Join the "CoronaInfo" group on Teams for news and chat about SARS-CoV-2

The current pandemic has given rise to an avalanche of information, messages and statements from a host of experts, or in some cases individuals held up as experts by traditional media outlets or social media. The quality of this information is variable, and the initial source is not always available.

The temporality of media requires an immediacy that does not sit comfortably with the time needed for science.

Moreover, research data and results are constantly being produced and updated, with new factors and parameters influencing interpretations and adding to the complexity of the information.

The Institut Pasteur is a major player in efforts to tackle COVID-19, with many of its experts involved in the epidemic response. Is there a way in which the broader Institut Pasteur community could benefit more directly from their knowledge?

This question gave rise to the idea of an online community, known as "CoronaInfo", tasked with sifting through the available information and sharing relevant knowledge with the campus as a whole, while also providing a platform to discuss the latest news about the epidemic. The initiative has been approved by the Coronavirus Task Force so that it can be rolled out for the Institut Pasteur community.

Why set up the group?

The aim of the "CoronaInfo" community is to share quality information from credible sources about COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 (databases, scientific articles, graphics, etc.) via Teams and to provide an accessible forum for informal discussions.

The discussions are organized within various channels:

•    Epidemiology
•    Vaccines and immune responses
•    Clinical aspects and treatments
•    Diagnostics
•    Control measures
•    Evolution of the virus and variants

Only quality information can be shared and sourced (databases, scientific articles, infographics). Press articles and paid articles cannot be part of shared or exchanged documents.

The team currently has 99 members, including 5 moderators.

In practice

The Teams group and channels are open to everyone, both scientific and support staff. Discussions are mainly in French but can also take place in English.

Feel free to join the team.

For the time being only moderators and experts in the scientific.covid@pasteur.fr group can launch a publication, but anyone can reply. The way the team works may change over time depending on how popular it proves to be with staff on campus.

I am an expert. How can I contribute?

Join the team and let us know by sending an email to coronainfo@pasteur.fr
Experts who would like to participate but would prefer not to use the Teams interface can contribute by adding #coronaInfoIP to their tweets on Twitter or by sending links to articles by email to coronaInfo@pasteur.fr.