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. 

• Western States workgroup to meet Thursday night to review COVID-19 vaccine booster data | KOMO 41 day ago
  A group of experts from several western states is expected to meet Thursday night to consider whether to recommend booster shots of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Christine Johnston, associate professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is interviewed.
• CDC approves COVID-19 boosters | NPR1 day ago
  Dr. Beth Bell, clinical professor of global health at the UW, says that it's important for COVID-19 guidelines to be clear and avoiding confusing people.
• CDC signs off on Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters and says people can get a shot different from their original one | The Washington Post1 day ago
  Tens of millions of Americans can sign up to get Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters beginning Friday after the nation’s top public health official endorsed recommendations from expert advisers that the shots are safe and effective at bolstering protection against the coronavirus. Dr. Beth Bell, clinical professor of global health at the UW, is quoted.
• COVID-19 vaccine: CDC expands booster rollout, OKs mixing shots | Associated Press1 day ago
  Millions more Americans can get a COVID-19 booster and choose a different company’s vaccine for that next shot, federal health officials said Thursday. Dr. Beth Bell, clinical professor of global health at the UW, is quoted.
• US CDC signs off on Moderna, J&J COVID-19 vaccine boosters, mix-and-match shots | Reuters1 day ago
  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended the COVID-19 vaccine boosters for recipients of the Moderna Inc and Johnson & Johnson shots, and said Americans can choose a different shot from their original inoculation as a booster. Dr. Beth Bell, clinical professor of global health at the UW, is quoted.
• Why some healthcare workers would rather lose their jobs than get vaccinated | The Wall Street Journal1 day ago
  Among the hardest challenges in the drive to vaccinate Americans against Covid-19 are a minority of medical professionals who distrust the pharmaceutical industry and regulators, fear long-term health effects and bristle at mandates. Ali Mokdad, professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, is quoted.
• Amazon's top doctor on biggest work health challenge of the century | CNBC1 day ago
  Dr. Vin Gupta, Amazon's chief health officer and affiliate assistant professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, says the biggest health challenge for public and work spaces this century will be ventilation and air quality.
• Scientists are starting to understand the likely endgame for COVID-19 | NPR2 days ago
  What is the end game for COVID? We seem to have made it past the worst of the delta surge. Case levels are less than half what they were a couple of months ago. We've reported on this program on projections that new cases may keep dropping all winter. But of course, that is just a projection, and it does not answer how the pandemic would completely end, if it ever does. Katie Kistler, a doctoral student in molecular and cellular biology at the UW, is interviewed.
• Here's how many hospital staffers are vaccinated against COVID-19 | KING 52 days ago
  As of Monday morning, there are still more than 1,000 COVID-19 patients in Washington state hospitals. Dr. Tim Dellit, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is featured.
• Aspiring doctors in Idaho train for resilience in the pandemic | Boise State Public Radio3 days ago
  While the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated how overwhelming medical school can be for aspiring physicians, professors said they try to prepare students to handle tough situations every day. Dr. Dustin Worth, clinical medicine coordinator for the UW School of Medicine's WWAMI program, is quoted.
• The federal government gave billions to America’s schools for COVID-19 relief — where did the money go? | ProPublica3 days ago
  The Education Department’s limited tracking of $190 billion in pandemic support funds sent to schools has left officials in the dark about how effective the aid has been in helping students. Dan Goldhaber, director of the UW Center for Education Data and Research, is quoted.
• How risky are bars and clubs for vaccinated people? | Vox3 days ago
  If nightlife was shut down so urgently at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, should we be going out at all while it continues? The strict and simple answer from public health experts is no, not yet. Jennifer Balkus, assistant professor of epidemiology at the UW, is quoted.
