UW researchers respond to novel coronavirus (COVID-19)

COVID-19 experts for reporters

Below are the most recent stories of UW experts commenting on the novel coronavirus epidemic

In addition to UW researchers from a variety of disciplines offering their expertise to journalists covering the novel coronavirus, UW Medicine researchers are leading the way in the detection and prevention of COVID-19 and other coronaviruses. In fact, our researchers have sequenced COVID-19’s genome, identified the architecture and mechanisms of COVID-19, created a new laboratory test to expedite diagnostics and are crowd-sourcing a cure, among other efforts.

This page is updated every week day. For more information on the coronavirus, visit uw.edu/coronavirus. 

Some of the stories below may require a third-party subscription. 

• Researchers testing COVID-19 antiviral drug | Northwest News Radio3 days ago
  Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, says that access to COVID-19 antiviral drugs makes a profound difference in saving lives around the world.
• CDC advisors recommend booster shot for children ages 5 to 11 | The Washington Post3 days ago
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Thursday that children ages 5 to 11 get a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to boost their immunity as cases and hospitalizations tick upward in many pockets of the United States. Dr. Beth Bell, clinical professor of global health at the UW, is quoted.
• With COVID cases on rise again, did WA lift mask mandate too soon? | MyNorthwest3 days ago
  It’s been nearly two months since Washington state lifted its indoor mask mandate, and cases are creeping back up again. Pavitra Roychoudhury, acting instructor of laboratory medicine and pathology in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• Several COVID test sites closing | KIRO 75 days ago
  Dan Bustillos, assistant professor of nursing and health studies at UW Bothell, says he thinks phasing out COVID test sites gradually is the right thing to do to.
• COVID modelers say to expect new COVID-19 variant | Northwest News Radio5 days ago
  Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, says we should recognize the threat of a new COVID-19 variant or new pandemics in the future.
• The pandemic’s true health cost: how much of our lives has COVID stolen? | Nature5 days ago
  Researchers are trying to calculate how many years have been lost to disability and death. Dr. Theo Vos, professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, is quoted.
• Pfizer's tight rein on COVID-19 pill stymies research | Bloomberg5 days ago
  Pfizer is resisting requests for study supplies of its COVID-19 pill, Paxlovid, disappointing researchers who say combining the $22 billion therapy with other drugs might stave off resistance. Stephen Polyak, research professor of laboratory medicine and pathology in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• Omicron breakthrough cases boost protection, studies say | WebMD5 days ago
  Vaccinated people who have a breakthrough case of Omicron will have better protection against COVID-19 variants than vaccinated people who receive a booster shot, two new studies show. David Veesler, associate professor of biochemistry in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted. Lexi Walls, principal scientist in The Veesler Lab, is referenced.
• Local school closed due to COVID-related vacancies | Northwest News Radio6 days ago
  Dr. John Lynch, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, says there is a lot of COVID-19 in the community right now.
• COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the Northwest | KXL6 days ago
  Pavitra Roychoudhury, acting instructor of laboratory medicine and pathology in the UW School of Medicine, says COVID-19 cases are rising, because we are facing a highly transmissable variant.
• Studies: Getting sick from omicron protects vaccinated better than second booster | KIRO 76 days ago
  For those who are vaccinated and boosted, but contract the COVID-19 omicron variant, the natural protection the infection provides is more potent than getting a second booster shot, two recent studies seem to show. David Veesler, associate professor of biochemistry in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• COVID cases, hospitalizations rising in western Washington | KIRO 76 days ago
  As the country marks 1 million COVID-19 deaths, cases and hospitalizations are rising again in Western Washington. Pavitra Roychoudhury, acting instructor of laboratory medicine and pathology in the UW School of Medicine, is interviewed.
• Omicron breakthrough infection can provide a better immune response than booster, studies show | Fortune6 days ago
  With Omicron subvariants causing COVID cases to jump nationwide, two new studies offer a small consolation for vaccinated individuals who suffer breakthrough infections. The infection leaves you with protections that may be more effective than those offered by a second booster. One study was conducted by German biotechnology company BioNTech SE and the second by the University of Washington in collaboration with San Francisco-headquartered Vir Biotechnology.
• Local doctor thinks we've underestimated American deaths from COVID-19 | KIRO Radio1 week ago
  Dr. John Lynch, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, says he thinks that 1 million deaths of Americans from COVID-19 is an underestimate.
