coronavirus coverage

Northeastern to lift mask-wearing, physical distancing requirements on Massachusetts campuses

In a move that reflects widespread progress in the fight against COVID-19, Northeastern University will lift its indoor mask requirements for fully vaccinated individuals and physical distance requirements for everyone on May 29, in accordance with updated guidance from state and federal public health officials.

by Molly Callahan May 19, 2021

What do vaccine passports mean to you?

Vaccine passports—proof that the carrier is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus—have become a highly politicized topic, and some states are banning them, but a survey by researchers from Northeastern, Harvard, Northwestern, and Rutgers finds that the passports are not as polarizing as one would imagine.

by Peter Ramjug May 17, 2021

Pedestrians, some with masks, some without walk along the Las Vegas Strip on April 27, 2021

What do the new CDC mask guidelines mean?

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that people fully vaccinated for the coronavirus no longer need to wear masks in public. How does that gibe with state and local rules mandating mask-wearing? And how will the new guidelines affect the vaccination rate? Northeastern faculty in law and public health unravel these questions.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki May 14, 2021

The COVID-19 crisis in India could cause a global economic chain reaction

Counterfeit COVID-19 vaccines and fragile global supply chains could make a bad situation worse in India, where the pace of vaccinations in India continues to drop as cases of COVID-19 in the country soar—a humanitarian crisis that could also have wide-reaching supply-chain consequences around the world, say Northeastern scholars of supply chain management and criminology.

by Molly Callahan May 12, 2021

Vial of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine

After the Johnson & Johnson pause, enthusiasm for COVID-19 vaccines remains steady, U.S. survey shows

Despite high awareness of the temporary halt on the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, U.S. respondents remained eager to get vaccinated, according to a survey by researchers from Northeastern, Harvard, Northwestern, and Rutgers. But daily vaccination rates are declining nationally as those who most wanted the shots got them. A “hard core” group of respondents remain resistant.

by Peter Ramjug May 11, 2021

Mothers are more reluctant to get their children vaccinated than fathers, U.S. survey shows

Nearly a third of mothers aged 18-35 say they are extremely unlikely to vaccinate their children from the coronavirus, according to a new survey of U.S. residents published by researchers from Northeastern, Harvard, Northwestern, and Rutgers. Fathers of any age, however, were significantly more inclined to inoculate their kids.

by Peter Ramjug May 6, 2021

Visitors wear face masks while watching a presentation in a theater at the Aquarium of the Pacific on its first day of reopening to public in Long Beach, Calif. on March 16, 2021.

How soon will the COVID-19 pandemic end? It depends.

“It could be a matter of weeks,” says Alessandro Vespignani, whose team has created models projecting possible future outbreaks of COVID-19 in the U.S. for the CDC. But that depends on whether people’s real behavior continues to align with the Northeastern team’s scenarios.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki May 5, 2021

The university will offer one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines at Cabot Testing Center on Tuesday, May 4 and Wednesday, May 5. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Northeastern to offer free COVID-19 vaccines to students, faculty, staff on Boston campus

The university will offer one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines at Cabot Testing Center on Tuesday, May 4 and Wednesday, May 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. Students must make an appointment to receive their vaccine, which can be done through the university’s COVID-19 vaccination scheduler online.

by Molly Callahan April 30, 2021

Developing new disease treatments can take years. That's why Northeastern researcher Deisy Morselli Gysi and her colleagues looked at existing drugs to treat COVID-19. And now they have four strong contenders. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Existing drugs may hold the key to curing COVID‑19

Developing new disease treatments can take years. That's why Northeastern researchers looked at existing drugs to treat COVID-19. And now they have four strong contenders.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki April 28, 2021

Jean Philippe, left, will get vaccinated when he returns home to New York, while Iris Cotrupi, center, and Zach Stanziano, right, have each received one of two doses. “Just go get it,” Stanziano urges others. Photos by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

‘Just go get it.’ Students who have received the COVID-19 vaccine encourage others to get their shots

Some Northeastern students have already received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, others are about to get fully inoculated. Now that everyone in the U.S. 16 years of age and older is eligible, students are encouraging others to roll up their sleeves and protect the pack.

by Peter Ramjug April 21, 2021