how to write a thesis on covid 19

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How to write an essay on coronavirus (COVID-19)

(Last updated: 10 November 2021)

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With the coronavirus pandemic affecting every aspect of our lives for the last 18 months, it is no surprise that it has become a common topic in academic assignments. Writing a COVID-19 essay can be challenging, whether you're studying biology, philosophy, or any course in between.

Your first question might be, how would an essay about a pandemic be any different from a typical academic essay? Well, the answer is that in many ways it is largely similar. The key difference, however, is that this pandemic is much more current than usual academic topics. That means that it may be difficult to rely on past research to demonstrate your argument! As a result, COVID-19 essay writing needs to balance theories of past scholars with very current data (that is constantly changing).

In this post, we are going to give you our top tips on how to write a coronavirus academic essay, so that you are able to approach your writing with confidence and produce a great piece of work.

1. Do background reading

Critical reading is an essential component for any essay, but the question is – what should you be reading for a coronavirus essay? It might seem like a silly question, but the choices that you make during the reading process may determine how well you actually do on the paper. Therefore, we recommend the following steps.

First, read (and re-read) the assignment prompt that you have been given by the instructor. If you write an excellent essay, but it is off topic, you’ll likely be marked down. Make notes on the words that explain what is being asked of you – perhaps the essay asks you to “analyse”, “describe”, “list”, or “evaluate”. Make sure that these same words actually appear in your paper.

Second, look for specific things you have been instructed to do. This might include using themes from your textbook or incorporating assigned readings. Make a note of these things and read them first. Remember to take good notes while you read.

Once you have done your course readings, the question then becomes: what types of external readings are you going to need? Typically, at this point, you are going to be left with newspapers/websites, and a few scholarly articles (books on coronavirus might not be readily available at this stage, but could still be useful!). If it is a research essay, you are likely going to need to rely on a variety of sources as you work through this assignment. This might seem different than other academic writing where you would typically focus on only peer-reviewed articles or books. With coronavirus essays, there is a need for a more diverse set of sources, including;

Newspaper articles and websites

Just like with academic articles, not all newspaper articles and/or websites are created equal. Further, there are likely to be a variety of different statistics released, as the way that countries calculate coronavirus cases, deaths, and other components of the virus are not always the same.

Try to pick sources that are reputable. This might be reports done by key governmental organisations or even the World Health Organisation. If you are reading through an article and can identify obvious areas of bias, you may need to find alternate readings for your paper.

Academic articles

You may be surprised to discover the variety of articles published so far on COVID-19 - a lot can be achieved over multiple lockdowns! The research that has been done has been fairly extensive, covering a broad range of topics. Therefore, when preparing to write your academic essay, make sure to check the literature frequently as new publications are being released all the time.

If you do a search and you cannot find anything on the coronavirus specifically, you will have to widen your search. Think about the topic more widely. Are there theories that you have learned about in your classes that you can link to academic articles? Surely the answer must be yes! Just because there is limited research on this topic does not mean that you should avoid academic articles all together. Relying solely on websites or newspapers can lead you to a biased piece of writing, which usually is not what an academic essay is all about.

2. Plan your essay

Brainstorming.

Taking the time to brainstorm out your ideas can be the first step in a super successful essay. Brainstorming does not have to take a lot of time, and can be done in about 20 minutes if you have already done some background reading on the topic.

First, figure out how many points you need to identify. Each point is likely to equate to one paragraph of your paper, so if you are writing a 1500-word essay (and you use 300 words for the introduction and conclusion) you will be left with 1200 words, which means you will need between 5-6 paragraphs (and 5-6 points).

Start with a blank piece of paper. In the middle of the paper write the question or statement that you are trying to answer. From there, draw 5 or 6 lines out from the centre. At the end of each of these lines will be a point you want to address in your essay. From here, write down any additional ideas that you have.

It might look messy, but that’s OK! This is just the first step in the process and an opportunity for you to get your ideas down on paper. From this messiness, you can easily start to form a logical and linear outline that will soon become the template for your essay.

Creating an outline

Once you have a completed brainstorm, the next step is to put your ideas into a logical format The first step in this process is usually to write out a rough draft of the argument you are attempting to make. In doing this, you are then able to see how your subsequent paragraphs are addressing this topic (and if they are not addressing the topic, now is the time to change this!).

Once you have a position/argument/thesis statement, create space for your body paragraphs, but numbering each section. Then, write a rough draft of the topic sentence that you think will fit well in that section. Once you have done this, pull up the coronavirus articles, data, and other reports that you have read. Determine where each will fit best in your paper (and exclude the ones that do not fit well). Put a citation of the document in each paragraph section (this will make it easier to construct your reference list at the end).

Once every paragraph is organised, double check to make sure they are all still on track to address your main thesis. At this point you are ready to write an excellent and well-organised COVID-19 essay!

3. Structure your paragraphs

When structuring an academic essay on COVID-19, there will be a need to balance the news, evidence from academic articles, and course theory. This adds an extra layer of complexity because there are just so many things to juggle.

One strategy that can be helpful is to structure all your paragraphs in the same way. Now, you might be thinking, how boring! In reality, it is likely that the reader will appreciate the fact that you have carefully thought out your process and how you are going to approach this essay.

How to design your essay paragraphs

• Create a topic sentence. A topic sentence is a sentence that presents the main idea for the paragraph. Usually it links back to your thesis, argument, or position.
• Start to introduce your evidence. Use the next sentence in your introduction as a bridge between the topic sentence and the evidence/data you are going to present.
• Add evidence. Take 2-4 sentences to give the reader some good information that supports your topic sentence. This can be statistics, details from an empirical study, information from a news article, or some other form of information.
• Give some critical thought. It is essential to make a connection for the reader between your evidence and your topic sentence. Tell the reader why the information you have presented is important.
• Provide a concluding sentence. Make sure you wrap up your argument or transition to the next one.

4. Write your essay

Keep it academic.

There is a lot of information available about the coronavirus, but because much of it is coming from newspaper articles, the evidence that you might use for your paper can be skewed. In order to keep your paper academic, it is best to maintain a professional and academic style.

Present statistics from reputable sources (like the World Health Organisation), rather than those that have been selected by third parties. Furthermore, if you are writing a COVID-19 essay that is about a specific region (e.g. the United Kingdom), make sure that your statistics and evidence also come from this region.

Use up-to-date sources

The information on coronavirus is constantly changing. By now, everyone has seen the exponential curve of cases reoccurring all over the world at different times. Therefore, what was true last month may not necessarily be the case now. This can be challenging when you are planning an essay, because your outline from a previous week may need to be modified.

There are a number of ways you can address this. One way is, obviously, to continue going back and refreshing the data. Another way, which can be equally useful, is to outline the scope of the problem in your paper, writing something like, “data on COVID-19 is constantly changing, but the data presented was accurate at the time of writing”.

Avoid personal bias or opinion (unless asked!)

Everybody has an opinion – this opinion can often relate to how you or your family members have been affected by the pandemic (and the government response to this). People have lost jobs, have had to avoid family/friends, or have lost someone as a result of this pandemic. Life, for many, is very different.

While all of this is extremely important, it may not necessarily be relevant for an academic essay. One of the more challenging components of this type of academic paper is to try and remove yourself from the evidence you are providing. Now… there are exceptions. If you are writing a COVID-19 reflective essay, then it is your responsibility to include your opinion; otherwise, do your best to remain objective.

Avoid personal pronouns

Along the same lines as avoiding bias, it is also a good idea to avoid personal pronouns in your academic essay (except in a reflection, of course). This means avoiding words like “I, we, our, my”. While you may agree (or disagree) with the sentiment you are presenting, try and present your information from a distanced perspective.

Proofread carefully

Finally (and this is true of any essay), make sure that you take the time to proofread your essay carefully. Is it free from spelling errors? Have you checked the grammar? Have you made sure that your references are correct and in order? Have you carefully reviewed the submission requirements of your instructor (e.g. font, margins, spacing, etc.)? If the answer is yes, it sounds as if you are finally ready to submit your essay.

Final thoughts

Writing an essay is not easy. Writing an essay on a pandemic while living in that same pandemic is even more difficult.

A good essay is appropriately structured with a clear purpose and is presented according to the recommended guidelines. Unless it is a personal reflection, it attempts to present information as if it were free from bias.

So before you start to panic about having to write an essay about a pandemic, take a breath. You can do this. Take all the same steps as you would in a conventional academic essay, but expand your search to include relevant and up-to-date information that you know will make your essay a success. Once you have done this, make sure to have your university writing centre or an academic at Oxbridge Essays check it over and make suggestions! Now, stop reading and get writing! Good luck.

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COVID-19 Thesis Impact Statement

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on all aspects of our lives is well known.

Victoria experienced six lockdowns between March 2020 and October 2021 that collectively totalled 262 days. Deakin University sought to mitigate this impact on the research by higher degree by research students in various ways, including providing priority access to laboratories and support to pivot research projects. Not all impact on research could be mitigated with direct and indirect effects of limited domestic and international travel, closed university campuses and restricted in-person access to human research participants.

