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Leading the charge against COVID-19
The University of Illinois System is leading the charge in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic—from innovative testing solutions, to clinical trials for vaccines and treatments, to pioneering new research and innovations, to providing resources and assistance for our communities, and more.
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  • Female professor and female grad student pose in front of the Alma Mater on UIUC campus

    How pandemic-related changes affect college students' motivation

    May 26, 2021 9:30 am

    A study by educational researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found that some biology students’ interest in their studies and motivation actually increased during the pandemic.

  • SHIELD testing sign in front of building

    SHIELD program a model for effective pandemic management, data show

    Jun 9, 2022 9:00 am

    A new paper in the journal Nature Communications details the innovations in modeling, saliva testing and results reporting of the SHIELD program that helped mitigate the spread of the virus at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the surrounding community.

    SHIELD has been deployed in schools and communities across the state through the U of I System's SHIELD Illinois unit, and around the world through the university-related organization Shield T3.

  • child kneeling on gym floor spitting into tube

    IDPH to offer free covidSHIELD tests for public schools for 2022-23 school year

    Jun 14, 2022 2:00 pm

    The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced a renewed agreement with SHIELD Illinois that offers every public school outside of Chicago the opportunity to use the University of Illinois System’s innovative, saliva-based COVID-19 testing platform at no cost for the 2022-23 school year. 

  • masked worker with clipboard talks to Black masked female in coat

    SHIELD CU helping raise vaccination rates among people of color

    Jun 16, 2021 8:30 am

    The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's SHIELD CU team is partnering with local organizations to help boost the COVID-19 vaccination rate in Champaign County's community of color.

  • illustration of COVID graphene detection process

    'Wonder material' can be used to detect COVID-19 quickly, accurately

    Jun 16, 2021 8:30 am

    Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have successfully used graphene — one of the strongest, thinnest known materials — to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus in laboratory experiments. 

  • vaccine vial close up in gloved hand

    Med students administer vaccines to underserved communities

    Jun 25, 2021 11:30 am

    Medical students in Champaign-Urbana are working to get vaccines to underserved communities. They’re sharing information about the shot, while also advocating for it.

  • Research team members outside on campus

    Study examined COVID-19 policies' effects on people with disabilities

    Jun 28, 2022 10:45 am

    The gym closures, social distancing mandates and other COVID-19 mitigation policies in the U.S. negatively affected the mental health and well-being of some people with disabilities by significantly curtailing their ability to remain active, researchers found.

    In a survey of more than 950 people with diverse types of disabilities, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign identified four groups of people – heavily impacted, resilient, adapted and radically changed – who were differently affected by the pandemic.

  • Female with glasses in ILLINOIS sweatshirt spits into tube

    Frequent COVID-19 testing key to efficient, early detection, study finds

    Jul 2, 2021 8:00 am

    COVID-19 testing works best when administered multiple times per week as part of a routine screening program, such as the SHIELD Illinois saliva-testing protocol, a new study found. 

  • Tara Powell and Jenna Mueller in front of colorful mural

    Study examines pandemic’s impact on volunteer health care workers

    Jul 15, 2022 10:45 am

    Compassion satisfaction – the gratification associated with helping others – protected volunteer health care workers against stress-related symptoms and burnout during the early days of the pandemic, according to a new UIUC study.

  • schematic of sample and processing

    Illinois researchers advance COVID-19 point-of-care technologies

    Jul 27, 2021 9:15 am

    Advances made by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are set to improve the ability to diagnose COVID-19 and other infectious diseases more quickly and at the point of care. 

  • red and white spiky COVID ball

    UIC awarded $6 million to develop potential COVID-19 treatment

    Jul 28, 2021 2:30 pm

    Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago are developing a potential treatment for COVID-19, thanks to a $6 million technology and therapeutic development award from the U.S. Department of Defense.

  • UIC circle logo statue

    Developing antivirals for pandemic-level viruses

    Aug 11, 2022 10:00 am

    Researchers at UIC are working with the National Institutes of Health and researchers from across the country to establish a center for antiviral drug development for pandemic-level viruses, including Ebola and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. 

