Featured sources, Nov. 29
Featured sources for Nov. 29 include Leading in Crisis briefs, COVID-19 in Congress, and the COVID-19 Community Vulnerability Index.
Read MoreMonth: November 2020
Gaps we see in COVID-19 data
Last week, I asked readers to share what information or context gaps they see in COVID-19 coverage from other publications. Readers shared a need for more local data and better understanding in the newsroom.
Read MoreWe need better contact tracing data
The majority of states do not collect or report detailed information on how their residents became infected with COVID-19. This type of information would come from contact tracing, in which public health workers call up COVID-19 patients to ask about their activities and close contacts. Contact tracing has been notoriously lacking in the U.S. due to limited resources and cultural pushback.
Read MoreCOVID-19 school data remain sporadic
On November 18, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city’s schools would close until further notice. The NYC schools discrepancy is indicative of an American education system that is still not collecting adequate data on how COVID-19 is impacting classrooms—much less using these data in a consistent manner.
Read MoreThinking about vaccine results (AstraZeneca redux)
The 70% effectiveness rate that AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford announced last Monday is promising at first glance, but details about this vaccine’s clinical trials have puzzled epidemiologists. Here’s what to consider as we await more details on AstraZeneca and Oxford’s findings, drawing on reports from STAT News, Nature, and the New York Times.
Read MoreNational numbers, Nov. 29
1 in every 82 Americans has been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the beginning of November. This includes 1.1 million cases in the past week.
Read MoreWho should get the first vaccine doses?
Up to 25 million people will be able to get vaccinated in Pfizer’s first round of distribution. That represents just 7.6% of the country’s population. So, who will get vaccinated first?
Read MoreCOVID source shout-out: The CDC
This past Thursday, the CDC held a media briefing. Normally, this wouldn’t be big news; the agency is expected to alert the press—and by extension, the American public—of major new developments in its work. During the pandemic, however, the very existence of these briefings has become newsworthy.
Read MoreFeatured sources, Nov. 22
Featured sources for Nov. 22 include state COVID-19 vaccine plans, media communications guides, and a scientific data hub.
Read MoreRacism is a public health threat
This week, the American Medical Association (AMA) announced that the association recognizes racism as a public health threat. The association is adopting a new policy which acknowledges systemic racism, cultural racism, and interpersonal racism as barriers to healthcare for many Americans and as threats to equitable public health across the country. Although the policy does not specifically address COVID-19, it speaks to the impact that America’s racist history and healthcare system has had in making it more likely for Black Americans to become infected with the coronavirus and suffer worse health outcomes.
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