• How omicron infection turbo-charges vaccinated people’s immunity | Bloomberg1 week ago
  People who are vaccinated and then get infected with omicron may be primed to overcome a broad range of coronavirus variants, early research suggests. David Veesler, associate professor of biochemistry in the UW School of Medicine, and Lexi Walls, principal scientist in The Veesler Lab, are quoted.
• As overtime costs mount, some Spokane City Council members mull asking to rehire unvaccinated firefighters | The Spokesman-Review1 week ago
  Facing a potential cost of millions of dollars to cover firefighting shifts this year, three Spokane City Council members signed on last week to a plea to city administration to consider rehiring Fire Department staff let go or reassigned after they refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Jesse Erasmus, acting assistant professor of microbiology in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• Northshore Labs tested across Nevada — its COVID-19 tests didn’t work | ProPublica1 week ago
  State and local officials across Nevada signed agreements with Northshore Clinical Labs, a COVID testing laboratory run by men with local political connections. There was only one problem: Its tests didn’t work. Dr. Alex Greninger, assistant professor of laboratory medicine and pathology in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• Doctors say COVID re-infections stem from waning immunity | KOMO 41 week ago
  Doctors say those re-infections are happening at an alarming rate because immunity is waning. Immunity from previous infections and immunity from vaccines just isn't cutting it with the latest variants. Pavitra Roychoudhury, acting instructor of laboratory medicine and pathology in the UW School of Medicine, is interviewed.
• US has hit 1 million COVID deaths, but the number is likely higher | ABC News1 week ago
  The United States hit the tragic milestone of 1 million COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, according to the White House, but researchers say the actual pandemic death toll — including people who died from the pandemic's collateral damage — is actually much higher. Haidong Wang, associate professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, is quoted.
• How a tumultuous school year for Seattle students sparked a movement to demand change | The Seattle Times1 week ago
  Over the course of the pandemic, Seattle students have endured online classes, missed out on senior-year milestones, scrambled to adjust for last-minute school cancellations, and lived through dramatic spikes in COVID-19 cases at schools. All the uncertainty and fear brought them together. They formed a new group, the Seattle Student Union, to fight for change and equity, organized shortly after winter break ended — when COVID cases were at an all-time high. Ann Ishimaru, associate professor of education at the UW, is quoted.
• Washington doctors concerned over rise in COVID hospitalizations | FOX 131 week ago
  On the path forward and out of the pandemic, the line looks a little blurry as COVID cases continue to rise in Western Washington, and local doctors are sounding the alarm as hospitalizations are on the rise. Dr. John Lynch, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, and Dr. Patrick Mathias, associate director of informatics for UW Laboratory Medicine, are quoted.
• The US is about to make a big gamble on our next COVID winter | The Atlantic1 week ago
  Experts are expected to choose a vaccine recipe for the fall, when Omicron may or may not still be the globe’s dominant variant. The UW's Allison Greaney, a graduate student in genome sciences, Marion Pepper, associate professor of immunology in the UW School of Medicine, and Lexi Walls, principal scientist in The Veesler Lab, are quoted.
• Most COVID transmission is still asymptomatic | ABC News2 weeks ago
  A cough or sneeze in the checkout line at the grocery store may elicit fear of COVID-19, but that maskless person quietly sitting next to you on the subway could pose just as much of a threat, public health experts say. A significant proportion of COVID-19 transmission is asymptomatic or presymptomatic — potentially as high as 60%, according to a 2021 JAMA Network Open modeling study. Dr. Helen Chu, associate professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• Health care worker turnover | ABC News2 weeks ago
  A study from the UW and University of Minnesota found that 1.5 million health care workers left the workforce during the first wave of the pandemic. [This is an ABC News broadcast on KIFI]
• Famed Chicago alt-weekly barely survives a COVID-19 scare | The Nation2 weeks ago
  The Chicago Reader has just survived a near-death experience by the skin of its battered and chipped teeth. The 51-year-old alternative weekly was headed to oblivion because one of its co-owners reneged on an agreement to let it transition to nonprofit status. As a condition of signing off on the deal, he wanted the co-publisher dismissed. Rachel Moran, a postdoctoral researcher at the UW Center for an Informed Public, is quoted.
• People who never get the coronavirus could teach us more about coronavirus | The Washington Post2 weeks ago
  Scientists are turning their attention to finding the rare individuals who have not yet contracted the virus. Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, is quoted.
• Coronavirus wave this fall could infect 100 million, administration warns | The Washington Post2 weeks ago
  The Biden administration is warning the United States could see 100 million coronavirus infections and a potentially significant wave of deaths this fall and winter, driven by new omicron subvariants that have shown a remarkable ability to escape immunity. Ali Mokdad, professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, is referenced.
