Okinawa to Present Lessons Learned on COVID-19 Control in Remote Islands at the Science Summit at the UN General Assembly

On September 5, the 78th United Nations General Assembly opened in New York. From Okinawa Prefecture, the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and the Ryukyu Shimpo Co., Ltd. will participate in the Science Summit, which will be held from September 12 to 29 in conjunction with the UN General Assembly.

The two organizations will hold an online panel discussion titled "COVID in Okinawa: How a Remote Island Embraced Science, Technology, and Pandemic Preparedness" from 9:00 to 10:30 p.m. (Japan time) on Tuesday, September 26. Speakers include Dr. Yoshihiro Takayama, a physician at Okinawa Chubu Hospital and a member of the prefecture's COVID Task Force, who has worked on infection control while in medical practice; Dr. Mahesh M. Bandi, a professor at OIST and inventor of several devices to assist those who needed help during the COVID-19 pandemic; and Dr. Emi Tamaki, a professor in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of the Ryukyus and CEO of H2L, Inc, who is working to apply AI to preventive medicine, among other projects will review how COVID-19 has been dealt with in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, and the world during the pandemic, consider remedial measures for possible future pandemics, and envision a new future in which science and technology are utilized to respond to pandemics. The moderator will be Ms. Yoko Shima, Editor in Chief of the Ryukyu Shimpo.

The panel discussion will be conducted in Japanese and English, with simultaneous interpretation in both languages. Viewing is free. Please register below by September 25:　

https://sciencesummitunga78.sched.com/event/1SDJa

This is the second year that both organizations have participated in the Science Summit. In last year's Science Summit at the 77th UN General Assembly, four speakers from Okinawa Prefecture discussed the themes "Small Islands with Great Potential: Creating a Better Future for Okinawa through Partnerships." To view these discussions please see here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW0NwvTG2rg

This year's video is from here:https://youtu.be/pGBkTUHcn_c?si=RtOwGnR4U3VNxSDa