Harvard News

Public confident they can keep themselves safe during pandemic

Public confident they can keep themselves safe during pandemic

March 23, 2020

This is part of our Coronavirus Update series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring.

Harvard researchers who learned hard lessons about distrust of health authorities during the recent Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are turning their eyes to the coronavirus pandemic, examining whether public...

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Efforts across the University aim to reassure, connect

Efforts across the University aim to reassure, connect

March 23, 2020

At Harvard’s Botanic Gardens Children’s Center, preschool teachers Elena Mancheva and Luka Lemander used to start the day by singing the “Hello” song. It was a morning ritual beloved by the 3-year-olds in their care, who sat in a circle, clapping, singing along, and greeting each other by name. After the center closed last week as part of the University’s coronavirus social-distancing efforts, Mancheva and Lemander joined forces — virtually — to produce a YouTube video of...

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Harvard postpones its Commencement

March 20, 2020

Harvard President Larry Bacow announced Friday that the University’s 369th Commencement ceremony will be postponed indefinitely. The move is part of Harvard’s ongoing effort to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic .

With health officials anticipating large portions of the nation’s population becoming infected in the coming months, Bacow said the decision to postpone was the only way to help ensure the safety of the thousands of members of the Harvard community who gather on campus for Commencement Exercises each...

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Partners In Health, faculty help communities respond to COVID-19

March 20, 2020

This is part of our Coronavirus Update series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring.

Harvard Medical School faculty members and their colleagues at Partners In Health (PIH) are collaborating with local communities and national governments to help prepare some of the world’s most vulnerable people for the COVID-19...

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Much of Harvard research scales down for safety

Much of Harvard research scales down for safety

March 19, 2020

Sarah Fortune leads a lab of about 20 scientists who study tuberculosis. The lab at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health is in a biosafety level 3 containment facility, so researchers must wear N95 personal respirator masks and full-body Tyvek protection suits to experiment on specimens of the disease that in 2018 killed 1.5 million worldwide.

The researchers investigate drug resistance and host response, which is important in preclinical vaccine development. But last week, as the...

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Students reflect on a week like no other

Students reflect on a week like no other

March 19, 2020

Is surreal a strong enough word to describe last week? Probably not.

The coronavirus pandemic and corresponding upheaval of our lives led to complicated and layered responses as students left campus to finish the semester, many of them studying behind laptops in their childhood homes.

During my return to campus this past weekend, I found Joaquin Cortacans Sosa ’23 and his classmate, Ines De la Morena ’23, waiting for an Uber on Massachusetts Avenue. They were headed back to Uruguay and Dallas, respectively.

“This past week was probably the craziest of my life,” remarked Sosa...

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A path forward outlined in new book ‘Code Red’

March 18, 2020

In his latest book, “Code Red: How Progressive and Moderates Can Unite to Save our Country,” Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne ’73 argues that progressives and moderates can unite on an agenda that that emphasizes unity, dignity, and empathy, as they grapple with the tensions between big, swift reforms and gradual change. In his book, Dionne writes he is asking them to “put aside their differences not just for one election, but for the larger purpose of moving the country forward.” The Gazette spoke with Dionne, a...

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Remote work will stress-test the internet — and parts will fail

March 18, 2020

This is part of our Coronavirus Update series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring.

With offices across the country shuttered and workers being asked to work remotely when they can, the nation is relying on the robustness of the internet and technology infrastructure as never before. To understand the issues in play...

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Tool to help decision-makers during the coronavirus outbreak

Tool to help decision-makers during the coronavirus outbreak

March 18, 2020

This is part of our Coronavirus Update series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring.

An interactive tool that compares hospital-care capacity with projected demand in the nation’s 306 hospital referral regions was launched Tuesday by...

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Expert sees ‘tough slog’ ahead for workers, small businesses

March 16, 2020

This is part of our Coronavirus Update series, in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring.

With stock markets plummeting despite the federal government’s recent steps to try to bolster the economy, worries that COVID-19 could do lasting economic damage are rising. The Gazette spoke with...

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