This Friday, CSDE will host a panel on COVID data and models. The panelist line-up will be CSDE Affiliates Abraham Flaxman and Ali Mokdad from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). Dr. Flaxman will share some of the methods we have been using at the IHME in the UW School of Medicine to project the global course of the COVID outbreak and the demands it may put on local health systems. Dr. Mokdad will present on IHME’s approach to dissemination and engagement for these results. 

CSDE affiliates Melanie Martin, Eleanor Brindle, and Dan Eisenberg were awarded a collaborative NSF RAPID with colleagues at Washington State University Pullman, the University of Idaho, and Tulane University to study SARS-CoV-2 infant transmission and immune responses related to breastfeeding. The study, which is also supported by a CSDE Seed Grant, will recruit and collect biomarkers from COVID-19+ mothers and infants over 2 months using at home sampling methods. While results will provide immediate evidence of whether or not the virus is present in breast milk, other data collected will help determine any differences in transmission risk and immune responses in breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding infants, which should also be considered in developing evidence-based infant feeding recommendations for COVID-19+ mothers.

Sara Curran, CSDE Director, and Dr. Jessica Beyer (Henry M. Jackson School) with colleagues at Louisiana State University were awarded a collaborative NSF RAPID to examine demographic and social disparities in responses to variably trustworthy information on Twitter. The project compares sentiment and language use patterns among a population of Twitter users, analyzing how these characteristics evolve through the recognition of the emergency, the peak of the crisis, and the mitigation of the pandemic in the U.S. The project will use computational methods to understand sentiment patterns and language use on Twitter and link tweets and relevant entities to corresponding longitudinal data about trustworthy information sources, including news media sources and official emergency guidance, policies, and orders.

Across the country, states are lifting lockdown measures and easing restrictions—at least 30 states plan to reopen soon. As this trend continues, experts such as CSDE Affiliate Elizabeth Halloran are examining steps the country must consider to safely reopen. Halloran commented in recent a Business Insider article on how the country may be reopening too soon. In the article, Halloran states that if the U.S. plans to reach the point of dramatic declines in daily cases and individuals returning to work, the country "would have to ramp up testing and contract tracing." Halloran further emphasizes how crucial it is to remove those infected from circulation and that "what we've done is reduce our transmission, and every model shows that if we open things up now, we will just have a rebound."

VP for Research Mary Lidstrom announced on May 7, 2020 that research programs and centers can start to plan for a Phase 1 return. Most types of in-person research will be allowed in Phase 1, subject to a set of requirements outlined below. They expect a very gradual and thoughtful increase in the number of UW personnel carrying out in-person research. In addition, restrictions on research subject to human subjects restrictions, on fieldwork (link coming soon), and on research requiring travel will also be in place. Be sure to consult the UW’s Novel coronavirus & COVID-19: facts and resources webpage as it contains important information for everyone in the UW community. Remember, it is still the case that no one can be pressured to carry out on-site research if they are concerned about their safety, the safety of others, or if they have home-care obligations.