The Covid-19 pandemic is a particularly stressful situation. The Swiss Corona Stress Study examined the effects of the first lockdown and currently investigates the effects of the second corona wave on the psychological well-being in Switzerland.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Dominique de Quervain
University of Basel
Faculty of Psychologie
phone +41 61 207 02 37
email: dominique.dequervain@unibas.ch

The COR-PHYS-Q study examines the impact of ongoing varying measures to control the spread of the coronavirus on physical activity and health in the German-speaking population of Switzerland. In addition, the influence of the vaccination status is investigated. (survey to be conducted from 9th to 22nd August 2021)

Contact:
Prof. Dr. med. Arno Schmidt-Trucksäss
University of Basel
Faculty of Medicine
Department of Sport, Exercise and Health
tel. +41 61 207 47 40
email: arno.schmidt-trucksäss@unibas.ch

The study "Covid-19 Impact" deals with coping mechanisms and behaviors in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The international survey focuses on how people participate in government measures such as social distancing, home office, quarantine, etc., how they personally react to and deal with them.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Andrew Gloster
University of Basel
Faculty of Psychology
tel. +41 61 207 02 75
email: andrew.gloster@unibas.ch

What are the physical and mental effects of the Covid-19 pandemic? An international research consortium explores this question with the COH-FIT study (Collaborative Outcomes Study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times) in 148 countries. The international survey project is conducted and analyzed with the participation of researchers from the University of Basel and the Psychiatric University Clinics Basel.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Christian Huber
University of Basel / Psychiatric University Clinics Basel
tel. +41 61 325 51 11
email: christian.huber@upk.ch

The website Nextstrain allows you to follow in real time how a virus changes and spreads. This also allows a better understanding of the virus, whether interventions are working, and some predictions to be made about future developments.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Richard Neher 
University of Basel, Biozentrum
tel. +41 61 207 58 34
email: richard.neher@unibas.ch

Dr. Emma Hodcroft
University of Basel, Biozentrum
tel. +41 61 207 22 03
email: emma.hodcroft@unibas.ch

Researchers have used computational methods to virtually test more than 600 million different substances that might be potential drugs against the coronavirus.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Markus A. Lill 
University of Basel
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Computational Pharmacy 
tel. +41 61 207 61 35
email: markus.lill@unibas.ch

Basel is a representative European city in which city quarters have different socioeconomic profiles, defined by living space, income, seniority, among other factors. The reaction of citizens in Basel to the lockdown in spring 2020, as measured by mobility, differed between socioeconomic groups. A team of researchers is tracking cases and clusters of Covid-19 across the city to investigate the impact of socioeconomic factors on the spread of the virus. They are also modelling the impact a vaccination would have in order to determine which groups should be prioritized.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Adrian Egli
University of Basel
Department of Biomedicine
tel.  +41 61 265 42 45
email: ad.egli@unibas.ch

By sequencing the full genomes of virus samples collected from patients diagnosed at the University Hospital Basel, researchers perform phylogenetic analysis to trace viral introductions and transmissions in Basel and the surrounding region. They can thus identify the emergence of specific mutations which may affect drug resistance, transmission rates and vaccine efficacy.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Adrian Egli
University of Basel
Department of Biomedicine
tel.  +41 61 265 42 45
email: ad.egli@unibas.ch

Researchers at the University Hospital and the University of Basel are investigating the possibilities of treating Covid-19 patients by transfusing convalescent blood plasma from convalescent patients. The plasma contains antibodies against the coronavirus. In their study, the researchers want to find out whether this treatment can reduce the severity and duration of the disease.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Manuel Battegay
University of Basel
Faculty of Medicine, Infectiology
tel.  +41 61 328 60 72
email: manuel.battegay@unibas.ch

An interdisciplinary team is investigating the interactions of the coronavirus with various tissues and organs of deceased patients. The project will provide insights into the pathogenesis of Covid-19 and the future design of medical interventions for this disease.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Alexandar Tzankov
University of Basel
University Hospital Basel
tel. +41 61 265 3229
email: alexandar.tzankov@usb.ch

A research team investigates the role of patients’ immune response to Covid-19. With the aim of improving therapeutic interventions for Covid-19 patients, they will explore how biological processes in immune cells, particularly metabolism, and their respective functions are affected in patients with varying levels of disease severity.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Christoph Hess
University of Basel
Department of Biomedicine
tel: +41 61 328 68 30
email: christoph.hess@unibas.ch

Researchers from the University of Basel and the University Hospital Basel will evaluate the efficacy and safety of two Covid-19 vaccines (Pfizer Biontech and Moderna) in immunocompromised patients at high risk of complications from SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study will take place as part of the Swiss HIV and Transplant Cohort Study at four university hospitals in Switzerland.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Heiner Bucher
University of Basel
University Hospital Basel
tel: +41 61 328 61 01
email: heiner.bucher@usb.ch

