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| COVID-19 Webinar Series |
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Integrated Vaccination and Physical Distancing Interventions to Prevent Future Waves of COVID-19 19 April 2021 | 11:00–12:15 (GMT+8) | Zoom |
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 SpeakersProf. Bo Huang Professor, Department of Geography and Resource Management, CUHK Prof. Paul K. S. Chan Chairman and Professor (Clinical), Department of Microbiology, CUHK |
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Prof. Martin C. S. Wong
Professor, The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, CUHK |
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In this webinar, the speakers shared their latest research on the estimated outcomes of vaccination integrated with physical distancing and stay-at-home restrictions. The effect of population density on integrated vaccination and physical distancing interventions was also discussed.
Prof. Bo Huang shared the findings of his research team, which improved our understanding of the combined effects of vaccination and physical distancing with respect to a city’s population density and social contact patterns. Using anonymized mobile geolocation data from China, Prof. Huang and his research team devised a mobility-associated social contact index (SCI) to quantify the impact of both physical distancing and vaccination measures in a unified way. Building on the SCI, the epidemiological model reveals that vaccination combined with physical distancing can contain resurgences without relying on stay-at-home restrictions, whereas a gradual process of vaccination alone cannot achieve this. For cities of medium population density, vaccination can reduce the duration of physical distancing, whereas for highly densely populated cities, infection numbers can be well controlled through moderate physical distancing. Prof. Paul K. S. Chan shared his study on vaccine acceptance in Hong Kong. The result shows that the overall rate of acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine in Hong Kong is predicted to be low compared to global rates. The survey result indicated that various factors, such as perceived harm, barriers to personal access, and the risk of infection, are contributing to the public’s hesitation to get vaccinated. Incentives should be provided to attract people to get vaccinated, such as a travel allowance, leave, and a certificate to facilitate social activity. It will also be necessary to educate the public on the actual health impact of the disease. Prof. Martin C. S. Wong discussed the implications of this study on healthcare policies, including lifting physical distancing measures, offering monetary incentives for enhancing vaccine uptake, requiring compulsory vaccination for certain groups, and ensuring compliance with health measures. He suggested that future studies could explore the area of vaccine incentives, solutions to vaccine hesitancy, the balance between social distancing interventions and citizen expectations, the bioethics of vaccine promotion, and new-generation vaccines for COVID-19 mutations. Around 104 participants attended the seminar.■ |
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Behavioural Responses to COVID-19: The Role of Institutions and Identity 22 March 2021 | 11:00–12:15 (GMT+8) | Zoom |
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 SpeakersProf. Ying-yi Hong Professor, Department of Management, CUHK Business School Dr Hongchuan Shen Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Decision Sciences & Managerial Economics, CUHK Business School |
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Prof. Tian Xie
Associate Professor, College of Business, Shanghai University of Finance & Economics |
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In this talk, the speakers shared their views about the role of institutions and identity in shaping our behavioural responses to COVID-19, and explored how economic, social, and political factors have shaped behavioural responses during COVID-19. The links between national identification and engagement in disease-preventive behaviours in China and the U.S. were also examined.
Prof. Ying-yi Hong discussed how national identification was linked to the adoption of disease-preventive behaviours in China and the U.S. The results of her team’s study revealed that national identification was generally associated with an increase in disease-preventive behaviours in both countries. However, among politically conservative American participants higher national identification was associated with greater trust in the Trump administration, which was then associated with the slower adoption of preventive behaviours. Dr Hongchuan Shen explained the behavioural responses to natural disasters of Chinese individuals from the top down (formal) and bottom up (informal) aspects. From the top level, local leaders were effective in implementing lockdown policies; from the bottom level, adherents to Confucian values were observed to behave more hypocritically during the pandemic, while those exposed to domestic religions were found to be more altruistic. As a result, during China’s lockdown period people curtailed long-distance movements, but lingered more around their neighbourhood. Prof. Tian Xie discussed two presentations. He suggested that Prof. Hong’s team consider adopting more social media data to measure people’s political status and national identification. As for Dr Shen’s paper, Prof. Xie expressed concern about the estimation method used in the paper. He suggested using two-way linear fixed effects regression estimators instead of a linear regression estimator. Around 103 participants attended the seminar. ■ |
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Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Donations from Corporate Figures and a Multi-level Reputational Approach Focusing on Bill Gates and Jack Ma 22 February 2021 | 11:00–12:15 (GMT+8) | Zoom |
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Prof. Xiaojing Sheng
Associate Professor, Department of Marketing, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, U.S. Prof. Kang Hoon Sung Associate Professor, Department of Communication, California State Polytechnic University, U.S. |
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In this webinar, Prof. Sora Kim investigated the positive ripple effects of the CSR donations of corporate figures during the COVID-19 pandemic on the multi-level reputations of corporate figures, companies, and countries. Prof. Kim found that public knowledge of the CSR donations of celebrity corporate figures can enhance the reputation of the country of those corporate figures. In both the U.S. and China, such enhancement occurs from the improvement that takes place in the personal reputations of the donors and in that of the companies with which they are affiliated. She also shared that the willingness of consumers to accept self-serving CSR motives differs according to the institutional development of a country. American participants are more willing than their Chinese counterparts to accept self-serving motives.
