There is a huge wealth of information available on the global coronavirus pandemic, from news articles to numerous webinars and dedicated websites.

In addition to many courses provided by the WHO on their OpenWHO platform, many online courses offered by universities have sprung up to educate healthcare workers and the general public on the disease and its spread.

I have personally gone through countless websites and webinars to select my recommended list of SIX BEST FREE ONLINE COURSES ON COVID-19 that I feel provides the most time-efficient & effective education on this important topic affecting all of our lives.*

Courses range in subject matter focusing on epidemiology, social science analyses, mechanical ventilation, data collection and diagnostics to mental health management and the psychological impacts of the pandemic.

Let’s stay strong, stay safe, and get through these hard times together. <3

*Last Updated: April 29, 2020.

Article Contents

#1 COVID-19: What You Need to Know (CME Eligible)
#2 Science Matters: Let’s Talk About COVID-19
#3 Mind Control: Managing Your Mental Health During COVID-19
#4 Mechanical Ventilation for COVID-19
#5 Fighting COVID-19 with Epidemiology: A Johns Hopkins Teach-Out
#6 COVID-19: Tackling the Novel Coronavirus
Honorable Mention - COVID-19 Critical Care: Understanding and Application

You may also be interested in my research whitepaper on “11 Investment Themes in Post-COVID Japan”

#1

COVID-19: What You Need to Know (CME Eligible)

About this Course 

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that has already resulted in hundreds of thousands of infections and thousands of deaths, with many more anticipated. This course is a go-to resource that will be regularly updated with all of the current information put forth by the CDC, WHO, and other leading agencies and covers the basics, personal protective equipment, diagnostics, and other material.

My Comments:

I have ranked this course #1 as I believe it provides a great opportunity for anyone to obtain a free CME (Continuing Medical Education) Eligible certificate while learning important information to respond to the current coronavirus pandemic. The course covers in-depth overviews on topics including PCR tests, N95 masks, and imaging features of COVID-19. The information provided is succinct and it is possible to complete the course in just one afternoon over 3-4 hours. Subtitled translations are available in Spanish and Italian.

Recommended for:

Those who want an informative overview of the pandemic along with an official certificate! 

** How to get the FREE Certificate **
Once you sign up for an account on Coursera, you will be able to see the banner for “Coursera Together” on the course enrollment page (see image below). Simply enroll and select the certificate option (it will be around 5,000 yen or $50), but this amount will be fully discounted on the checkout page.

About CME Credit
This course was planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of Interstate Postgraduate Medical Association (IPMA) and Osmosis. The IPMA is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Source: Osmosis University

Enroll in COVID-19: What You Need to Know (CME Eligible) here!

#2

Science Matters: Let’s Talk About COVID-19

About this Course

Researchers at J-IDEA and other research institutes at Imperial College London have been at the forefront of the response to the COVID-19 emergency, with clinical, epidemiological and social science analyses informing the outbreak response. They are generating robust empirical evidence that governments and international agencies are using around the world to plan their responses. On this course, you will hear directly from our world-class experts about the theory behind the analyses of COVID-19 and its spread, while learning how to interpret new information using core principles of public health, epidemiology, medicine, health economics, and social science. You will be able to watch regular situation reports about the state of the epidemic, provided by the researchers of J-IDEA and its director Professor Neil Ferguson.

My Comments:

This is a comprehensive, ongoing course that covers a wide array of topics with an interdisciplinary approach, including Epidemiology and Infectious Disease Modelling, Health and Economic Impacts, and the Development of Vaccines. Only available in English.

Recommended for:

Those who wish to deep dive into ongoing clinical, epidemiological and social science analyses informing the outbreak response.

Enroll in Science Matters: Let’s Talk About COVID-19 here!

#3

Mind Control: Managing Your Mental Health During COVID-19

About this Course

The intent of this course is to give you a deeper understanding of the anxiety reaction as it relates to various aspects of our current life, ranging from our consumption of news to the way we talk to our children about this. I will also give you clear strategies for managing and, in fact, turning off the anxiety response at least for short periods. My sincere hope is that you will leave this course with a better understanding of how your brain reacts to crises, along with some powerful tools for managing it before it manages you.