• WHO report finds nearly 15 million deaths associated with COVID-19 worldwide | PBS NewsHour2 weeks ago
  Nearly 15 million people around the world have died from COVID's impact, directly or indirectly, during the first two years of the pandemic, according to a new World Health Organization report. Jonathan Wakefield, professor of statistics and of biostatics at the UW, is interviewed.
• UW bioethicist calls for justice in distributing global COVID treatments | NW Asian Weekly2 weeks ago
  Nancy Jecker, professor of bioethics and humanities in the UW School of Medicine and Fulbright U.S. Scholar for South Africa, argues that the kind of solidarity that exists in the family is a good “starting point” for the way we should think about global interdependence.
• A COVID mystery: Why do some people never get sick even when exposed | KOMO 43 weeks ago
  A big mystery of the COVID-19 pandemic that researchers are baffled by is that some people are exposed to the virus but never get sick even as others are diagnosed with it multiple times, despite being vaccinated. Michael Gale, professor of immunology in the UW School of Medicine, is interviewed.
• WHO: Nearly 15 million deaths associated with COVID-19 | Associated Press3 weeks ago
  The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 15 million people were killed either by coronavirus or by its impact on overwhelmed health systems during the first two years of the pandemic, more than double the current official death toll of over 6 million. A study by the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation is referenced.
• WHO: Nearly 15 million deaths associated with COVID-19 during pandemic’s first 2 years | US News3 weeks ago
  The true death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic exceeds the official number by millions, according to a new report from the World Health Organization. A study by the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation is referenced.
• COVID-19 has killed 15 million people worldwide, WHO says | BuzzFeed News3 weeks ago
  The UN’s health agency has embraced statistical methods that put the true toll of the pandemic at around 15 million. Will it shock nations that are denying the severity of COVID-19 into action? Jonathan Wakefield, professor of statistics and of biostatics at the UW, is quoted.
• COVID: World’s true pandemic death toll nearly 15 million, says WHO | BBC News3 weeks ago
  The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the deaths of nearly 15 million people around the world, the World Health Organization estimates. Jonathan Wakefield, professor of statistics and of biostatics at the UW, is quoted.
• COVID's toll in US reaches 1 million deaths, a once unfathomable number | NBC News3 weeks ago
  The U.S. on Wednesday surpassed 1 million Covid-19 deaths, according to data compiled by NBC News — a once unthinkable scale of loss even for the country with the world's highest recorded toll from the virus. Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, is quoted.
• Daily COVID infections are rising | Northwest News Radio3 weeks ago
  Dr. John Lynch, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, says we're in some kind of COVID surge, but it's unclear how serious the surge is.
• Anchorage COVID-19 clinic that operated out of former hotel faces scrutiny | Anchorage Daily News3 weeks ago
  Not many people had heard of an Anchorage company called WEKA before it set up shop at a makeshift clinic in a former hotel owned by the city last fall, administering a coronavirus treatment called monoclonal antibodies at the height of a crushing pandemic surge. Even after the WEKA clinic shut down in March as demand for the treatment waned, questions lingered. Dr. Erika Lease, associate professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• UW Medicine creates COVID vaccine | KTVB3 weeks ago
  Marcos Miranda, a research scientist at the UW Institute for Protein Design, says the new vaccine is taking a modern spin on old technology and that it mimics the mutations of proteins on the virus.
• Opinion: Better vaccines are in sight — for the next pandemic | Bloomberg3 weeks ago
  "Arcturus Therapeutics, a San Diego biotech company, may have just laid out a template for how to make vaccines for the next pandemic. Its new vaccine, which uses self-copying mRNA, appears to work well against current strains of COVID-19. It’s just that the product is coming in too late to matter in the current pandemic," writes columnist Lisa Jarvis. Deborah Fuller, professor of microbiology in the UW School of Medicine, is referenced.
• Clearing the air is key to battling COVID; King County offers free filters, but more aid is needed | The Seattle Times3 weeks ago
  Efforts to ventilate and filter indoor air is part of a new stage of the COVID-19 pandemic that Washington, along with much of the United States, is moving toward after the omicron variant infected vast swaths of the population. Marissa Baker, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the UW, is quoted.
• South Africa’s latest surge is a possible preview of the pandemic’s next chapter | The New York Times3 weeks ago
  Coronavirus cases are surging again in South Africa, and public health experts are monitoring the situation, eager to know what’s driving the spike, what it says about immunity from previous infections and what its implications are globally. Ali Mokdad, professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, is referenced.
