University System News:
Albany Herald
COVID-19 cases drop significantly at UGA
By Uga News Service
Cases of COVID-19 at the University of Georgia have dropped significantly, falling 35 percent from the previous week among faculty, staff and students. Overall, 68 individuals reported positive tests through the DawgCheck system for February 15 – 21. Of those, 56 were students, nine were staff, and three were faculty members.
13WMAZ
Why do some people experience delayed symptoms of COVID-19?
Some people feel fine until two weeks after encountering the coronavirus
Author: Jerry Carnes
Scientists are still exploring many aspects of the coronavirus, including the people who experience delayed symptoms. There are cases of people who never feel symptoms of COVID-19. Others begin feeling sick anywhere from two to fourteen days after exposure. Dr. Mark Tompkins from the University of Georgia’s Center for Vaccines and Immunology said there are many possible reasons for delayed symptoms.
WGAU Radio
UGA endows Parkinson’s research to honor Isakson
“We are deeply honored that Senator Isakson has made this commitment to the university”
By Clarke Schwabe, UGA Today
The University of Georgia’s campaign to create the John H. “Johnny” Isakson Chair for Parkinson’s Research and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar position reached its goal of $4.5 million in private commitments, and the final contributor was the former U.S. Senator for whom the chair is named. “We are deeply honored that Senator Isakson has made this commitment to the university. His decades of service to our state and nation and his support of UGA and higher education inspired this entire effort,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. …The Isakson Chair and GRA Eminent Scholar position will help UGA attract a leading authority on brain disorders—with an emphasis on Parkinson’s, with which Isakson was diagnosed in 2015—to engage in teaching, research and public service. Fundraising for the chair attracted a variety of donors including individuals, businesses, foundations and more.
Coastal Courier
GSU professor awarded grant to study African American museums
Georgia Southern University Associate Professor of Geography, Amy Potter, Ph.D., has been awarded a $75,000 National Science Foundation grant for the project, “The Role of Museums in the Landscape of Minority Representation.”
Columbus CEO
CSU Again Makes Rank as a Military Friendly School
For the second year in a row, CSU has received the Military School GOLD designation as a Military Friendly School by G.I. Jobs magazine. The list honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that embrace America’s veterans as students. The Military Friendly Schools list is the gold standard in letting veterans know which schools will offer them the greatest opportunities and benefits, including on-campus veterans programs, credit for service, military spouse programs and more.
13WMAZ
Georgia College testing new glass recycling machine
They are exploring ways to use the new glass recycling machine’s byproduct around the Milledgeville community.
Author: Molly Jett
A brand new $14,000 machine is getting put to work, right on Georgia College’s campus. Baldwin County is making strides with this glass-crushing machine. Georgia College junior Ally Esmond found her passion for recycling during an environmental science academy program in high school. “That piqued my interest into recycling, sustainability, as well as water purification systems,” said Edmond. Then during her sophomore year at Georgia College’s college, she learned about an internship with their sustainability office where they were just getting their hands on a brand new glass recycling machine. …According to Georgia College’s Chief Sustainability Officer Lori Hamilton, the machine has economic benefits as well.
Eat This, Not That!
Popular Drinks Proven to Cause High Cholesterol, According to Science
If you need to lower your numbers, you may want to stay away from these.
Avatar
By Jeff Csatari
The blood test indicating you have high cholesterol is almost always followed by a warning from your doctor to cut out the fried foods and get some exercise. You may even get a prescription for cholesterol-lowering medication. However, while those cheeseburgers and fried chicken are almost always to blame for your high cholesterol levels, your drinking habits also play a huge role in negatively affecting your cholesterol numbers …Scientists at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) at Augusta University gave 10 healthy men either a milkshake made with whole milk, heavy whipping cream, and ice cream containing 80 grams of fat and 1,000 calories or a cereal meal of 1,000 calories. Four hours after the meal, researchers gave blood tests and checked the subjects’ endothelial function, that is, the flexibility of their blood vessels. Only the milkshake drinkers’ total cholesterol, triglycerides, and fatty acids were significantly elevated, and their blood vessel test showed reduced endothelial function. The scientists attributed the impaired ability of the blood vessels to dilate properly to high levels of MPO, an enzyme that turns normally smooth red blood cells into small, spikey cells that stiffen arteries and can destabilize plaque buildup, which can result in a heart attack or stroke.
WGAU Radio
UGA study: flu vaccines at all-time high
“Our survey shows that most Americans have or planned to act on the advice to get a flu vaccination this season”
By Sarah Freeman, UGA Media Relations
More U.S. adults reported receiving or planning to receive an influenza vaccination during the 2020-2021 flu season than ever before, according to findings from a December 2020 national survey. The survey of 1,027 adults, conducted by the University of Georgia, found that 43.5% of respondents reported having already received a flu vaccination with an additional 13.5% stating they “definitely will get one” and 9.3% stating they “probably will get one.” Combined, 66.3% have received or intend to receive an influenza vaccination. By comparison, 48.4% of adults 18 and older received the vaccine during the 2019-2020 flu season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an increase of 3.1 percentage points from 2018-2019.
Other News:
USA TODAY
Want to hug again? ‘It’s up to you.’ New ad campaign gets right to the point on COVID vaccines.
By Elizabeth Weise
Prepare for an onslaught of ads reminding us of all the things we miss about life before the pandemic — hugs, going to church, family gatherings and hanging with friends — and information about how COVID-19 vaccines can bring them back. The ad campaign from The Ad Council will include more than $500 million in donated media and talent. It launched Thursday and will slowly change as the landscape of who’s eligible for vaccine and what questions they have shifts. “We’re dealing with the biggest issues of our lifetime,” said the Ad Council’s president and CEO Lisa Sherman. “We recognized pretty quickly that unless people could learn more about the vaccine and get educated, they may not take them. And then we wouldn’t be any better off next year than we are this year.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Feb. 24)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 14,882 | Deaths have been confirmed in every county. This figure does not include additional cases that the DPH reports as suspected COVID-19-related deaths. County is determined by the patient’s residence, when known, not by where they were treated.
CONFIRMED CASES: 810,473 | Cases have been confirmed in every county.
Higher Education News:
Inside Higher Ed
More Bad News for Student Mental Health
By Greta Anderson
About half of college students nationally screened positive for depression or anxiety, or both, during the fall 2020 semester, according to a recently published report by professors who study mental health. The report includes results from a survey of nearly 33,000 students conducted by the Healthy Minds Network, a research organization based at the University of Michigan and Boston University that studies adolescent mental health. These new findings are consistent with previous surveys and research suggesting that students’ mental health has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.