COVID-19 Research & Outreach

More than 32 CeZAP faculty affiliates continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic through research, education, and outreach activities, including developing vaccines and antivirals, studying the biology of the virus, providing undergraduate and graduate course lectures on COVID-19, and educating the public about aerosol transmission, vaccine, and public health measures in a large number of news media such as CNN, CBS, and NPR, etc.

CeZAP faculty affiliates published more than 40 papers on COVID-19 and continue to contribue to outreach efforts with daily mentions in national and top-tier media outlets.

Featured News Articles on COVID-19 research

COVID-19 Outreach activities by CeZAP Affiliated Faculty

Linsey Marr is profiled by New York Times for her work on aerosol transmission of COVID-19.
Ron Fricker’s column in Richmond Times Dispatch on COVID-19 mortality.
X.J. Meng discussed COVID-19 vaccine with Newsweek.
Paul Skolnik discusses with various media such as WFXR about COVID-19 variants and their impact.
Tom Ewing offers prospective in Washington Post on the importance of social-control measures for COVID-19.
James Weger and Nisha Duggal establish SARS-CoV-2 reverse genetics system.
Katherine Alexander helps Botswana as a scientific advisor to the Botswana Presidential COVID Task Force.
Rana Ashkar work on Coronavirus interactions with membranes was featured in ORNL news.
Lauren Childs discuss on NPR Radio IQ about COVID-19 contact tracing and other intervention strategies.
Amy Pruden tests wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 contamination.
Linsey Marr speaks at the National Academy of Sciences, Medicine and Engineering’s Workshop on SARS-CoV-2 airborne transmission.
Andrea Bertke discusses on NBC12 how long SARS-COV-2 survives on surface of food supplies.
X.J. Meng speaks at the 2020 World Knowledge Forum on the root cause of pandemic and vaccine without border.
Nisha Duggal helps business test disinfecting cabinet against SARS-CoV-2.
Kate Langwig weighs in on the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine with WDBJ.
Laura Hungerford and Ron Fricker build COVID-19 models to guide decision making.
Steven Zeichner (UVA Health) and XJ Meng have developed what could one day become a universal vaccine for coronaviruses.
Linsey Marr gives guidance on how to fly safely a year into the pandemic.
Paul Skolnik on the increase of COVID-19 cases.
Linsey Marr in the New York Times on if masks should be worn outdoors.
Laura Hungerford says now is the time for new mask guidance.
Kate Langwig shares advice for those hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Paul Skolnik speaks on vaccine effectiveness in adolescents .
Kate Langwig on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause.
Linsey Marr's testimony to the House Subcommittee Hearing Clearing the Air: Science-Based Strategies to Protect Workers from COVID-19 Infections.
Kate Langwig on how to protect animals from the coronavirus.
Laura Hungerford answers questions on the COVID-19 vaccine.
Linsey Marr and other Scientists Call on CDC to Set Air Standards for Workplaces.
Linsey Marr speaks to CNN on the need of standards for consumer face masks.
Laura Hungerford clears up myths on the COVID-19 vaccine.
James Weger-Lucarelli work on identifying the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic is featured in the Wall Street Journal
Linsey Marr in HuffPost on What are Face Mask Liners, And Do They Work?
Linsey Marr interviewed on NPR podcast: Reflections on Coronavirus a Year In.
Linsey Marr speaks to PBS Newshour on CDC relaxing social distancing guidelines.
Rachael Silverman interviewed on COVID-19 vaccine and pregnancy.