• New omicron subvariant in Washington | KOMO 43 weeks ago
  Pavitra Roychoudhury, acting instructor of laboratory medicine and pathology in the UW School of Medicine, says the news about the transmissibility of the new COVID-19 subvariant is a reminder that COVID-19 isn't done with us yet, even though it might feel that way.
• Opinion: Did faulty assumptions dash parents’ hope for an under-5 vaccine? | The New York Times4 weeks ago
  "Seventeen months after a Covid vaccine was first authorized for American adults, parents are still waiting for the government to authorize one for children under 5. Some frustrations and setbacks may have been unavoidable, but some seems due to officials making unjustified assumptions about the public and relying on overly narrow and even outdated measures of vaccine benefits," writes columnist Zeynep Tufekci. Marion Pepper, associate professor of immunology in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• Administration expands availability of COVID antiviral pill | KIRO 74 weeks ago
  President Joe Biden’s administration is taking steps to expand availability of the life-saving COVID-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid, seeking to reassure doctors that there is ample supply for people at high risk of severe illness or death from the virus. Rupali Jain, a clinical pharmacist at UW Medicine, is interviewed. Dr. Shireesha Dhanireddy, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• University of Washington creates new COVID-19 vaccine | MyNorthwest4 weeks ago
  A COVID-19 vaccine, developed at the School of Medicine, has been proven safe and effective in late-stage clinical testing. Neil King, assistant professor of biochemistry in the UW School of Medicine, and David Veesler, associate professor of biochemistry in the UW School of Medicine, are quoted.
• UW researchers have developed COVID-19 vaccine | KXL4 weeks ago
  A new COVID-19 vaccine, which uses a different technology than Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines, has gone through a Phase III trial. The UW is planning on licensing the technology royalty-free throughout the pandemic.
• UW researchers say they've come up with new type of COVID-19 vaccine | KAPP/KVEW4 weeks ago
  Neil King, assistant professor of biochemistry in the UW School of Medicine, says they are also working to create a vaccine that protects against many SARS-CoV viruses. The hope is that we can prevent the next pandemic instead of responding to it. [King is not identified in the clip]
• UW-developed COVID vaccine is safe | KING 54 weeks ago
  Late-stage clinical testing shows a COVID-19 vaccine developed at the UW School of Medicine is safe and effective.
• UW Medicine creates COVID vaccine | KTVB4 weeks ago
  The UW School of Medicine says that their COVID-19 vaccine has proven safe and effective at its last stage of clinical testing.
• Researchers at the UW develop new COVID-19 vaccine | Northwest News Radio4 weeks ago
  A new vaccine developed by protein engineers at UW Medicine uses tiny protein particles, not mRNA, to fight COVID-19.
• UW researchers have developed new kind of COVID-19 vaccine | KUOW4 weeks ago
  Neil King, assistant professor of biochemistry in the UW School of Medicine, says that the nanoparticle vaccine will probably have advantages in cost, production and storage stability, which means it may be easier to make on a scale and supply in the developing world.
• UW researchers have developed new type of COVID-19 vaccine that could help people in hard-to-reach places | KGMI4 weeks ago
  Neil King, assistant professor of biochemistry in the UW School of Medicine, says that the advantage of the nanoparticle vaccine is that it elicits a stronger immune response.
• UW Medicine vaccine development | KIRO 74 weeks ago
  The UW is closer to rolling out its own COVID-19 vaccine. The company leading the development, SK Bioscience, wants to seek authorization for use in South Korea.
• UW researcher focuses on global distribution of COVID-19 medical supplies | Northwest News Radio4 weeks ago
  Nancy Jecker, professor of bioethics and humanities in the UW School of Medicine, writes in a paper that governments and public health agencies need to commit to sharing resources to ensure that COVID-19 vaccine and supply shortages don't fall on low- and middle-income countries.
• COVID shots still work but researchers hunt new improvements | KIRO 74 weeks ago
  COVID-19 vaccinations are at a critical juncture as companies test whether new approaches like combination shots or nasal drops can keep up with a mutating coronavirus — even though it’s not clear if changes are needed. Dr. Beth Bell, clinical professor of global health at the UW, is quoted.
