Articles
November 23, 2020
Clarifying COVID-19 Terminology
Efficacy vs. effectiveness, quarantine vs. isolation, and other often conflated terms in the COVID-19 lexicon.
November 20, 2020
An Update on COVID-19 Treatments: Monoclonal Antibodies, Convalescent Plasma, and Other Promising Developments
Nearly a year into the pandemic, we’ve gotten better at clinically treating COVID.
November 17, 2020
Can COVID-19 Vaccines Be Mandatory in the U.S. and Who Decides?
Once COVID-19 vaccines are widely available, could they be made mandatory and, if so, what entities could enforce this?
November 16, 2020
How to “Reach In” to Meaningfully Connect with Loved Ones from Afar
“Reaching in” from afar is a great way to support the mental, emotional, and physical health of our loved ones when physically separated.
November 13, 2020
Encouraging Early Results From Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine and What Might Happen Next
Pfizer’s encouraging early results from Phase 3 of its COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials mean we could see a vaccine by early 2021.
November 10, 2020
How to Make Decisions About Winter Holiday Gatherings Amid COVID-19
Pandemic holiday planning—a guide to decision-making frameworks, best practices, and considerations for safe and healthy gatherings.
November 2, 2020
What Are All the Different Kinds of COVID-19 Tests?
Nasopharyngeal swabs, PCR tests, rapid tests, blood tests...what are the various COVID-19 tests and what are they looking for? An infectious diseases expert explains the current testing landscape.
October 29, 2020
Testing in K-12 Schools
Because children are often asymptomatic, symptom screenings and temperature checks alone are insufficient to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in schools. Regular testing—when done strategically and alongside other efforts including masking and social distancing—can help.
October 20, 2020
What Is Emergency Use Authorization?
What exactly is emergency use authorization, how does it work, and can we trust it? Could we see EUAs for COVID-19 vaccines?
October 20, 2020
No, COVID-19 Is Not the Flu
A virologist breaks down key differences between COVID-19 and influenza to explain why this pandemic is so critically—and catastrophically—different.
October 15, 2020
COVID-19 and the U.S. Criminal Justice System: Evidence for Public Health Measures to Reduce the Risk of COVID-19
Evidence-based recommendations for protecting from COVID-19 all of the people who touch the criminal justice system, including incarcerated and detained people, staff, and jurors.
October 15, 2020
Innovative Holiday and Winter Gatherings in the Time of COVID-19
This pandemic will not be over any time soon. We need to figure out how to have enjoyable experiences with friends and family. Nothing is zero risk, but we can all make choices that minimize risk.
September 29, 2020
How Indoor Ventilation Systems Can Help Prevent or Permit the Spread of COVID-19
Outdoor interactions are safer when it comes to COVID-19, but what can be done to improve ventilation in buildings?
September 18, 2020
Coping with COVID-19’s Evolving Mental Health Toll
A psychologist offers tips for helping kids and adults deal with impacts of the ongoing pandemic.
September 15, 2020
COVID-19 in Jails, Prisons, and Immigration Detention Centers: A Q&A with Chris Beyrer
Successes and setbacks in protecting incarcerated people from COVID-19.
August 28, 2020
Florida, FEMA, and Fugate: Emergency Management Lessons from Hurricane Katrina for Conquering COVID
On the 15th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we remember Craig Fugate’s inspired leadership of the Florida Emergency Management Division’s post-Katrina response in Mississippi, which paved the way for his transformation of FEMA.
August 26, 2020
How Can I Ask My Friends to Wear Masks? Talking to Friends, Family, Kids, and Coworkers About COVID-19 Safety
Navigating the interpersonal side of COVID-19 safety.
August 24, 2020
Taking the Measure of Mental Health in a Pandemic
The disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic are far from over.
August 21, 2020
Will Coronavirus Vaccines Be Safe for Pregnant Women?
Johns Hopkins experts Ruth Karron, Ruth Faden, and Carleigh Krubiner explain the challenges pregnant women face in getting vaccinated and what the future may hold.
August 19, 2020
Interim Framework for COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation in the United States
When a COVID-19 vaccine is available, an allocation plan will be needed, which means prioritizing certain groups.
August 14, 2020
The Important and Elusive Science Behind Safely Reopening Schools
The metrics that determine whether students learn in school or at home may differ, but the goal is the same: Maximize benefits, minimize harms.
August 14, 2020
Contact Tracing on Campus: What Universities Should Know Before Bringing Students Back
Campus life brings a risk for SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Colleges need to have a plan to minimize risk--and to act when transmission occurs.
August 12, 2020
COVID-19 and College Campuses: What You Need to Know
COVID-19 and college: Limiting the risk of COVID-19 transmission while engaging in academic and residential college life.
