Early results from a clinical trial at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in July showed the plasma helped 94% of patients who were considered severely ill avoid having to go to intensive care or being placed on mechanical ventilation.
FluGen, which has been working with research from UW-Madison for years on developing a universal flu vaccine — one that wouldn’t have to be updated each year, as the flu shot is now — is incorporating a coronavirus vaccine into its plans, though president and CEO Paul Radspinner said there is no timeline for getting the vaccine to human studies as of yet.
A team of UW-Madison engineers is back with another innovation to keep people safe during the pandemic. This fall, they designed the Badger Seal to be worn over a mask.
Some universities in particularly hard-hit communities may be asking students who go home this month not to return until January. One of those is Wisconsin’s flagship university, the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Over the course of two weeks, the university’s seven-day average positivity rate has more than doubled, including 100 students currently in quarantine or isolation, according to UHS Executive Director Jake Baggott. While UW increased its testing efforts, particularly in residence halls, Baggot called on students to help the university control the spread of the virus by adhering to social distancing protocols and restricting their activities.
UW-Madison police closed the door on a spate of thefts from Madison residence halls over the weekend.
The caretaker of the the Longenecker Horticultural Gardens where the 25-foot Algonquin Pillar Swiss Mountain pine was sawed down, David Stevens, said the trees at the arboretum carry as much meaning as they do beauty, and are used for research. “It’s hard to stomach,” Stevens said.
After reviewing security camera footage, police were able to identify the suspects — two UW students who are roommates. Police said they were able to catch the students in the act.“We broke up a theft ring this weekend that clearly had a faulty exit strategy,” UWPD tweeted Sunday.
UnityPoint Health-Meriter, SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital-Madison and UW Health said Friday all three systems will continue postponing non-urgent procedures and surgeries to increase space in intensive care units.
The University of Wisconsin football season to this point has felt like rush-hour traffic on the Beltline. Start and stop. Slowly get moving, then stop again. Get a head of steam, screeching halt.
After two cancelled games, Regent Street business owners are glad the Badgers are back, but they say they want to make safety a priority.
Barry Burden, a UW-Madison political science professor and the director of the Elections Research Center, said politicians have a role to play in how the public perceives elections. “When they raise questions about elections that are not based on fact or don’t have that kind of substantial foundation below them that actually undermines confidence,” Burden said. “A person saying publicly that they lack confidence or they have a suspicion about something going wrong, that actually fuels suspicion or lack of confidence so it becomes kind of a vicious circle.”
The coronavirus pandemic is still here, and it’s not going anywhere for a while. Experts say it’s worse than ever before. UW Health’s Director of Infection Control Dr. Nasia Safdar joins Live at Four to talk about the state of COVID-19 in Wisconsin.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news. We used to say 10 people, that was an OK number to gather with. Right now with covid so prevalent in our communities, we really cant be gathering,” Dr. Jeff Pothoff, UW Health chief quality officer said.
