Media Coverage

Billions of people may have to wait for a COVID-19 vaccine because of a dearth of effective cold storage facilities. Most vaccines need to be stored, transported, and administered at consistent, cool temperatures, usually between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius. But a number of trial vaccines nearing the end of clinical trials require far lower temperatures, because they are RNA vaccines — a type of vaccine that carries instructions to cells to build protein.

Telemedicine has become more common given the current global pandemic. COVID-19 has limited doctor’s office and hospital visits to ensure safety for everyone. But rather than diminish the quality of care, new research in the INFORMS journal Information Systems Research finds that increasing wider use of telemedicine in the emergency room (ER) can yield positive results for patients and providers alike.

It is imperative to make sure your vote counts. The safety of mail-in voting has come into question over the last couple of months, so WAVY.com spoke with Dr. Natalie Scala of Towson University. She’s part of a research project focusing on election security, including mail-based voting. Dr. Scala says the first part of election security involves poll workers and polling places.

While the fast-track development of a COVID-19 vaccine may seem like an enormous task, an even more daunting challenge may be getting approved vaccines into the arms of millions of people in Georgia and around the globe. States have had to race to create their distribution plans by Friday, the deadline set by the federal government. Georgia will meet the deadline, according to a spokesperson for state Insurance Commissioner John King, who is also leading the state’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution task force.

Since the early days of the pandemic, attention has focused on producing a vaccine for COVID-19. With one, it's hoped it will be able to suppress the virus without relying purely on economically challenging control measures. Without one, the world will probably have to live with COVID-19 as an endemic disease. It's unlikely the coronavirus will naturally burn itself out.