Within this context, you have the option of describing the impact of COVID-19 on your research and how you modified your topic, methods and data collection due to COVID-19 restrictions. The COVID-19 Thesis Impact Statement aims to provide the examiners with a clearer understanding of how the research was affected and shaped due to COVID-19 disruptions.

A COVID-19 Thesis Impact Statement is not required and you may submit your thesis for examination without reference to the COVID-19 pandemic. Should you wish to submit your thesis with a COVID-19 Thesis Impact Statement, do so only under the advice of your supervisory panel.

Please note that you may opt to include a COVID-19 Thesis Impact Statement for examination and remove it from your library copy but you cannot do the reverse. A COVID-19 Thesis Impact Statement cannot be included in your library copy if it wasn’t included in the examination copy.

Content of a COVID-19 Thesis Impact Statement

Following is some examples and advice of what and what not to include in your COVID-19 Thesis Impact Statement.

• How your planned research activities such as topic, research question, methods and data collection and/or the scope of your research were disrupted or changed due the pandemic. For instance: inability to conduct fieldwork or face-to-face research; access to facilities such as labs, archives or other working spaces; inability to collect or analyse data due to travel restrictions.
• How the research was shaped by the disruption: the actions or decisions taken to mitigate the disruption; new focus; revised research questions or development; pivoting or adjusting the research project.
• Any other relevant factors relating to the impact of the COVID-19 disruption on your research.
• Ensure that you do not infer that your thesis is of a lower standard due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Your COVID-19 Thesis Impact Statement should not address any effect on your personal circumstances.

Format of a COVID-19 Thesis Impact Statement

You may choose to include the statement as an upfront additional page in your thesis and/or address the impact within the content of the thesis.

If placed as a separate page at the beginning of your thesis, it should be no more than 600 words.

We encourage you to discuss with your supervisor the format of a COVID-19 Thesis Impact Statement that best fits your thesis and impact on your research.

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Thesis Submission Guidance: COVID-19 Impact Statement

In response to the impact of the global pandemic, we’re giving you the option to include a statement at the start of your thesis which outlines the effects that COVID-19 may have had on the research that you have undertaken towards your doctoral degree.

The inclusion of a statement is to facilitate the reader’s awareness, both now and in the future, that the pandemic may have had an effect on the scope, direction and presentation of the research.

The academic standards and quality threshold for the award remains unchanged. Where statements are included, you should be reassured that this is not evidencing a lack of original research or intellectual rigour.

If you decide to include one such statement, it should appear on the first page of the thesis, after the cover page, and be titled ‘Impact of COVID-19’. The statement should not exceed 1000 words and will not count towards the total thesis word count.

Examples of potential areas for consideration and comment when developing your impact statement are below. However, you should discuss the content of the statement with your supervisor before submission:

• Details on how disruption caused by COVID-19 has impacted the research (for example, an inability to conduct face to face research, an inability to collect/analyse data as a result of travel constraints, or restricted access to labs or other working spaces).
• A description of how the planned work would have fitted within the thesis narrative (e.g., through method development, expansion of analytical skills or advancement of hypotheses).
• A summary of any decisions / actions taken to mitigate for any work or data collection/analyses that were prevented by COVID-19.
• Highlighting new research questions and developments, emphasising the work that has been undertaken in pivoting or adjusting the project.

You are reminded of the public nature of the published thesis and the longevity of any such included statements about the impact of the pandemic. You are advised to take a cautious approach as to the insertion of any personal information in these statements.

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Paper 2: Working Thesis Statement

For class Wednesday, 2 March, please post the following in a comment to this message:

• A brief statement of the subject for your paper
• Two potential thesis statements for your paper.  (You can find information about writing a strong thesis statement in the OWL at https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/establishing_arguments/index.html

If you have not done so already, please be sure to email me your homework for Monday’s class (a statement of your topic, why you are interested in it, and two or three sources on this topic).

10 Responses to Paper 2: Working Thesis Statement

John Tommasi Video gaming during the pandemic

The gaming industry’s success during the pandemic is due to its synchronicity with remote technology as well as changing consumer lifestyles.

Increased video gaming during the pandemic is a result of personal stress and a desire to safely interact with others.

Jeff Cheung

Music-making/performing during the pandemic.

By stripping away the chances for people to listen and make music together, COVID-19 strengthened the power of music as there is an increased demand for it. Many people realized that in times of uncertainty and darkness, music uplifts and heals.

There are classically trained musicians who devoted decades of arduous work studying in conservatories to make a living just for COVID-19 to strip that away from them. As a result, many of them are left without their livelihoods and are struggling to make ends meet.

Uzay Poyraz

How did the pandemic affect the nightlife sector in France?

2 Working thesis statement:

Although the normalization of the pandemic aids in the revival of the nightlife scene in France, the effects of the pandemic indefinitely limit the rebound to what it was before the pandemic.

Although the reducing effects of the pandemic allow France’s nightlife scene to become active again, many underlying reasons limit a return to the before-pandemic state.

Revised thesis: Although COVID-19 took away many opportunities for live classical music collaboration and performance, technological innovations on remote music-making in addition to platforms such as Zoom and YouTube resulted in a digital cultural shift that made classical music much more accessible to the masses.

Consuming Video Media during the pandemic

Throughout the pandemic, the way our culture consumes content has changed and is still on the verge of changing to a new post-pandemic style. The pandemic made theaters close their doors for nearly a year pushing everyone else to find ways to entertain themselves indoors more often causing a rise in the usage of streaming services, direct to streaming movies, and the emergence of releasing movies in both streaming and theater formats.

One of the cultural changes caused by the pandemic was that we watched more movies and shows at home because movie theaters had closed. Movie companies had to adapt and figure out ways to best take advantage of this by releasing movies straight to their streaming services and a year into the pandemic releasing movies both in theaters and the streaming services. There was also the explosion of streaming shows such as Netflix’s Tiger King and Disney+ WandaVision which showed that people are into the streaming format.

Dominick Sannino Essential workers

The COVID-19 pandemic has left few aspects of our society untouched, rapidly shifting our culture in ways unimaginable to those living in a pre pandemic world. Arguably one of the most positive changes in American culture during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the rise in public appreciation for blue collar and service industry workers. While at face value the name “essential worker” may seem only like a symbolic change in how the public views the working class, this new title in many ways reflects larger shifts in public attitude and treatment of workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left few aspects of our society untouched, rapidly shifting our culture in ways unimaginable to those living in a pre pandemic world. Arguably one of the most positive changes in American culture during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the growth of the workers rights movement. Recent increases in unionization and a demand for higher wages has begun to shift workers’ opinion about their role in society and the workplace. This growing demand for better working and living conditions may be one of the most impactful cultural marks left by the pandemic.

Emma Laquinta How has the pandemic influenced our interaction(s) with medical professionals? How has the increased reliance on telemedicine?

1. The COVID-19 Pandemic has forever changed the landscape of medical practice, though it is unclear whether shifts to telemedicine, rapidly changing legislature, and increased media coverage of this industry will positively impact the future of American medicine.

2. While the COVID-19 Pandemic has undoubtedly advanced the rise of telemedicine as the predominant communication method between patients and medical providers, this shift has the potential to do more harm than good in the medical industry.

Nicholas Flecha

Interest in the stock market during the pandemic.

The pandemic caused many people, primarily middle-class, to develop an interest into the stock market and investing as a whole.

The stock market gained a larger audience of interested middle-class people as a result of the pandemic.

Binge watching

Given the bleak context, we can examine binge watching tv shows in a new light. The near universality of binge watching shows in the US during COVID 19 is a representation of culture during the pandemic.

The near vegetable states of those at home deprived them of a story, a narrative, and a purpose. The shows once seemed like x hours of waste then enthralled us. The shows created a new world, they simulated a life that we would rather pay attention to than the lack of motion in front of the computer screen, which was very common for many.

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Covid impact statement

An optional impact statement to explain to your examiners how your project/thesis has changed as a consequence of Covid-19 restrictions.

Many PGRs will have had to adapt their research project, sometimes significantly, in response to Covid-19 restrictions and this may be a cause of concern. Be reassured that adapting research projects in the light of unforeseen circumstances is a normal part of research and you will not be disadvantaged for doing so, as long as you are still able to meet the criteria for the relevant award ( section 2 of the Policy on Research Degrees ).

If you believe the pandemic is having or has had a significant negative impact on your personal circumstances (for example, led to ill-health or a challenging domestic situation) you should request a  leave of absence  or  extension  on those grounds. As always, you can seek independent advice from the Graduate Student's Association advice team.

Challenges and context

If you started on or before 31 March 2021 and will submit from December 2020 onwards, you will have the option of submitting a short impact statement to give contextual information about the effect of the Covid-19 restrictions on your research project/thesis. Submitted statements will be shared by PGR Administration with your examiners, who may explore the statement in an oral examination.