My Comments:

This course addresses an important topic on how to manage mental health during the coronavirus outbreak when everyone is social distancing, many areas are in lockdown, and people are confined to their homes. With surging levels of anxiety and stress worldwide, this is a great course to better understand the anxiety response to help make isolation more tolerable and guard against depression. Subtitled translations available in Spanish and Hungarian.

Recommended for:

Those who want to better understand mental health issues during the outbreak, and learn strategies to better manage anxiety and stress from isolation and social distancing (including strategies to explain to children).
 

Enroll in Mind Control: Managing Your Mental Health During COVID-19 here!

#4

Mechanical Ventilation for COVID-19

About This Course

This course will provide licensed medical professionals with an understanding of mechanical ventilation so they can support the critical care team caring for patients receiving mechanical ventilation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

My Comments:

In-depth course providing both general and advanced topics on Mechanical Ventilation, including detailed instructions on how to set the ventilator and conduct waveform analysis. However, this course may not be so useful to the general public who do not need to operate mechanical ventilation. Only available in English.

Personally, I also find the EdX platform less user friendly, which affects my learning experience. 

Recommended For:

Healthcare workers or those interested in mechanical ventilation.

Enroll in Mechanical Ventilation for COVID-19 here!

**OTHER HARVARD RESOURCES**

• Harvard Medical School’s free COVID-19 webinar series: HMS COVID-19 Continuing Education
• The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is providing FirstRespondersFirst, a series of online workshops, virtual training, and coaching that support and sustain frontline care providers.

#5

Fighting COVID-19 with Epidemiology: A Johns Hopkins Teach-Out

About this Course

The COVID-19 epidemic has made many people want to understand the science behind pressing questions like: “How many people have been infected?” “How do we measure who is infected?” “How infectious is the virus?” “What can we do?” Epidemiology has the tools to tell us how to collect and analyze the right data to answer these questions. In addition to a basic understanding of these essential tools, this Teach-Out provides a way for you to learn and connect with one another while continuing to practice the social distancing measures that will help keep us safe. We also hope to provide you with some tangible calls to action that will help you affect positive change for yourself, your community, and our society.

My Comments:

As a “Teach-Out,” this module provides a short learning experience focused on analysing the coronavirus outbreak from a scientific and epidemiological approach. The course provides critical foundational epidemiological knowledge on how outbreaks in general are identified, surveyed, investigated, and managed, and does not focus solely on COVID-19. It packs detailed information in a short series of videos and readings, making it possible to complete the course in just 1-2 days. Subtitled translation available in Spanish.

Recommended for:

Those who want to learn the science and epidemiology behind how researchers collect and analyse data to answer questions about the COVID-19 pandemic such as infection rates.

Enroll in Fighting COVID-19 with Epidemiology: A Johns Hopkins Teach-Out here!

#6

COVID-19: Tackling the Novel Coronavirus

Offered By: London School of Hygiene & Tropical MedicinePlatform: FutureLearnHours Required: 10~12Certificate: PDF Certificate of Achievement available.

My Comments:

This course has a more international scope compared to others on this list, including sessions covering case studies such as the public health response in China, Singapore, and Africa. There is good diversity in course materials utilizing a variety of audio, videos, articles, and discussion forums. However, the information provided is sometimes rather basic and lacking in depth.

The course has multilingual support with translations provided in Chinese, Spanish (ES), Portuguese (BR), French and Italian.

Recommended For:

Those who want a general understanding of the global public health response, and who want to learn in other languages. 

Enroll in COVID-19: Tackling the Novel Coronavirus here!

HONORABLE MENTION

COVID-19 Critical Care: Understanding and Application

Offered By: The University of Edinburgh & The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Platform: FutureLearnHours Required: 5-6Certificate: No certificate available.

About This Course

This learning resource has been designed for frontline clinical staff who are caring for critically ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. You’ll learn the daily practice for frontline clinical staff supporting critical care patients with and without COVID-19, and how to apply ventilation and organ support principles to the care of a critically ill coronavirus patient.

My Comments:

This is a comprehensive course offering that will teach you how to effectively care for critically ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics such as COVID-19 specific critical care, current and evolving principles of personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilation and advanced organ support, daily practice of critical care, as well as a range of specialised self-caring practices during the pandemic are covered.

Recommended For:

Healthcare professionals refreshing critical care knowledge and skills, newly qualified doctors, those who are upskilling, and those returning to acute clinical services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Enroll in COVID-19 Critical Care: Understanding and Application here!

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