COVID-19

To track the spread of COVID-19 and its variants, health departments in counties across at least three states have turned to GIS mapping to monitor current and past cases as well as vaccine distribution.

Mathematica researchers have created a website that predicts the effectiveness of various in-school COVID-19 testing strategies according to local conditions, using data from the past school year.

As the COVID-19 delta variant has led to record infections and hospitalizations in Florida, the state's health agency has altered the way it reports COVID-related deaths, creating a misleading downward trend.

The standard U.S. vaccine card is a piece of paper — and thus quite easy to forge. So Holy Name Medical Center in New Jersey has turned to blockchain for secure and valid digital vaccine cards.

Our Lady of Loretto School participated in a case study that found an unvaccinated, occasionally unmasked teacher had infected 27 people including a dozen students, leading health officials to urge masks and precautions.

The South Carolina school district is switching to virtual lessons after a surge in COVID-19 cases included dozens of students in the first week. Nearby, Beaufort County schools counted hundreds of cases in that time.

A collaborative research project in Kansas City, Mo., uses sensors placed on buildings across diverse neighborhoods to monitor general air quality, as well as that in COVID-19 hotbeds, with publicly accessible data.

Despite recent spikes in COVID-19 cases, some states, such as Georgia, Florida and Nebraska, have scaled back efforts to share relevant health data to the public. Health experts are raising concerns about transparency.

An influential coronavirus model used by government to predict the trajectory of the pandemic expects nearly 100,000 more Americans to die of COVID-19, potentially bringing the country’s death toll to nearly 728,000.

Ridership on commuter rail declined as much as 90 percent for some services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Operators are now exploring options to bring back not only riders who sat out the pandemic, but new customers as well.

An Excel document detailing student requests for religious exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine at California State University, Chico was posted anonymously on a message board. Roughly half had been approved.

Legislation championed by some Michigan House Republicans and people spreading misinformation would prevent employers from requiring employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19, or to wear masks in the workplace.

Amid a COVID-19 surge, the Madison, Wis., City Council leadership announced Tuesday that council meetings will remain online for the foreseeable future, where they have been held since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The Delta variant of COVID-19 is surging, mostly among the unvaccinated, and that includes children, who are ending up in the hospital in unprecedented numbers. Schools will face disruption if the virus continues to spread.

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education says it would need legislative approval to mandate vaccines, but some faculty leaders are pushing for action and some institutions are requiring them anyway.

State and local departments in North Carolina have turned to social media influencers to encourage younger people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Influencers with different follower counts are being utilized.

Because Texas will no longer provide funding for students not physically present in classrooms, Austin ISD will lose $4,500 for every virtual student and incur $5,600 in additional costs, totaling about $41 million.

A new study rejects the idea that provider networks held up quite well for Americans during the pandemic. This research, as well as state broadband leaders, think upload speeds must be better for America’s future.