Nico Crudele one interesting experiment that you can do provided that you can buy the primers to the SARS-CoV-2 genes is to detect the presence/contamination of the virus via PCR in brewery samples

Nice recommendation@Nico Crudele.

and If you want to work with COVID samples, can only do if you have BSL 3 lab.

thank you for the recommendation! I do have access to the primers and control plasmid but I do not have BSL3, can not work with clinical samples or samples I actually think may contain the virus

Nico Crudele

you only need BSL-2 for diagnostics purposes

Routine Diagnostic Testing

Routine diagnostic testing of specimens, such as the following activities, can be handled in a BSL-2 laboratory using Standard Precautions:

• Using automated instruments and analyzers
• Processing initial samples
• Staining and microscopic analysis of fixed smears
• Examination of bacterial cultures
• Pathologic examination and processing of formalin-fixed or otherwise inactivated tissues
• Molecular analysis of extracted nucleic acid preparations
• Final packaging of specimens for transport to diagnostic laboratories for additional testing (specimens should already be in a sealed, decontaminated primary container)
• Using inactivated specimens, such as specimens in nucleic acid extraction buffer
• Performing electron microscopic studies with glutaraldehyde-fixed grids
• from
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/lab-biosafety-guidelines.html

Nico Crudele

also

https://www.who.int/csr/disease/coronavirus_infections/Biosafety_InterimRecommendations_NovelCoronavirus_19Feb13.pdf

Thanks again

M. Y. Shukor

unfortunately I do not have any formal BSL certification, as the lab I run is intended for yeast microbiology and beer analysis.

I am not sure whether it falls within your research interests. However, one of the areas that can be studied is the characterization of bacterial co-infections among COVID-positive patients.

Nico Crudele you can try learning mathematical modelling of the epidemiology. No instruments just software (matlab) and knowledge is needed. you can really publish the results in high impact journals.

M. Y. Shukor do you know where data that could be used for those models would be found?

If you don't have access to Matlab, use https://www.gnu.org/software/octave/. Largely script compatible and available at no cost.