Linsey Marr in the New York Times on Is it Safe to Go Back to Indoor Gyms?
Linsey Marr speaks to The New York Times on how to mingle safely outdoors this summer
Linsey Marr addresses the question: is it time to take off your mask?
Linsey Marr discusses how businesses should handle mask mandates depending on vaccination rates
Linsey Marr weighs in on if plastic barriers stop COVID-19
Linsey Marr on using CO2 monitors to determine indoor air quality
Linsey Marr speaks to CNN on cruise ship safety this summer
Linsey Marr in Time Magazine on preventing another pandemic
Linsey Marr explains how the virus spreads like cigarette smoke
Linsey Marr answers questions regarding masks, the Delta variant and breakthrough infections The New York Times
Linsey Marr in the Wall Street Journal addresses how the Delta variant is more contagious and what that means for you
Linsey Marr gives guidance on office safety for going back in the office
Linsey Marr on masking or unmasking indoors
Linsey Marr in the Washington Post on upgrading masks to N95
Paul Skonik in the New York Times how the pandemic is causing this summer cold season to be worse than usual
Laura Hungerford and public health officials discuss the importance vaccinations for fall semester
Linsey Marr in the NY Times on sending kids back to school safely
Linsey Marr shares tips to start the new school year as covid concerns rise
Vaccines work well against the delta varriant but here's why you should mask anyway
Linsey Marr explains why anti-covid plastic barriers aren't helping to the NY Times
Linsey Marr share with CNN steps to coexisting with the coronavirus
Linsey Marr provides guidance on the best face masks for kids
Linsey Marr speaks at the U.S. School Reopenings and Reducing Airborne Transmission
Laura Hungerford speaks to vaccine mandates and mask recommendations
Linsey Marr on determining what is safe and what isn't during delta variant
Linsey Marr in the NY Times on monitoring indoor air quality at work
Paul Skolnik discusses How safe is it for kids to go to school during delta
Linsey Marr answers the question Will a mask protect me if no one else is wearing one?
Tom Ewing on coronavirus death toll approaching the 1918 flu pandemic
Linsey Marr speaks about aerosol transmission on the NOVA NOW Podcast "Back to school during a pandemic"
Rachel Silverman speaks on the importance of pregnant women to get vaccine
Laura Hungerford on improving access to COVID-19 testing kits
Linsey Marr says wearing masks are more important than wiping down packages
Paul Skolnik on vaccines, mitigation strategies that are still needed to handle COVID-19
How COVID is airborne and how to stay safe indoors this winter
Linsey Marr on what to look for in air purifiers with HEPA filters
Linsey Marr was interviewed on the Today show on do air purifiers help against COVID-19
Linsey Marr talks about how COVID-19 hot spots offer a sign of what could be ahead for US
Linsey Marr gives advice on shopping for a HEPA air purifier
Linsey Marr on the need to discuss an Off-Ramp for masks at school with the New York Times
Linsey Marr answers readers questions on COVID risks during the holidays to the New York Times
Linsey Marr on maybe you don't like masks but they work
Linsey Marr discusses data-driven mask policies to managing the pandemic
Lisa Lee shares with the Washington Post on how to reduce risk this holiday season
Linsey Marr gives guidance on using HEPA filters in the classroom to combat COVID-19
Linsey Marr speaks to NPR on improving masks against omicron
Laura Hungerford on promising trial results for COVID-19 pills
Linsey Marr on keeping safe from omicron during the holidays
Linsey Marr shares how one-way masking can keep you safer
Linsey Marr addresses how long n95 masks last to CNN

