Nonessential Research in the New Normal: The Impact of COVID-19

With an extraordinary show of solidarity, scientists across the globe have mobilized to combat novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Yet, for those who could not redirect their efforts to COVID-19, research came to a sudden standstill. Researchers at many institutions were first advised to "wind down" their research activities, and then, with little warning, laboratories were closed. Simultaneously, many clinical studies on diseases other than COVID-19 were halted in their tracks. The impacts of research shutdowns will be felt long after the pandemic. There will clearly be a void in direct, measurable research outputs during and following the current hiatus imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But, there will be other impacts that are more qualitative yet equally profound, such as effects on our next generation of young scientists. Many students and fellows were caught off-guard by the sudden laboratory closures, ill-prepared to stop experiments on a few days' notice.