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Get the most interesting and important stories from the ϳԹ of ϳԹ.Nearly a Year
Pitt had just announced a shift to virtual learning on March 11. On the 20th, only 82 cases of COVID-19 had been in Pennsylvania that day, and no deaths; nationally, more than 15,000 cases were and 201 lives had been lost. It was hard to imagine that a year later, after more than half a million deaths, substantial economic hardship and lives disrupted in a multitude of ways, we would still be managing pandemic conditions.
But, as the ϳԹ shifted to remote learning on March 23 and the country began to grasp the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pitt people made the adjustments necessary to not only persevere, but to deliver on the ϳԹ’s mission through difficult times.
Students, faculty and staff pivoted to new ways of ,,Ի. Facilities and other essential staff members kept the ϳԹ clean and maintained, , for those who remained on campus. Alumni in the health care fields staffed around the country.
Researchers sprang into action to . Ethicists debated as ICUs filled with sick patients. Inventors got for COVID-19 treatments and the ϳԹ many more. Historians and Pitt offices set up special programming weather uncertainty. The ϳԹ Counseling Center expanded its to help students near and far cope. Exercise science pros to keep the community active.
As we wondered how long this all would last, med students to children and adults in need. While we figured out online grocery ordering and how to navigate friendships at a distance, staffers put out ,Ի. When shops and restaurants shut down indefinitely, entrepreneurs .
Amid all that, we in spectacular fashion as they lived through—yes—an unprecedented final semester, and we sent off the .
And those were just the early days. As spring faded to summer and we began settling in to a new normal, facilities staff prepared for parts of the Pitt community to return to campus—from to .
Since last March, COVID-19 has fundamentally changed almost every aspect of life and death. There’s no denying that the more than 525,000 people who have died and the millions more who have contracted the disease have changed us as a nation. There’s also no denying that the pandemic has revealed in us all a capacity for resilience and creativity.
Nearly a year in, we all hope this ends soon and life as usual can recommence. But until it can, the Pitt community will stand together, continue helping each other, rejoice in our successes, mourn our losses and keep moving forward, because that’s what we do.
Did we miss a compelling or inspiring story from the pandemic? Let us know: pittwire [at] pitt.edu (subject: COVID-19%20Stories)