Gavin Yamey

Yamey is a physician and professor of global health and public policy at Duke University, where he directs the Center for Policy Impact in Global Health.

Recent Articles

How Wellness Conspiracy Theories Spread

Wellness influencers and right-wing anti-science activists are spreading conspiracy theories in pursuit of profit.

By Simon Williams , Gavin Yamey , Peter Van Heusden and Sarah Downs

Robert F Kennedy Jr. Is Dead Wrong About Vaccines

There is no point in debating RFK Jr. on vaccines. He's wrong and has been proven so many times before.

By Edward Nirenberg and Gavin Yamey

Why Americans Are Dying So Young

One in 25 American five-year olds will not reach their 40th birthday.

By Laudan Aron and Gavin Yamey

Presidential Election Will Be a Battle Over Pandemic Memory

The 2024 political campaign will be about how we remember the pandemic

By Jacob Steere-Williams and Gavin Yamey

We Still Don’t Know What Works Best to Slow the Spread Of COVID-19

Because of a lack of research, we still can’t answer important questions about what reduced the spread of COVID-19.

By Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz and Gavin Yamey

Why Masks Still Matter

Masks work against not only COVID-19 but also the flu, RSV, and other respiratory viruses. We should still be using them

By Abraar Karan and Gavin Yamey

Biden Is Wrong, the COVID-19 Pandemic Isn't Over

Biden is wrong to declare the COVID-19 pandemic over. We're heading in the right direction but the death toll is still too high

By Gavin Yamey

With Innovation, We Can Keep Reducing the Toll of COVID-19

The current levels of illness, deaths, and long COVID-19 warrant more aggressive action.

By Edward Nirenberg , Gavin Yamey and Ilan Schwartz

The Omicron Wave Is Receding But the Pandemic Is Far From Over

The U.S. has experienced a brutal winter wave of COVID-19, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Daily deaths are higher today than they were during the peak of last fall’s Delta wave, and have...

By Gavin Yamey , Abraar Karan and Ranu Dhillon

Let's Not Be Fatalistic About Omicron. We Know How to Fight It

The new, heavily mutated variant of SARS-CoV-2, Omicron first detected by scientists in South Africa, has put the public health community worldwide on high alert and the public on edge. Since then, evidence has mounted...

By Gavin Yamey , William Hanage and Tom Moultrie

The 6 Key Factors That Will Determine the Severity of the COVID-19 Surge in the U.S. This Fall

Here we go again. The United States is now experiencing a fourth wave of COVID-19, with very rapidly rising infections. The surge in new daily cases is driven by the Delta variant, which makes up...

By Gavin Yamey and Nahid Bhadelia

How COVID-19 Is Revolutionizing Health Care Around the World

In 2020 alone, there were at least 3 million deaths from COVID-19, though the true figure is probably 2-3 times higher. In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage on and is likely to last...

By Gavin Yamey and Madhukar Pai

The CDC’s Abrupt Change to Mask Guidelines Puts People at Risk

On April 27, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) eased its guidelines on wearing masks outside, saying fully vaccinated people did not need masks outdoors unless they were in a crowd of strangers....

By Gavin Yamey and Theresa Chapple-McGruder

We'll Probably Never Eliminate COVID-19 from the U.S.

2021 got off to a grim pandemic start in the U.S. A huge surge in COVID-19 cases followed the holiday season, peaking at around 300,000 new cases on Jan. 8, 2020. More than 20,000 Americans...

By William Hanage and Gavin Yamey

What We Must Do to Curb COVID-19 Before Vaccines Roll Out

On Jan. 7, 2021, the U.S. hit another grim milestone, for the first time recording over 300,000 new cases of COVID-19 and over 4,000 deaths from the infection in one day. Across the country, hospitals...

By Gavin Yamey

What Biden Needs To Do To Fight COVID-19

On January 20, 2021—exactly one year after the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the United States—Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th U.S. President. Once he takes office, he will be able...

By Nahid Bhadelia and Gavin Yamey

Letting Coronavirus Rip is Dangerous

On October 13 the White House confirmed that it is embracing what the Los Angeles Times editorial board calls the “let people die” strategy in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The strategy involves deliberately...

By Gavin Yamey

How to Reopen Colleges Safely During COVID-19

Despite dire warnings this summer from public health experts, over a third of U.S. colleges and universities went full steam ahead with reopening, saying they had no choice due to financial or political pressures. The...

By Gavin Yamey and Nahid Bhadelia

We Need to Care for Long-term COVID-19 Patients

On July 7, 2020, the Boston Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez tested positive for the new coronavirus. He was scheduled to start Opening Day for the Sox, but the virus had other plans—damaging Rodriguez’s heart...

By Gavin Yamey and Sharon Taylor

Will Universities Be the Next COVID-19 Tinderboxes?

The fall semester has yet to begin, but student athletes training for the season can already be found on college campuses across the U.S. And so can COVID-19.Since the start of July there have been...

By Katie Mack and Gavin Yamey
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