MEDIA TOOL KIT: What WVU has learned, accomplished and shared in the year of COVID-19 | WVU Today

Original SARS-CoV-2 virus using fixed cells being examined under a microscope at a WVU lab. (WVU Photo/Brian Persinger)
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Under the quiet surface of near-stilled campuses over the past year, West Virginia University researchers, faculty and administrators have scrambled to learn more about COVID-19 and mitigate its spread, calculated how to teach online and hybrid classes and figured out how to better ensure people on those campuses could remain safe from the virulent disease that has killed more than 500,000 U. S. citizens to date.

March 10 news release from WVUToday:

Lessons from the pandemic: What WVU has learned, accomplished and shared in the year of COVID-19

WVU Links to COVID-19 Information :

https://coronavirus.wvu.edu
https://www.wvu.edu/return-to-campus
https://www.wvu.edu/return-to-campus/conversations

Videos:

Are *2* Face Masks BETTER Than 1 For COVID-19 Safety?

Two masks protect against COVID-19 better than one, according to the CDC. But when should you bring an extra mask and double up? Experts from our Center for Inhalation Toxicology at West Virginia University have tested the masks and have the answers.

HEALING FROM HISTORY: Why Some Black Americans are hesitant about COVID-19 vaccines

While West Virginia is one of the nation’s leaders in COVID-19 vaccine delivery, some folks in the state—notably people of color—may be hesitant to receive the vaccine. Experts at West Virginia University point to misinformation about how the vaccine works and a long-standing mistrust of government and medical institutions as reasons for lower vaccination rates among Black Americans.

Our students are helping to *END* the COVID-19 pandemic

Our School of Pharmacy students have been vaccinating West Virginians all across the state, as well as here at WVU to eligible employees and clinical students. They join a network of pharmacists across the state helping to end the pandemic here in West Virginia and protect citizens from the global pandemic - all while still earning their degree.

Detecting COVID Early

A team of WVU scientists is taking to the sewers to test wastewater to detect early COVID-19 outbreaks across campus.

The MASKED Singers | WVU Decoded

Kym Scott, director of choral activities at West Virginia University, recognized the limitations of singing and performing in masks from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. So she tapped into her prior life as a fashion designer to solve a problem unforeseen by non-entertainers.

Links to Previous WVUToday Coverage:

Selected Past stories

WVU, CDC finalize mask observation study results with plans to continue in the spring

Loss of Y chromosome, RNA tied to radiation resistance in male lung-cancer patients

Doubling up on masks doubles down on protection, WVU experiment confirms

WVU experts encourage healthcare providers, institutions to build trust with communities of color to improve COVID-19 vaccination rates

WVU researchers study high-risk populations in low-tech communities

‘No COVID-19 is good COVID-19': Variants spur WVU scientists to study, mitigate strain outbreaks

WVU Pharmacy professor drives effort to administer COVID-19 vaccine to West Virginia teachers

The link to COVID-19 herd immunity is in the supply chain, says WVU business expert

WVU, DHHR establish new COVID-19 testing laboratory in Morgantown

It’s in the water: WVU scientists turning No. 2 into a No. 1 predictor of COVID-19 infections

The masked singers: How a WVU choir director composed the perfect masks for performance art

To help West Virginia reopen safely, WVU researchers develop new COVID-19 tests

WVU researchers tap into wood for protection against COVID-19

Diversity experts say COVID-19 has exacerbated class, racial disparities

WVU business experts partner with the National Guard to forecast PPE needs

WVU-engineered intubation boxes to help reduce risk to clinicians during COVID-19 pandemic

Some older patients may struggle with telemedicine during COVID-19 pandemic, says WVU nurse practitioner

WVU’s campus-wide effort harnesses creativity, innovation to support health care workers at WVU Medicine and around the state

Selected Expert Pitches

Social media plays a role in spreading information, mis-information about COVID-19 vaccine

Boosting public trust in scientists hangs on communications methods, WVU expert says

Why is COVID-19 killing more men than women? WVU immunologist discusses possibilities

Americans face greater risks if U.S. pulls from World Health Organization, says WVU health and policy experts

WVU Extension provides general workplace safety guidance as businesses begin to reopen

