Research Program
The COVID-19 Initiative
COVID-19 has cost millions of lives worldwide, overwhelmed healthcare systems, devastated economies and changed society for years to come. The Schaeffer Center’s COVID Initiative is working to improve public health and get people back to work without fear of infection.
Program Leadership
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Neeraj Sood, PhD
Director, COVID Initiative, USC Schaeffer Center
Professor of Public Policy, USC Price School of Public Policy
Featured Research and Perspectives
Traditional Vaccination Playbook Doesn’t Work with COVID
Financial incentives and other behavioral nudges made little difference among certain groups.
Here’s How Public Health Messaging Can Help With the Next Phase of the Pandemic
As COVID-19 cases increase and officials warn of a potential new surge, confusion still bedevils our public health messaging.
More than 7 in 10 L.A. County Adults Were Vaccinated or Had COVID Antibodies Before Delta and Omicron Surges
Despite high levels of potential protection, L.A. still experienced a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Vaccines Help Reduce COVID-19 Related Anxiety and Depression
COVID-19 vaccines may offer individuals more than protection from serious illness.
Shelter-in-Place Policies and Excess Mortality
Shelter-in-place policies were one of the most widely used policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Neeraj Sood presented his research on the impact of these policies on excess mortality for a NBER research spotlight webinar.
More on COVID-19
Trends and Disparities in the Utilization of Influenza Vaccines Among Commercially Insured US Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Researchers attempted tp under how COVID-19 affected influenza vaccine utilization and disparities.
Macroeconomic Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic
We estimate the economic impacts of COVID-19 in the U.S.
The Economic Case for Federal Investment in COVID-19 Vaccines and Therapeutics Remains Strong
There is a strong economic case for continued federal investment.
SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence Among Firefighters in Los Angeles, California
Schaeffer Center researchers conducted a serological survey of firefighters in Los Angeles in October 2020.
The Burden of 1 Million Excess Deaths: 13.5 Million Years of Life Lost During the COVID Pandemic
Schaeffer Center experts now estimate the average person who has died has lost 13.5 years of life. The researchers find that the average years of life lost increased over the second year of the pandemic despite vaccines being widely available.
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Ongoing Studies
Los Angeles COVID Response Innovations
Los Angeles Pandemic Surveillance Cohort Initiative
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation Pandemic Response Policy Research Fund
Funding for the COVID Initiative has been provided by the USC Office of the President, USC Office of the Provost, USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, Hilton Foundation, Jedel Family Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Office of Mayor Garcetti, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and various individual donors.