• More COVID-19 vaccine boosters are coming — who should get them? | WIRED3 days ago
  Federal advisers meet again this week to discuss third shots, but it’s still not clear what the best timing is — or what the U.S. owes the world. Nancy Jecker, professor of bioethics and humanities in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• What's required to claim religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine? | Seattle Met4 days ago
  When Gov. Jay Inslee issued his COVID-19 vaccine mandate for state employees, he left in somewhat of a legal loophole allowing employers to grant “reasonable accommodation for medical or religious reasons.” The medical reasons part is pretty self-explanatory. The religious reasons part? Not so much. Patricia Kuszler, professor of law at the UW, is quoted.
• UW researchers asking people to share their experience with COVID-19 | KXL4 days ago
  Dr. Keith Jerome, professor of laboratory medicine and pathology in the UW School of Medicine, says researchers are asking people from a variety of places around the state to take part in a survey to get a sense of where COVID-19 has been in our state.
• UW Medicine is looking for participants for COVID-19 study | KUOW4 days ago
  UW Medicine is looking for stories from people up to age 85 who have been exposed to COVID-19 as part of the Washington Coronavirus Exposure Survey, or WAVES.
• Guests required to be vaccinated or show negative COVID-19 test at Harborview Medical Center | KIRO 74 days ago
  Starting Tuesday, guests 12 and older will be required to be fully vaccinated or have received a negative COVID-19 test in the last 72 hours when visiting someone at Harborview Medical Center, according to a new policy by UW Medicine.
• Harborview Medical Center visitors required to show proof of vaccination or negative test | FOX 134 days ago
  Harborview Medical Center is starting the first phase of its program that requires inpatient visitors to show proof of having a COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a negative test within three days of visiting the hospital. Dr. John Lynch, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• Most healthcare workers are vaccinated, but mandate fallout could still lead to cuts in services | KUOW4 days ago
  Monday marked the deadline for healthcare workers and many others in Washington state to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19, or risk losing their job under the state mandate. Dr. Tim Dellit, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is featured.
• State hospitals ready to tally up job losses as vaccine mandate deadline arrives | KOMO 44 days ago
  The deadline is finally here and hospitals in Washington state were scrambling Monday to cover staffing vacancies created by its employees who lost their jobs because of the state vaccine mandate. Dr. Tim Dellit, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is featured.
• Decline in COVID-19 cases slows as Washington state hospitals sort through vaccination deadline | The Seattle Times5 days ago
  The state’s COVID-19 vaccination deadline for thousands of employees arrived at the end of Monday, pushing health care facilities throughout Washington to scramble to sort through remaining compliance records and take stock of potential service cuts. Dr. Tim Dellit, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• New visitor policy at Harborview Medical Center | KNKX5 days ago
  Starting Tuesday, anybody over 12 visiting someone at Harborview Medical Center will have to show proof they are vaccinated against COVID-19 or a negative COVID-19 test taken over the last three days.
• New Harborview Medical Center visitor policy | KOMO 45 days ago
  A new COVID-19 policy says visitors to Harborview Medical Center need to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within the last three days. It will soon be implemented in all UW Medicine hospitals and clinics.
• Harborview's new visitor policy | KING 55 days ago
  A new visitor policy says that visitors over the age of 12 must show proof they are vaccinated against COVID-19 or a negative COVID-19 test taken within the last three days.
• Mixing COVID-19 vaccines for booster shots | KOMO Radio5 days ago
  Ali Mokdad, professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, says that studies have shown that mixing COVID-19 mRNA vaccines is effective. He also saws that natural immunity wanes more than the immunity you get from a vaccine.
• What to know about Monday’s COVID-19 vaccine deadline in Washington state | The Seattle Times6 days ago
  The deadline for most state government, health care and school workers in Washington to get their COVID-19 vaccination is days away. When Gov. Jay Inslee issued the sweeping order this summer, his announcement was clear: Show proof of vaccination on or before Oct. 18 or lose your job. UW Medicine policies are referenced.