• University of Washington develops COVID-19 vaccine, South Korea to order 10M doses | KOMO 44 weeks ago
  The UW has developed a COVID vaccine and will soon have it shipped overseas for use. The vaccine, called GPB510, was developed at the UW School of Medicine along with SK bioscience, which is leading the clinical development. The two are seeking South Korea authorization for use within a month. David Veesler, associate professor of biochemistry in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• University of Washington creates new COVID-19 vaccine | The Olympian4 weeks ago
  The UW developed a vaccine for COVID-19 and plans to ship millions of doses to South Korea once it’s authorized, UW Medicine announced in an April 25 news release. David Veesler, associate professor of biochemistry in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted. [This story appeared in multiple outlets]
• UW Medicine's COVID-19 vaccine seeks authorization for use outside US | FOX 134 weeks ago
  UW Medicine's "second generation" COVID-19 vaccine is nearing the end of clinical testing, and may soon be administered in South Korea.
• COVID-19 vaccine made at UW School of Medicine seeking international approval | KXLY4 weeks ago
  A new COVID-19 vaccine has been developed at the School of Medicine. The vaccine, led in development by SK Bioscience, has proven to be safe and effective in late-stage clinical testing. It’s named the GPB510 vaccine, and SK Bioscience is seeking authorization for its use in South Korea within a month.
• UW Medicine's COVID-19 vaccine succeeds in Phase 3 testing | Patch4 weeks ago
  UW Medicine reported Monday that its vaccine, called GPB510, has proven effective at treating COVID-19 in Phase 3 clinical testing. SK bioscience, the lead company supporting the vaccine's development, will ask for permission to deploy the vaccine starting in South Korea within the coming few weeks. Neil King, assistant professor of biochemistry in the UW School of Medicine, and David Veesler, associate professor of biochemistry in the UW School of Medicine, are quoted.
• COVID shots still work but researchers hunt new improvements | Associated Press4 weeks ago
  COVID-19 vaccinations are at a critical juncture as companies test whether new approaches like combination shots or nasal drops can keep up with a mutating coronavirus — even though it’s not clear if changes are needed. Dr. Beth Bell, clinical professor of global health at the UW, is quoted.
• DOJ appeals ruling lifting transit mask mandate | MSNBC1 month ago
  Dr. Vin Gupta, affiliate assistant professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, talks about what people should do if they are worried about contracting COVID-19 on public transit.
• An mRNA vaccine with a twist — it copies itself — protects against COVID-19 | Science1 month ago
  A third messenger mRNA vaccine appears to have proved its worth against COVID-19. And although it is more than a year behind the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines now seen as gold standards, the new vaccine may come with significant advantages: easier storage, along with lower cost because its “self-amplifying” design allows for smaller doses. Deborah Fuller, professor of microbiology in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• COVID outbreak as nearly 100 prom goers test positive | ABC News1 month ago
  Dozens of high school students in California contracted COVID-19 after attending their prom. Masks were optional for the prom held at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. Ali Mokdad, professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, is quoted.
• Mask protects you from COVID if no one else is wearing one | KING 51 month ago
  As many people are removing their masks on planes, experts say wearing one can still offer you some protection against COVID-19, even if everyone else is maskless. A video by the the UW Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences is quoted.
• CDC panel skeptical of fourth COVID-19 shots for broader population, says US needs clear vaccine strategy | CNBC1 month ago
  The CDC’s panel of independent vaccine experts signaled an unwillingness to endorse fourth COVID-19 shots for the broader U.S. population until the agency adopts a clear strategy. Dr. Beth Bell, clinical professor of global health at the UW, is quoted.
• Sudden end to travel mask mandate sparks confusion | MSNBC1 month ago
  Dr. Vin Gupta, affiliate assistant professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, says that access to vaccines and therapeutics isn't where it needs to be to make it safe to go on public transportation without masks.
• New versions of omicron variant make gains against BA.2 | CNN1 month ago
  Arguably the most successful version of the Omicron coronavirus variant to date has been BA.2 — but it hasn't been resting on its laurels. Trevor Bedford, affiliate associate professor of genome sciences and of epidemiology at the UW, is referenced.
• All the omicron variants you’ve probably never heard of — and what they mean for the future of COVID | The Seattle Times1 month ago
  New evolution of the coronavirus’s omicron variant could mean the virus is becoming more “steady” and “flu-like,” said Trevor Bedford, affiliate associate professor of genome sciences and of epidemiology at the UW.
• Explainer: What happens in the post-mask world of travel? | Associated Press1 month ago
  A ruling by a federal judge has ended — at least for now — the requirement that people wear masks on planes and public transportation, and there is plenty of confusion about the new, post-mask world of travel. Carl Bergstrom, professor of biology at the UW, is referenced.

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