Coronavirus Crisis Update: Live from Munich with Mike Ryan of the WHO

In mid-February, Steve Morrison of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center attended the Munich Security Conference. There, he moderated a roundtable on health in disordered settings, a town hall on COVID-19, and a dinner with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg. He also spoke with a variety of policymakers, donors, and agency heads that are leading the response to the coronavirus epidemic. In this second episode, Steve speaks with Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme. They discuss what dynamics are driving this outbreak, why it should be seen as a security risk as well as a health risk, and what the WHO is doing. They also talk about “infodemics”: the online epidemic of misinformation and weaponized social media.