Melissa Hawkins, American University After sustained declines in the number of COVID-19 cases over recent months, restrictions are starting to ease across the United States. Numbers of new cases are falling or stable at low numbers in some states, but they are surging in many others. Overall, the U.S. is experiencing a sharp increase in […]
The Conversation
Posted inNews
This simple model shows the importance of wearing masks and social distancing
Jeyaraj Vadiveloo, University of Connecticut The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. With the advent of an infectious disease outbreak, epidemiologists and public health officials quickly try to forecast deaths and infections using complex computer models. But with a brand new virus like the one that causes COVID-19, these estimates are […]
Posted inNews
Developing resilience is an important tool to help you deal with coronavirus and the surge in cases
Keith M. Bellizzi, University of Connecticut We’re all exhausted and pushed to the limit by months of social distancing, and the recent news that cases are climbing in many states is especially scary. While you may feel like ripping off your mask and heading for a bar, there are more productive ways to deal with […]
Posted inNews
Conservation could create jobs post-pandemic
Heidi Peltier, Boston University Earlier this month, President Trump signed an executive order making it easier for pipeline projects and other oil and gas development to progress, claiming environmental regulations cause economic burdens and cost jobs. A more effective way to stimulate the economy and protect the environment, my work suggests, is to pass legislation […]
Posted inNews
States are making it harder to sue nursing homes over the coronavirus, and that’s a bad idea
Tara Sklar, University of Arizona and Nicolas Paul Terry, IUPUI The coronavirus has devastated nursing homes across the country, killing tens of thousands of vulnerable older Americans. Nursing homes did not cause the pandemic, but poor infection control, inadequate staffing and sluggish mitigation allowed the virus to spread. Rather than hold these facilities accountable, however, […]
Posted inNews
Low-wage essential workers get less protection against coronavirus – and less information about how it spreads
Jasmine Kerrissey, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Clare Hammonds, University of Massachusetts Amherst Low-wage essential workers are more likely to face dangerous working conditions and food insecurity than high-wage workers, even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research provides some of the first data on the safety of essential workers during the pandemic. Our […]
Posted inArts & Culture, Columns
Militarization has fostered a policing culture that sets up protesters as ‘the enemy’
Tom Nolan, Emmanuel College The unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd after being pinned to the ground by the knee of a Minneapolis police officer has left parts of U.S. cities looking like a battle zone. Night after night, angry protesters have taken to the street. So too have police officers dressed in […]
Posted inArts & Culture, Columns
George Floyd’s death reflects the racist roots of American policing
Connie Hassett-Walker, Norwich University Outrage over racial profiling and the killing of African Americans by police officers and vigilantes has recently resurfaced following the death of George Floyd on May 25. Video footage a bystander took of Floyd’s death while a now-former police officer pressed his knee into the man’s neck quickly went viral. But […]
Posted inNews
Memorial Day: Why veterans are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus pandemic
Jamie Rowen, University of Massachusetts Amherst As the nation takes a day to memorialize its military dead, those who are living are facing a deadly risk that has nothing to do with war or conflict: the coronavirus. Different groups face different degrees of danger from the pandemic, from the elderly who are experiencing deadly outbreaks […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health, News
How the Lyme disease epidemic is spreading and why ticks are so hard to stop
Durland Fish, Yale University In the 1970s, an epidemic of mysterious arthritis-like symptoms began spreading among children in the lushly wooded area around Lyme, Connecticut. Scientists traced the cause to tick bites and named it Lyme disease, but why it had suddenly appeared there was a mystery. Similar symptoms had been documented on Long Island, […]
Posted inNews
Nurses on the front lines: A history of heroism from Florence Nightingale to coronavirus
Leslie Neal-Boylan, University of Massachusetts Lowell Nurses are heroes of the COVID-19 crisis. May 12 is International Nurses Day, which commemorates the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the first “professional nurse.” The World Health Organization also named this year the “Year of the Nurse” in honor of Nightingale’s 200th birthday. To nurses everywhere, this day and […]
Posted inEnvironment & Health
What needs to go right to get a coronavirus vaccine in 12-18 months
Marcos E. García-Ojeda, University of California, Merced I, like many Americans, miss the pre-pandemic world of hugging family and friends, going to work and having dinner at a restaurant. A protective vaccine for SARS-Cov2 is likely to be the most effective public health tool to get back to that world. Anthony Fauci, director of the […]
Posted inArts & Culture, Business
Everyday ethics: When should we lift the lockdown?
