ETH Podcast - #COVID–19: To trace or not to trace

#COVID–19: To trace or not to trace

04/21/20 • 10 min

Contact tracing and respecting privacy

Various contact-tracing apps are currently being developed worldwide to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Apps are seen as a necessary tool in the battle to contain coronavirus infections, but they also raise many ethical questions – not least of which is how to implement digital contact tracing in accordance with data protection. Effy Vayena, Professor of Bioethics, nevertheless remains optimistic that digital technologies can help reduce the speed at which the virus spreads. "We are currently dealing with a variety of technologies that are able to protect our privacy while still serving their purpose," she says.

https://itm.ethz.ch/research/bioethics-and-politics.html

ETH Podcasts are roduced by This Wachter's Audio Story Lab and Jennifer Khakshouri. Music, Sound Design and Mastering by Luki Fretz.

Contact tracing and respecting privacy

https://itm.ethz.ch/research/bioethics-and-politics.html

ETH Podcasts are roduced by This Wachter's Audio Story Lab and Jennifer Khakshouri. Music, Sound Design and Mastering by Luki Fretz.

Previous Episode

#COVID–19: Speed of spread

The genome of the virus is the key

Tanja Stadler has been in the Swiss media quite a lot lately. As an Associate Professor in the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, she knows how to interpret data regarding the spread of the virus. On the ETH Podcast she explains how characterising the genomes of virus samples taken from different infected patients gives her insight into how fast the virus spreads. The data she is using comes from many nations around the globe. “It is remarkable how willingly researchers and authorities are sharing their data during this crisis,” she says.

https://bsse.ethz.ch/

Please also feel free to read the following articles:

Calculating the beginnings of the Coronavirus epidemic

https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2020/02/the-beginnings-of-the-coronavirus-epidemic.html

Measures have an impact

https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2020/04/corona-measures-having-an-impact.html

ETH Podcasts are roduced by This Wachter's Audio Story Lab and Jennifer Khakshouri. Music, Sound Design and Mastering by Luki Fretz.

Next Episode

#COVID–19: Interdisciplinarity is key

Interview with Detlef Günther, Vice President for Research at ETH Zurich

The coronavirus pandemic forced ETH Zurich to suspend almost all its experimental research in mid-March. This was a major challenge, especially for Detlef Günther, ETH’s Vice President for Research. "But now I see a little more light at the end of the tunnel," he says in the podcast. After all, experimental research is now being stepped up again, albeit with restrictions, as the strict rules on physical distancing and hygiene still apply. Full occupancy is therefore not possible in many laboratories. Despite the adverse circumstances, Günther also sees some positive consequences of the pandemic: it has brought together many disciplines that were previously not connected with each other. His hope is "If we preserve just 20 percent of this mentality, we will definitely bring ETH much further forward in solving future challenges".

The podcast episode with Detlef Günther concludes ETH’s #COVID-19 special series. Of course, the coronavirus will keep the world busy for some time yet and the topic will certainly play a role in upcoming podcast episodes. However, it's also time for the ETH Podcast to find its way back to a normality where different topics have their place and are explored again in more detail.

ETH Podcasts are roduced by This Wachter's Audio Story Lab and Jennifer Khakshouri. Music, Sound Design and Mastering by Luki Fretz.