August 10, 2020
COVID-19 Testing: Understanding the “Percent Positive”
Two epidemiologists explain this important term and what it means for individuals and communities.
August 5, 2020
A Top Vaccine Expert Answers Important Questions About a COVID-19 Vaccine
The COVID-19 vaccine is on track to become the fastest-developed vaccine in history. That doesn’t mean the process is skipping any critical steps.
August 3, 2020
Resetting Our Response: Changes Needed in the US Approach to COVID-19
A new report from the Center for Health Security outlines ways the US needs to immediately reset its response to COVID-19.
July 31, 2020
Wearing a Mask Could Keep You from Getting Seriously Sick
Masks may protect you as well as those around you.
July 17, 2020
The Experiment that Proved Airborne Disease Transmission
As mounting evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2 is airborne, we look back at the first controlled experiment that proved the airborne spread of respiratory disease—and at how those findings inform today’s COVID-19 response.
July 13, 2020
I Took the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Contact Tracing Course. Now What?
For the thousands of people who completed and passed the assessment in the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Contact Tracing course on Coursera, the next step might be finding opportunities to put these new skills to use in the pandemic.
July 9, 2020
Enhancing Public Trust and Health with COVID-19 Vaccination
There are significant considerations to be made in terms of how to vaccinate a global population. Chief among them will be addressing concerns about the vaccine itself—especially one produced on an accelerated timeline.
June 22, 2020
Transparency, Reproducibility, and Validation of COVID-19 Projection Models
Never in history have the public and media have been so acutely aware of the existence and importance of models for projecting infectious disease spread as in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
June 18, 2020
Developing a National Strategy for Serosurveys in the United States
Serosurveys could help map COVID-19 prevalence. The Center for Health Security’s new report offers guidance for collecting data on a scale large enough to show “hot spots” or areas where community transmission may have abated.
June 17, 2020
Trust in Science and COVID-19
Public opinion findings reveal that distrust in science is a key factor in a polarized pandemic response.
June 15, 2020
Guiding Universities on the Path to Reopening
COVID-19 means higher education institutions are facing big questions about education and operation. The Center for Health Security has released a toolkit to help guide plans for safely reopening.
June 11, 2020
Re-opening? How families can reassess
People and families who took the message of “stay at home” seriously are wondering how we continue our role in protecting our loved ones while resuming some activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
June 3, 2020
Hopeful Steps Forward in the Battle Against COVID-19
5 Bloomberg School department chairs discuss the progress made in a short time.
May 18, 2020
Home Visiting Programs Adapt to Connect with Vulnerable Families
COVID-19 is forcing home visitors to maintain relationships with at-risk families in new ways.
May 15, 2020
Pandemic Deaths Are Almost Impossible to Count. He Invented a Way to Estimate Them.
Wade Hampton Frost’s calculation method is still used by the CDC today.
May 13, 2020
An Inside Look at the Job of a Contact Tracer
Contact tracing is key to controlling COVID-19. Public health detectives are on the case.
May 12, 2020
An Unequal Response: COVID-19 and Disability
The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated longstanding inequities in access to health care for people with disabilities.
May 8, 2020
40 Years in a Post-Smallpox World
The eradication of a lethal viral disease delivers hope—and tools—in the fight against COVID-19.
May 7, 2020
Five Variables that Can Affect COVID-19 Symptoms, Prognosis, and Outcomes
What explains the range of COVID-19 infection outcomes?
May 5, 2020
Temporary Gun Storage: A Safe Option When Families Must Stay Home
A new online map guides firearm owners to locations for voluntary, temporary gun storage.
May 4, 2020
Why COVID-19 Hits Men Harder
Scientists aren’t sure why, but biology and behavior offer possible clues.
April 29, 2020
Measuring Mental Distress Amid a Pandemic
Measuring Mental Distress Amid a Pandemic and Understanding COVID-19’s Psychological Effects Over Time?
April 28, 2020
10 Tips for Making Sense of COVID-19 Models for Decision-Making
The COVID-19 pandemic is a complex phenomenon but models can be useful. Here are tips for making sense of COVID-19 models for decision-making.
April 24, 2020
Spotting Rumors and Misinformation About COVID-19
Simple steps you can take to verify the authenticity of content related to the novel coronavirus.
April 24, 2020
Recommendations for a Metropolitan COVID-19 Response—Special Area of Emphasis: Guidance on Protecting Individuals Residing in Long-Term Care Facilities
Recommendations for how local municipalities can help support COVID-19 pandemic preparedness and response efforts within long-term care facilities, like skilled nursing facilities, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities.
April 23, 2020
The Potential—and Limits—of Antibody Testing
While antibody tests can reveal past exposure to the novel coronavirus, they don’t yet provide proof of immunity.