The statement enables you to explain challenges, for example:

• difficulty or delay in collecting or analysing data due to the closure of/restrictions on laboratories/other specialist facilities/expertise, curtailed/cancelled fieldwork due to travel restrictions or social distancing measures
• reduced data in one or more theis chapters, and/or thesis chapters that are shorter and/or not as closely linked as might be expected

You can also explain how the planned (i.e. pre-Covid-19 restrictions) research would have fitted into the thesis’ narrative and the steps you took to address the challenges arising from the Covid-19 restrictions, in terms of adjusting the scope, design or phasing of their research project/thesis, for example:

• one or more changes of research topic
• a change in emphasis from empirical to theoretical research
• a change of research location (fieldwork, archive, etc)
• a change a method (e.g. running experiments remotely rather than in person, using simulation, moving from in-person data collection to online data collection, analysing existing data sets)
• altering the timing of, or substituting, one or more experiments.

Submit an impact statement

You should complete the impact statement just before you submit your thesis for examination. Please upload the completed impact statement (as a PDF file) with your thesis.

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Persuasive Essay Guide

Persuasive Essay About Covid19

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Are you looking to write a persuasive essay about the Covid-19 pandemic?

Writing a compelling and informative essay about this global crisis can be challenging. It requires researching the latest information, understanding the facts, and presenting your argument persuasively.

But don’t worry! with some guidance from experts, you’ll be able to write an effective and persuasive essay about Covid-19.

In this blog post, we’ll outline the basics of writing a persuasive essay . We’ll provide clear examples, helpful tips, and essential information for crafting your own persuasive piece on Covid-19.

Read on to get started on your essay.

• 1. Steps to Write a Persuasive Essay About Covid-19
• 2. Examples of Persuasive Essay About COVID-19
• 3. Examples of Persuasive Essay About COVID-19 Vaccine
• 4. Examples of Persuasive Essay About COVID-19 Integration
• 5. Examples of Argumentative Essay About Covid 19
• 6. Examples of Persuasive Speeches About Covid-19
• 7. Tips to Write a Persuasive Essay About Covid-19
• 8. Common Topics for a Persuasive Essay on COVID-19 

Steps to Write a Persuasive Essay About Covid-19

Here are the steps to help you write a persuasive essay on this topic, along with an example essay:

Step 1: Choose a Specific Thesis Statement

Your thesis statement should clearly state your position on a specific aspect of COVID-19. It should be debatable and clear. For example:

Step 2: Research and Gather Information

Collect reliable and up-to-date information from reputable sources to support your thesis statement. This may include statistics, expert opinions, and scientific studies. For instance:

• COVID-19 vaccination effectiveness data
• Information on vaccine mandates in different countries
• Expert statements from health organizations like the WHO or CDC

Step 3: Outline Your Essay

Create a clear and organized outline to structure your essay. A persuasive essay typically follows this structure:

• Introduction
• Background Information
• Body Paragraphs (with supporting evidence)
• Counterarguments (addressing opposing views)

Step 4: Write the Introduction

In the introduction, grab your reader's attention and present your thesis statement. For example:

Step 5: Provide Background Information

Offer context and background information to help your readers understand the issue better. For instance:

Step 6: Develop Body Paragraphs

Each body paragraph should present a single point or piece of evidence that supports your thesis statement. Use clear topic sentences , evidence, and analysis. Here's an example:

Step 7: Address Counterarguments

Acknowledge opposing viewpoints and refute them with strong counterarguments. This demonstrates that you've considered different perspectives. For example:

Step 8: Write the Conclusion

Summarize your main points and restate your thesis statement in the conclusion. End with a strong call to action or thought-provoking statement. For instance:

Step 9: Revise and Proofread

Edit your essay for clarity, coherence, grammar, and spelling errors. Ensure that your argument flows logically.

Step 10: Cite Your Sources

Include proper citations and a bibliography page to give credit to your sources.

Remember to adjust your approach and arguments based on your target audience and the specific angle you want to take in your persuasive essay about COVID-19.

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Examples of Persuasive Essay About COVID-19

When writing a persuasive essay about the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to consider how you want to present your argument. To help you get started, here are some example essays for you to read:

Here is another example explaining How COVID-19 has changed our lives essay:

Let’s look at another sample essay:

Check out some more PDF examples below:

Persuasive Essay About Covid-19 Pandemic

Sample Of Persuasive Essay About Covid-19

Persuasive Essay About Covid-19 In The Philippines - Example

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Examples of Persuasive Essay About COVID-19 Vaccine

Covid19 vaccines are one of the ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but they have been a source of controversy. Different sides argue about the benefits or dangers of the new vaccines. Whatever your point of view is, writing a persuasive essay about it is a good way of organizing your thoughts and persuading others.

A persuasive essay about the COVID-19 vaccine could consider the benefits of getting vaccinated as well as the potential side effects.

Below are some examples of persuasive essays on getting vaccinated for Covid-19.

Covid19 Vaccine Persuasive Essay

Persuasive Essay on Covid Vaccines

Interested in thought-provoking discussions on abortion? Read our persuasive essay about abortion blog to eplore arguments!

Examples of Persuasive Essay About COVID-19 Integration

Covid19 has drastically changed the way people interact in schools, markets, and workplaces. In short, it has affected all aspects of life. However, people have started to learn to live with Covid19.

Writing a persuasive essay about it shouldn't be stressful. Read the sample essay below to get an idea for your own essay about Covid19 integration.

Persuasive Essay About Working From Home During Covid19

Searching for the topic of Online Education? Our persuasive essay about online education is a must-read.

Examples of Argumentative Essay About Covid 19

Covid-19 has been an ever-evolving issue, with new developments and discoveries being made on a daily basis.

Writing an argumentative essay about such an issue is both interesting and challenging. It allows you to evaluate different aspects of the pandemic, as well as consider potential solutions.

Here are some examples of argumentative essays on Covid19.

Argumentative Essay About Covid19 Sample

Argumentative Essay About Covid19 With Introduction Body and Conclusion

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Examples of Persuasive Speeches About Covid-19

Do you need to prepare a speech about Covid19 and need examples? We have them for you!

Persuasive speeches about Covid-19 can provide the audience with valuable insights on how to best handle the pandemic. They can be used to advocate for specific changes in policies or simply raise awareness about the virus.

Check out some examples of persuasive speeches on Covid-19:

Persuasive Speech About Covid-19 Example

Persuasive Speech About Vaccine For Covid-19

You can also read persuasive essay examples on other topics to master your persuasive techniques!

Tips to Write a Persuasive Essay About Covid-19

Writing a persuasive essay about COVID-19 requires a thoughtful approach to present your arguments effectively. 

Here are some tips to help you craft a compelling persuasive essay on this topic:

• Choose a Specific Angle: Narrow your focus to a specific aspect of COVID-19, like vaccination or public health measures.
• Provide Credible Sources: Support your arguments with reliable sources like scientific studies and government reports.
• Use Persuasive Language: Employ ethos, pathos, and logos , and use vivid examples to make your points relatable.
• Organize Your Essay: Create a solid persuasive essay outline and ensure a logical flow, with each paragraph focusing on a single point.
• Emphasize Benefits: Highlight how your suggestions can improve public health, safety, or well-being.
• Use Visuals: Incorporate graphs, charts, and statistics to reinforce your arguments.
• Call to Action: End your essay conclusion with a strong call to action, encouraging readers to take a specific step.
• Revise and Edit: Proofread for grammar, spelling, and clarity, ensuring smooth writing flow.
• Seek Feedback: Have someone else review your essay for valuable insights and improvements.

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Common Topics for a Persuasive Essay on COVID-19 

Here are some persuasive essay topics on COVID-19:

• The Importance of Vaccination Mandates for COVID-19 Control
• Balancing Public Health and Personal Freedom During a Pandemic
• The Economic Impact of Lockdowns vs. Public Health Benefits
• The Role of Misinformation in Fueling Vaccine Hesitancy
• Remote Learning vs. In-Person Education: What's Best for Students?
• The Ethics of Vaccine Distribution: Prioritizing Vulnerable Populations
• The Mental Health Crisis Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
• The Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 on Healthcare Systems
• Global Cooperation vs. Vaccine Nationalism in Fighting the Pandemic
• The Future of Telemedicine: Expanding Healthcare Access Post-COVID-19

In search of more inspiring topics for your next persuasive essay? Our persuasive essay topics blog has plenty of ideas!

To sum it up,

You’ve explored great sample essays and picked up some useful tips. You now have the tools you need to write a persuasive essay about Covid-19. So don’t let doubts hold you back—start writing!

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good title for a covid-19 essay.

A good title for a COVID-19 essay should be clear, engaging, and reflective of the essay's content. Examples include:

• "The Impact of COVID-19 on Global Health"
• "How COVID-19 Has Transformed Our Daily Lives"
• "COVID-19: Lessons Learned and Future Implications"

How do I write an informative essay about COVID-19?

To write an informative essay about COVID-19, follow these steps:

• Choose a specific focus: Select a particular aspect of COVID-19, such as its transmission, symptoms, or vaccines.
• Research thoroughly: Gather information from credible sources like scientific journals and official health organizations.
• Organize your content: Structure your essay with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
• Present facts clearly: Use clear, concise language to convey information accurately.
• Include visuals: Use charts or graphs to illustrate data and make your essay more engaging.

How do I write an expository essay about COVID-19?

