While the U.S. and Europe battle to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, I can’t help but think about how Africa will cope when it becomes the next epicenter. Based on the three-month-old data that we have about the virus and its spread, guidelines on prevention, containment and mitigation have been set by the World Health Organization (WHO). So far, several African governments have adopted the U.S. and European approach that is centered on lockdowns, social distancing and frequent hand washing with soap and water.

Newly reported research findings may help in detecting and preventing the spread of COVID19 at independent and assisted living community for senior adults.

One of the valuable lessons from the study at an affected retirement center in Seattle:  Health-professionals should not rely solely on symptoms to determine if an older adult should receive a lab test for the coronavirus.

Kristie Ebi of the University of Washington School of Public Health was recently designated a National Associate of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, an honorary title that recognizes Ebi’s extraordinary service to help provide analysis and advice to the government and the public on matters of science, engineering and medicine.

The Coler Lab at Seattle Children’s Research Institute is using their expertise to support the clinical trial of an experimental coronavirus vaccine funded by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The trial is being conducted at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle, part of NIAID’s Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium.