Dr. Jonathan Quick, a leading expert on pandemics and the new head of pandemic response at The Rockefeller Foundation, emphasized the importance of behavior change in combating the coronavirus pandemic during an interview with Devex.
Quick spoke of the importance of “herd awareness,” by which he means a critical mass of the population knowing enough about wearing masks and other mitigation techniques to reduce disease spread. Quick sees this level of awareness as a step before a vaccine creates so-called “herd immunity.”
The full online interview, part of a series of leader conversations with Devex’s President and Editor in Chief Raj Kumar, addresses testing, contact tracing, and health systems.
More interviews with humanitarian leaders on COVID-19. Watch:
• How Jan Egeland sees the crisis developing
• Mark Dybul calls for global task force
• Amref Health Africa CEO on the impact on NGO finances
• Former OFDA chief gives Trump administration a ‘D’ on response
• InterAction's CEO on the pandemic's financial impact on NGOs
• How Rwanda got ahead of the pandemic curve
Visit our dedicated COVID-19 page for news, job opportunities, and funding insights.
About the author
Raj Kumarraj_devex
Raj Kumar is the President and Editor-in-Chief at Devex, the media platform for the global development community. He is a media leader and former humanitarian council chair for the World Economic Forum and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. His work has led him to more than 50 countries, where he has had the honor to meet many of the aid workers and development professionals who make up the Devex community. He is the author of the book "The Business of Changing the World," a go-to primer on the ideas, people, and technology disrupting the aid industry.