COVID-19 basics

Blog posts

• Can long COVID affect the gut?
• Year three of the pandemic is underway: Now what?
• Should we track all breakthrough cases of COVID-19?
• What is COVID-19 brain fog — and how can you clear it?
• Coping with the loss of smell and taste
• Time for flu shots — getting one is more important than ever!
• Bracing for contact tracing
• Some healthcare can safely wait (and some can't)
• Go to the hospital if you need emergency care, even in the era of COVID-19
• Get your affairs in order, COVID-19 won't wait
• Be careful where you get your news about coronavirus
• Is there any good news about the coronavirus pandemic?
• Allergies? Common cold? Flu? Or COVID-19?

Podcasts

Thoughts on COVID-19 during this year's flu season (recorded 10/9/2020)

With the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing, and the annual flu season fast approaching, what can people expect when these two illnesses collide? Are we at greater risk for getting either virus? And could this encounter change how we approach health care now and in the future? Matthew Solan, executive editor of the Harvard Men's Health Watch, talks to Dr. Amy Sherman, an infectious disease expert with Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital, about what we may expect when COVID and the flu season meet. To learn more check out our Harvard Medical School Guide, COVID-19, Flu and Colds.

Coronavirus Update: We're facing the start of a second wave (recorded 6/11/2020)

Dr. Ashish K. Jha, head of the Harvard Global Health Institute, offers information on where we are where we're going with the COVID-19 outbreak. Some take-aways:

• Communications missteps by the WHO regarding asymptomatic transmission have been quickly corrected. Yes, you can catch COVID-19 from people who are not showing symptoms.
• A second wave has begun, particularly in the south and Midwest. And calculations show we'll reach more than 200,000 COVID-19 related deaths by September.
• Jha offers advice for parents, teachers and administrators on workable back-to-school scenarios.
• We know you don't want to hear it, but COVID-19 will be a fact of global life for the rest of the year until a vaccine becomes widely available.

A Harvard infectious diseases doctor looks at COVID-19 (recorded 3/3/20)

Dr. Todd Ellerin is on the front lines of infectious disease containment and mitigation as the director of infectious diseases at South Shore Health in Weymouth, Massachusetts. He's an instructor at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. We spoke to him this week to get an update on the rapidly developing story surrounding the coronavirus Covid-19.

Coronavirus status report: Harvard public health expert Dr. Ashish K. Jha fills us in on where we are headed (recorded 3/19/20)

The COVID-19 outbreak has caused markets to collapse and worldwide health systems to become overwhelmed. When there's a global pandemic, it's nice to hear from the steady, transparent and yes even reassuring voice of experts on the front lines. We spoke to Dr. Ashish K. Jha, faculty director of the Harvard Global Health Institute. Dr. Jha's recent appearance on the PBS Newshour caused reverberations throughout the federal and state response system. Here's his update.

Visit our Coronavirus Resource Center for more information on coronavirus and COVID-19.

Image: gemphotography/Getty Images