Coronavirus

John Wherry of the Perelman School of Medicine said the COVID-19 vaccines should continue to help combat new variants. “Statistically speaking, I don’t think it’s possible to escape T-cell immunity,” he said.

Courtney Boen of the School of Arts & Sciences said the Global North’s insistence on moving on from the pandemic “shifts the burden to the very groups experiencing mass deaths to protect themselves” and absolves world leaders of responsibility. “It’s a lot easier to say that we have to learn to live with COVID if you’re not personally experiencing the ongoing loss of your family members,” she said.

PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel and other public health officials issued recommendations for how the U.S. should manage the pandemic going forward. "We needed to have a new strategic plan for the country," Emanuel said. "Having an outside group, which is bipartisan, has a certain advantage."

Drew Weissman of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about future uses for the mRNA technology used to create the COVID-19 vaccines. Weissman and others are currently working on a potential universal flu vaccine.

David Fajgenbaum of the Perelman School of Medicine said ivermectin has not proven to be effective in treating or preventing COVID-19, despite proponents’ claims. “In a disease like COVID-19, where the large majority of people—whether they receive a treatment or not—will improve, just giving someone a drug and then improving doesn't mean that the drug made them improve,” he said.

Alison Buttenheim of the School of Nursing said vaccine mandates can act as rewards. “One thing we are solving for is allowing people to live as close to a normal, unrestricted life,” she said. “For a vaccinated person, that’s good for my mental health, connections, social interactions and feeling reassured my city is watching out for me.”

Jeffrey Millstein and Keith W. Hamilton of the Perelman School of Medicine said there’s an effective new medication for COVID-19 patients that must be administered within 5 days of the onset of symptoms. Because of the narrow treatment window, immediate testing is crucial.

A team of experts led by PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel provided recommendations to the Biden administration as the pandemic enters a new phase. The team proposed establishing clear benchmarks for when to impose or ease emergency measures, a research initiative to develop more coronavirus therapeutics, and new air quality standards for indoor spaces, among other changes.