pandemic Archives

patient receives one of the treatments for covid

New COVID-19 drug therapies are on the horizon. But will they matter?

While these drug solutions have helped to shore up hospital resources by preventing severe illness in many patients, they are far from a silver bullet, and face numerous production challenges, say several Northeastern experts.

by Tanner Stening September 30, 2021

masked and unmasked northeastern students walking on campus

Fully in-person, Northeastern keeps COVID-19 under control

“As a community, Northeastern has really set an example for the country in terms of what success looks like,” says Neil Maniar, director of the master of public health program at Northeastern.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki September 21, 2021

Study finds broad bipartisan support for social media ‘labeling’ to counter misinformation, problematic speech

The results of the national survey, published on Wednesday, may speak to new concerns about misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly surrounding the use of vaccines and other health protocols, says John Wihbey, an assistant professor of journalism and media innovation at Northeastern and co-author of the study.

by Tanner Stening September 16, 2021

With COVID-19 infections surging, can doctors refuse treatment to unvaccinated patients?

As more health care workers share their testimony from the bedsides of the sick, growing frustration over the sheer number of unvaccinated patients taking up beds has some asking: Can doctors refuse to treat, or decline to see, patients who are unvaccinated? Several Northeastern experts weigh in.

by Tanner Stening August 25, 2021

Why the pandemic is more confusing than ever

Mask on. Mask off. Now, put your mask on again. Don’t leave your house. Hug your grandparents. Stop hugging Grandma. Trying to navigate the renewed risks of the pandemic amidst the Delta variant may make your head spin. “We are in a situation where the ground rules have changed,” says Rory Smead, associate professor of philosophy at Northeastern.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki August 23, 2021

Large crowds of people with and without masks fill Times Square in New York City.

It could be too late to stop the Delta variant–and to achieve ‘herd immunity’; Here’s why

Now that cases are rising across the country again because of the high transmissibility of the Delta variant, even with more than half of the U.S. population fully vaccinated, it’s time that health authorities rethink the pandemic “endgame,” says Neil Maniar, professor of the practice and director of the Master of Public Health in Urban Health program at Northeastern.

by Tanner Stening August 13, 2021

There’s a growing consensus among emergency response researchers that in communities where social ties are strong and there is a sense of connectedness, residents are more readily able to rebound after a disruptive event such as an earthquake, hurricane, tornado, wildfire, or illness. Illustration by Hannah Moore/Northeastern University

How to rebound from disasters? Resilience starts in the neighborhood

“Many times in emergency management we think about the physical activities that need to be done, expanding this, building that, shoring up this. But there’s a whole other side that we could easily do that can also enhance the recovery process,” says Ann Lesperance, director of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities at the Northeastern University Seattle campus.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki July 14, 2021

Northeastern announces COVID-19 testing requirements for Fall 2021

Students, faculty, staff and contract employees on Northeastern University campuses will be required to be tested for the coronavirus once a week as the Fall 2021 term begins. The testing requirement is part of Northeastern’s plan to maintain a safe campus environment as the normal fall semester kicks off.

by Eva Botkin-Kowacki July 13, 2021

He created his own global co-op during the pandemic

The coronavirus initially threw a wrench into Saul Blain’s dreams of a co-op abroad, so the electrical engineering major with a desire to work in a Spanish-speaking country cold-emailed 30 renewable energy companies in Latin America until he found one that said yes. “Throw a bunch of feelers out there until you find something,” he recommends.

by Peter Ramjug May 12, 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

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