How Researchers Are Making Do in the Time of COVID-19 21/12/2020
Image: UN/Unsplash.
One of the astonishing aspects of the human response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been how quickly scientists pivoted to studying every facet of the virus in order to mitigate the loss of life and plan for a return to normalcy. At the same time, a lot of non-coronavirus research ground to a near halt.
With research labs and offices shuttered for all but essential workers, many scientists were stuck at home, their fieldwork and meetings canceled and planned experiments kicked down the road as they struggled to figure out how to keep their research programs going. Many took the opportunity to catch up on writing grants and papers; some – in between caring for kids – came up with strategic workarounds to keep the scientific juices flowing.
By Abby Goodnough and Jan Hoffman
Dec. 20, 2020
Striking a compromise between two high-risk population groups, a panel advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted Sunday to recommend that people age 75 and older be next in line to receive the coronavirus vaccine in the United States, along with about 30 million “frontline essential workers,” such as emergency responders, teachers and grocery store employees.
… The panel of doctors and public health experts had previously indicated it would recommend a much broader group of Americans defined as essential workers about 90 million people with jobs designated by a division of the Department of Homeland Security as critical to keeping society functioning as the next priority population, and that older people who live independently should come later.
Front-line essential workers including grocery store staff, teachers and first responders as well as the over 75s should be next in line to get COVID-19 vaccine, CDC advisory panel says
CDC s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 13 to 1 on Sunday to recommend 49million front-line workers and older adults be prioritized next
30million first responders, teachers, grocery workers, prison guards and 19million adults aged 75+ should be in Phase1B to receive COVID-19 vaccine
Phase1A started this week with medical staff and nursing homes
Panel also voted on third priority list of 57million non-frontline workers, like those in media, finance and IT, those aged 65-74 or with high-risk conditions