COVID-19 Research Grants Awarded to CeZAP Affiliated Faculty

Reza Ovissipour, Andrea Bertke and others receive $1 million USDA grant to study SARS-CoV-2 survival on surface of the food supply chain.
James Weger-Lucarelli receives a $300,000 NSF grant to study obesity and coronavirus disease.
Several CeZAP affiliated faculty receive OVPR COVID-19 research grants.
Nisha Duggal, Linsey Marr, and Stanca Ciupe receive CeZAP pilot grant to study SARS-CoV-2 aerosol transmission in exhaled breath.
Coy Allen and Pablo Sobrado receive a VTCDD $10,000 award to explore the role of NOD-like receptors in modulating inflammatory response in COVID-19.

COVID-19 Publications by CeZAP Affiliated Faculty

A selective sweep in the Spike gene has driven SARS-CoV-2 human adaptation Kang L, He G, Sharp A, Wang X, Brown A, Michalak P, Weger-Lucarelli J. Cell DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.07.007

Development and implementation of a scalable and versatile test for COVID-19 diagnostics in rural communities Ceci A, Munox-Ballester C, Tegge AN, Brown KL, Umans RA, Michel FM, Patel D, Tewari B, Martin J Alcoreza O, Maynard T Martine-Martine D, Bordwine P, Bissell N, Friedlander MJ, Sontheimer H, Finkielstein CV. Nature Communications DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24552-4

Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Prather KA, Marr LC, Schooley RT, McDiarmid MA, Wilson ME, Milton DK. Science. 2020 Oct 16;370(6514):303-304.doi:10.1126/science.abf0521

SARS-CoV-2 infection in the gastrointestinal tract: fecal-oral route of transmission for COVID-19? Meng XJ, Liang, TJ. Gastroenterology 2021 Jan 7:S0016-5085(21)00030-5. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2021.01.005

BCG vaccine protection from severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Escobar LE, Molina-Cruz A, Barillas-Mury C. Proc Nal Acad Sci USA.2020 Jul 28;117(30):17720-17726.doi: 10.1073/pnas.2008410117

Covid‐19: One year on…. Fricker RD. Significance. (RSS and the ASA). 03 February 2021. doi: 10.1111/1740-9713.01485.

Individual quarantine versus active monitoring of contacts for the mitigation of COVID-19: a modeling study. Peak CM, Kahn R, Grad YH, Childs LM, Li R, Lipstitch M, Buckee CO. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020 Sep;20(9):1025-1033. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30361-3.

Improved plaque assay for human coronaviruses 229E and OC43. Bracci N, Pan HC, Lehman C, Kehn-Hall K, Lin SC. PeerJ. 2020 Dec 21;8:e10639. doi: 10.7717/peerj.10639.

A selective sweep in the Spike gene has drive SARS-CoV-2 human adaptation. Kang L, G. He, A.K. Sharp, X. Wang, A.M. Brown, P. Michalak, J. Weger-Lucarelli. BioRxiv. doi:10.1101/2021.02.13.431090

PSGL-1 Inhibits the incorporation of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoproteins into pseudovirions and impairs pseudovirus attachment and infectivity. He S, Waheed AA, Hetrick B, Dabbagh D, Akhrymuk IV, Kehn-Hall K, Freed EO, Wu Y. Viruses.2020 Dec 30;13(1):46; doi:10.3390/v13010046

Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2: What We Know. Samet JM, Parther K, Benjamin G, Lakdawala S, Lowe JM, Reingold A, Volckens J. Marr LC. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Jan 18:ciab039. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab039

Additively manufactured respirators: quantifying particle transmission and identifying system-level challenges for improving filtration efficiency. LB, Pan J, Harb C, Zawaski CE, Molla B, Kubalak JR, Marr LC, Williams CB. J Manuf Syst. 2021 Jan 20. doi: 10.1016/j.jmsy.2021.01.002

Uniting infectious disease and physical science principles on the importance of face masks for COVID-19. Gandhi M, Marr LC, Med (N Y) Jan 15;2(1):29-32. doi: 10.1016/j.medj.2020.12.008.

Can indoor sports centers be allowed to re-open during the COVID-19 pandemic based on a certificate of equivalence? Bloken B, van Druenen T, van Hooff T, Verstappen PA, Marchal T, Marr LC. Build Environ. 2020 Aug 180:107022. doi: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107022

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by inhalation of respiratory aerosol in the Skagit Valley Chorale super spreading event. Miller SL, Nazaroff WW, Jimenez JL, Boerstra A, Buonanno G, Dancer SJ, Kuritski J, Marr LC, Morawska L, Noakes C. Indoor Air. 2020 Sep

SARS-CoV-2 indoor air transmission is a threat that can be addressed with science Samet J, Burke T, Lakdawala S, Lowe J, Marr LC, Prather K, Shelton-Davenport M, Volckens J. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2116155118

Reduction of Infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 by Zinc Oxide Coatings Hosseini M, Behzadinasab S, Chin A, Poon L, Ducker WA. ACS Biomater SCI Eng
DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.1c01076 26:10.1111/ina.12751.doi: 10.1111/ina.12751

Killed whole-genome reduced-bacteria surface-expressed coronavirus fusion peptide vaccines protect against disease in a porcine model Maeda D, Tian D, Yu H, Dar N, Rajasekaran V, Meng S, Mahsoub H, Sooryanarain H, Wang B, Heffron C, Hassebroek A, LeRoith T, Meng XJ, Zeichner S. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2025622118

