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Qualitative Study of COVID-19 Vaccine Intentions and Mistrust in Black Americans: Recommendations for Vaccine Dissemination and Uptake
From the Document: "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] vaccination rates among Black Americans have been lower than White Americans and are disproportionate to their population size and COVID-19 impact. This study examined reasons for low vaccination intentions and preferred strategies to promote COVID-19 vaccination. [...] Between November 2020 and March 2021, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 participants who expressed low vaccination intentions in a RAND American Life Panel survey; we also interviewed five stakeholders who represent organizations or subgroups in Black communities that have been highly affected by COVID-19. [...] Many interviewees discussed the 'wait-and-see' approach, citing that more time and evidence for vaccine side effects and efficacy are needed. Perceived barriers to COVID-19 vaccination included structural barriers to access (e.g., transportation, technology) and medical mistrust (e.g., towards the vaccines themselves, the government, healthcare providers and healthcare systems, and pharmaceutical companies) stemming from historical and contemporary systematic racism against Black communities. Interviewees also discussed strategies to promote COVID-19 vaccines, including acknowledging systemic racism as the root cause for mistrust, preferred messaging content (e.g., transparent messages about side effects), modes, and access points (e.g., a variety of medical and non-medical sites), and trusted information sources (e.g., trusted leaders, Black doctors and researchers)."
PLoS ONE
Dong, Lu; Bogart, Laura M.; Gandhi, Priya . . .
2022-05-03
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Resources for Tracking Federal COVID-19 Spending [Updated May 3, 2022]
From the Summary: "This report provides selected sources for tracking COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] relief and assistance spending. It contains links to and information on government sources detailing spending amounts at various levels, including consolidated spending by multiple government agencies, spending by individual government agencies, and spending for specific recipients and geographies. The sources themselves are large government databases, individual agencies, oversight entities, and selected nongovernmental entities that attempt to repackage information on spending amounts obtained from available government sources."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Teefy, Jennifer; Kreiser, Maria
2022-05-03
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Tailoring Messages for Cross-Cultural Communication: Recommendations for COVID-19 Case Investigators and Contact Tracers
From the Introduction: "Case investigators and contact tracers must understand and adapt to the culture of people with COVID 19 [coronavirus disease 2019] and their close contacts to conduct effective interviews and follow-up. 'Culture' refers to the learned and shared behavior of a community of people who interact with one another. A person's culture may be influenced by a several factors, including those listed in the image below. Culture helps shape a person's values, relationships, and understanding of the world around them. For example, some cultures may have different attitudes or beliefs about COVID-19 transmission, vaccination or treatment Culturp may affect a person's willingness to identify close contacts or provide a description of those contacts. It may also affect how person understands and communicates their symptoms, or influence their beliefs about authority figures, healthcare professionals, and public health."
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (U.S.)
2022-05
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Fund for Global Health Security and Pandemic Preparedness
From the Background: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] crisis has served as a painful demonstration that no country is fully prepared for a pandemic and that the existing global health architecture remains ill-equipped to finance pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR). The rationale for preventing and containing pandemics is self-evident: the price of preparedness is a fraction of the cost of responding to catastrophic outbreaks, both in terms of human and economic well-being. In the aftermath of the 2003 SARS [Severe acute respiratory syndrome] outbreak, 2009 H1N1 [influenza A virus subtype] pandemic, and the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, experts called for scaling up sustainable financing to ensure the world was better prepared to face that next global health threat. But even amid efforts to better understand and measure preparedness gaps, little action was taken to mobilize financing and incentivize investments in strengthening detection, prevention, and response capabilities. As global health threats evolve, countries' capacity to prepare for and respond to disease outbreaks is increasingly a global imperative. Now is the time to take concrete steps toward establishing sustained financing for pandemic PPR to help bring an end to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, combat future health security threats, and break the costly cycle of neglect."
Center for Global Development
Glassman, Amanda, 1970-; Smitham, Eleni; Collinson, Erin
2022-05
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Hiding the Elephant: The Tragedy of COVID Policy and Its Economist Apologists
From the Abstract: "In 2020 and 2021, the world witnessed policies that caused enormous net damage to nearly every country. We demonstrate the usefulness of the new WELLBY [Well-Being-Year] currency in gauging the costs and benefits of COVID [coronavirus disease] policies and review the contributions of Australian economists to the scholarly and public debates about these policies. Our analysis documents the value of what was destroyed, the weak resistance mounted by the Australian economics profession during this period, and the role played by many Australian economists as apologists for Australia's most catastrophic peacetime economic policy failure. We close with ideas for working towards a better future."
