Department of Medicine Covid Grand Rounds - An Evolutionary Biologist Looks at Variants, and the Role of Rapid Testing in Covid

This week, we cover two crucial issues in Covid: variants and testing. The highly infectious Delta variant has been responsible for changing the trajectory of Covid over the past six months. In the first segment, evolutionary biologist Paul Turner of Yale will describe how and why variants happen, whether Delta was a surprise, and what the future may hold in terms of additional variants. In the second segment, Harvard epidemiologist Michael Mina returns to Medicine Grand Rounds. Mina is the nation’s most prominent advocate for focusing on testing as a key prevention and mitigation strategy. In the past few months, his calls have gained significant traction in the Biden administration. We’ll discuss the role of testing – particularly rapid testing – in creating safe spaces in businesses and schools, and where testing fits into our overall Covid strategy, particularly in light of this week’s news about an effective oral antiviral treatment on the horizon.

Paul Turner, PhD, Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University

Michael Mina, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Zoom Information: