Coronavirus Is Earth’s Vaccine, We Are The Virus, Says Expert At CUO’s Online Lecture

An online lecture on ‘COVID-19: Global Lockdown — Environmental Protection’ was organized by the Department of Biodiversity and Conservation of Natural Resources, Central University of Odisha, Koraput.

In his inaugural discourse, Vice-Chancellor Prof. I. Ramabrahmam said that Corona warriors like doctors, medical staff, police and bureaucrats have effectively managed the extremely critical situation created by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Highlighting role of students, parents and citizens, he called upon the teachers to develop a module on COVID disaster and lessons to be learnt by educational institutions.

Prof. M.N.V. Prasad, eminent scientist and Emeritus Professor, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, said while delivering the special lecture that COVID-19 may be a dark cloud but it has a silver lining. He elaborated that the global pandemic has done a lot of good to our environment, with pollution levels decreasing tremendously in the last three months, waters of the dirty and polluted rivers becoming clean and skies being clear during lockdown period.

He described coronavirus as “Earth’s vaccine and we are the virus”.

The seminar also discussed new focus areas like rebalancing of economy, overhauling of urban planning, rethinking on hospital and waste management, green building concept as well as more of digital lifestyle created due to pandemic.

The online seminar was attended by students, research scholars and academicians from Odisha and outside.