IZA Institute of Labor Economics
Foster, Gigi; Frijters, Paul
2022-05
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Pandemic Learning: As Students Struggled to Learn, Teachers Reported Few Strategies as Particularly Helpful to Mitigate Learning Loss, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic disrupted learning for millions of students, educators, and families who had to navigate modified in-person and virtual schooling, often in difficult circumstances. The pandemic's effects continue to reverberate across the nation and produce challenges for schools that will likely be felt for years to come. In many respects, the 2020-21 school year offered useful insights that may help schools, educators, and parents in the future. The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to report on its ongoing COVID-19 monitoring and oversight efforts. GAO also conducted this work in response to a provision in the conference report accompanying the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2021. This report, which is the first in a series of reports, examines (1) obstacles to learning during school year 2020- 21, and (2) strategies to mitigate learning loss. GAO examines these topics overall, by grade level, and by instructional model (in-person, virtual, or hybrid)."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-05
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Coronavirus Vaccine Manufacturing Failures of Emergent Biosolutions
From the Executive Summary: "This staff report was prepared for Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Rep. James E. Clyburn, Chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, following an investigation into the Trump Administration's award of a multimillion-dollar contract to Emergent BioSolutions, Inc. (Emergent) to manufacture coronavirus vaccines despite a history of serious deficiencies. The report includes the following key findings: 'Nearly 400 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been destroyed as a result of Emergent's failure to meet or maintain quality standards.' [...] 'Emergent executives promoted the company's manufacturing capabilities despite being warned of severe deficiencies.' [...] 'FDA, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca identified multiple deficiencies at Bayview, which Emergent failed to remediate despite urgent warnings.' [...] 'Inexperienced staff and high staff turnover contributed to vaccine contamination.' [...] 'HHS terminated its contract with Emergent because the company failed to follow federal manufacturing standards.'"
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Oversight and Reform. Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis
Maloney, Carolyn; Clyburn, James E.
2022-05
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COVID-19: IRS Implemented Tax Relief for Employers Quickly, but Could Strengthen Its Compliance Efforts, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic resulted in significant challenges to the U.S. economy, leading to business closures. The employment tax relief measures Congress passed to help businesses affected by the pandemic were estimated to result in about $237.8 billion in foregone revenue for fiscal years 2021-2031. The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to report on the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report describes IRS [Internal Revenue Service]'s efforts in implementing the employment tax provisions. The report also evaluates IRS's plans and actions to identify compliance risks for the provisions."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-05
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Communicating Public Health Guidance to Cases and Contacts: Recommendations for COVID-19 Case Investigators and Contact Tracers
From the Introduction: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has devastated communities both in the United States and abroad. The fear, uncertainty, and trauma caused by the pandemic also affect how individuals interpret public health messages. It is important for case investigators and contact tracers to understand how this stress affects a person's ability to understand public health messages, and to tailor their communications accordingly. This brief outlines actions that case investigators and contact tracers may take to communicate effectively."
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (U.S.)
2022-05
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'Now to Get Rid of Those Pesky Health Departments!' How the Trump Administration Helped the Meatpacking Industry Block Pandemic Worker Protections
From the Executive Summary: "This staff report presents findings from an investigation conducted by the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis into the meatpacking industry's response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Select Subcommittee launched this investigation following reports that meatpacking companies refused to take adequate coronavirus precautions to protect their workers during the first year of the pandemic, resulting in mass illness and death. Last year, the Select Subcommittee found that during the first year of the pandemic, infections and deaths among workers for five of the largest meatpacking companies--Tyson Foods, Inc. (Tyson), JBS USA Holdings, Inc. (JBS), Smithfield Foods (Smithfield), Cargill, Inc. (Cargill), and National Beef Packing Company LLC (National Beef)--were significantly higher than previously estimated, with over 59,000 workers for these companies being infected with the coronavirus and at least 269 dying. Internal meatpacking industry documents reviewed by the Select Subcommittee now illustrate that despite awareness of the high risks of coronavirus spread in their plants, meatpacking companies engaged in a concerted effort with Trump Administration political officials to insulate themselves from coronavirus-related oversight, to force workers to continue working in dangerous conditions, and to shield themselves from legal liability for any resulting worker illness or death."
