Background: School closures were initially believed to mitigate SARS-CoV-2, but instead may have had a limited role in reducing community SARS-CoV-2 transmission. We describe a single school's experience with in-person education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: From August 17, 2020 through January 23, 2021, we conducted a prospective study…

Purpose: As illustrated by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), epidemic models are powerful health policy tools critical for disease prevention and control, i.e. if they are fit for purpose. How do people ensure this is the case and where does health education fit in? Design/methodology/approach: This research takes a multidisciplinary approach…

A physical chemistry lab for undergraduate students described in this report is about applying kinetic models to analyze the spread of COVID-19 in the United States and obtain the reproduction numbers. The susceptible-infectious-recovery (SIR) model and the SIR-vaccinated (SIRV) model are explained to the students and are used to analyze the…

Objective: In April 2022, the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) COVID-19 Contact Tracing & Epidemiology Program identified an outbreak associated with an indoor student gala. This study's aims were to characterize COVID-19 transmission dynamics and measure symptom severity among cases. Participants: The study population included…

The general science of infection prevention and control can be applied to and adapted for a variety of settings, including kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12). Strategies can be implemented in the classroom and whole school environment to prevent a wide array of illnesses caused by both bacteria and viruses. This science brief presents findings…

We explore ways in which statistics can be used to understand disease spread and support decision-making by governments. "Past performance does not guarantee future results"--we hope. We discuss and show examples from the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded COVID-Inspired Data Science Education through Epidemiology (CIDSEE) project.…

BACKGROUND: The emergence of COVID-19 resulted in a substantial loss of education because of global school closures. Face masks are a potential measure to restrain the COVID-19 spread; therefore, this paper evaluated the effectiveness of face masks in reducing COVID-19 incidence in school settings. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted by…

The world is overcoming an unprecedented challenge with the COVID-19 pandemic's worldwide spread. Epidemics and pandemics are part of history. The oldest records are related to the plague of Athens in 430 BC and throughout times numerous other diseases affected humankind, devastating societies. Nowadays, the global world allows rapid communication…

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in changes in all areas of clinical practice, including clinical research and within the intellectual disability population. While there have been some benefits from this rapid adoption of change, those involved in research have had to overcome a number of additional challenges. These adaptive changes, which have…

In the summer of 2020, SARS-CoV-2 infection rates among the U.S. population aged 20-39 years exceeded other age groups, with the largest increases occurring in the southern US. As many colleges reopened for in-person instruction in August and September, these trends continued among campuses across the country. Our study aimed to identify risk…

Objectives: Before the Fall 2020 semester, college presidents and the NCAA made decisions about playing college football. The current study aims to examine the association between college football games and COVID-19 infections at universities. Participants: More than 1,800 college campuses nationwide from "The New York Times" database on…

Objective: Seasonal influenza is a preventable disease that may cause high morbidity and mortality. In the USA, the 2020 influenza season overlapped with the first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. There is a dearth of research on understanding influenza vaccination uptake and attitudes towards the vaccine among marginalised…

Objectives: To gain insight into children's health-related knowledge and understanding of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) and COVID-19, and measures adopted to mitigate transmission. Design: A child-centred qualitative creative element embedded in an online mixed-methods survey of children aged 7-12years. Setting:…

Since the introduction by Kermack and McKendrick in 1927, the Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) epidemic model has been a foundational model to comprehend and predict the dynamics of infectious diseases. Almost for a century, the SIR model has been modified and extended to meet the needs of different characteristics of various infectious…

This paper applies a posthumanist lens, informed by the work of Hollett and Ehret and of Ingold, to consider children's playful affective entanglements with the human and the more-than-human during fluctuating periods of social distancing in the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this refracting theoretical lens, I (re)examine a selection of play and…