In the News
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March 15, 2022
The quick development of COVID-19 vaccines and their swift approval by the FDA was a stellar accomplishment of the pandemic, says Arnold Monto, professor emeritus of epidemiology: “We’ve had it for drugs, but this is the first time we’ve had emergency use authorizations for vaccines.” Howard Markel, professor and director of the Center for the History of Medicine, says combined with public health measures, the vaccine saved millions of lives.
The Detroit News -
March 15, 2022
Vladimir Putin sees athletic endeavor as symbolic of Russia’s stature and ambition, says Andrei Markovits, professor of political science, amid the ever-growing sports sanctions against Russia: “The Olympics (and other global sports events) become a form of nationalistic orgy, because it’s such an aphrodisiac, such an unbelievable drug.”
The Christian Science Monitor -
March 15, 2022
While various COVID-19 treatments are now available, none are as effective as the vaccine, says Jason Pogue, clinical professor of pharmacy: “Particularly if you’ve gotten boosted, your likelihood of hospitalization or deaths has gone down by over 90 percent and none of these therapies have that same level of efficacy consistently.”
ABC News -
March 14, 2022
“It’s still not as bad (as 2008). Still, it might get quite bad,” said Daniil Manaenkov, an economist with the Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics, who won’t be surprised if gas prices hit $5 per gallon nationwide. Aaron Kall, director of Michigan Debate, said, “It’s a minor inconvenience, but certainly nothing in comparison to what’s happening in Ukraine and the sacrifices that everybody else in the country and the world are making.”
The Detroit News -
March 14, 2022
“Keep in mind that we’re only (a little more than) two weeks into what will likely be a protracted, possibly multiyear conflict. This will be an order of magnitude beyond Russia’s rebuilding efforts in Chechnya, in terms of sheer scale,” said Yuri Zhukov, associate professor of political science, comparing the cost of rebuilding Ukraine — should it fall to Russia — to that of the Chechen Republic after two wars there in the 1990s.
Newsweek -
March 14, 2022
“I hate to say this, but industrialized agriculture tends to be a lot more efficient at growing food, and often … from a climate perspective, industrial agriculture has been shown to have slightly lower climate emissions than some of the local and organic producers that tend to have lower yields, have a lot more inputs to the farm,” said Shelie Miller, professor of environment and sustainability and director of the Program in Environment. (Note: Miller’s segment begins at about the 28:30-minute mark of the link below)
BBC -
March 11, 2022
Emily Martin, associate professor of epidemiology, says we are getting better at predicting COVID’s patterns, much like forecasting the weather: “Weather sometimes disrupts our lives, but we usually have a little bit of warning, and we know what to expect and we know what actions that we take when there’s a storm coming.”
Michigan Radio -
March 11, 2022
“One thing that is true in the state of Michigan is that homeless, unaccompanied minors are not able to consent for their own health care,” said Jennifer Erb-Downward, senior research associate at U-M’s Poverty Solutions. “Youth who are homeless (are) at greater risk … for all sorts of negative health outcomes. And yet, we are legally preventing them from accessing services that could help to bridge that connection to care.”
WDET Radio -
March 11, 2022
A decision by a federal judge to strike down the lead felony charge — obstructing an official proceeding — “throws a monkey wrench into the DOJ’s efforts to hold accountable the people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6,” said Barbara McQuade, professor from practice of law. “This decision will likely delay all cases where this offense has been charged or could have been charged, including against Donald Trump.”
The Washington Post -
March 10, 2022
“What we really need is transformational change. … We need to take radical action. We cannot avoid the fact that we have created a risky world and we need to find ways to live in that world,” said Paige Fischer, associate professor of sustainability and environment, who along with Kyle Whyte, professor of environment and sustainability, contributed to the latest report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
MLive