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Oversight and Reform. Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis
2022-05
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COVID-19: FDA Took Steps to Help Make Tests Available, Policy for Future Public Health Emergencies Needed, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "Diagnostic testing for COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] is critical to tracking the virus, informing treatment, and suppressing transmission. However, because COVID-19 is caused by a novel virus, no test existed at the beginning of the pandemic. Typically, medical devices, such as diagnostic tests, must be approved or cleared by FDA [Food and Drug Administration] before they can be offered. However, FDA's EUA [emergency use authorization] authority requires a lower level of evidence than the effectiveness standard normally required for FDA product approval; therefore, it can help tests become available in a shorter amount of time. Test developers submit EUA requests to FDA that include data on a test's performance, and FDA reviews the data to determine whether to grant an EUA. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review FDA's oversight of tests for COVID-19. This report examines, among other things, 1) the actions FDA took to help make COVID-19 tests available for use, 2) the number of tests FDA authorized and those for which it exercised enforcement discretion, and 3) FDA's monitoring of these tests after they were available for use. GAO reviewed agency documentation, and interviewed FDA and associations that represent test developers. [...] GAO recommends that FDA develop a policy for the use of enforcement discretion regarding unauthorized tests in future public health emergencies. This policy should include the conditions under which FDA would begin and end the use of such discretion. The Department of Health and Human Services concurred with our recommendation."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-05
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Impact of COVID-19 on the Rural Health Care Landscape: Challenges and Opportunities
From the Executive Summary: "Before the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic began, hospital closures were increasing in rural communities across the nation: 116 rural hospitals closed between 2010 and 2019. Over the past two years, federal relief has helped stabilize facilities, and the pace of closures slowed. However, this assistance was temporary, and rural hospitals continue to struggle financially and to recruit and retain nurses and other health care employees. Against this backdrop, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) conducted a series of interviews over the last year with rural hospital leaders from eight states-- Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming--as well as with health policy experts from federal and state government, national organizations, provider organizations, and academia. The goal was to gain on-the-ground insights into today's rural health care landscape, where the population is older, sicker, and less likely to be insured or seek preventive services than in urban areas."
Bipartisan Policy Center
2022-05
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Public Health's Use of Digital Tools During COVID-19
From the Document: "This brief describes decision-making amongst health agency leaders and their informatics staff as they selected and implemented digital resources to support COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic response. We also describe 'ASTHO's [Association of State and Territorial Health Officials] COVID-19 Technology & Digital Tools Inventory' as a supplement health agency leaders used in decision-making."
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (U.S.)
2022-05
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Youth Incarceration During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Family Insights
From the Method: "On September 23, 2021, a diverse group of parents came together from across the United States to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic on their justice-involved children. They shared their experiences and critical insights into the realities of the youth justice system during the pandemic, as well as recommendations for improving policy and practice. While the session was broadly framed, many of the participants shared the experience of having a child incarcerated during the pandemic which focused the conversation on that topic. This document summarizes key findings from the discussion and recommendations for state and local policymakers who want to create safer, healthier environments for justice-involved youth and promote better outcomes for young people, their families, and their communities."
Center for Children's Law and Policy; Justice for Families; Justice Policy Institute . . .
Bocanegra, Jeannette; Badeau, Susan; Harvell, Samantha
2022-05
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International Family Planning Assistance: USAID Has Faced Implementation Challenges Related to U.S. Policy and COVID-19, Accessible Version, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Highlights: "According to USAID [U.S. Agency for International Development], the U.S. is the largest donor of bilateral FP/RH [family planning and reproductive health] assistance to increase opportunities for voluntary healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies. This assistance also contributes to several other positive development outcomes, including reducing maternal and child mortality and HIV transmission, according to USAID. However, in a 2020 report, GAO [Government Accountability Office] identified instances in which FP/RH implementing partners declined the PLGHA [Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance] terms and conditions and, as a result, stopped receiving planned funding that was not yet obligated under their awards. In addition, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Population Fund warned that the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic could severely disrupt access to FP/RH services for millions of women. GAO was asked to review USAID's international FP/RH assistance. This report describes (1) the FP/RH assistance USAID provided in fiscal years 2018 through 2020, (2) the PLGHA policy's effects on the implementation of FP/RH assistance as well as actions USAID and its implementing partners reported taking to mitigate adverse effects, and (3) implementation challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as steps USAID and its implementing partners took to address them. GAO analyzed USAID funding data. GAO also reviewed USAID and implementing partner documents for FP/RH assistance in Senegal and Uganda and in the West Africa region, through USAID's West Africa Regional Program. In addition, GAO interviewed USAID officials, implementing partners, and other donors and reviewed studies of family planning assistance."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-05