Patients with a metabolic syndrome (overweight, diabetes, hypertension) have a particularly bad outcome if infected with Covid-19. A research team led by the University of Basel and the University Hospital Basel is investigating whether the anti-inflammatory Canakinumab has a beneficial effect on the course of Covid-19 in type 2 diabetics

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Marc Donath
University of Basel
Department of Biomedicine
University Hospital Basel
tel. +41 61 265 50 78
email: marc.donath@unibas.ch

In times of Covid-19, consulting a doctor can be problematic due to social distancing and the sometimes necessary home quarantine. This carries the risk that outpatients suspected of being infected with SARS2-CoV-2 are not adequately cared for. The SmartCovid project is investigating whether an algorithm with automated SMS and questionnaires could help to follow-up patients suspected of having Covid-19 without requiring significantly more medical staff.

Contact:
PD Dr. Christoph Berger
University of Basel
Department of Biomedicine
tel: +41 61 328 66 31
email: christoph.berger@unibas.ch

PD Dr. Michael Mayr
University Hospital Basel
Clinic for Ambulatory Internal Medicine
email: michael.mayr@usb.ch

With the COVIVA (coronavirus survival) study platform, researchers want to investigate established and new biomarkers for an early and reliable prognosis of Covid-19. In an interdisciplinary approach, this biobank systematically includes patients suspected of having Covid-19 in the emergency and intensive care units of the University Hospital Basel. It also aims to improve the understanding of disease mechanisms and to identify potential new therapeutic targets.

Contact:
Dr. Raphael Twerenbold
University of Basel
Faculty of Medicine, Cardiology
tel: +41 61 328 72 16
email: raphael.twerenbold@unibas.ch

Using data from the Triage and Covid-19 Test Center of the University Hospital Basel, researchers are investigating which risk factors are associated with severe Sars-CoV-2 infections.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Roland Bingisser
University of Basel
Department Clinical Research
tel: +41 61 265 58 30
email: roland.bingisser@unibas.ch

A research team at the University of Basel and the University Hospital Basel is leading the development of an online platform that lists the latest clinical trials concerning Covid-19. The platform, which is updated daily, is intended to help identify information on the benefits and risks of interventions in the areas of prevention, vaccine development, diagnostics and treatment of Covid-19. Data sources include registers of clinical trials, publications in scientific journals and yet un-reviewed studies on preprint servers.

Contact:
PD Dr. Lars Hemkens
University of Basel
University Hospital Basel
tel. +41 61 328 54 04
email: lars.hemkens@usb.ch

A research team with the participation of the University of Basel is in the process of establishing a nationwide registry of pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 infection. It shall serve as a basis for future research projects to identify possible risks arising from the infection during pregnancy and after birth.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Irene Hösli
University of Basel
Faculty of Medicine, Gynecology/Obstetrics
email: irene.hoesli@usb.ch / studienhebamme@usb.ch

In an international study, researchers at clinical centres in Switzerland and worldwide are investigating how Covid-19 progresses in people with congenital heart disease. Information on the cases is being collected using a digital tool.

Contact:
PD Dr. Daniel Tobler
University of Basel
Faculty of Medicine, Cardiology
tel.  +41 61 265 52 14
email: d.tobler@unibas.ch

The survey investigated how the measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic affected sleep, for example, sleep rhythm and sleep quality.

Contact:
Dr. Christine Blume
University of Basel
University Psychiatric Clinics (UPK) Basel
Center for Chronobiology
tel. +41 61 325 50 74
email: christine.blume@upk.ch

Much of the media coverage of Covid-19 is focused on numbers and statistics. This can be helpful, but also overwhelming and confusing. Social psychologists from the University of Basel have formulated nine practical recommendations that can be used to adapt decision-making behaviour to the current situation.

Contact:
Maria Douneva
Faculty of Psychology
tel. +41 61 207 03 44
email: maria.douneva@unibas.ch

The current situation is also exceptional from a legal point of view: the Federal Council is ruling with emergency powers, parliamentary work has been suspended and referendums have been postponed. The task of jurisprudence is to classify and analyse the decrees that have come into force within a short period of time and to take a stand on questions of application and interpretation. The orientation platform "ius coronae" offers an overview of the research contributions of the Faculty of Law and serves the dynamic exchange on the extraordinary legal situation in the Corona crisis.