To write an expository essay about COVID-19, follow these steps:

• Select a clear topic: Focus on a specific question or issue related to COVID-19.
• Conduct thorough research: Use reliable sources to gather information.
• Create an outline: Organize your essay with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
• Explain the topic: Use facts and examples to explain the chosen aspect of COVID-19 in detail.
• Maintain objectivity: Present information in a neutral and unbiased manner.
• Edit and revise: Proofread your essay for clarity, coherence, and accuracy.

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Global Health (GHWG)

Content from global health (ghwg) working group, do you want to write a covid dissertation.

Professor Sophie Harman, a member of our Global Health Working Group, gives some advice about coming up with dissertation topics related to COVID.

Part of the joy and point of writing a dissertation is for students to come up with their own subject and research question. Both students and supervisors know this is often the most painful part of the process (second only to the week before deadline – start early, marathon not a sprint etc!). I know good supervisors can support students writing dissertations in all manner of subjects and this is what makes it so rewarding. However, in a year where we’re all dealing with increased pressure, demands on our time, and managing screen headaches, I thought I’d put my 15 years global health politics experience to good use and make some suggestions/pointers to help you when a student comes to you as says the inevitable: [1]

‘I was thinking of writing my dissertation on COVID-19’

Below are 10 suggested questions with suggested literature and methods, covering institutions, security, race, policy, vaccines, gender, aesthetics, expertise, knowledge. These by no means cover everything and by no means prescribe how I think a dissertation on that topic should be written. If helpful, see them as jump-off points to think about these topics. The only caution I have is make sure all projects are only focused on the start/first 6 months of COVID-19 – we are only at the end of the beginning. This is also a pre-emptive move to stop you getting your students to email me for ideas.

Institutions and global governance

1. Is the WHO capable of preventing and responding to major pandemics?

Literature: WHO, IHR, GOARN, global health security + previous outbreaks (Ebola, pandemic flu, HIV/AIDS)

Methods: Case Studies – look at the tools/instruments e.g. IHR, GOARN, Regional offices etc

2. Why did states pursue different responses to the COVID-19 outbreak?

Literature: Global health security, state compliance in IR, international law and international organisations

Methods: Pick two contrasting case studies e.g. England/Scotland, Canada/US, Germany/UK, Sweden/Denmark and then look at different levels of policy and decision making per chapter – Global, National, Regional/local and rationales behind decisions from – expert evidence, speeches, policy decisions, policy timelines

3. How can we understand the gender dimensions of COVID-19?

Literature: Gender and global health, Feminist IPE, Black Feminism, WPS (if looking at violence)

Methods: Explore 1 – 3 key themes from the literature – Care and domestic burden, Health Care Workers, Domestic violence in depth. Depending on networks and contacts, could run focus groups (ethics! And definitely NOT if doing violence), or analyse survey data – lots of surveys done on this and the raw data is always made available if have the skills to play with it.

Political economy

4. Are states the main barrier to vaccine equity?

Literature: Vaccine access and nationalism, access to treatment, IPE of health and trade, pharmaceutical companies, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Methods: Look at the different stages of vaccine development for 2/3 trials and consider the role of States (where putting money, public statements, any actions e.g. email hacks), Researchers (where get money from, how collaborating, knowledge sharing), Institutions (CEPI, GAVI, WHO), and the Private Sector (pharma and foundations – who’s investing, what is their return – and private security companies – who protects the commodity?). Think: interests, investment, barriers/opportunities.

Security and foreign policy

5. Were state security strategies prepared for major pandemics prior to COVID-19? If not, why not?

Literature: Global health security, securitisation and desecuritisation of health

Methods: 2 – 3 state case studies or 1 in detail, think about Strategy, Training/Preparedness, Actors. Content analysis of security strategies and defence planning and budget allocations, speeches, training, simulations etc.

6. What is the role of images in responding to outbreaks?

Literature: Aesthetics and IR, behaviour change communication and images in public health

Methods: 3 case studies on different types of images in COVID-19, e.g. 1. Global public health messaging; 2. National public health messaging; 3. Community Expression – OR pick one of these options and explore in depth.

Race and racism

7. Could the racial inequalities of COVID-19 been foreseen and prevented?

Literature: Racism and global health, racism and domestic health systems, Black Feminism, Critical Trans Politics

Method: Option 1 – look maternal health as a proxy in three case study countries e.g. Brazil, US, UK; Option 2 – pick one country and look at three health issues prior to COVID-19 e.g. Maternal Health, Diabetes, Heart Disease.

Knowledge, discourse, and experts

8. Is COVID-19 the biggest global pandemic of a generation?

Literature: Postcolonial/decolonial theory, poststructuralism, Politics of HIV/AIDS, pandemic flu

Method: Discourse analysis around ‘once in a lifetime rhetoric’ – who says it, when, and why; contrast with discourse around COVID-19 from countries with previous outbreaks e.g. Sierra Leone, DRC, China, Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil (you’ll need to be selective as can’t measure discourse from all states! Think through why you make your choices here and how they relate to each other) OR contrast COVID-19 with a previous pandemic, e.g. HIV/AIDS

9. What knowledge counts in COVID-19?

Literature: Postcolonial/decolonial theory, post-structuralism, IR and Global Health, politics of experts

Methods: Review lessons learned from previous outbreaks (there are lots of source material on this after Ebola and SARS for example) and how they led to changes/what learned for COVID-19; Stakeholder mapping and/or network analysis – Who are the experts? Look at backgrounds, types of knowledge and expertise, did they work on the Ebola response/HIV/AIDS in the early 2000s for example?; Case Study – UK/US – where have high concentration of public health experts and institutions, export knowledge to low and middle income countries, evidence of importing knowledge from these countries, especially given the experience?

UK/State responses

10. How can we understand/explain the first 6 months of the US/UK/Sweden/Australia/South Africa/China/Brazil/you choose! response to COVID-19?

WARNING! This is the question that could descend into a polemic so approach with absolute caution. I would strongly advise against, but have included to give a clearer steer.

The key with this question is to remember you are not submitting a public health or epidemiology dissertation, so bear in mind you probably don’t have the skills and knowledge to assess what was a good/bad public health decision (other than obvious ones such as PPE stocks for example). What you do have the skills to do is to look at the politics as to  why  a decision was taken and  how  it was taken – investigate what the different recommendations/guidance suggested, who followed/ignored/subverted it and what outcomes this produced.

Literature: health policy, public policy, state compliance IR

Methods: 1. Global – map what global advice there was and how did the state follow (or not) in preparedness and response and what was the rationale for doing so – political circumstances at the time, stated rationale for decision, who was making decision; 2. National – key public health decisions, commodities, social-economic consequences – how were these planned for/overlooked and why. To look at these two levels may require mixed methods of global and national policy timelines, stakeholder analysis, content analysis of speeches and recommendations, mapping changes to data presentation and access.

[1]  For the first two years of my career I supervised countless projects loosely based around ‘Is the War in Iraq illegal?’ I’m hoping some of the variety here will stop two years of ‘Is the UK government’s respond to COVID-19 a national scandal?’ or ‘Is the WHO fit for purpose?’ – two great topics, but tiresome after a bit.

Reproduced with kind permission from Global Politics Unbound at QMU.

Photo by iMattSmart on Unsplash

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Pandemic Impact Statement Template

Download the Template

Why do we need templates for pandemic statements?

This pandemic impact statement template, which relates to the UMass ADVANCE Documenting Pandemic Impacts tool , provides templates that faculty can use in creating their pandemic statements. The goal is to cut the time spent writing these statements, while providing examples for how to write, short, clear statements. It is important to note that pandemic impact statements are voluntary, and faculty can decide whether to include them on AFRs, for internal audiences for personnel cases, and/or for external audiences for personnel cases.

Why do we write pandemic statements? 

With the pandemic impact statement, faculty members are helping ensure that the university recognizes both the additional contributions that they made due to the pandemic, and the limitations that the pandemic imposed upon them, so that their work is valued and any impacts do not derail their career. 

UMass ADVANCE develops the R3 model, suggesting that faculty need resources , relationships , and recognition for successful careers.  The pandemic statement allows for evaluators to recognize how the pandemic has shaped faculty experiences. It also may help faculty articulate the resources they need to re-engage with their work given what has occurred, as well as the relationships that need to be built or rebuilt, given that the pandemic has disrupted essential connections between faculty members. The pandemic impact statement is an opportunity for faculty members to communicate how they’ve been affected, and what they need, going forward. 

What are some concerns about writing pandemic statements? 

Faculty members write pandemic impact statements to document impacts while they still remember them. One concern is that writing such statements means additional workload at a time when many are already stretched. UMass ADVANCE’s solution to this issue is to keep documentation short, using templates to help limit the time spent crafting such statements. 

These statements also allow faculty members to clarify the specific impacts they experienced, since there is a great deal of variation by field, methods, gender, race, caregiver status, and other factors. Another concern faculty members express is that these statements ask them to document challenges, when faculty members normally only document achievements. UMass ADVANCE suggests that faculty members also use these statements to document their contributions, while using a matter-of-fact tone in addressing challenges caused by the pandemic. In addition, department personnel committees can provide summaries of how the discipline was disrupted, which can be appended to all annual faculty report evaluations or personnel evaluations, so that individual faculty do not have to specify details, if they wish. 