Filtration evaluation of expired elastomeric P-100 filter cartridges after months of real-world use during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic Baffoe-Bonnie A, Zhang K, Pan J, Simpkins K, Marr L.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol
DOI: 10.1017/ice.2021.104

Dismantling myths on the airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) Tang J. Bahnfleth W, Bluyssen P, Buonanno G, Jimenez J, Kurnitski J, Li Y, Miller S, Sekhar C, Morawska L, Marr L, Melikov A, Nazaroff W, Nielsen P, Tellier R, Wargocki P, Dancer S.
J Hosp Infect DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2020.12.022

Cupric Oxide Coating That Rapidly Reduces Infection by SARS-CoV-2 via Solids Hosseini M, Chin A, Behzadinasab S, Poon L, Ducker W. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c19465

Covid-19 has redefined airborne transmission Tang J, Marr L, Li Y, Dancer S. BMJ DOI: 10.1136/bmj.n913

SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Gastrointestinal Tract: Fecal-Oral Route of Transmission for COVID-19? Meng XJ, Liang T Gastroenterology
DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2021.01.005

Quantification of the Tradeoff between Test Sensitivity and Test Frequency in a COVID-19 Epidemic-A Multi-Scale Modeling Approach Forde J, Ciupe S. Viruses DOI: 10.3390/v13030457

Targeting protein-protein interaction interfaces in COVID-19 drug discovery Chang C, Lin SM, Satange R, Lin SC, Sun SC, Wu HY, Kehn-Hall K, Hou MH. Comput. Struct. Biotechnol. J DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.04.003

Survival of Severe Acute REspiratory Syndrome Coronavirus s (SARS-CoV-2) and Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1) on Foods Stored at Refrigerated Temperature Dhakal J, Jia M, Joyce J, Moore G, Ovissipour R, Bertke A. Foods DOI: 10.3390/foods10051005

Aerosols should not be defined by distance travelled Tang j, Marr LC, Milton D. J Hosp Infect DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2021.05.007

Adenovirus transduction to express human ACE2 causes obesity-specific morbidity in mice, impeding studies on the effect of host nutritional status on SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis Rai P, Chuong C, LeRoith T, Smyth J, Panov J, Levi M, Kehn-Hall K, Duggal N, Weger Lucarelli J. Virology
DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2021.08.014

A Paradigm Shift to Align Transmission Routes with Mechanisms Marr LC, Tang J. Clin Infect Dis DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciab722

Mechanistic theory predicts the effects of temperature and humidity on inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 and other enveloped viruses Morris D, Yinda K, Gamble A, Rossine F, Huang Q, Bushmaker T, Fischer R, Matson M, Doremalen N, Vikesland P, Marr LC, Munster V, Lloyd-Smith J. Elife DOI: 10.7554/eLife.65902

Airborne transmission of respiratory viruses Wang C, Prather K, Sznitman J, Jimenez J, Lakdawala S, Tufekci Z, Marr LC. Science DOI: 10.1126/science.abd9149

Relative Humidity Predicts Day-to-Day Variations in COVID-19 Cases in the City of Buenos Aires Rojas A, Cordo S, Saurral R, Jimenez J, Marr LC, Kropff E. Environ Sci Technol DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c02711

How did we get here: what are droplets and aerosols and how far do they go? A historical perspective on the transmission of respiratory infectious diseases Randall K, Ewing ET, Marr LC, Jimenez L, Bourouiba L. Interface Focus DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2021.0049

Public Health Responses to Pandemics in 1918 and 2020 Ewing ET. Am J Public Health DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2021.306453

The viability of SARS-CoV-2 on solid surfaces Hosseini M, Behzadinasab S, Benmamoun Z, Ducker WA. Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci DOI: 10.1016/j.cocis.2021.101481

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission among Air Passengers in China Hu M, Wang J, Lin H, Ruktanonchai C, Xu C, Meng B, Zhang X, Carioli A, Feng Y, Yin Q, Floyd J, Ruktanonchai NW, Li Z, Yang W, Tatem A, Lai S
Clin Infect Dis DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciab836