Researchers of the Faculty of Law have investigated the legal framework for prioritising high-priority Covid-19 patients in intensive care. They came to the conclusion that both the relevant guidelines of the Swiss Academy of Medical Science (SAMS) and the recommendations of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DIVI) are incompatible with elementary constitutional and criminal law.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Bijan Fateh-Moghadam
University of Basel
Faculty of Law
tel. +41 61 207 25 57
email: bijan.fateh@unibas.ch

Government measures play a central role in the fight against the corona pandemic (bans on events, closure of businesses, etc.). People are more willing to comply with the rules of conduct if the measures are correct under the rule of law, non-discriminatory and proportionate. This assessment requires legal know-how in the areas of labour law, social security law, health law, human rights and data protection law, among others. A research project is set to address these questions.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Kurt Pärli 
University of Basel
Faculty of Law
tel. +41 61 207 24 85
email: kurt.paerli@unibas.ch

The coronavirus pandemic leads to uncertainties with regard to work and employment. Numerous questions arise for employers and employees, especially in the areas of default of acceptance, obligation to continue to pay wages, termination and liability for inadequate health protection. The situation is also a challenge for the social security system, in particular unemployment insurance. In addition, questions of social security for self-employed persons arise.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Kurt Pärli
University of Basel
Faculty of Law
tel. +41 61 207 24 85
email: kurt.paerli@unibas.ch

In the course of the measures against Covid-19 it is also important to respect the prohibition of age discrimination. Researchers of the Institute for European Global Studies have examined the triage guidelines of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMS). In their current version, these triage guidelines stipulate specific age limits for intensive care treatments in cases of resource shortages.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Christa Tobler
University of Basel
Institute for European Global Studies
tel: +41 61 207 48 52
email: christa.tobler@unibas.ch

lic. iur. Mark-Anthony Schwestermann, Attorney at Law
University of Basel
Institute for European Global Studies
tel: +41 61 207 48 55
email: markanthony.schwestermann@unibas.ch

The research project «Climate Change, Pandemics, and the Transition to Late Antiquity» approaches the problem from a historical point of view and aims to assess the influence of climate change and pandemics as catalysts of social upheavals that may have led to the global crisis of the Roman Empire in the third century AD. The project is conducted by an interdisciplinary team of ancient historians, papyrologists and paleoclimatologists.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Sabine Huebner
University of Basel
Department of Ancient Civilizations
Ancient History
tel. +41 61 207 12 51
email: sabine.huebner@unibas.ch

Handshakes, hugs and kisses were an essential part of opening of encounters. In the Corona crisis, greeting are radically transformed by  embodied distancing. How do social, interpersonal, embodied and formal relationships change between people who come together in everyday life and at work? That is the question addressed by the project "Human Sociality in the Age of Covid-19: How people (dis)engage in social interaction".

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Lorenza Mondada
University of Basel
Department of Languages and Literatures
tel. +41 61 207 13 33
email: lorenza.mondada@unibas.ch

Researchers at the Institute of Sociology investigate the motivation, values and beliefs of participants in rallies and demonstrations against corona-related measures such as wearing masks. For this purpose, they make direct contact with the participants in protests and other critics of the corona measures, among others, in order to question them about their views and to represent them.

Contact:
Dr. Robert Schäfer
University of Basel
Department of Social Sciences
tel. +41 61 207 24 26
email: robert.schaefer@unibas.ch

Prof. Dr. Oliver Nachtwey
University of Basel
Department of Social Sciences
tel. +41 61 207 28 17
email: oliver.nachtwey@unibas.ch

The Faculty of Business and Economics collects on its website the projects concerning the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects.

An analysis by economists summarizes how well different professions in the corona lockdown are suited for home office, and what consequences the different suitability could have for the individual economic sectors, regions and population groups in Switzerland.

Contact:
Christian Rutzer
University of Basel
Center for International Economics and Business (CIEB)
Tel. +41 61 207 33 00
E-Mail: christian.rutzer@unibas.ch

Researchers have examined the need for physical presence at the workplace, also taking into account the fact that some essential sectors are excluded from federal measures against Covid-19. From this, they have developed a so-called "lockdown index" that varies across cantons, labour market regions and sectors. Their study shows a positive correlation between this index and the current rise in unemployment in Swiss industries.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Kurt Schmidheiny
University of Basel
Faculty of Business and Economics
Applied Econometrics
tel. +41 61 207 33 72
email: kurt.schmidheiny@unibas.ch

A research team at the Institute for Educational Sciences of the University of Basel, in collaboration with "Eucor - The European Campus", is conducting a survey among university teachers to shed light on the transition from conventional teaching to online teaching due to the coronavirus. This survey is part of an international study that focuses on the experiences, attitudes and needs of university teachers during this challenging situation. Initial results show that the shift to online teaching was largely perceived as successful by faculty, particularly due to their own adaptability and openness to new educational technologies.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Elena Makarova
Institute for Educational Sciences
tel. +41 61 207 53 01
email: elena.makarova@unibas.ch

In the Corona crisis, many people in Switzerland are involved as volunteers through various online platforms that coordinate helpers and people seeking help. This survey examined the experiences of these Corona volunteers in order to better understand the contribution that volunteering and coordination via platforms make to overcoming the crisis. The results should provide insights into volunteering in the future.

Contact:
Nicholas Arnold
University of Basel
Center for Philanthropy Studies (CEPS)
Tel. +41 61 207 56 28
E-Mail: n.arnold@unibas.ch