Coronavirus
As a deadly new virus spread across the globe, the Harvard community quickly became a hub for researchers, hospitals, and institutes to share their resources and findings. One year later we’ve made breakthroughs on everything from vaccines to protective equipment.
The contagion year
The Harvard Medical School community looks back at year one of the pandemic.
Read the storyThe latest information on Harvard University’s on-campus COVID-19 plans
What we’ve learned
MassCPR
A crucial aspect of Harvard’s COVID response was the creation of the Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness. MassCPR includes scientists from Harvard, MIT, Boston University, Tufts University, the University of Massachusetts, and local hospitals, all united to fight COVID-19 and prepare for future epidemics.
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38
Institutions receive MassCPR research funding.
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557
Scientists involved in MassCPR.
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4,000+
COVID-19 patient specimens provided to investigators.
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1
Current Harvard president gave blood to MassCPR.
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300
Milligrams of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein produced and shared with scientists.
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265
Hours in Zoom meetings.
Heard immunity
Members of the Harvard community talk about successes and struggles as they respond to COVID-19.
Two hundred thousand is a number so large that it can induce a kind of numbness. Resisting that numbness is a national responsibility.”
Laura Tuach, assistant director of field education at Harvard Divinity School
We’ve essentially had to build a medical device company from scratch.”
Richard Novak, senior staff engineer at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering
It’s not just coincidence that the people from my community are dying and other communities are faring much better.”
Silvia Huerta Lopez, third-year M.D.-Ph.D. student and co-founder of Quetzales de Salud
Architects need to be more involved with health care innovation and my colleagues need to understand that design matters.”
Samuel Smith, anesthesiologist at Mass General Hospital
If you’re lonely, almost the last thing you want to do is reach out, but you have to make yourself.”
Karestan Koenen, professor of psychiatric epidemiology at the School of Public Health
Guides and classes
mRNA vaccines explained
Face protection explained
Loneliness explained
Free online courses
Harvard offers a number of free online courses that can help you better understand COVID-19.
COVID-19’s Economic Impacts and Crafting an Effective Policy Response
Understanding the context for the Ebola outbreak: What went right, what went wrong, and how we can all do better
This course will provide licensed medical professionals with an understanding of mechanical ventilation so they can assist with the operation of mechanical ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic
More News & Research