• Harborview Medical Center to require visitors to show proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test | The Seattle Times6 days ago
  Harborview Medical Center will soon reopen its doors to visitors, with a new requirement that they must show proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test to be allowed inside, the Seattle hospital announced Friday. Dr. John Lynch, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• Opinion: COVID-19 anxiety is a health problem too | The Wall Street Journal6 days ago
  "In New York City, I often see people walking down the sidewalk, masks hanging low over their chins, looking fearful and dodging one another. The health benefit from these wary rituals is minimal to nonexistent, and they illustrate the toll that fear of COVID-19 has taken on mental health," writes Dr. Marc Siegel of NYU Langone Medical Center. A UW study is quoted.
• Only use COVID-19 rapid tests if you have symptoms | KEX1 week ago
  Dr. Geoffrey Baird, associate professor of laboratory medicine and pathology in the UW School of Medicine, says that antigen tests aren't approved for use in people without symptoms.
• FDA panel meeting about Johnson & Johnson booster | MSNBC1 week ago
  Dr. Vin Gupta, affiliate assistant professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, says he thinks the FDA will approve a two-month interval between the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and a booster, and he doesn't think mixing vaccine types will be approved today.
• Planned march on Maui panned for promoting misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic | Honolulu Star-Advertiser1 week ago
  Doctors who have been panned on the mainland for spreading misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic are set to headline a Saturday march on Maui opposing COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates. Kolina Koltai, a postdoctoral researcher at the UW Center for an Informed Public, is quoted.
• FDA panel backs Moderna booster for many Americans | MSNBC1 week ago
  Dr. Vin Gupta, affiliate assistant professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, comments on former President Clinton's medical status and the recommendation of a half dose for the Moderna booster.
• Study suggests which COVID-19 booster is best after J&J vaccine | SF Gate1 week ago
  A long-awaited study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health has shown success for a mix-and-match strategy to the COVID-19 booster shot, with increased benefit for those who received a Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccination. Dr. Christine Johnston, associate professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted. [The article incorrectly calls her "Christine Johnson"]
• FDA vaccine booster panel: Here's who is on the roster | The New York Times1 week ago
  A committee of scientific advisers to the Food and Drug Administration is meeting on Thursday and Friday to examine the available data on using additional doses of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines to boost immunity. Dr. Steven Pergam, associate professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is a member of the committee.
• ‘Lurching between crisis and complacency’: Was this our last COVID-19 surge? | The New York Times1 week ago
  Rising immunity and modest changes in behavior may explain why cases are declining, but much remains unknown, scientists say. Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, is quoted.
• Merck asks FDA to authorize pill to treat COVID-19 | MSNBC1 week ago
  Dr. Vin Gupta, affiliate assistant professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, says that Merck's COVID-19 pill could reduce the risk of hospitalization if you are diagnosed early, but it is not appropriate for unvaccinated people.
• When to use a rapid tests | KATU1 week ago
  UW research shows that you can use a rapid antigen test if you have symptoms and a PCR test if you don't.
• Rapid antigen tests | KOMO Radio1 week ago
  Dr. Geoffrey Baird, associate professor of laboratory medicine and pathology in the UW School of Medicine, says that rapid antigen tests need more of a viral load to detect COVID-19.
• Which COVID-19 test should you take? | KXL1 week ago
  Dr. Geoffrey Baird, associate professor of laboratory medicine and pathology in the UW School of Medicine, says it's a good idea to have a stash of the rapid antigen test to take in case you have symptoms. If you don't have symptoms, you should get a PCR test.
• How misinformation is dumbing down America and threatening democracy | Chino Y Chicano1 week ago
  Sadly, misinformation is alive and well in America today and it is posing a huge threat to our democracy. How did we get here? Kolina Koltai, a postdoctoral researcher at the UW Center for an Informed Public, is interviewed on the "Chino Y Chicano" podcast.
• In Eastern WA, vaccine messaging matters for political candidates | Crosscut1 week ago
  When it comes to talking about the pandemic on the campaign trail, style matters just as much as substance. Mark Smith, professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.