The point to the pandemic impact statement is for evaluators to recognize how each faculty member’s workload (how much they were doing in different areas) and work context (where and how they did their work) has differed due to the pandemic. Yet, another concern is that evaluators will ignore that context or workload, or – if faculty members document pandemic-related health and care issues – statements may activate caregiver or disability bias. UMass ADVANCE’s solution has been to train and educate evaluators to use pandemic statements appropriately, and about the need to avoid caregiver or disability bias. At the same time, UMass ADVANCE encourages faculty to only include care/health issues if they feel comfortable doing so. These statements are not mandatory, and some faculty members may want to write more detailed statements that they keep in their personal files, but do not share. 

What are some key principles in writing pandemic statements? 

• Pandemic statements are voluntary! Faculty members should only write statements if they wish to do so. 
• Statements are easier to write while effects are recent; consulting personal calendars can be helpful. 
• Include both disruptions and new/unexpected workload and contributions in response to the crisis. 
• Keep statements short and to the point. Faculty members can estimate how many additional hours specific activities took, but this is not necessary. 
• Faculty members get to decide whether to share personal details.  Some draft a personal copy (with additional information) for their own records.

General Template

We like this generic statement about the pandemic more broadly, taken (with permission) from a UMass faculty member’s statement: 

My students and collaborators are dealing with the stress of isolation; mental health crises; aging parents and parents sick with COVID-19 or other illnesses; compromised immune systems; and their own physical disabilities. The effects of the pandemic on me and my trainees’ careers are likely to be felt for years.

Teaching and Mentoring Templates 

I had to prepare material to teach remotely XX courses over 2020-2021, adding substantial unexpected work during summer 2020 and winter 2021. I had to prepare YY of these courses for hybrid (in-person and remote) offering to accommodate students that could not be present on-campus.   I taught XX courses online, and XX course in person over 2020-21. The online courses required new pedagogical approaches, which required training and took time to develop; the in-person required more time to address health and safety concerns, and had to be prepared for hybrid format or with allowances for student extensions.     The required internship for our M.A. program was no longer offered, due to its face-to-face contact. I worked with XX students to develop alternate plans to complete the program.   Over 2020-21, I had multiple undergraduate and graduate students in crisis. Advising undergraduate and graduate students required additional time each week. Attempting to contact students and referring them to appropriate support offices at UMass also required substantial time.    As a new faculty in Fall 2020, it’s hard to know the effects. I have spent a great deal of time on teaching, as I had not ever taught online before, though I’m not sure how much of that time is also adjusting to a new institution. Some students just would stop coming to class, and my efforts to track them down took substantial time. Other students met with me regularly, and seemed to need a lot of emotional energy.

Service Templates

My department moved from monthly XX-hour meetings to biweekly XX-hour meetings, meaning I spent an additional XX hours in meetings each month.    As program coordinator, I spent additional time helping colleagues transition courses for remote offering.    I developed or worked with staff to coordinate an online graduation ceremony for our students.   As session organizer for several sessions of our annual conference, I spend extra hours creating online sessions and replacing participants who dropped out. 

As a new faculty member, I felt like it was very hard to connect with colleagues.  I don’t know if this is usual, or connected to the pandemic.

Research & Creative Work

As a result of the increased time documented on teaching and service, I necessarily spent less time on my research.   I had to stop the community-engaged study I had been carrying out since Fall 2019. This work may not be published, given its abrupt end. It took XX months to receive IRB permission for a new study.    I had to cancel field studies that were time sensitive. I had to postpone or cancel field activities part of ongoing research projects, which will impact the outcomes and reach of my research.   My funding ended, and neither my postdoc or doctoral students were able to complete their experiments, given lack of access to the lab. I had to provide alternative paths or limit the scope originally planned for these students to enable them to graduate.   I was unable to recruit international students to conduct research that I received during 2020-21. I have spent substantial extra time in my efforts to attempt to recruit qualified students.     Of students that I was able to recruit, XX were unable to come into the U.S. because of travel restrictions.  This caused significant disruptions to my progress in my research.    All venues were closed, cancelling XX planned performances, which means less feedback and recognition of my creative works.   I pivoted my research/creative work in response to the racial health disparities of COVID-19, requiring substantial time, including time spent on public scholarship.  

My research has been impacted by all of the extra time spent on teaching and meeting with students. I know I am spending less time than expected on research, but since it was my first year as a faculty member, I don’t know how unusual this is, whether it’s the transition to being a faculty member or the pandemic.

Personal Impacts

After contracting COVID-19, I was very sick for several weeks.    In-person schooling was not available to my 5 and 7-year-old children consistently; thus, I had to juggle supporting my children’s on-line schooling with my work, working late into the night and on weekends.    Our childcare center closed, and there were no other childcare options; my partner and I had to juggle care for our 1 and 3-year-old children.     My father died unexpectedly of COVID; I have spent substantial time on his care, and dealing with the aftermath of his death. 

What resources exist for evaluation?

The UMass Provost’s office includes specific guidance for how faculty members should be evaluated. Amel Ahmed, Associate Provost for Equity & Inclusion, Michelle Budig, Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, and Michael Eagen, Associate Provost for Academic Personnel provide bias training to personnel committees and further guidance.  Questions can go to [email protected].

The Massachusetts Society of Professors (MSP), the faculty union, provides support to faculty members and workshops for personnel committee members, and other materials on its website. Contact the union for further guidance.

The Office of Faculty Development provides many resources and support for career and leadership development. Contact: [email protected]

UMass ADVANCE provides support, workshops and consultations for both faculty members preparing for evaluations and evaluators during the pandemic. Contact: Joya Misra

Suggested Citation: 2021. Pandemic Impact Statement Template. University of Massachusetts Amherst ADVANCE Program.

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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A literature review

Harapan harapan.

a Medical Research Unit, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia

b Tropical Disease Centre, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia

c Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia

d Division of Infectious Diseases, AichiCancer Center Hospital, Chikusa-ku Nagoya, Japan

Amanda Yufika

e Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia

Wira Winardi

f Department of Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia

g School of Medicine, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia

Haypheng Te

h Siem Reap Provincial Health Department, Ministry of Health, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Dewi Megawati

i Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Warmadewa University, Denpasar, Indonesia

j Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA

Zinatul Hayati

k Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia

Abram L. Wagner

l Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, MI 48109, USA

Mudatsir Mudatsir

In early December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), occurred in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. On January 30, 2020 the World Health Organization declared the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. As of February 14, 2020, 49,053 laboratory-confirmed and 1,381 deaths have been reported globally. Perceived risk of acquiring disease has led many governments to institute a variety of control measures. We conducted a literature review of publicly available information to summarize knowledge about the pathogen and the current epidemic. In this literature review, the causative agent, pathogenesis and immune responses, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and management of the disease, control and preventions strategies are all reviewed.

On December 31, 2019, the China Health Authority alerted the World Health Organization (WHO) to several cases of pneumonia of unknown aetiology in Wuhan City in Hubei Province in central China. The cases had been reported since December 8, 2019, and many patients worked at or lived around the local Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market although other early cases had no exposure to this market [1] . On January 7, a novel coronavirus, originally abbreviated as 2019-nCoV by WHO, was identified from the throat swab sample of a patient [2] . This pathogen was later renamed as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by the Coronavirus Study Group [3] and the disease was named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the WHO. As of January 30, 7736 confirmed and 12,167 suspected cases had been reported in China and 82 confirmed cases had been detected in 18 other countries [4] . In the same day, WHO declared the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) [4] .

According to the National Health Commission of China, the mortality rate among confirmed cased in China was 2.1% as of February 4 [5] and the mortality rate was 0.2% among cases outside China [6] . Among patients admitted to hospitals, the mortality rate ranged between 11% and 15% [7] , [8] . COVID-19 is moderately infectious with a relatively high mortality rate, but the information available in public reports and published literature is rapidly increasing. The aim of this review is to summarize the current understanding of COVID-19 including causative agent, pathogenesis of the disease, diagnosis and treatment of the cases, as well as control and prevention strategies.

The virus: classification and origin

SARS-CoV-2 is a member of the family Coronaviridae and order Nidovirales. The family consists of two subfamilies, Coronavirinae and Torovirinae and members of the subfamily Coronavirinae are subdivided into four genera: (a) Alphacoronavirus contains the human coronavirus (HCoV)-229E and HCoV-NL63; (b) Betacoronavirus includes HCoV-OC43, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome human coronavirus (SARS-HCoV), HCoV-HKU1, and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV); (c) Gammacoronavirus includes viruses of whales and birds and; (d) Deltacoronavirus includes viruses isolated from pigs and birds [9] . SARS-CoV-2 belongs to Betacoronavirus together with two highly pathogenic viruses, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped and positive-sense single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) virus [16] .

SARS-CoV-2 is considered a novel human-infecting Betacoronavirus [10] . Phylogenetic analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 genome indicates that the virus is closely related (with 88% identity) to two bat-derived SARS-like coronaviruses collected in 2018 in eastern China (bat-SL-CoVZC45 and bat-SL-CoVZXC21) and genetically distinct from SARS-CoV (with about 79% similarity) and MERS-CoV [10] . Using the genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2, RaTG13, and SARS-CoV [11] , a further study found that the virus is more related to BatCoV RaTG13, a bat coronavirus that was previously detected in Rhinolophus affinis from Yunnan Province, with 96.2% overall genome sequence identity [11] . A study found that no evidence of recombination events detected in the genome of SARS-CoV-2 from other viruses originating from bats such as BatCoV RaTG13, SARS-CoV and SARSr-CoVs [11] . Altogether, these findings suggest that bats might be the original host of this virus [10] , [11] .