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Winning the Web: How Beijing Exploits Search Results to Shape Views of Xinjiang and COVID-19
From the Executive Summary: "As the war in Ukraine unfolds, Russian propaganda about the conflict has gotten a boost from a friendly source: government officials and state media out of Beijing. In multiple languages and regions around the world, China's 'wolf warrior' diplomats and state media routinely amplify Kremlin conspiracy theories rationalizing President Vladimir Putin's invasion, and undermining the credibility and appeal of the United States, NATO, and independent media -- even as China declines to endorse the Kremlin's adventurism wholesale. This spring, for example, China's messengers promoted the baseless Russian claim that the United States has been supporting a biological weapons program in Ukraine -- at times, more aggressively than Russia itself. Because Russian state media have been deamplified or banned by multiple Western social media platforms, Beijing's messaging could play an outsized role in channeling Kremlin talking points to audiences around the world. These narratives do not just spread on social media. Beijing's state-funded publishers have considerable success in a domain that has received comparatively little attention: search results. For months, our team has been tracking how China has exploited search engine results on Xinjiang and COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019], two subjects that are geopolitically salient to Beijing -- Xinjiang, because the Chinese government seeks to push back on condemnation of its rights record; COVID-19, because it seeks to deflect criticism for its early mishandling of the pandemic. In both cases, Beijing is quite focused on positioning itself as a responsible global leader and softening perceptions to the contrary. To evaluate these concerns, we compiled daily data over a 120-day period on 12 terms related to Xinjiang and COVID-19 from five different sources: (1) Google Search; (2) Google News; (3) Bing Search; (4) Bing News; and (5) YouTube."
Brookings Institution. Foreign Policy; German Marshall Fund of the United States. Alliance for Securing Democracy
Brandt, Jessica; Schafer, Bret; Aghekyan, Elen . . .
2022-05
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Importance of ICT and Global Cooperation for Future Epidemic Management: A Look into the ICT-Enabled Responses in the Early Part of the Covid-19 Pandemic
From the Foreword: "Succeeding the 2018 Working Group, the Epidemic Management Working Group was organized to analyse international efforts and best practices as well as lessons learned from the response to COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019], and to present collaborative approaches to overcome future pandemics. To this end, the Working Group studied a global framework that includes ICT [information and communications technology]-based pandemic control measures and explored solutions to mitigate humanitarian and social loss by using ICT, in support of SDG3 [Sustainable Development Goal 3]: Good Health and Well-Being. To fulfill the Working Group's objective, the report starts out by examining the current status of COVID-19 and the need for a pandemic response framework. It then looks into the response strategies of 14 countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa from various contexts, including governance and legal systems, disease control and socio-economic policies, vaccination strategies, and public compliance with policies. It also examines the best practices from among COVID-19 responses that utilize ICT. Based on this analysis, the Working Group has come up with the following insights. First, extended use of ICT for disease control and freedom of movement should be accompanied by expanded ICT infrastructures to guarantee access by developing countries and vulnerable groups. Second, relevant data and network regulations should be designed to be flexible to allow timely and effective use of ICT for epidemic management purposes - whilst ensuring that privacy is safeguarded. Finally, a global public-private governance is required to share data on the pandemic and coordinate policies between countries."
Broadband Commission; International Telecommunication Union; UNESCO
Broadband Commission's Working Group on Epidemic Management
2022-05
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Private Health Insurance: Limited Data Hinders Understanding of Short-Term Plans' Role and Value During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "Millions of Americans who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic also lost their ESI [employer-sponsored insurance]. Short-term plan insurance was one option for these consumers. However, these plans can be significantly different from other health coverage options for those losing ESI. Therefore, it is important to understand the role they play in the market and for individual consumers. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was responsible under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act for monitoring the federal government's pandemic response. In this report, GAO describes what is known about short-term plans and the role that they might play for individuals who lost ESI during the pandemic. Stakeholder views of the value of short-term plans in meeting consumer needs are also discussed. GAO conducted a literature search and review of studies on short-term plans and conducted interviews with national organizations such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. GAO also interviewed seven policy researchers selected to include diverse policy perspectives and stakeholders. This included (1) officials from six state insurance departments selected to represent different levels and types of regulation, and (2) representatives from four organizations that sell short-term plans."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-05
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Two Years into the Pandemic, Charitable Food Remains a Key Resource for One in Six Adults: Findings from the December 2021 Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey
From the Document: "Despite federal stopgap policies and a substantial charitable food response to mitigate the effects of food insecurity during the pandemic, hunger remains a reality for many across the US struggling to make ends meet. Although charitable resources, such as food banks, were highly visible in the early months of the pandemic, they continue to be a crucial resource for families two years later. We analyze data from the December 2021 round of the Urban Institute's Well-Being and Basic Needs Survey (WBNS), a nationally representative survey of more than 8,000 adults ages 18 to 64, and compare those data to results from the December 2019 and December 2020 rounds to examine the trend in free-grocery or free-meal use. We also examine the characteristics and circumstances of people who sought charitable food during 2021, and we ask people who reported they had not used charitable food if they knew how to find these resources in their community and how comfortable they would be seeking this assistance."