• The truth about pregnancy risks and COVID-19 vaccines | Los Angeles Times1 week ago
  Experts say vaccination could have prevented most serious illnesses and deaths in the current surge. But that message was slow to get out to pregnant women due to a long-standing tradition of excluding them from clinical trials of experimental medicines — a practice that extended to COVID-19 vaccines. The UW School of Medicine's Dr. Linda Eckert, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and Dr. Emily Fay, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, are quoted. Dr. Alisa Kachikis, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the UW School of Medicine, is referenced.
• Staffing has always been a challenge in long-term care settings – the vaccine mandate could make it worse | The Spokesman-Review2 weeks ago
  Long-term care facilities could face critical staffing shortages this fall as Gov. Inslee’s vaccine mandate takes hold Oct. 18. Bianca Frogner, associate professor of family medicine in the UW School of Medicine and director of the UW Center for Health Workforce Studies, is quoted.
• WA hospital survey: 2-5% of workers may quit over vaccine | The Olympian2 weeks ago
  A new statewide survey of hospitals in Washington state offers indications of how many hospital workers are following the state’s mandate to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the Oct. 18 deadline. Dr. Tim Dellit, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• Breakthrough COVID-19 may not be as threatening as scientists thought | NPR2 weeks ago
  Can a vaccinated person with a breakthrough infection infect others? Conventional wisdom says yes, but new research says it's not all that likely. Marion Pepper, associate professor of immunology in the UW School of Medicine, is interviewed.
• Yakima County hospitals optimistic as vaccine deadline looms for workers | The Yakima Herald2 weeks ago
  With one week until Gov. Jay Inslee’s Oct. 18 deadline for hospital workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, a statewide survey indicates as many as 7,500 could be out of work over the issue. Dr. Tim Dellit, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is referenced.
• What the future may hold for the coronavirus and us | The New York Times2 weeks ago
  Even for a virus, evolution is a long game, and our relationship with SARS-CoV-2 is still in its infancy. We are extremely unlikely to eradicate the virus, scientists say, and what the next few years — and decades — hold is difficult to predict. Marion Pepper, associate professor of immunology in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• Merck sends antiviral drug data for emergency use | MSNBC2 weeks ago
  Dr. Vin Gupta, affiliate assistant professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, says he think Merck's antiviral drug treating COVID-19 will have minimal impact in the short to medium term.
• UW takes unvaccinated patients off transplant list | Q132 weeks ago
  UW Medical Center policy now states that unvaccinated transplant patients will not be eligible for surgery, because they have a higher risk of illness and death without the COVID-19 vaccine.
• Organ transplant programs are denying people who won't get the COVID-19 vaccine | KUOW2 weeks ago
  UW Medicine has added the COVID-19 vaccine to their list of vaccines required to get an organ transplant.
• Are COVID-19's big waves over? Experts are split | The Hill2 weeks ago
  Experts are split on whether the waning delta surge will be the last major COVID-19 wave to strike the U.S., as Americans grow eager for the pandemic to end after 19 months. Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, is quoted.
• From Cambodia to Canada, dozens of other nations beat US in COVID-19 vaccinations | USA Today2 weeks ago
  The U.S. has become a global vaccine laggard, the percentage of its population inoculated lower than dozens of other nations. That includes all of its peers among affluent democracies in the Group of Seven countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany. Ali Mokdad, professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, is quoted.
• The metrics for easing COVID-19 restrictions don’t exist | The Atlantic2 weeks ago
  Yes, it’s too soon to lift restrictions. But it’s odd that there are no clear benchmarks for getting there. Ali Mokdad, professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, is quoted.
• Misinformation fuels anger against health care workers | MSNBC2 weeks ago
  Dr. Vin Gupta, affiliate assistant professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, talks about the shortage of health care workers, COVID-19 vaccinations for children and the convergence of COVID-19 and flu season.
• Some US patients waiting for organ transplants must get COVID-19 vaccine or be removed from list | The Guardian2 weeks ago
  Health systems in Colorado and Washington are removing unvaccinated patients from organ transplant lists, given research that unprotected recipients are much more likely to die from COVID-19. UW Medicine also added COVID-19 vaccination as a condition for the transplant list a few weeks ago, joining other vaccinations required for years.