Lee McIntyre, Boston University A lot of people are facing ethical decisions about their daily life as a result of the coronavirus. Ethicist Lee McIntyre has stepped in to help provide advice over the moral dilemmas we face. If you have a question you’d like a philosopher to answer, send it to us at us-ethicalquestions@theconversation.com. […]
Posted inArts & Culture, News
How Apple and Google will let your phone warn you if you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus
Johannes Becker, Boston University and David Starobinski, Boston University On April 10, Apple and Google announced a coronavirus exposure notification system that will be built into their smartphone operating systems, iOS and Android. The system uses the ubiquitous Bluetooth short-range wireless communication technology. There are dozens of apps being developed around the world that alert […]
Posted inBusiness, News
Why there isn’t a one-size-fits-all plan for states to reopen their economies
Hilary Godwin, University of Washington Editor’s Note: How and when states reopen their economies will look different from one state to the next state depending, in part, on where that state is in the trajectory of its coronavirus illnesses. In this Q&A, Hilary Godwin, dean of the University of Washington School of Public Health, explains […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Why Ramadan is called Ramadan: 6 questions answered
Why Ramadan is called Ramadan: 6 questions answered Mohammad Hassan Khalil, Michigan State University Editor’s note: Mohammad Hassan Khalil, associate professor of religious studies and director of the Muslim Studies Program at Michigan State University, answers six questions about the significance of the Muslim month of fasting. 1. Why is Ramadan called Ramadan? Ramadan is […]
Posted inCity & Government, News
Cracks in COVID-19 treatment reveal need to bolster primary care
Tuba Agartan, Providence College Every day the COVID-19 crisis reveals just how unprepared the U.S. health care system was. But it’s not only the shortage of masks, tests and ventilators, nor our chaotic and contradictory public health response, evident across every level of government. COVID-19 has also brought into sharp relief how fragmented and disorganized […]
Posted inNews
How much coronavirus testing is enough? States could learn from retailers as they ramp up
Siqian Shen, University of Michigan As states develop plans to restart their economies, the big fear is that coronavirus cases will surge again. To keep the pandemic under control, strategic testing systems will be needed, and they will need to be scaled up fast. But how many people should be tested? Who should be tested? […]
Posted inNews
Global tourism industry may shrink by more than 50% due to the pandemic
Faizan Ali, University of South Florida and Cihan Cobanoglu, University of South Florida CC BY-SA Due to the coronavirus, people around the world have canceled their travel plans. Governments and health officials have warned the public to avoid boarding cruise ships and long flights. Major events like conferences, trade shows and the Olympics have been […]
Posted inNews
The first Earth Day was a shot heard around the world
Maria Ivanova, University of Massachusetts Boston The first Earth Day protests, which took place on April 22, 1970 brought 20 million Americans – 10% of the U.S. population at the time – into the streets. Recognizing the power of this growing movement, President Richard Nixon and Congress responded by creating the Environmental Protection Agency and […]
Posted inNews
Making masks at home – what you need to know about how to reduce the transmission of coronavirus
Susan L. Sokolowski, University of Oregon and Karen L. LaBat, University of Minnesota The recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation to use cloth face coverings to help slow the spread of COVID-19 has generated numerous how-to articles and videos. As academics who focus on personal protective equipment (PPE) research and development, we are […]
Posted inNews
Lack of data makes predicting COVID-19’s spread difficult but models are still vital
Lester Caudill, University of Richmond Editor’s note: The question everyone in the world wants answered is how far the new coronavirus will spread and when the pandemic will begin to ebb. To know that, epidemiologists, public health authorities and policymakers rely on models. Models are not meant to predict the future perfectly – yet they’re […]
Posted inNews
Explainer: what Donald Trump’s funding cuts to WHO mean for the world
Adam Kamradt-Scott, University of Sydney US President Donald Trump has announced the US is cutting its funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) – a decision that will have major implications for the global health response to the coronavirus pandemic. The US contributes more than US$400 million to the WHO per year, though it is […]
Posted inNews
Income inequality is getting worse in US urban areas
Brian Thiede, Pennsylvania State University; David L. Brown, Cornell University; Jaclyn Butler, Pennsylvania State University, and Leif Jensen, Pennsylvania State University Income inequality has increased dramatically in the United States over recent decades, surpassing its previous peak in the 1920s. In 2016, the average income among the bottom 24.9 million households was US$21,000. Meanwhile, the […]
Posted inBusiness
What is the SBA? An unheralded agency faces the unprecedented task of saving America’s small businesses
Caroline Bruckner, American University Kogod School of Business The coronavirus pandemic is devastating small businesses across the U.S. because of shelter-in-place orders that have forced millions to temporarily close. So far, Congress has devoted more than US$375 billion to helping restaurants, retailers and other small companies endure the crisis, and lawmakers are currently discussing spending […]