However, a study is needed to elucidate whether any intermediate hosts have facilitated the transmission of the virus to humans. Bats are unlikely to be the animal that is directly responsible for transmission of the virus to humans for several reasons [10] : (1) there were various non-aquatic animals (including mammals) available for purchase in Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market but no bats were sold or found; (2) SARS-CoV-2 and its close relatives, bat-SL-CoVZC45 and bat-SL-CoVZXC21, have a relatively long branch (sequence identity of less than 90%), suggesting those viruses are not direct ancestors of SARS-CoV-2; and (3) in other coronaviruses where bat is the natural reservoir such as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, other animals have acted as the intermediate host (civets and possibly camels, respectively). Nevertheless, bats do not always need an intermediary host to transmit viruses to humans. For example, Nipah virus in Bangladesh is transmitted through bats shedding into raw date palm sap [12] .

Transmission

The role of the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in propagating disease is unclear. Many initial COVID-19 cases were linked to this market suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 was transmitted from animals to humans [13] . However, a genomic study has provided evidence that the virus was introduced from another, yet unknown location, into the market where it spread more rapidly, although human-to-human transmission may have occurred earlier [14] . Clusters of infected family members and medical workers have confirmed the presence of person-to-person transmission [15] . After January 1, less than 10% of patients had market exposure and more than 70% patients had no exposure to the market [13] . Person-to-person transmission is thought to occur among close contacts mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Fomites may be a large source of transmission, as SARS-CoV has been found to persist on surfaces up to 96 h [16] and other coronaviruses for up to 9 days [17] .

Whether or not there is asymptomatic transmission of disease is controversial. One initial study published on January 30 reported asymptomatic transmission [18] , but later it was found that the researchers had not directly interviewed the patient, who did in fact have symptoms prior to transmitting disease [19] . A more recent study published on February 21 also purported asymptomatic transmission [20] , but any such study could be limited by errors in self-reported symptoms or contact with other cases and fomites.

Findings about disease characteristics are rapidly changing and subject to selection bias. A study indicated the mean incubation period was 5.2 days (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 4.1–7.0) [13] . The incubation period has been found to be as long as 19 or 24 days [21] , [22] , although case definitions typically rely on a 14 day window [23] .

The basic reproductive number ( R 0 ) has been estimated with varying results and interpretations. R 0 measures the average number of infections that could result from one infected individual in a fully susceptible population [24] . Studies from previous outbreaks found R 0 to be 2.7 for SARS [25] and 2.4 for 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza [26] . One study estimated that that basic reproductive number ( R 0 ) was 2.2 (95% CI: 1.4–3.9) [13] . However, later in a further analysis of 12 available studies found that R 0 was 3.28 [27] . Because R 0 represents an average value it is also important to consider the role of super spreaders, who may be hugely responsible for outbreaks within large clusters but who would not largely influence the value of R 0 [28] . During the acute phase of an outbreak or prepandemic, R 0 may be unstable [24] .

In pregnancy, a study of nine pregnancy women who developed COVID-19 in late pregnancy suggested COVID-19 did not lead to substantially worse symptoms than in nonpregnant persons and there is no evidence for intrauterine infection caused by vertical transmission [29] .

In hospital setting, a study involving 138 COVID-19 suggested that hospital-associated transmission of SARS-CoV-2 occurred in 41% of patients [30] . Moreover, another study on 425 patients found that the proportion of cases in health care workers gradually increased by time [13] . These cases likely reflect exposure to a higher concentration of virus from sustained contact in close quarters.

Outside China, as of February 12, 2020, there were 441 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in 24 countries [6] of which the first imported case was reported in Thailand on January 13, 2020 [6] , [31] . Among those countries, 11 countries have reported local transmission with the highest number of cases reported in Singapore with 47 confirmed cases [6] .

Risk factors

The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection is seen most often in adult male patients with the median age of the patients was between 34 and 59 years [20] , [30] , [7] , [32] . SARS-CoV-2 is also more likely to infect people with chronic comorbidities such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes [8] . The highest proportion of severe cases occurs in adults ≥60 years of age, and in those with certain underlying conditions, such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes [20] , [30] . Severe manifestations maybe also associated with coinfections of bacteria and fungi [8] .

Fewer COVID-19 cases have been reported in children less than 15 years [20] , [30] , [7] , [32] . In a study of 425 COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, published on January 29, there were no cases in children under 15 years of age [13] , [33] . Nevertheless, 28 paediatric patients have been reported by January 2020 [34] . The clinical features of infected paediatric patients vary, but most have had mild symptoms with no fever or pneumonia, and have a good prognosis [34] . Another study found that although a child had radiological ground-glass lung opacities, the patient was asymptomatic [35] . In summary, children might be less likely to be infected or, if infected, present milder manifestations than adults; therefore, it is possible that their parents will not seek out treatment leading to underestimates of COVID-19 incidence in this age group.

Pathogenesis and immune response

Like most other members of the coronavirus family, Betacoronavirus exhibit high species specificity, but subtle genetic changes can significantly alter their tissue tropism, host range, and pathogenicity. A striking example of the adaptability of these viruses is the emergence of deadly zoonotic diseases in human history caused by SARS-CoV [36] and MERS-CoV [37] . In both viruses, bats served as the natural reservoir and humans were the terminal host, with the palm civet and dromedary camel the intermediary host for SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, respectively [38] , [39] . Intermediate hosts clearly play a critical role in cross species transmission as they can facilitate increased contact between a virus and a new host and enable further adaptation necessary for an effective replication in the new host [40] . Because of the pandemic potential of SARS-CoV-2, careful surveillance is immensely important to monitor its future host adaptation, viral evolution, infectivity, transmissibility, and pathogenicity.

The host range of a virus is governed by multiple molecular interactions, including receptor interaction. The envelope spike (S) protein receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 was shown structurally similar to that of SARS-CoV, despite amino acid variation at some key residues [10] . Further extensive structural analysis strongly suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may use host receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) to enter the cells [41] , the same receptor facilitating SARS-CoV to infect the airway epithelium and alveolar type 2 (AT2) pneumocytes, pulmonary cells that synthesize pulmonary surfactant [42] . In general, the spike protein of coronavirus is divided into the S1 and S2 domain, in which S1 is responsible for receptor binding and S2 domain is responsible for cell membrane fusion [10] . The S1 domain of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 share around 50 conserved amino acids, whereas most of the bat-derived viruses showed more variation [10] . In addition, identification of several key residues (Gln493 and Asn501) that govern the binding of SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain with ACE2 further support that SARS-CoV-2 has acquired capacity for person-to-person transmission [41] . Although, the spike protein sequence of receptor binding SARS-CoV-2 is more similar to that of SARS-CoV, at the whole genome level SARS-CoV-2 is more closely related to bat-SL-CoVZC45 and bat-SL-CoVZXC21 [10] .

However, receptor recognition is not the only determinant of species specificity. Immediately after binding to their receptive receptor, SARS-CoV-2 enters host cells where they encounter the innate immune response. In order to productively infect the new host, SARS-CoV-2 must be able to inhibit or evade host innate immune signalling. However, it is largely unknown how SARS-CoV-2 manages to evade immune response and drive pathogenesis. Given that COVID-19 and SARS have similar clinical features [7] , SARS-CoV-2 may have a similar pathogenesis mechanism as SARS-CoV. In response to SARS-CoV infections, the type I interferon (IFN) system induces the expression of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) to inhibit viral replication. To overcome this antiviral activity, SARS-CoV encodes at least 8 viral antagonists that modulate induction of IFN and cytokines and evade ISG effector function [43] .

The host immune system response to viral infection by mediating inflammation and cellular antiviral activity is critical to inhibit viral replication and dissemination. However, excessive immune responses together with lytic effects of the virus on host cells will result in pathogenesis. Studies have shown patients suffering from severe pneumonia, with fever and dry cough as common symptoms at onset of illness [7] , [8] . Some patients progressed rapidly with Acute Respiratory Stress Syndrome (ARDS) and septic shock, which was eventually followed by multiple organ failure and about 10% of patients have died [8] . ARDS progression and extensive lung damage in COVID-19 are further indications that ACE2 might be a route of entry for the SARS-CoV-2 as ACE2 is known abundantly present on ciliated cells of the airway epithelium and alveolar type II (cells (pulmonary cells that synthesize pulmonary surfactant) in humans [44] .

