COVID-19: All Coverage
UNC Connection to Antiviral Pill
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health professor Myron Cohen told WRAL UNC helped develop Merck’s antiviral pill before the most recent trial. Cohen said the goals of COVID-19 treatments are preventing virus progression, stopping transmission, and preventing long COVID.
A Pill to Treat COVID-19
While it isn’t a vaccine replacement, ongoing clinical trials of molnupiravir show that when given early after COVID-19 diagnosis, the new antiviral pill rapidly reduced the levels of infectious virus and could prevent symptoms from developing. UNC virologist Timothy Sheahan spoke with CNN about the new pill and his role in its development.
How COVID-19 Spreads in Households
UNC School of Medicine assistant professor Jessica Lin oversaw a recent study that found that once one member of a household tests positive for COVID-19, the other members have a 32% chance of also contracting the disease.
Vaccination Reduces Household Transmission
By testing family of COVID-positive patients regularly, UNC School of Medicine and UNC Gillings School of Public Health faculty explored how the virus is transmitted in homes. They found vaccinations lower the likelihood of others in the home getting infected after the primary patient.
How To Cope With Pandemic Uncertainty
Jonathan Abramowitz, the director of the UNC Anxiety and Stress Disorders Clinic, discussed how uncertainty affects psychology and how people should address the decisions and changes related to the COVID-19.
How Does COVID Spread Through Households?
Researchers from the UNC School of Medicine and Gillings School of Global Public Health tested the spread of COVID in households. They found that the majority of secondary cases occurred within the first week of the initial positive COVID test and that vaccines decreased the virus’ spread.
Pregnancy and COVID-19
UNC gynecologist Lisa Rahangdale believes it is safe for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding to get the COVID-19 vaccine – in part because three different CDC surveillance systems tracking vaccinated pregnant people have not flagged any negative outcomes.
The Power of Partnership
With support from the UNC COVID-19 Research Accelerator Fund, geneticist Jeremy Wang and his team are identifying and tracking the variants emerging in North Carolina and sharing their findings with the public
Pandemic Decreases Drinking Among First-Year College Students
For the first four months of the pandemic, first-year college students reported drinking less alcohol and having fewer episodes of binge drinking than they were before the pandemic started, according to a recently published UNC study that surveyed 439 Carolina students about their social lives and stress.
Lessons from UNC Research
As employees return to campus this month, they have a prototype for success. UNC Research developed a plan back in June 2020 to ramp up on-campus research from critical projects only — COVID-19 related, among others — to 50% capacity. Research had a banner year, breaking $1 billion in new grant awards, and the research enterprise is now fully up and running.