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Long before we could sequence a virus’s genome in a matter of weeks, we used public health tactics like contact tracing to sort out the movement of a disease in a population. Contact tracing is one of the “traditional” tools of epidemiologists. Today, we have more public health surveillance tools at our disposal, and we’ll need both the old and the new to bring COVID-19 under control.
We’re all wondering when we can return to work, see friends and family, and get back to some sense of normal. Meanwhile, we might notice that a planned temporary hospital wasn’t built or that some data seems to show a reduction in the spread of coronavirus. What do we do with emerging shades of gray in a situation that seemed so black and white not too long ago?
What's it like to manage health care systems and personnel during a global pandemic? For an inside view, we connected with alum Kelly Rakowski, a national staffing solutions leader. She and her team are working across the country with organizations and with “hand raisers”—retired or out-of-work health care workers stepping forward to help fight the outbreak.
With people getting anxious about restarting the economy, efforts are focused on using antibody testing to develop an immunity certification system that would exempt those who have the antibodies from social distancing restrictions—facilitating their return to work and aiding the recovery effort.
Paul Fleming is an assistant professor of Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health with deep ties to Detroit. He explains the social and structural factors in place in Detroit that have contributed to it becoming one of the nation’s coronavirus hotspots.
Of the seven coronaviruses known to infect people, four cause common respiratory infections that are sharply seasonal and appear to transmit similarly to influenza, according to a new study by University of Michigan School of Public Health researchers.