  • Professor Melissa Ocepek

    Food-buying behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic

    Aug 11, 2022 10:00 am

    A new study examines how Americans acquired food at various points during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how those activities changed over time as case numbers fluctuated and vaccines became available.

  • Opening slide from webinar from UIS

    UIS hosts webinar on returning to school during pandemic

    Aug 24, 2021 9:30 am

    The University of Illinois Springfield hosted a Community Health webinar: "Back to School During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Delta Variant, the Policy Response, and Our School Nurses on the Front LInes."

  • President Killeen speaking at podium outside Illini Union

    28 receive U of I System honor for leading COVID-19 response

    Aug 25, 2021 9:30 am

    University of Illinois President Tim Killeen honored 28 key leaders of the system’s COVID-19 response with the Presidential Medallion. The medallion is the highest honor that the system president can bestow.

  • Map of Illinois with plotpoints and 681,070 students; statistics of students, staff and schools served; Helping Illinois reopen safely

    More than 1,200 Illinois K-12 Schools have signed up for SHIELD testing

    Aug 25, 2021 9:30 am

    More than 1,200 K-12 schools across the state have signed up to use the SHIELD Illinois COVID-19 saliva test for the start of the 2021-22 academic year. 

  • man and woman showing chancellor mobile lab

    President honors leaders of COVID-19 lab development

    Aug 27, 2021 10:30 am

    University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen on Friday honored two people who are among the primary leadership behind the system’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, presenting them with the Presidential Medallion.

  • Woman in glasses talking in office

    UIUC prof fighting language barrier in pandemic

    Sep 14, 2021 8:30 am

    Korinta Maldano and the Maya Interpreters Collective have been working to create public health messaging in one of the primary Mayan languages spoken in Guatemala.

  • Professor Christopher Brooke posed in lab

    Who should get an omicron COVID-19 booster?

    Sep 16, 2022 10:15 am

    Although the omicron variants seem less deadly, COVID-19 vaccine boosters are needed to keep up with the virus as it evolves, says UIUC microbiology professor Christopher Brooke.

  • red and white spiky COVID ball

    Webinar: animals' ability to transmit infections to humans

    Sep 17, 2021 9:00 am

    The University of Illinois Springfield Innovation Hub, UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership and the Community Health Roundtable will host a free virtual public webinar titled “Bats, monkeys and dogs, oh my!” at Noon Friday, Sept. 17 via Zoom.

  • purple spiky virus on top of gray detector (artist's rendering)

    DNA sensor quickly determines whether viruses are infectious

    Sep 29, 2021 9:15 am

    A new sensor developed by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators can detect not only whether a virus is present, but whether it’s infectious – an important distinction for containing viral spread.

  • covid spiky ball

    Boosters plus interventions could cut deaths

    Sep 29, 2022 3:45 pm

    Combining the widespread use of booster shots with a couple of protective measures more commonly used earlier in the pandemic could help reduce COVID-19 deaths in upcoming months, new research from UIUC suggests.

  • autumn colors in a park setting

    Less access to nature linked with COVID-19 rates

    Oct 25, 2021 12:00 pm

    New research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and others suggests less access to nature can have significant health impacts during the pandemic.

  • student walks into COVID-19 testing site

    Media faculty to study public attitudes of COVID-19 testing

    Oct 25, 2022 12:30 pm

    Three UIUC College of Media faculty have received a $25,000 research grant from SHIELD Illinois for a project that will examine public attitudes, news framing, and online engagement about SHIELD COVID-19 testing. 

  • masked worker in winter gear and yellow vest looks at clipboard

    Project pairs COVID-19 outreach with job creation

    Nov 3, 2021 8:15 am

    A project at the UIC School of Public Health not only provides COVID-19 outreach to underserved areas, but also creates jobs for those whose employment was affected by the pandemic. 

