A weekly update from UVA’s Biocomplexity Institute, which tracks COVID trends statewide, reported transmission rates are below 1.0 statewide, a sign that the virus isn’t spreading as quickly, and 22 of 35 health districts are showing case declines. However, researchers noted a “growing uncertainty in short term forecasts, indicating that variants and pandemic fatigue continue to pose a significant risk.”
Since the start of the pandemic, state health officials have looked to UVA’s Biocomplexity Institute for coronavirus trends and projections, said Justin Crow, director of the social epidemiology division with VDH’s health equity office. The institute’s modeling is helpful for projecting solid numbers like coronavirus case counts. But the data can’t truly forecast people’s behavior, and is therefore not as useful when weighing policy changes, Crow said. Searching for a way to fill in those gaps, the state partnered with forecasting technology platform Metaculus, which runs the new tournament. T...
UVA’s Sheila C. Johnson Center is hosting a two-week summer camp to help children who stutter. The camp will provide tools to reduce tension while speaking, overcome anxiety and equip kids with strategies to facilitate fluent speech. The camp is for children 8 to 12 years old and will be held Mondays through Thursdays from July 19 to July 29.
The UVA Apprenticeship Program is now accepting applications. Applicants must have a high school diploma or a GED and meet the physical requirements of the trade they are applying for. The available trades include plumbing, masonry, carpentry, electrical and HVAC.
Second-place winner Birdwood Golf Course at Boar’s Head Resort was worn out and needed renovation. The owner wanted to create new, family-friendly golf facilities to attract resort guests and members. Brought to life by Love Golf Design, the new 18-hole course, surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, was intentionally routed to capture the views. Home to the UVA men’s and women’s golf teams, Birdwood includes a practice range and a new six-hole, par-3 course to be used by the public and resort guests.
Some have raised the question, "If once you receive one vaccination series, in the event there are booster shots needed in the coming months or years, will you have to have the same vaccine forever?" “The short answer is probably yes,” UVA infectious disease expert Dr. Bill Petri said.
The lifestyles of soon-to-be mothers and fathers could shape the health of their unborn offspring in lasting ways, according to a surprising new animal study of exercise, diet, genetics and parenthood from UVA researchers.
After more than 500 days without the Cavalier faithful, Virginia football fans finally got the chance to return to Scott Stadium for Saturday's Spring Game. Virginia made 5,000 tickets available to the general public for the event, which the program announced were all sold.
Finals are approaching at the University of Virginia, and an honor society held an event to relieve some stress after a school year that's been unlike any other.
But unless something changes soon, the other candidates will likely see McAuliffe skate through as long as any opposition among Black and progressive voters remains divided. “They're splitting up the minority vote and the more liberal leftist vote, and it’s just making it almost impossible to beat McAuliffe,” said Larry Sabato, director of UVA’s Center for Politics and a long-time observer of politics in the state. “They’ve pretty much condemned themselves to death.”
Many of the advocates who spoke with BuzzFeed News acknowledge that the prospect of passing key legislative priorities remains slim under the filibuster, the Senate rule that requires 60 votes to pass most bills. “My hope is that politics doesn’t get in the way of justice,” said Lisa Woolfork, a UVA professor and organizer with Black Lives Matter Charlottesville who helped organize some of the counterprotests to the 2017 white supremacist rallies that Biden referenced in his campaign launch. “When we think about Biden’s position right now, he has both chambers. It should be a slam dunk, but no...
The 100-day timeline has been a bellwether for every administration, setting the tone and foundation for the remainder of a president's term. "We learn a number of things about the administration: Does the president have the support of the public? Do they have the support of Congress? How much progress have they made on their campaign pledges or promises?" says Barbara Perry, director of presidential studies at UVA’s Miller Center. "We also get a sense of a president's style, which is particularly important in times of crisis, when the American people want someone who makes them feel better."
(Commentary) Epidemiologists like UVA’s Dr. William Petri say that somewhere around 75 percent of the U.S. population — give or take a handful of percentage points — will likely be necessary to achieve “herd immunity,” or the point where the coronavirus is effectively checkmated from spreading. That’s the point where we can fully reclaim our lives and liberties.
(Commentary) Whether a child will be helped or harmed by professional child care experience depends an awful lot on the nature of the particular child, the particular care center and the particular parents. These are circumstances only the parents, who are right there, can know, so parents should be given maximum power and flexibility to make decisions. The way to do that, the family scholar W. Bradford Wilcox of the University of Virginia argues, is to focus money on direct subsidies and go big.
(Commentary by Mehr Afshan Farooqi, associate professor in the Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures) My earliest memories of my father, Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, are about his looks and unusual habits. His hair was a mass of curls that he liked to tug when he deliberated, which was often. I was quite captivated by his habit of wrapping a thick, tightly curled lock of hair around his finger, almost straightening it out, then letting go, all the while he was talking or reading a book.
(Commentary by Nicholas Sargen, lecturer at the Darden School of Business) This week President Biden unveiled the American Families Plan, which expands access to education, reduces the cost of child care and supports women in the work force. This proposal comes on the heels of the American Jobs Plan, which totals $2.3 trillion to fund public infrastructure and create millions of new jobs. Including the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan enacted in March, the three major initiatives of the Biden administration total more than $6 trillion. One common feature stands out: Namely, the guiding princ...
(Commentary co-written by Paul Seaborn, assistant professor in the McIntire School of Commerce) The inherent contradictions of American cannabis laws seem to appear in the news almost every week. At the state level, for example, Virginia recently became the latest jurisdiction to allow adult cannabis use, effective July 1. But just days later, a court upheld U.S. federal tax laws that treat state-licensed cannabis businesses as illegal drug traffickers.
UVA Health administered its 100,000 COVID-19 vaccine Thursday. Nearly 45,000 people have been fully vaccinated through the UVA Health vaccination site as of Thursday.
UVA Health says it's administered 100,686 vaccines. Although the rate of vaccinations is going as planned, officials want the shot to be more accessible, especially for people who have trouble getting to vaccine sites. So now they're thinking of ways they can bring shots to the people.
April is National Donate Life Month and UVA Health is honoring organ donors with a pinwheel and butterfly garden. The garden is located outside of the UVA Health’s West Complex and features a glittering array of more than 1,000 pinwheels and butterflies.