Privacy and surveillance around testing and “passports” are also challenges, more than many people may realize, said Jarrett Zigon, who directs UVA’s bioethics program and also studies technology and justice. “Think back to Sept 11, 2001. We as a country, and as a government, were quite quick to give up certain rights and privacy,” he said. “Now here we are again.”
Dr. William Petri at UVA Medical Center says when the vaccine for polio was finally created in the 1950s, it was a major victory for science. Now, he believes the impact of past vaccines is helping to lay the groundwork for a possible COVID-19 vaccine in the not-too-distant future.
On the surface, percent positivity is fairly straightforward, said Dr. William Petri, a UVA infectious disease specialist. “That’s the easiest part of the equation,” he continued. “It’s just the number of tests that have been performed versus the percent that come back positive.”
So where does Virginia land on the scale? According to an analysis done by WalletHub, the commonwealth is the 43rd-most federally dependent state. “There is no ‘fairest’ way to redistribute resources among states and localities,” said William Shobe, director of UVA’s Center for Economic & Policy Studies. “We have to ask what outcome we hope to achieve by redistributing resources. The key to redistribution is that it makes the opportunity to thrive more equal.”
Our editor Joanne Kenen recently talked coronavirus antibody status and so-called immunity passports with Jarrett Zigon, an anthropologist who directs the University of Virginia Bioethics Program and the Center for Data Ethics and Justice. Zigon said he's quite concerned that we’re rushing to surrender privacy in an emergency, much like he said we did after Sept. 11, 2001.
UVA’s Final Exercises would have been held this weekend, but in its place, a virtual celebration and conferral of degrees will be livestreamed in honor of the class of 2020 on May 16 at 1 p.m.
Henrico County and the University of Virginia received the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council’s fifth Virginia Energy Efficiency Leadership Awards today at the VAEEC Spring Forum. UVA’s Delta Force Program is responsible for achieving energy efficiency and savings across the university’s nearly 18 million square feet of building space. Since 2009, UVA has invested $17.4 million in energy projects, for a savings of $28.7 million in energy costs and 180,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions.
Vice President Mike Pence last week held a call with 14 college and university leaders – including UVA President Jim Ryan – on the subject of “best practices to get students back to school in the fall” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
A vast majority of Central Virginians surveyed say they have not been tested for COVID-19 and have no symptoms, but a third of them say they have friends or family members who have tested positive for the disease, according to a recent survey by UVA’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.
“Nothing is without risk,” said Dr. William Petri, a professor of infectious diseases at the UVA School of Medicine. “But you can weigh the risks. … It’s going to be a series of judgment calls people will make every day.”
The University of Virginia’s College at Wise says it plans to begin the upcoming fall semester on its campus.
Deferred-enrollment policies and deadlines vary from school to school. The University of Virginia usually grants about 60 requests a year from admitted students who accept offers but want to defer enrollment. So far, the volume of deferral requests for this time in May is normal, officials said.
In 1980, Robertson became dean of UVA’s School of Architecture. In 1982, he brought together a diverse group of 25 leading and emerging architects, including Paul Rudolph, Léon Krier, Tadao Ando, Toyo Ito, Frank Gehry and Rem Koolhaas, for a symposium that later became a book entitled “The Charlottesville Tapes.” While in Virginia, Robertson wrote a significant two-part treatise applying Thomas Jefferson’s architectural principles to 20th-century problems.
A trio of African American professionals, including two UVA doctors, have created a children’s book. “We’re Going to Be OK,” dedicated to the health of children of color during the pandemic. “I think that the enemy of fear is information,” Dr. Ebony Hilton said.
Watch students from the Class of 2020, including UVA’s Derrick Wang and Caroline Hanes, share words of encouragement and optimism for the future, despite the fact that they will not be able to walk across the graduation stage this year.
A Garcia win would mark the first time Republicans have flipped a seat in California since 1998. Kyle Kondik, managing editor at UVA’s Center for Politics, noted that Republicans “would and should feel great about winning a Clinton-won seat.” The pieces have lined up for Republicans, who have criticized Smith’s voting record in the state assembly as consistently favoring raising taxes, while Garcia’s defense credentials have boosted him thanks to the district’s sizable defense industry.
Over the course of his presidency, Trump has responded to criticism of his performance or comments by suggesting or outright asserting that his critics are criminals. Trump is now reverting to a familiar political tactic as he faces the most significant challenge of his presidency, said Russell Riley, a presidential historian at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center.
Professor Alban Gaultier, a researcher from the University of Virginia, told News Medical: “I am excited to see the results from this clinical trial. If proven effective in decreasing the symptoms of COVID-19, this treatment would be a safe and affordable option for fighting the pandemic.”
Retail health clinics offer a way to receive low-acuity care, vaccinations and symptom checks, all key health needs in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. “They're definitely playing a role in widespread testing location, whether or not they’re within those clinics themselves,” said Dennie Kim, assistant professor of business administration at UVA’s Darden School of Business and an expert on health care delivery and reform.
Experts say in a new scientific paper that telemedicine tools developed to battle Ebola have potential in the fight against COVID-19. According to a release, the tools were developed at UVA Health, and they allow doctors to provide personal, high-quality care while conserving vital personal protective equipment and reducing infection risks.