  • four female researchers outdoors

    Study: COVID-19 policies harmed minority women's perinatal experiences, magnified inequities

    Nov 17, 2022 8:30 am

    Black, Indigenous and other women of color who were pregnant or gave birth during the pandemic said these experiences were overshadowed by isolation, confusion and fear, much of it caused by unclear or frequently changing institutional policies, according to a new UIUC study.

  • Masked Alma Mater statue

    Comparing COVID-19 testing methods

    Nov 18, 2020 1:30 pm

    Students, faculty members and staff in Urbana-Champaign who are asked to quarantine after COVID-19 exposure or a positive test now have the opportunity to participate in a study that will help inform the national effort to manage the pandemic.

  • red covid molecules

    Student-run contract tracing effective in curbing COVID-19 transmission

    Nov 21, 2022 1:00 pm

    The UIC COVID-19 Contact Tracing and Epidemiology Program helped reduce COVID-19 exposures and infections on campus during the 2020-21 academic year, according to results published in the American Journal of Infection Control.

  • Ian Ludden, Janet Jokela and Sehldon Jacobson posing outdoors

    Second year of pandemic deadlier for middle aged than the first

    Nov 21, 2022 2:00 pm

    The first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic saw an increase in mortality rates, both from COVID-19 and other causes, but the groups hardest hit shifted between the first and second years, according to an analysis of publicly available data.

  • Student providing saliva sample into test tube

    1 million saliva tests milestone

    Dec 4, 2020 1:00 pm

    The University of Illinois System surpassed a COVID-19 testing milestone Wednesday, performing 1 million rapid, saliva-based tests across its three university campuses since August.

  • smiling male in suit and tie in front of brick wall

    Activating a collectivistic orientation conducive to curbing COVID‐19

    Dec 8, 2021 1:00 pm

    A new paper co-written by a team of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign experts in cross-cultural consumer behavior finds a key cultural factor that promotes behavior aimed at curbing the spread of COVID‐19.

  • three smiling workers in PPE

    Public perception of essential workers in the pandemic

    Dec 8, 2021 1:15 pm

    The pandemic has infiltrated lives across the world for almost two years and a new study from the UIC College of Business Administration evaluates public perceptions of essential workers. 

  • multiple covid molucules in red and white

    Protein region on COVID's viral spike senses temperature, drives seasonal mutation patterns

    Dec 13, 2021 12:30 pm

    A new study led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign finds evidence that COVID-19 has been cycling seasonally across the globe for nearly two years and identifies a molecular culprit.

  • Dummy head with mask in lab

    How masks affect speech acoustics

    Dec 23, 2020 8:15 am

    Masks are an important tool for fighting COVID-19 but wearing one can make it difficult for others to hear us speak. Using a unique laboratory setup, UIUC researcher Ryan Corey tested how different types of masks affect the acoustics of speech.

  • artist rendering of proposed DPI

    Shield T3 & DPI announce commercialization of COVID-19 wastewater monitoring

    Feb 2, 2022 9:45 am

    Shield T3 and the Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) today announced a new service to state and local governments outside of Illinois: Testing COVID-19 and its variants in sewage.

  • Jason Brooks administers COVID-19 vaccine

    UIC nursing students help with vaccine effort in Urbana

    Feb 9, 2021 8:00 am

    UIC Nursing students in Urbana are gaining valuable clinical skills and providing a critical service to the community by helping local public health departments administer the COVID-19 vaccine.

  • aerial image of wastewater treatment plant

    Discovery Partners Institute receives $2.36M disease-control contract from CDPH

    Feb 21, 2023 10:30 am

    The Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) is expanding its wastewater surveillance in Chicago beyond the virus that causes COVID-19 under a Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) agreement that extends their disease-control efforts into mid-2024. The DPI-led scientific team is now also analyzing wastewater for evidence of influenza A and B. The new agreement permits this search to grow to include other pathogens, such as the polio or monkeypox viruses, should they emerge as public health concerns.

  • UIC skyline in early morning

    UIC Urban Forum to focus on inclusive post-pandemic recovery

    Apr 7, 2022 9:30 am

    The University of Illinois Chicago’s 2022 Urban Forum will bring together civic leaders, public health professionals and economic development experts to discuss new ideas to create an inclusive and enduring pandemic recovery.