Patients with SARS and COVID-19 have similar patterns of inflammatory damage. In serum from patients diagnosed with SARS, there is increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines (e.g. interleukin (IL)-1, IL6, IL12, interferon gamma (IFNγ), IFN-γ-induced protein 10 (IP10), macrophage inflammatory proteins 1A (MIP1A) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP1)), which are associated with pulmonary inflammation and severe lung damage [45] . Likewise, patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 are reported to have higher plasma levels of proinflammatory cytokines including IL1β, IL-2, IL7, TNF-α, GSCF, MCP1 than healthy adults [7] . Importantly, patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) have a significantly higher level of GSCF, IP10, MCP1, and TNF-α than those non-ICU patients, suggesting that a cytokine storm might be an underlying cause of disease severity [7] . Unexpectedly, anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL10 and IL4 were also increased in those patients [7] , which was uncommon phenomenon for an acute phase viral infection. Another interesting finding, as explained before, was that SARS-CoV-2 has shown to preferentially infect older adult males with rare cases reported in children [7] , [8] . The same trend was observed in primate models of SARS-CoV where the virus was found more likely to infect aged Cynomolgus macaque than young adults [46] . Further studies are necessary to identify the virulence factors and the host genes of SARS-CoV-2 that allows the virus to cross the species-specific barrier and cause lethal disease in humans.

Clinical manifestations

Clinical manifestations of 2019-nCoV infection have similarities with SARS-CoV where the most common symptoms include fever, dry cough, dyspnoea, chest pain, fatigue and myalgia [7] , [30] , [47] . Less common symptoms include headache, dizziness, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting [7] , [30] . Based on the report of the first 425 confirmed cases in Wuhan, the common symptoms include fever, dry cough, myalgia and fatigue with less common are sputum production, headache, haemoptysis, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea [13] . Approximately 75% patients had bilateral pneumonia [8] . Different from SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV infections, however, is that very few COVID-19 patients show prominent upper respiratory tract signs and symptoms such as rhinorrhoea, sneezing, or sore throat, suggesting that the virus might have greater preference for infecting the lower respiratory tract [7] . Pregnant and non-pregnant women have similar characteristics [48] . The common clinical presentation of 2019-nCoV infection are presented in Table 1 .

Clinical symptoms of patients with 2019-nCoV infection.

Severe complications such as hypoxaemia, acute ARDS, arrythmia, shock, acute cardiac injury, and acute kidney injury have been reported among COVID-19 patients [7] , [8] . A study among 99 patients found that approximately 17% patients developed ARDS and, among them, 11% died of multiple organ failure [8] . The median duration from first symptoms to ARDS was 8 days [30] .

Efforts to control spread of COVID-19, institute quarantine and isolation measures, and appropriately clinically manage patients all require useful screening and diagnostic tools. While SARS-CoV-2 is spreading, other respiratory infections may be more common in a local community. The WHO has released a guideline on case surveillance of COVID-19 on January 31, 2020 [23] . For a person who meets certain criteria, WHO recommends to first screen for more common causes of respiratory illness given the season and location. If a negative result is found, the sample should be sent to referral laboratory for SARS-CoV-2 detection.

Case definitions can vary by country and will evolve over time as the epidemiological circumstances change in a given location. In China, a confirmed case from January 15, 2020 required an epidemiological linkage to Wuhan within 2 weeks and clinical features such as fever, pneumonia, and low white blood cell count. On January 18, 2020 the epidemiological criterion was expanded to include contact with anyone who had been in Wuhan in the past 2 weeks [50] . Later, the case definitions removed the epidemiological linkage.

The WHO has put forward case definitions [23] . Suspected cases of COVID-19 are persons (a) with severe acute respiratory infections (history of fever and cough requiring admission to hospital) and with no other aetiology that fully explains the clinical presentation and a history of travel to or residence in China during the 14 days prior to symptom onset; or (b) a patient with any acute respiratory illness and at least one of the following during the 14 days prior to symptom onset: contact with a confirmed or probable case of SARS-CoV-2 infection or worked in or attended a health care facility where patients with confirmed or probable SARS-CoV-2 acute respiratory disease patients were being treated. Probable cases are those for whom testing for SARS-CoV-2 is inconclusive or who test positive using a pan-coronavirus assay and without laboratory evidence of other respiratory pathogens. A confirmed case is one with a laboratory confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 infection, irrespective of clinical signs and symptoms.

For patients who meet diagnostic criteria for SARS-CoV-2 testing, the CDC recommends collection of specimens from the upper respiratory tract (nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab) and, if possible, the lower respiratory tract (sputum, tracheal aspirate, or bronchoalveolar lavage) [51] . In each country, the tests are performed by laboratories designated by the government.

Laboratory findings

Among COVID-19 patients, common laboratory abnormalities include lymphopenia [8] , [20] , [30] , prolonged prothrombin time, and elevated lactate dehydrogenase [30] . ICU-admitted patients had more laboratory abnormalities compared with non-ICU patients [30] , [7] . Some patients had elevated aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase, creatinine, and C-reactive protein [20] , [7] , [35] . Most patients have shown normal serum procalcitonin levels [20] , [30] , [7] .

COVID-19 patients have high level of IL1β, IFN-γ, IP10, and MCP1 [7] . ICU-admitted patients tend to have higher concentration of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (GCSF), IP10, MCP1A, MIP1A, and TNF-α [7] .

Radiology findings

Radiology finding may vary with patients age, disease progression, immunity status, comorbidity, and initial medical intervention [52] . In a study describing 41 of the initial cases of 2019-nCoV infection, all 41 patients had pneumonia with abnormal findings on chest computed tomography (CT-scan) [7] . Abnormalities on chest CT-scan were also seen in another study of 6 cases, in which all of them showed multifocal patchy ground-glass opacities notably nearby the peripheral sections of the lungs [35] . Data from studies indicate that the typical of chest CT-scan findings are bilateral pulmonary parenchymal ground-glass and consolidative pulmonary opacities [7] , [8] , [20] , [30] , [32] , [53] . The consolidated lung lesions among patients five or more days from disease onset and those 50 years old or older compared to 4 or fewer days and those 50 years or younger, respectively [47] .

As the disease course continue, mild to moderate progression of disease were noted in some cases which manifested by extension and increasing density of lung opacities [49] . Bilateral multiple lobular and subsegmental areas of consolidation are typical findings on chest CT-scan of ICU-admitted patients [7] . A study among 99 patients, one patient had pneumothorax in an imaging examination [8] .

Similar to MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, there is still no specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19 [54] . Isolation and supportive care including oxygen therapy, fluid management, and antibiotics treatment for secondary bacterial infections is recommended [55] . Some COVID-19 patients progressed rapidly to ARDS and septic shock, which was eventually followed by multiple organ failure [7] , [8] . Therefore, the effort on initial management of COVID-19 must be addressed to the early recognition of the suspect and contain the disease spread by immediate isolation and infection control measures [56] .

Currently, no vaccination is available, but even if one was available, uptake might be suboptimal. A study of intention to vaccinate during the H1N1 pandemic in the United States was around 50% at the start of the pandemic in May 2009 but had decreased to 16% by January 2010 [57] .

Neither is a treatment available. Therefore, the management of the disease has been mostly supportive referring to the disease severity which has been introduced by WHO. If sepsis is identified, empiric antibiotic should be administered based on clinical diagnosis and local epidemiology and susceptibility information. Routine glucocorticoids administration are not recommended to use unless there are another indication [58] . Clinical evidence also does not support corticosteroid treatment [59] . Use of intravenous immunoglobulin might help for severely ill patients [8] .

Drugs are being evaluated in line with past investigations into therapeutic treatments for SARS and MERS [60] . Overall, there is not robust evidence that these antivirals can significantly improve clinical outcomes A. Antiviral drugs such as oseltamivir combined with empirical antibiotic treatment have also been used to treat COVID-19 patients [7] . Remdesivir which was developed for Ebola virus, has been used to treat imported COVID-19 cases in US [61] . A brief report of treatment combination of Lopinavir/Ritonavir, Arbidol, and Shufeng Jiedu Capsule (SFJDC), a traditional Chinese medicine, showed a clinical benefit to three of four COVID-19 patients [62] . There is an ongoing clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of lopinavir-ritonavir and interferon-α 2b in patients with COVID-19 [55] . Ramsedivir, a broad spectrum antivirus has demonstrated in vitro and in vivo efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 and has also initiated its clinical trial [63] , [64] . In addition, other potential drugs from existing antiviral agent have also been proposed [65] , [66] .

Control and prevention strategies

COVID-19 is clearly a serious disease of international concern. By some estimates it has a higher reproductive number than SARS [27] , and more people have been reported to have been infected or died from it than SARS [67] . Similar to SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, disrupting the chain of transmission is considered key to stopping the spread of disease [68] . Different strategies should be implemented in health care settings and at the local and global levels.

Health care settings can unfortunately be an important source of viral transmission. As shown in the model for SARS, applying triage, following correct infection control measures, isolating the cases and contact tracing are key to limit the further spreading of the virus in clinics and hospitals [68] . Suspected cases presenting at healthcare facilities with symptoms of respiratory infections (e.g. runny nose, fever and cough) must wear a face mask to contain the virus and strictly adhere triage procedure. They should not be permitted to wait with other patients seeking medical care at the facilities. They should be placed in a separated, fully ventilated room and approximately 2 m away from other patients with convenient access to respiratory hygiene supplies [69] . In addition, if a confirmed COVID-19 case require hospitalization, they must be placed in a single patient room with negative air pressure – a minimum of six air changes per hour. Exhausted air has to be filtered through high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) and medical personnel entering the room should wear personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, gown, disposable N95, and eye protection. Once the cases are recovered and discharged, the room should be decontaminated or disinfected and personnel entering the room need to wear PPE particularly facemask, gown, eye protection [69] .