Around 40 participants attended the seminar. ■ |
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 SpeakersProf. Thomas Chiu Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, CUHK Prof. Catherine McBride Choh-Ming Li Professor of Psychology, CUHK |
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Prof. Anthony Fung
Director, Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, CUHK |
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Because the COVID-19 pandemic has closed schools, remote learning has been adopted to help students continue to learn. Student engagement and wellbeing are considered important aspects of remote learning. It is thought that student engagement is fostered through various contextual factors, such as the efforts of parents and teachers, and by peer support.
In this talk, the speakers shared their experiences and research in Hong Kong and tried to explore remedies for three issues: Current school remote learning in Hong Kong during the pandemic; how students, parents, and teachers are responding to this challenge in different contexts; and how we may address challenges, rethink education, and shape the future. Prof. Thomas Chiu shared the findings of his study, which was conducted in Hong Kong primary and secondary schools, and discussed how we may address the challenges, rethink education, and shape the future. Prof. Catherine McBride reviewed some of the most common problems associated with online education in kindergartens and primary schools. Numerous factors have contributed to the concern that this situation could exacerbate differences in academic achievement between children from different ends of the socio-economic spectrum. Prof. Anthony Fung commented on the presentations by addressing the point that the challenges that teachers are facing are not about teaching context, but about engagement and interaction. While the current curriculum and practices were not originally designed for remote learning, the key point is to understand youth culture, because learning is not just about knowledge but also about caring. Around 287 participants attended the seminar. ■ |
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 SpeakersProf. Helene H. L. Fung Chairperson & Professor, Department of Psychology, CUHK Prof. Linda C. W. Lam Professor, Department of Psychiatry, CUHK |
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Prof. Jean Woo
Director, CUHK Jockey Club Institute of Ageing |
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While everyone is susceptible to COVID-19, people aged 60 or over are regarded as being among the groups most at risk during this pandemic in terms of mortality rates and severity of symptoms if infected. In response to this risk, most older adults have been staying at home.
In this webinar, the speakers and discussant explored the lives of older adults (in relation to those of their younger counterparts) during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on their social interactions (online vs offline), information-seeking patterns, prevalence of mental health problems, and confidence that recommendations on infection control measures will prevent the spread of COVID-19. Prof. Helene H. L. Fung’s presentation suggested that older adults might adjust better to social distancing and the other challenges of the pandemic, and even might provide more support to others than young adults. Prof. Linda C. W. Lam’s presentation suggested that being of a younger age, having a higher level of educational attainment, and being in poorer physical health were risk factors for mood problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prof. Jean Woo commented on the presentations by reviewing the balance between successful pandemic control and adverse consequences for older people, the resilience of the environment, and the physical, social, and societal indicators of ageing well in Hong Kong. Around 65 participants attended the webinar. ■ |
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 SpeakerProf. Jing Wu Assistant Professor, Department of Decision Sciences and Managerial Economics, CUHK Business School |
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Prof. Vernon N. Hsu
Choh-Ming Li Professor of Decision Sciences and Managerial Economics, CUHK Prof. Sean X. Zhou Chairperson and Professor, Department of Decision Sciences and Managerial Economics, CUHK Business School |
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In this webinar, Prof. Jing Wu examined how supply chain activity was reflected in credit risk during different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, he examined credit default swap (CDS) spreads and US-China supply chain links. In his analysis, the propagation of credit risk had considerable effects. Furthermore, following the re-opening in China, these spreads decreased as economic activity resumed in that country. He also found that household demand was an important driver of this supply chain credit risk behaviour. While a firm’s leverage and the duration of its supply chain magnified its supply chain driven credit risk during the pandemic, cash holdings, growth opportunities, an investment-grade rating, and the centralization of supply chain networks moderated such effects.
Prof. Vernon N. Hsu continued the discussion by exploring two types of global supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic: the off-shore and the near-shore/re-shore. He contended that diversifying global supply chains is important to mitigate risk, and that supply chains might become more segmented as a result of the regionalization of production and consumption. Prof. Sean X. Zhou extended the discussion by reviewing the impacts of COVID-19 on global supply chains. He examined the status quo of supply chains under the pandemic, the impacts of COVID-19 on the credit risks of firms, and the role of supply chain linkages in disruptions. Around 35 participants attended the webinar. ■ |
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