  • female student wearing Illini mask at desk in classroom

    K-12 Shield Playbook offers guidance for reopening schools

    Apr 15, 2021 12:15 pm

    A new resource is available to help guide teachers and school administrators as they reopen schools amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, assembled by researchers and experts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

  • scientist in white coat and mask processing blood samples in lab

    UIC to participate in NIH phase two clinical trial on additional boosters

    Apr 18, 2022 3:30 pm

    The University of Illinois Chicago will participate in a National Institutes of Health phase two clinical trial evaluating additional COVID-19 booster shots for adults.

  • saliva test tube

    UIS now offering testing to public

    May 17, 2021 2:45 pm

    The University of Illinois Springfield, in partnership with SHIELD Illinois, is now offering free COVID-19 saliva testing to the public. 

  • close up of woman in lab

    New tool providing solid clues to COVID-19's resurgence

    Jun 9, 2022 8:00 am

    University of Illinois at Chicago associate professor Rachel Poretsky is doing sewage surveillance through the University of Illinois’ Discovery Partners Institute. Poretsky is co-leading a team with computer scientist Charlie Catlett that’s using Chicago wastewater to identify viral hot spots.

  • several masked, white coat lab workers gathered around a laptop in lab

    UIC conducting community research on emerging variants

    Jun 28, 2021 2:15 pm

    Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago are offering free rapid diagnostic testing for COVID-19 in vulnerable Chicago communities and performing genomic sequencing on the samples to identify variants as part of a National Institutes of Health-funded initiative called RADx-UP.

  • colorful image of spike protein molecules

    COVID-19 virus spike protein flexibility improved by human cell's own modifications

    Jul 15, 2022 10:45 am

    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers created atomic-level models of the spike protein that plays a key role in COVID-19 infection and immunity, revealing how the protein bends and moves as it seeks to engage receptors.

  • Black male being vaccinated by white male

    Illinois Extension contributes to vaccination awareness effort in state

    Jul 16, 2021 2:45 pm

    A new partnership between Cooperative Extension, the Extension Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is empowering land-grant universities across the country to strengthen immunization education with a special focus on adult vaccine hesitancy around both COVID-19 and other adult vaccines.

  • overhead view of factory in neighborhood emitting smoke from smokestacks

    The environmental lessons of COVID-19

    Jul 23, 2021 3:15 pm

    Atmospheric scientists at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign emphasize that the drop in carbon dioxide emissions during the pandemic needs more effort to be sustained.

  • close up graphic of red spikey covid ball

    Sampling sewer water for COVID-19 in the C-U community

    Aug 9, 2021 11:45 am

    Illinois State Water Survey researchers have been sampling sewer water to look for traces of SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19, at the neighborhood level in Champaign-Urbana to help monitor the spread of infection.

  • Asian female in suit by staircase

    Study: Domestic control of COVID-19 takes priority over international travel bans

    Aug 13, 2021 11:00 am

    According to a new paper co-written by a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign urban and environmental economics expert, taming domestic transmission of the novel coronavirus ought to be prioritized over international travel bans

  • colorfulo artist's rendering of DNA strand nets and COVID molecules

    DNA nets capture COVID-19 virus in low-cost rapid-testing platform

    Sep 29, 2022 3:45 pm

    Tiny nets woven from DNA strands can ensnare the spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19, lighting up the virus for a fast-yet-sensitive diagnostic test – and also impeding the virus from infecting cells, opening a new possible route to antiviral treatment, according to a new study.

  • TESTING IN LAB

    IDPH, DPI, Shield T3 to expand wastewater monitoring to schools

    Sep 29, 2022 3:45 pm

    The state of Illinois announced it is launching an innovative pilot program to protect school children from COVID-19 and reduce its spread through classrooms by analyzing school wastewater for the coronavirus, an expansion of the partnership between IDPH, the Discovery Partners Institute and Shield T3.