Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University’s school of public health, tells TODAY “I think this drop is real” as coronavirus numbers go down nationwide: “I think some of it is coming off the highs from the holidays. Second, I think there is evidence people are being a bit more assiduous” about safety precautions. He urges the public to be careful “just a little bit longer … by the later spring I think things will be much easier to open.”

CNN: "One, we came off of really high numbers from the holidays," said Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. "Second, there is pretty good evidence that people are doing a better job of social distancing and mask wearing," he said.

WJAR: Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences Philip Chan and Dean of the School of Public Health Ashish Jha are scheduled to speak at the R.I. House of Representatives COVID-19 vaccine task force meeting on Wednesday.

The Wall Street Journal: Public health officials and epidemiologists have expressed concern over the spread of variant strains of Covid-19. “No one wants to go back to the office and then have to shut it down two weeks later,” said Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Fortune: Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, believes airlines should play a role in notification alongside the CDC and public health departments. “They actually have the passenger information. They have addresses of people. This would not be that hard for airlines to do,” Jha said in a phone interview. “But my sense is they have not seen it as their responsibility, and that’s why it’s not happening.”

The Atlantic: “I am really anxious about the next two months,” said Ashish Jha, the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. “What are the risks of getting large numbers of AstraZeneca vaccines out to relatively young people? I think they’re really small, much smaller than most people think. And we don’t know how big the benefit is.” He said that the FDA, along with the National Institutes of Health, could enroll vaccinated individuals in studies to observe its effectiveness.

The New York Times: “I’m concerned about this disjointed tracking system,” said Dr. Ashish K. Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. “We knew these vaccines were coming for at least several months before they got authorized, so we really should have had a well-developed system.” Dr. Jha and others believe that with all the public attention on the vaccines, any serious adverse reactions will likely be reported somewhere. But, they say, a more systematic approach is crucial.

The New York Times: “By the time we get into late spring, summer, I fully expect, with a large proportion of adults vaccinated, things will be dramatically better,” said Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. Friends, no longer relegated to the deck, might actually come inside and stay a while, maybe for the weekend. “Could I imagine having my brother and sister-in-law and my nephews staying at our house in April? Probably not,” Dr. Jha said. “Summer seems much more reasonable.”

The New York Times: “What I’m worried about is that there are lots of people in their 70s — 74-year-olds — who can’t get a vaccine, but there are 22-year-olds who are perfectly healthy who are going to get them,” said Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. “I don’t know that I have seen large mega-sites sitting empty because elderly people weren’t showing up. If that was the problem, this would be a good solution.”

The Baltimore Sun: “I’m concerned about this disjointed tracking system,” said Dr. Ashish K. Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. “We knew these vaccines were coming for at least several months before they got authorized, so we really should have had a well-developed system.”

The New York Times: Over the next two weeks, the number of daily deaths will probably fall below 2,000, Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, predicts, and it could drop below 1,000 by next month.

The New York Times: The state’s decision to vaccinate companions came as a surprise to Dr. Ashish Jha, the dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, who said Massachusetts had not moved as quickly as he had expected on vaccinations. He said he would rather see more vulnerable groups be deemed eligible for the vaccination first and for any transportation issues to be resolved without companions getting shots.