Coronavirus Update With Nicholas Christakis

Yale Sterling Professor Nicholas A. Christakis, MD, PhD, MPH returns to JAMA’s Q&A series to discuss the surge in US cases and other recent pandemic developments. Dr. Christakis is author of the recently published book “Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live.” Recorded November 23, 2020.

Topics discussed in this interview:

0:00 Introduction 0:56 Impression of last two weeks in US 4:21 Vaccine platforms and timelines 9:20 Vaccine distribution and hesitancy 12:13 Communicating uncertainty 17:37 The virus as cause of economic downturn 19:40 Excess deaths 20:15 What we don’t know about vaccines 24:30 What health care changes are here to stay 27:04 Workplace changes 29:13 Effects on infrastructures 31:46 Mental health 35:24 Effects on children 40:23 Lessons from history about plagues 42:55 President-elect Biden’s next steps 46:28 Longterm effects on infrastructures 47:44 Publications and other work