Billions of people could be invisible in COVID-19 contract tracing efforts utilizing smartphone apps

Worker shortage more likely than food shortage amid coronavirus pandemic

A century apart, pandemics have parallels in WVU’s response

WVU Extension Service encourages families to incorporate physical activity into daily routine

School counseling expert offers advice for managing children’s anxiety about the COVID-19 pandemic

Social distancing doesn’t have to mean social isolation

WVU Extension Service offers parents advice for at-home learning during coronavirus school closures

Both our political past and present shape America’s response to COVID-19, says policy expert

Selected Story Pitches

WVU uses experiential learning to turn COVID-19 into an educational opportunity

New funding sought as COVID-19 exhausts budget of program helping SNAP recipients and West Virginia farmers

sought as COVID-19 exhausts budget of program helping SNAP recipients and West Virginia farmers

WVU works with National Guard to provide sanitized masks for healthcare providers

WVU School of Medicine faculty suggests artificial intelligence could be significant tool in treating COVID-19 patients

WVU Extension Service 4-H robotics team makes shields for healthcare workers

WVU students create project to help parents ‘look for the helpers’ during COVID-19 pandemic

WVU helps students manage stress, anxiety during coronavirus outbreak

Photos:

View and download images from the COVID-19 Tool kit Photo Gallery

Ajay Aluri, director of the HIT Lab and associate professor in hospitality and tourism management, tests a robot designed for use in the hotel industry. Aluri and students developed software that enables the robot to detect if people are wearing masks and to remind them to social distance. (WVU Photo/Brian Persinger) Download full-size

Kym Scott helps girl Kym Scott, director of choral activities, assists 10-year-old Thessaly Troilo with a singer's mask developed by Scott at the onset of the pandemic. (WVU Photo) Download full-size

Maddie Ferrell testing swabs Lab Specialist Maddie Ferrell performs quality control on 3D-printed COVID-19 testing swabs at the Advanced Engineering Research Building. (WVU Photo/Brian Persinger) Download full-size

Michael Winters, a graduate student at the WVU School of Medicine, quantifies original SARS-CoV-2 virus using fixed cells under a microscope. (WVU Photo/Brian Persinger) Download full-size

Nurkiewicz-Woodfork Tim Nurkiewicz and Karen Woodfork of the WVU Center for Inhalation Toxicology test the efficacy of wearing double masks at the Health Sciences Center. (WVU Photo/Brian Persinger) Download full-size

Prop It Open Members of the WVU COVID-19 wastewater testing team prop open a manhole cover near student housing to collect a wastewater sample. Pictured (left to right) are Eric Lindstrom, an epidemiology doctoral student; Zheng Dai, an epidemiology postdoctoral researcher; Timothy Driscoll, assistant professor of biology; Emily Garner, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering; and Brian Lemme, WVU environmental health and safety specialist. (WVU Photo/Scott Lituchy) Download full-size

Swabs At the onset of the pandemic in spring 2020, the Innovation Hub at WVU worked with WVU Medicine to churn out up to 10,000 swabs weekly to meet demands for tests. (WVU Photo/Brian Persinger) Download full-size

installing guideline policies for classrooms Facilities Planning and Scheduling student worker and Senior Industrial Engineering Major Ben Hawkins installs guideline policies for classrooms in Brooks Hall August 10th, 2020. (WVU Photo/Brian Persinger) Download full-size

Cadets in the WVU ROTC program ring the bell of the USS West Virginia during the 79th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, at the base of the mast of the USS West Virginia, December 7th, 2020. (WVU Photo/Brian Persinger) Download full-size

Students stand in line socially distanced at the food court at the Lair Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020. (WVU Photo/Jennifer Shephard) Download full-size

A student walks past the Mountainlair on the downtown campus Tuesday, March 9, 2021. (WVU Photo/Jennifer Shephard) Download full-size

WVU Freshmen wearing a mask WVU Freshmen students participate in COMM 104 Public Communication Class at the South Ag Sciences lecture hall during the Covid-19 Pandemic October 6, 2020. (WVU Photo/Greg Ellis) Download full-size

Students walk to and from class on the Evansdale campus Monday, March 8, 2021. (WVU Photo/Jennifer Shephard) Download full-size