The ethics of reopening K-12 schools during the COVID-19 pandemic
Feb 10, 2021 UChicago scholar examines effects of school closures, and what safe reopenings might require
Nearly a year ago, schools across the United States and the rest of the world closed in response to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, many children have had to navigate various forms of non-traditional learning, from virtual classrooms to limited in-person settings. According to Prof. Lainie Friedman Ross of the University of Chicago Medicine, the costs of K-12 school closures are borne disproportionately by students, families and school personnel from vulnerable populations many of whom rely on schools for resources other than learning.
The steps that produced the most rapid vaccine rollout in history
Vaccine development is typically measured in years, not months. But as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, scientists are racing the clock and breaking records to develop an immunization that provides protection against the virus.
The nation’s scientific community also faces another obstacle: convincing the public that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe, and how important it is to get a COVID-19 vaccination in the first place.
“Even the most effective vaccine can’t protect us or our loved ones if people are afraid to take it or will not take it,” said Kathleen Mullane, director of infectious disease clinical trials at University of Chicago Medicine. “We know things are moving faster than ever, but the nation’s scientific community has cooperated and collaborated in ways as never before and we are absolutely committed to making sure whatever is ultimately approved works and is safe. I am going t
Clinical trials of new treatments for COVID-19 often do not include vulnerable populations
Studies examining the effectiveness of treatments for COVID-19 often do not include the very populations hardest hit by the disease, according to a new review by University of Chicago Medicine researchers.
The findings, based on an analysis of all US COVID-19 treatment trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, were published Jan. 27 in the
Journal of General Internal Medicine.
This study highlights the blind spot in how clinical trials are done in the United States. Researchers, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies need to think hard about their commitment to improving the health of all people.
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Studies examining the effectiveness of treatments for COVID-19 often do not include the very populations hardest hit by the disease, according to a new review by University of Chicago Medicine researchers.
The findings, based on an analysis of all US COVID-19 treatment trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, were published Jan. 27 in the
Journal of General Internal Medicine. This study highlights the blind spot in how clinical trials are done in the United States, said senior author Neda Laiteerapong, MD, MS, a general internist and associate director of the Center for Chronic Disease Research and Policy at the University of Chicago. Researchers, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies need to think hard about their commitment to improving the health of all people.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The university had 186 active cases as of Sunday.
“This weekend the COVID-19 dashboard numbers are higher than we have previously experienced,” the Reverend John P. Stack, vice president for student life, wrote to students Sunday. “Although we have the resources to manage the current situation, these numbers are not sustainable.”
Students returned to campus Jan. 25.
Father Stack warned that the semester will move online if the numbers don t come down.
At
Liberty University, a Facebook post, since deleted, with pictures taken on campus, raised a question: Does anyone there wear face masks?
Photos featured a snowball fight on the campus. Liberty s acting president, Jerry Prevo, was pictured. Face masks were few and far between.