In a community setting, isolating infected people are the primary measure to interrupt the transmission. For example, immediate actions taken by Chinese health authorities included isolating the infected people and quarantining of suspected people and their close contacts [70] . Also, as there are still conflicting assumptions regarding the animal origins of the virus (i.e. some studies linked the virus to bat [71] , [72] while others associated the virus with snake [73] ), contacts with these animal fluids or tissues or consumption of wild caught animal meet should be avoided. Moreover, educating the public to recognize unusual symptoms such as chronic cough or shortness of breath is essential therefore that they could seek medical care for early detection of the virus. If large-scale community transmission occurs, mitigating social gatherings, temporary school closure, home isolation, close monitoring of symptomatic individual, provision of life supports (e.g. oxygen supply, mechanical ventilator), personal hand hygiene, and wearing personal protective equipment such as facemask should also be enforced [74] .

In global setting, locking down Wuhan city was one of the immediate measure taken by Chinese authorities and hence had slowed the global spread of COVID-19 [74] . Air travel should be limited for the cases unless severe medical attentions are required. Setting up temperature check or scanning is mandatory at airport and border to identify the suspected cases. Continued research into the virus is critical to trace the source of the outbreak and provide evidence for future outbreak [74] .

Conclusions

The current COVID-19 pandemic is clearly an international public health problem. There have been rapid advances in what we know about the pathogen, how it infects cells and causes disease, and clinical characteristics of disease. Due to rapid transmission, countries around the world should increase attention into disease surveillance systems and scale up country readiness and response operations including establishing rapid response teams and improving the capacity of the national laboratory system.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethical approval

Not required.

Examples of COVID-19 Impact Statements

This brief includes examples of how faculty members can strategically describe the impact of COVID-19 on their teaching, service, and research, scholarship, and/or creative activities. The two primary mechanisms by which UMD faculty members can describe the impact of COVID-19 on their work are in faculty activities reporting ( Faculty Success ) and in optional COVID-19 Impact Statements submitted in promotion materials [2] .

The point of explaining COVID-19 impacts is to highlight new or ongoing invisible labor and to show how a faculty member’s research, teaching, and service changed, in quality and quantity, in ways that are not typically recorded on a CV. Making this visible and offering contextual information may be useful to the faculty member. No one is required to offer personal narratives or supplemental information they suspect will disadvantage them. Every faculty member will decide whether to provide this optional information in the system, to keep track of it elsewhere (in case a unit head asks later), or not to compile it at all. The intent is not to force unwanted work on any faculty but rather to enable people to record in an ongoing strategic way their activities, again, including activities not included on a CV.

Examples of new, alternative, or extra effort in teaching, service, and research

• As a PTK faculty member working in a lab, I coordinated my lab’s staff planning for return to campus in July 2020, which included approximately 40 hours spent creating safety protocols, attending safety training, developing a lab rotation, procuring supplies, and setting up the space with COVID-19 safety precautions in mind. I disseminated this information to all lab personnel, including 1 postdoc, 3 staff members, and three graduate students. These protocols were subsequently adopted by two other units in my college.
• Within my lab, from March 2020 - December 2020, I organized monthly online trivia competitions on historical and contemporary topics relevant to my field to foster a greater sense of community among lab staff. These meetings included two postdocs, 4 doctoral research assistants, and 4 undergraduate researchers and involved approximately 2 hours per month in preparation or in the actual meeting.
• I had already received IRB approval for conducting ethnographic research in Brazil, but could not travel; and the community I planned to study had little computer or internet access. I therefore spent five months exploring “studying up” methodology and doing preliminary research and writing on international NGOs engaged in protecting rainforests; got IRB approval for the new project, and have done pilot interviews, via Zoom, with six activists and policy-makers.
• I served on the department’s newly created caregiving committee, which met once a week for 12 weeks to discuss accommodations that could be made within the department related to the extra burden to faculty and staff in caregiving roles during the pandemic.
• As the director for undergraduate studies, I led the transition of all campus visits to the virtual environment, including training 10 undergraduate student ambassadors on how to host virtual campus visits for incoming students.
• I facilitated 3 departmental listening sessions on the climate for Black students in May and June of this year after the protests for racial justice. I have subsequently hosted two zoom sessions from noted diversity, equity, and inclusion experts in our field to give department members strategies for enhancing DEI in their classrooms.
• In fall 2020 I taught ADVN101, which enrolled 25 undergraduate students. Typically, I would have had in-person office hours for a total of four hours per week. As a result of the pandemic, I have made myself available for zoom consultations with students approximately ten hours a week, thereby increasing my “in-person” hours with students by 150% this semester.
• In summer 2020, I supervised 3 graduate student independent studies in a hybrid modality, primarily as a way to ensure that they met the criteria for in-person credit hours. I met with them for two hours each week to supervise and advise on the creation of a study using extant data because they were unable to conduct research in the lab. Students in this independent study conducted a group research project that examined diversity of the field using extant data (e.g., Department of Education statistics, reports from disciplinary associations). They presented their findings at our national association’s meeting in November.
• I participated in 5 workshops through my professional association and the National Academies for Science, Engineering, and Medicine related to inclusive pedagogy and high-quality teaching in the virtual environment. I participated in five college-wide sessions on strategies for online engagement, and I led a sixth session in use of clickers to liven up Zoom sessions.
• I attended four Office of Diversity and Inclusion anti-racism workshops and subsequently adopted several practices within my classroom: (1) I conducted a diversity audit of the authors on the syllabus for ADVN305 and, having observed the underrepresentation of BIPOC authors, I adjusted the syllabus to include a diversity of scholars; (2) I shifted two assignments that had previously been multiple choice exams to assignments based upon the principles of labor-based grading; (3) I implemented a statement of mutual expectations for students and instructors. This document articulates the shared principals that all members of the classroom agreed upon (e.g., mutual respect, emphasis on community, expectations for timely communication).
• As a PTK instructional faculty member, I usually teach three sections a semester, with 30 students per section. After my department determined that the nature of the class made online teaching of that many students simultaneously impossible. At my department chair’s request, I agreed to teach six sections with 15 students each, so although the amount of grading was the same, I spent twice as many hours in actual class meetings. One section was early in the morning, to accommodate students in Asia, and one section was at night, to accommodate students who had to share computers with younger siblings and/or parents also learning/working from home.

Mentoring / Advising

• As the only Latina faculty member in the department, I serve as an informal advisor to additional 5 Latinx undergraduate students who have sought mentorship. I meet with them as a group once a semester (previously in person, but now via zoom) and have 1-2 meetings with each student per semester as requested to give advice on career and professional development.
• As an advisor, I held once monthly graduate student happy hours via zoom from March 2020 -- December 2020 (approximately 20 hours). These meetings included 4 masters students and 5 doctoral students.
• Several of my advisees have reported significant mental health and/or financial need as a result of the pandemic. I have increased the frequency at which I am available for one-on-one checkins with my advisees, meeting with each doctoral student (4) on a bi-weekly basis (compared to once a semester before the pandemic). I additionally consulted with the campus counseling center regarding resources available to students.

EXAMPLES OF NARRATIVES

Impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion work.

In the wake of the protests for racial justice, I led several informal meetings of graduate and undergraduate students to discuss the diversity climate in the department, college, and university at large. I had 5 one-on-one discussions and three large group meetings. I communicated feedback to our department chair and, with two faculty colleagues, two graduate students, and four undergraduates, formed the departmental equity taskforce. We have drafted a statement of our commitments to antiracism in the department and subsequently held a departmental town hall regarding the diversity, equity, and inclusion climate in the department. We have contracted a graduate student to conduct a climate survey; our committee will use the results to assess best next steps.

Impact of COVID-19 on Research

My lab was closed from March - May 2020, when typically, I would have been running experiments. Instead I investigated several federal grant possibilities, and ultimately I applied for two grants of $500,000 each. I have already learned that I won one grant and the second application was approved to move on to the second stage of peer review. I anticipate hearing the second decision in March 2021. My three school-age children were in school from home, so I did my grading, writing, and data analysis at night. Over the late summer and fall I submitted three papers to top journals in my field. Ordinarily, peer reviews for these journals take two or three months, but because peer reviewers themselves are very busy, all three editors have said that the peer review process will take five to six months.

Adapting Grant or Programs to COVID-19 Context

I oversaw the transition of all grant-sponsored educational programs (parental engagement workshops, teacher professional development) that were intended to be delivered in person to the online environment. Successfully transitioning all of our curriculum to an online platform included developing a new, web-based interactive curriculum that enhanced parent efficacy in facilitating student literacy at home and a three-part workshop for teachers about fostering positive interactions with parents in the virtual learning environment. Initial evaluation results indicate that the online intervention has been successful, with participants reporting a 10% increase pre to post in their efficacy. Although we saw some program attrition, overall the results indicate extra effort in this area brought positive results.