Recognizing the urgent need to advance the COVID-19 pandemic response, the IAS COVID-19 Conference: Prevention will feature the latest in prevention related science, policy and practice. The conference will take place virtually on Tuesday, 2 February 2021 – and will include invited-speaker sessions and abstract presentations.

“After the first IAS-hosted COVID-19 Conference in July 2020, I am excited to announce the second iteration that will help shape the global pandemic response”, said Adeeba Kamarulzaman, President of the International AIDS Society and conference Co-Chair. “Many HIV professionals are currently leading the COVID-19 response in their respective countries and conducting related prevention research. We expect the meeting to further accelerate progress in the face of COVID-19.”

Amidst global efforts to develop a vaccine, this conference will examine all aspects of SARS CoV-2 infection prevention, including non-pharmaceutical interventions, active and passive immunisation and related science.

“As multiple vaccine trials are being conducted globally, it is essential to take stock, scrutinize efforts to date for their scientific validity, be clear about what works and what doesn’t, and deduct the implications for policymakers around the world”, said Linda-Gail Bekker, former IAS president and conference Co-Chair.

A committee of six leading scientists will chair this prevention-focused IAS COVID-19 Conference:

• Linda-Gail Bekker, (IAS Past President, University of Cape Town)
• Susan Buchbinder (IAS Governing Council member, University of California)
• Beatriz Grinsztejn (IAS Governing Council member, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz)
• Adeeba Kamarulzaman (IAS President, University of Malaya)
• Jennifer Kates (IAS Treasurer, Kaiser Family Foundation)
• Sharon Lewin (IAS President-Elect, University of Melbourne)

Prevention research submissions to the new conference will be accepted from 27 October to 24 November 2020 in the categories of basic science, vaccines, non-pharmaceutical prevention and global access and policy. Selected oral abstracts and posters will also be included in the programme.

Registration for the IAS COVID-19 Conference: Prevention opens on XXX November 2020. Those registered for the 4th HIV Research for Prevention Conference, hosted during the same period as the COVID-19 Conference, are automatically registered. More information is available at the conference website [@Joe URL].