Infectious SARS-CoV-2 is Emitted in Aerosol Particles Hawks S, Prussin A, Kuckinsky S, Pan J, Marr LC, Duggal N. MBio DOI: 10.1128/mBio.02527-21

Transparent and Sprayable Surface Coatings that Kill Drug-Resistant Bacteria Within Minutes and Inactivate SARS-CoV-2 Virus Behzadinasab S, Williams M, Hosseini M, Pon L, Chin A, Falkinham J, Ducker WA. ACP Appl Mater Interfaces
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c15505

Effect of non-pharmaceutical interventions ton contain COVID-19 in China Lai S, Ruktanonchai NW, Zhou L, Prosper O, Luo W, Floyd J, Wesolowski A, Santillana M, Zhang C, Du x, Yu H, Tatem A. Nature DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2293-x

Untangling introdutions and persistence in COVID-19 resurgence in Europe Lemey P, Ruktanonchai NW, Hong S, Collizza V, Poletto C, Van Den Broeck F, Gill M, Ji X, Levasseur A, Munnink B, Koopmans M, Sadilek A, Lai S, Tatem A, Baele G, Suchard M, Dellicour S. Nature DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03754-2

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission among Air Passengers in China Hu M, Wang J, Lin H, Ruktanonchai C, Xu C, Meng B, Zhang X, Carioli A, Feng Y, Yin Q, Floyd J, Ruktanonchai NW, Li Z, Yang W, Tatem A, Lai S Clin Infect Dis DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciab836

Uncovering two phases of early intercontinental COVID-19 transmission dynamics Yang J, Li J, Lai S, Ruktanonchai C, Xing W, Carioli A, Wang P, Ruktanonchai NW, Li R, Floyd J, Wang L, Bi Y, Shi W, Tatem A. J Travel Med DOI: 10.1093/jtm/taaa200

Integrated vaccination and physical distancing interventions to prevent future COVID-19 waves in Chinese cities Huang B, Wang J, Cai J, Yao S, Chan P, Tam T, Hong Y, Ruktanonchai C, Carioli A, Floyd J Ruktanonchai NW, Yang W, Li Z, Tatem A, Lai S. Nat Hum Behav DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01063-2

Assessing the Effect of Global Travel and Contact Restrictions on Mitigating the COVID-19 Pandemic Lei S, Ruktanonchai NW, Carioli A, Ruktanonchai C, Floyd J, Prosper O, Zhang C, Du X, Yang W, Tatem A. Engineering (Beijing) DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2021.03.017

SARS-CoV-2 European resurgence foretold: interplay of introductions aind persistence by leveraging genomic and mobility data Lemey P, Ruktanonchai N, Hong S, Colizza V, Poletto C, Van den Broek F, Gill M, Ji X, Levasseur A, Sadilek A, Lai S, Tatem A, Baele G, Suchard M, Dellicour S. Res Sq DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-208849/v1

Effect of non-pharmaceutical interventions for containing the COVID-10 outbreak in China Lai S, Ruktanonchai N, Zhou L, Prosper O, Luo W, Floyd J, Wesolowski A, Santillana M, Zhang C, Du X, Yu H, Tatem A. medRxiv DOI: 10.1101/2020.03.03.20029843

SARS-CoV-2 virus transfers to skin through contact with contaminated solids Behzadinasab S, Chin A, Hosseini M, Poom L, Ducker WA. Sci Rep DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00843-0

Requirements for the containment of COVID-19 disease outbreaks through periodic testing, isolation, and quarantine Mukhamadiarov R, Den gS, Serrao S Prianka Childs L, Tauber U. J. Phys. A Math Theor. DOI: 10.1088/1751-8121/ac3fc3

COVID-19 Seroprevalence in Canada ModellingWaning and Boosting COVID-19 Immunity in Canada a Canadian Immunization Research Network Study Dick, DW; Childs, L, Feng Z, Li J, Rost G, Buckeridge DL, Ogden NH, Heffernan JM. Vaccines 10.3390/vaccines10010017

SARS-CoV-2 on Surfaces and HVAC Filters in Dormitory Rooms Pan J, Hawks S, Prussin II A, Duggal NK, Marr LC. Environ Sci Technol Lett DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.1c00892