Free online course on understanding and preventing the spread of coronavirus 

With 71,429 cases in 25 countries and sadly 1,775 deaths so far in 4 countries - 1,772 in China and one each in Japan, the Philippines and France - the novel coronavirus outbreak currently constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.*

There is now a free online course open for registration on “COVID-19: Tackling the Novel Coronavirus” from experts at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, a renowned institute of public health, available on FutureLearn.com, the leading social learning platform. 

Understanding and preventing the spread of Coronavirus

The online course is focussed on the outbreak of novel coronavirus, officially named COVID-19, and will cover what is known about the disease outbreak so far, what the practical implications for response are, how to prevent the spread of coronavirus, and what is needed for the future. 

The course will start on 23 March and is suitable for everyone, from those working in healthcare to anyone interested in the subject and the response more generally. The course will run for three weeks and will require approximately four hours of study per week. 

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who will be running this online course, was named Times Higher Education University of the Year 2016 for its response to the Ebola outbreak which included, among many other things, an online course, Ebola in Context, on FutureLearn. That course saw over 18,000 enrolments from over 185 countries including Sierra Leone, which was badly affected by the epidemic. 

The course will be led by Dr Anna Seale and Dr Maryirene Ibeto from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. 

Dr Anna Seale, Associate Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said:
“The response to COVID-19 is an international effort, requiring worldwide collaboration and transparency. This course, which is open to participants around the world, aims to bring together expertise, and share knowledge on what we know to date and what we are still learning about the virus and how to combat it.”
 
Dr Maryirene Ibeto, Research Coordinator at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, commented:
“Through this course, we aim to facilitate communities of practice, connecting those working with, or interested in, COVID-19. By pooling our knowledge to fill gaps in our knowledge about the virus, we stand the best chance of stopping this outbreak in its tracks.”

Simon Nelson, Chief Executive at FutureLearn, commented, “Our purpose is to transform access to education. For me, that means working with institutions like the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine to support them to get information out into the public domain as quickly as possible that is accessible all over the world. When we worked with them on the Ebola course, we saw the impact. We played a small part in helping with the response to Ebola and we’re pleased to be able to support with the response to Coronavirus.”

The course is free to start and learners can upgrade for £29 which gives them access to course content for as long as the course remains on the FutureLearn platform, and access to tests in order to be eligible to gain a certificate if they complete the course and score at least 70% on any tests.