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Featured NewsMayo Clinic’s comprehensive COVID-19 research
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"At Mayo, we've developed a comprehensive research portfolio, or what we call a COVID-19 research task force, in order to respond to every area that we need to learn more about this virus. We have scientists doing research in epidemiology. We have people doing research in immunology and vaccine development, in virology, in translational work, in clinical trials, in community engagement, in infection prevention and control, and how to clean surfaces and clean masks, as well as artificial intelligence and informatics. And pretty much anything you can think about that we need to learn more about this virus and its response in humans and society, we have areas of research at Mayo."
"We've been fortunate to have a number of clinical trials open and available to our patients here which is wonderful news. We are learning more and more about how the virus transmits in society and the epidemiology. And we are finding ways to model and predict what might happen next so we can appropriately respond with having the right resources, the right workforce, the right PPE in the right places before they're needed rather than after they're needed. And we do continue to learn more and more about the virology or the function of this virus and the immunology, our human response to the virus over time."
Watch: Dr. Stacey Rizza talks about COVID-19 research
Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Stacey Rizza are in the downloads at the end of the post. Please courtesy "Stacey Rizza M.D. / Infectious Diseases / Mayo Clinic."
Dr. Rizza says public health measures such as social distancing have helped slow the spread the virus and encourages everyone to continue to follow community health guidelines.
"The societal dictums to do social distancing have been working. We are flattening the curve," says Dr. Rizza. "It has given us time to develop new resources, to develop clinical trials, to get them into patients, to acquire more PPE, to understand staffing models, to understand testing and who we should test and when we should test. And I would just ask that everybody stay attentive to what their public health officials are recommending, to be patient with the process and understand that we’re learning more over time, and we’re better able to treat the virus, battle the virus, but understand how going forward we’re going to live with the virus."
For the latest updates on the COVID-19 pandemic, check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. For more information and COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.