April 21, 2020
How to Lead With Emotional Intelligence in the Time of COVID-19
Leadership will be one of the most heavily tested skills throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
April 21, 2020
The Other Time a U.S. President Withheld WHO Funds
Dean D.A. Henderson led a Reagan-era campaign to restore U.S. support for the WHO.
April 20, 2020
Contact-Tracing Technology: A Key to Reopening
Digital tools that bolster human efforts are critical to preventing future COVID-19 outbreaks.
April 17, 2020
A Plan for a Phased Reopening Guided by Public Health Principles
The Center for Health Security’s report targeted for governors and detailing a potential path for reopening nonessential businesses, schools and childcare facilities, outdoor spaces, public transportation, mass gatherings, and interpersonal gatherings.
April 17, 2020
Partners in Fighting Coronavirus Among Native Americans
Glaring health disparities and socioeconomic factors complicate the COVID-19 response in Native American communities.
April 16, 2020
How Health Disparities Are Shaping the Impact of COVID-19
Leadership and access to health care resources and information are key to supporting the hardest-hit communities.
April 13, 2020
Recommendations for a Metropolitan COVID-19 Response— Special Emphasis Series: Guidance on Protecting Incarcerated Individuals
Ensuring the safety of incarcerated persons and the other individuals who interact with them in these settings is critical to preventing transmission of COVID-19 not only inside the facilities, but also in the wider state community.
April 10, 2020
What is Herd Immunity and How Can We Achieve it With COVID-19?
Stopping SARS-CoV-2 will require at least 70% of the population to be immune. Can we safely get to that point?
April 9, 2020
Gun Sales Surge Amid Coronavirus Anxiety
Experts fear a wave of suicides and domestic homicides may follow.
April 8, 2020
Protecting Your Mental Health During the Coronavirus Pandemic
The outbreak can have profound consequences for psychological health.
April 3, 2020
How to Prevent Social Isolation from Making Loneliness Worse
Form social connections during social separation—advice from former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy
April 3, 2020
5 Ways the U.S. Botched the Response to COVID-19
The best way to ensure a better response to the next crisis is to understand how we failed on this one.
April 3, 2020
Detained and Vulnerable to COVID-19
A coronavirus crisis looms at immigration detention facilities in the U.S.
April 2, 2020
Recommendations for a Metropolitan COVID-19 Response
Seven steps cities should take immediately to slow and prevent the transmission of the novel coronavirus.
April 2, 2020
COVID-19 Tradeoffs: Feeding Others and Staying Fed
Securing our food system means protecting food workers and buyers.
March 31, 2020
Dangerous Curve: Predicting the Coronavirus Peak
What will the peak look like for COVID-19 in the U.S? And when will it occur?
March 31, 2020
Too Many COVID-19 Patients, Too Few Ventilators: An Ethical Framework to Guide Hospitals
As COVID-19 caseload escalates, hospitals may face agonizing decisions on ventilator access.
Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future | March 30, 2020
Food Security in the Time of COVID: It’s Not Charity, It’s Justice
The pandemic is new to us, but the virus is drawing our attention to long-existing problems in our food systems, and exacerbating them.
March 30, 2020
The Right Mask for the Task
How much protection do different masks offer, and what are their limits?
March 26, 2020
COVID-19: Infection Control in Your Home
If someone in your home is sick—whether confirmed or suspected to be COVID-19—there are ways to reduce the risk of transmission.
March 26, 2020
A Doctor's Perspective from Wuhan
Bin Cao has worked on the front lines of patient care in Wuhan for the past few months.
March 25, 2020
A Drug for COVID-19 May Already Exist
Some drugs approved for other illnesses may be effective treatments for COVID-19.
March 20, 2020
COVID-19 Myths vs. Realities
We separate COVID-19 true from false, based on the best science and expertise available.
March 20, 2020
Coronavirus and Underlying Conditions
Having an underlying condition is one of the biggest risk factors for developing serious illness when infected with COVID-19. What is an underlying condition and what should you do if you have one?
The Hub | March 17, 2020
Johns Hopkins Public Health Expert Fields Coronavirus Questions in Reddit AMA
Josh Sharfstein, former Baltimore City health commissioner, discusses social distancing, hand-washing, and the importance of helping those who are at high risk
The Hub | March 3, 2020
Could a Serum Prevent Coronavirus? A Johns Hopkins Immunologist Explores the Idea
Infectious disease expert Arturo Casadevall looks to a forgotten case study for ways to prevent the spread of coronavirus
Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future | February 28, 2020
What the Coronavirus in China Shows Us About Food System Resilience
Pandemics are not just a public health issue, but a food systems issue – what makes a food system resilient?