A gift to UTMB from the Sealy & Smith Foundation will be put to good use in the fight against COVID-19 by supporting a collaboration of UTMB scientists to work together concurrently on a broad range of studies to develop promising vaccines and therapies. “We are extremely thankful for the Sealy & Smith Foundation’s generosity,” said Dr. Ben Raimer.

UTMB’s Katrina Lambrecht explains steps taken by the health system to keep patients visiting ambulatory clinics safe from COVID-19. According to Lambrecht, this involves removal of some of the chairs in waiting areas to allow for greater distances between patients, and frequent disinfecting of all surfaces. In addition, expanded clinic hours will allow for patient flow that will not crowd waiting areas.

The use of telemedicine has surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. UTMB’s Dr. Elizabeth Jaramillo discussed her use of telemedicine with The Facts newspaper. “In our clinic, we have been connecting with patients through video and audio only,” said Jaramillo. “UTMB has set up specific sites for face-to-face visits to help minimize patients’ potential exposure to the coronavirus.”

Victor Sierpina provides readers with steps they can take to maintain their body’s natural and robust immune system to fight off a COVID-19 infection or at least minimize its impact.

In their regular column, Megan Berman and Richard Rupp tell readers that 2009’s outbreak of the novel H1N1 flu can teach us much about dealing with COVID-19.

A local story on the Galveston National Laboratory’s historical relationship with the high-containment lab in Wuhan. Through time, the GNL has hosted Chinese scientists for training to work in the high-containment lab. Between 2008 and 2016, the GNL Biocontainment Training Center trained scientists from about 70 countries. According to UTMB’s James Le Duc, there are redundant safety mechanisms built into all biocontainment laboratories to reduce the risks of accidental exposures.

This national feature story focuses on testing efforts in Galveston County, noting that few U.S. counties are testing for the coronavirus as aggressively as Galveston County. According to the story, county residents are being tested at a rate three times the national average. UTMB’s Chris Toomes explains it was a big effort early in the year to acquire supplies needed for testing. “We put two of our own buyers in the lab to work directly with the lab team to scour the planet for supplies,” Toomes said. “We knew everybody at some point was going to want these materials.” The story was published on U.S. News & World Report, The Guardian, Swissinfo, Yahoo! News, MSN News and other media outlets.

UTMB researchers have identified novel mechanisms that contribute to protections against Marburg infection. There are currently no vaccines are drugs approved for human use to protect against the Marburg virus. “Antibodies are currently the most promising platform for developing post-exposure treatments for Marburg virus infection and are critical tools for design of improved vaccines,” said UTMB’s Alex Bukreyev who led the research team. Cell Host & Microbe published the research findings.

The role of testing in making decisions about reopening the economy is the focus of this story from Utah. In the story, UTMB’s Vineet Menachery points out that most COVID-19 survivors may possess some immunity, but most coronaviruses do not appear to confer lifelong immunity but may mean less severe future infections.

UTMB’s Susan McLellan makes the case for a very cautious approach to reopening the state. Hear her remarks beginning at 37:00.