Alessandro Vespignani Archives

This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions, left, and spherical immature virions, right, obtained from a sample of human skin associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. Monkeypox, a disease that rarely appears outside Africa, has been identified by European and American health authorities in recent days.

Experts weigh in: Is monkeypox the next COVID-19? Here's what we know.

The virus has unexpectedly spread to Europe, Australia, and North America, with the first U.S. patient undergoing treatment in Boston. “But it’s not something to panic about at this point,” says Brandon Dionne, an associate clinical professor in Northeastern’s department of pharmacy and health systems sciences.

by Ian Thomsen May 20, 2022

Public health experts say that COVID-19 is likely to become an

For COVID-19, ‘endemic’ does not mean ‘the end’

Public-health experts have said that COVID-19 is likely to become an “endemic” disease. But the general public is unfamiliar with the term. Northeastern epidemiologist Alessandro Vespignani explains what the term “endemic” means to scientists—and how you can understand what happens next.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki February 18, 2022

Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

What has changed in the way we talk about COVID-19? Revisiting pandemic terminology amid omicron.

What does it mean to be “exposed” to the coronavirus? How widespread are infections? How should data be interpreted? Northeastern experts flesh out the important distinctions.

by Tanner Stening January 20, 2022

Omicron has set records. How much do case counts matter now?

COVID-19 cases are high, but it’s not 2020 anymore: Being nearly two years into the pandemic may make all the difference. “If we were seeing these numbers back in September of 2020, it would be a different story,” says Northeastern public health expert Neil Maniar.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki January 11, 2022

People wait in line to test for COVID-19 in Long Beach, Calif. AP Photo/Ashley Landis

When will the omicron surge be over? Very soon.

The omicron variant is driving a record-setting surge of COVID-19 cases across the nation. But coronavirus numbers are expected to plummet just as quickly as they soared, says Alessandro Vespignani, director of the Network Science Institute at Northeastern. And that may happen fast.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki January 6, 2022

Omicron moves fast. Here’s what that means for the next few weeks.

A virus that moves as quickly around the globe as the omicron variant could spell disaster just as people are traveling and gathering for holiday and New Year celebrations. But the devil’s in the details when it comes to COVID-19. And, says Alessandro Vespignani, an infectious disease modeler at Northeastern, scientists have shared a “mixed bag of news” in recent weeks.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki December 16, 2021

People queue to be tested for COVID-19 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday Nov. 26, 2021. As the world grapples with the emergence of the new variant of COVID-19, scientists in South Africa — where omicron was first identified — are scrambling to combat its spread across the country. AP Photo/Jerome Delay

Omicron variant questions mount–answers are on the way

Researchers around the globe are working to make sense of the potential threat from the coronavirus variant the World Health Organization has named “omicron.” After more than 20 months of studying this virus, says Alessandro Vespignani, Sternberg Family distinguished university professor of physics, computer science, and health sciences at Northeastern, we have a good sense of when we will have answers.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki November 28, 2021

COVID-19 isn't a ghost just yet. But it may be getting there.

The decline of COVID-19 might continue, according to Northeastern infectious disease modelers. “It will be this long tail with bumps,” says Alessandro Vespignani, director of the Network Science Institute and Sternberg Family Distinguished Professor at Northeastern. “But there is no expiration date on a pandemic.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki October 28, 2021

He predicted the widespread COVID-19 pandemic early on. Now he’s been knighted by the Italian government.

Alessandro Vespignani has been a leader among the experts advising both the American and Italian COVID-19 pandemic responses. For his work forecasting future outbreaks and connecting the two nations, the director of the Network Science Institute at Northeastern has been knighted by the Italian government.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki September 27, 2021

When can we say that the pandemic is over?

The rapid decline in coronavirus infection rates in the U.S. might make it feel like the end of the pandemic is upon us. It’s not yet. But the point at which we do consider it over may be confusing—and personal.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki June 14, 2021

Alessandro Vespignani