COVID-19 Archives - State of the Planet

A crowded subway train in New York City

Tackling Crowd Management in Subways During Pandemics

Columbia researchers are working with the MTA to develop machine learning and traffic models to optimize traffic flow during pandemics.

by Holly Evarts |December 16, 2022
daily electricity use

Two Years Into COVID-19, the City That Never Sleeps Returns to Waking Up Early

Higher electricity usage in NYC homes reflects the “new normal,” and raises concerns about winter energy costs.

by Christoph J. Meinrenken and Patricia J. Culligan |October 26, 2022

Graduation Ceremonies Return to the Real World

The reappearance of caps, gowns, hoods, paper diplomas, and smiling friends and families provide continuity and reassurance. I am happy that I got to see that once again, last week.

by |May 23, 2022
sign about social distancing

Two Years Into Covid-19, Where Do We Go From Here?

As the world moves forward with cautious optimism, it is critical to evaluate how we can be better equipped to face a new variant in the future, or a new pandemic entirely.

by Irwin Redlener and Sean Hansen |March 15, 2022
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, maskless, at a meeting with the country's Ministry of Health

Brazilian Scientists Are in Danger, and No One Is Doing Anything About It

President Jair Bolsonaro’s attacks on science have dire consequences for Brazil’s scientists, the health of its people, and its world-renowned research institutions.

by Mariana Simões |March 1, 2022
Map of COVID deaths and social vulnerability by U.S. countie

Irwin Redlener on COVID, Politics, and Social Vulnerability

The director of the Pandemic Resource and Response Initiative discusses how inequality, politics and misinformation worsened COVID’s impact in communities across the U.S.

by |February 23, 2022
jeff schlegelmilch in washington dc

Disaster Expert Testifies in Congress Regarding Future Pandemics

Columbia Climate School’s Jeffrey Schlegelmilch spoke to members of Congress about how better preparedness before disasters strike can save money and lives.

by |January 20, 2022

Where COVID-19’s Death Grip Slipped (Briefly)

In 2020, mortality rates climbed in most of the world, but dropped in the Bangladeshi countryside, for reasons that are still unknown.

by |November 15, 2021

Pod of the Planet Episode 17: Mapping Out a Vaccination Strategy in Nigeria

In this episode, we talk to two experts from the GRID3 program, which is providing geospatial data to support Nigeria’s COVID-19 vaccination planning.

by |November 3, 2021

Vaccination, Freedom and Responsibility

We need to exercise our freedoms with a sense of responsibility, mindful of our obligations to our neighbors, our nation, and the world.

by |November 1, 2021