Laboratories worldwide are developing serological tests for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.  These tests identify individuals who have been infected and are now, presumably, immune.   Antibody tests are needed to assess the spread of disease and guide population-based disease control policies, to determine who can care for COVID-19 patients without risking infection, and to identify potential donors of convalescent serum.  As of April 14, 2020, the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) website (

Starting today we have launched surveys via Facebook in India to collect ongoing data (cross sectional and panel) every 2 weeks for 4 months on how COVID is impacting pregnancy intentions, access to and use of family planning and abortion, and exposure to violence. We are also collecting mental health, economic and socio-demographic data, and data on the impact of health care seeking more generally, for postnatal/prenatal care, and also time use (household responsibilities). I have no funding for this, so if anyone has any ideas, please let me know!

We are doing surveys of all institutions of higher education in the US & Canada to understand from Academic Administrators & Faculty what has been their response to the virus.  This includes 3 surveys, one currently in the field, one in two months, and one in September as a follow-up.  Primarily funded by the Gates Foundation (and also several other non-profits) we are sending surveys to all Academic officers and a representative sample of faculty.  We are covering all aspects of institutional life to identify what has worked (and what has not).

Currently, there is little information on high-risk geospatial areas or the timing of COVID-19 transmission. We do not know precisely what locations or time points where COVID-19 transmission is most likely to occur; therefore, we are unable to make accurate recommendations on how to support social reintegration and promote population behaviors to prevent future infections. Real-time discrete geospatial temporal information is needed to model transmission pathways.

The major genetic contribution of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region to disease risk has been recognized for nearly fifty years, with hundreds of associations observed in autoimmunity, infectious disease, cancer, and major drug-hypersensitivities. Because of its pivotal role in the immune response to pathogens, we expect that HLA variation will also be found to play a role in SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 outcomes.

Background

The COVID19 pandemic will place significant demands on low literacy and limited English-speaking populations to interpret and respond to the barrage of public health messages. Collaborations that work directly at the point of contact with immigrants are critical for health literacy skill-building and improving health outcomes, in general, but are essential to lessen the risk of worsening health disparities in times of crisis.

The SARS-Cov-2 (COVID19) pandemic has led to drastic public health measures to slow and contain transmission worldwide. A critical component of these strategies is social distancing. To curb increasing COVID19 cases, on March 16, 2020, six counties across the San Francisco Bay Area announced “shelter-in-place” orders; four days later, the order was extended to the entire state of California by Governor Newsom.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide since December 2019 and a recently published study from Wuhan city in China demonstrated that cardiac injury occurred in 20% of infected patients. Cardiovascular complications were also associated with high risk of coronavirus-related death. Our group has been involved in evaluating non-invasive, non-contact technology for monitoring cardiovascular and pulmonary status and the heart failure population.

The rapid geographic spread of SARS-CoV-2 has been matched by unparalleled speed in its basic and clinical investigation.  What is less understood, however, are fundamental aspects of the epidemiology of the virus.  The first fundamental epidemiologic question is, in any given community, what is the prevalence of infection with SARS-CoV-2 -- to what extent has the virus spread?  This is important both to understand the inherent infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2 and to inform its public health management.  In the U.S., there are no currently no empiric estimates of the prevalence of persons who h