tobacco and alcohol, and getting plenty of sleep.

Expert insights

Watch Dr. Sohaila Cheema in an interview on Qatar Television where she speaks about the public health reality of the COVID-19 pandemic. Population health experts at the Institute for Population Health, have published a research paper in the Cambridge University Press journal Epidemiology and Infection, which is entitled ‘The COVID-19 pandemic: The public health reality’. It highlights the disruption in healthcare services in some nations and points its attention to the potential anxiety, mental illness and depression caused by social isolation and loss of income. For people in low to middle-income nations, the report suggests that these may pose a greater risk to long-term well-being than COVID-19.

Watch the interview here

Watch Dr. Sathyanarayanan Doraiswamy, in an interview on Qatar Television where he speaks about the unique pressures COVID-19 has placed on healthcare services and has highlighted the vulnerability and needs of older people.

Population health experts at the Institute for Population Health, have published research examining how older people are at a heightened risk to respiratory epidemics/pandemics such as COVID-19 when compared to other age groups. Urgent action is needed to improve the preparedness of healthcare systems to take account of the special needs of older people and ensure that their rights, wellbeing and lives are protected.

Watch the interview here

Dr. Ravinder Mamtani speaks with Dr. Mehran Kamrava, director of the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS), about preventive medicine and lifestyle health in the context of COVID-19, highlighting some of the key impacts of the pandemic on lifestyle and health. Dr. Mamtani addresses these issues from a preventive medicine perspective and provides guidelines to counter some of the negative impacts that this infectious disease has had on healthy lifestyles.

Watch the CIRS webcast here

Dr. Sohaila Cheema speaks with Ms. Elizabeth Wanucha, operations manager, Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) about the overall impact of the coronavirus pandemic on aspects of healthcare delivery. Dr. Cheema emphasizes the importance of caring for the vulnerable populations, low-wage workers and the elderly, and addressing the challenges that they may face during the current pandemic.

Watch the CIRS webcast here