• Organ centers to transplant patients: Get a COVID-19 vaccine or move down on waitlist | NBC News2 weeks ago
  Across the country, growing numbers of transplant programs have chosen to either bar patients who refuse to take the widely available Covid vaccines from receiving transplants or to give them lower priority on crowded organ waitlists. Dr. Ajit Limaye, professor of medicine in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• UW Medicine requiring transplant recipients to be vaccinated against COVID-19 | KXLY2 weeks ago
  UW Medicine patients will be denied an organ transplant if they refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19. 
• UW Medicine: 97% of workers fully vaccinated | KEPR2 weeks ago
  Lisa Brandenburg, president of UW Medicine hospitals and clinics, says that they are continuing to have conversations with employees about the exemption process and COVID-19 vaccines.
• COVID-19 vaccine requirement for health care workers | KXL2 weeks ago
  Lisa Brandenburg, president of UW Medicine hospitals and clinics, says about 300 health care workers have applied for an exemption.
• COVID-19 and flu shots on the same day? | KING 52 weeks ago
  Dr. Don Shifrin, emeritus clinical professor of pediatrics in the UW School of Medicine, says that doctors have always given children a number of vaccines at the same time on the same day.
• UW Medicine requires vaccine for organ transplant | KOMO 42 weeks ago
  UW Medicine says that it has long asked transplant patients to be current on vaccinations. This requirement now includes COVID-19.
• Health expert weighs in on where Washington stands in reaching COVID-19 herd immunity | KING 52 weeks ago
  Ali Mokdad, professor of health metrics sciences at the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, says we need at least 85% of the total population to be immune or vaccinated against COVID-19 to reach herd immunity.
• UW Medical Center instituting new vaccine rule for transplant patients | KGMI2 weeks ago
  UW Medical Center is instituting a new rule for people looking to get organ transplants. A new section on UW’s website states that all transplant patients must now be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to receive treatment.
• Why COVID-19 vaccines didn’t win a science Nobel this year | Nature2 weeks ago
  Nobel prize insiders and observers say timing and politics meant vaccine technology was an unlikely winner — but science’s most prestigious prize shouldn’t be far off. Alexey Merz, professor of biochemistry in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• UCHealth says it will deny transplants to almost all patients unvaccinated against the coronavirus | The Washington Post2 weeks ago
  A Colorado-based health system says it is denying organ transplants to patients not vaccinated against the coronavirus in “almost all situations,” citing studies that show these patients are much more likely to die if they get COVID-19. UW Medicine is quoted.
• Researchers at UW School of Medicine work to create universal vaccine for coronaviruses | KIRO 72 weeks ago
  As the world struggles to survive the coronavirus pandemic, researchers are already working to prevent the next one. Researchers at the UW School of Medicine want to create a universal vaccine that protects against many coronaviruses. David Veesler, assistant professor of biochemistry in the UW School of Medicine, is interviewed.
• Washington state’s UW Medicine says it will drop unvaccinated patients from wait list for organ transplant | FOX News2 weeks ago
  The UW Medical Center says patients who refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccine before an organ transplant will be dropped from the wait list. 
• UW Medicine to deny organ transplants to unvaccinated patients | Q132 weeks ago
  If you have not been vaccinated against COVID-19, you may have a hard time getting a transplant in western Washington. Colorado hospitals made the decision to deny transplants to most unvaccinated patients, and UW Medical Center is following suit.
• UW Medicine OBGYN has message for pregnant women worried about getting the COVID-19 vaccine | KOMO Radio2 weeks ago
  The data are clear: COVID-19 is bad for pregnant woman. It increases their risk of dying, and it increases the risk of delivering prematurely. Dr. Linda Eckert, professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the UW School of Medicine, is quoted.
• Pandemic changes to school and education will be permanent | USA Today2 weeks ago
  COVID-19 disrupted education — forever. USA Today presents a list of pandemic changes to schools that could be permanent. Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at UW Bothell, is quoted.

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