Urban Institute; Income and Benefits Policy Center
Gupta, Poonam; Salas, Julio; Waxman, Elaine
2022-05
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Pain in the Nation 2022: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths
From the Introduction: "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] has intensified the nation's troubling long-term trends for alcohol, drug, and suicide deaths. [...] Five years ago, Trust for America's Health and Well Being Trust started the Pain in the Nation report series to examine the alcohol, drug, and suicide crises in the United States and called for a comprehensive National Resilience Strategy. [...] The first Pain in the Nation report projected that, if mortality trends held steady, drug-induced deaths would reach 28.4 deaths per 100,000 people in 2025. In reality, that projection was low and was reached by 2020--within half the time expected. Despite the various federal and state programs and policies implemented, they have not slowed the trends, and likely were insufficient--especially considering that the worldwide pandemic further exacerbated existing problems. The latest provisional data show fatal overdoses exceeding 100,000 Americans annually, driven by a significant rise in synthetic opioid and psychostimulant overdoses. Policymakers, health officials, and all Americans must recognize the shortcomings of existing policy efforts to address the ever-changing and escalating drug overdose crisis and also consider how to make progress in the years ahead. This brief includes three sections: (1) a look back at the past two decades of the drug overdose crisis and a reconsideration of policy priorities; (2) a review of the latest mortality trends from alcohol, drugs, and suicide; and (3) an outline of key policy solutions and recommendations to stem and reverse these trends."
Trust for America's Health; Well Being Trust
Warren, Molly
2022-05
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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, April 29, 2022
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Series is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [It] is the agency's primary vehicle for scientific publication of timely, reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and useful public health information and recommendations. This issue of MMWR contains the following: "Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy and Mortality at Delivery Hospitalization -- United States, 2017-2019"; "Public Health Actions to Control Measles Among Afghan Evacuees During Operation Allies Welcome -- United States, September-November 2021"; "Provisional Mortality Data -- United States, 2021"; "Provisional COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Age-Adjusted Death Rates, by Race and Ethnicity -- United States, 2020-2021"; "Seroprevalence of Infection-Induced SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] Antibodies -- United States, September 2021-February 2022"; "Notes from the Field: Response to Measles Among Persons Evacuated from Afghanistan -- Joint Base McGuire-DixLakehurst, New Jersey, August-October 2021"; and "QuickStats: Percentage of Currently Employed Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Had Paid Sick Leave Benefits at Last Week's Job or Business, by Region -- National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2019 and 2020." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from this issue can be accessed at the following link [https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2022.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2022-04-29
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Long COVID: Over 200 Symptoms, and a Search for Guidance
From the Document: "Long COVID [coronavirus disease] poses a conundrum for physicians and researchers alike. Representing a wide range of new, returning or ongoing health problems that arise about a month after initial infection, it can affect 20% to 30% of patients after recovery from even mild illnesses and about half of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] patients who required hospitalization. More than 200 symptoms associate with long COVID, but no universal clinical case definition exists. Long-haulers often don't know what to do about their lingering symptoms, which can include fatigue, shortness of breath, memory impediments, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Many different organ systems are involved, said Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, professor of immunobiology at Yale University and a principal investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute."
American Medical Association
Lubell, Jennifer
2022-04-29
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Living with Covid Doesn't Mean Ignoring it
From the Introduction: "Covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019], the war in Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis have together created a volatile environment of widespread economic anxiety; people are rightly worried about the future. This, combined with a lack of appetite to bolster investment in our world-class testing and sequencing systems, has seen Covid move from a health to an economic problem. The government has put in place many of the right measures in its response to Covid, most notably the world-leading vaccination programme that has saved over 100,000 lives. However, over the past two years the overall response to the pandemic has been dogged by a repeated lack of clear, quick strategic planning, and is again in limbo without a comprehensive plan to manage the next phase safely. Management of Covid now relies largely on repeat vaccinations, while the main tools at our disposal - tests and treatments - are being scaled back. This is a vaccines-only rather than vaccines-'plus' approach."
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
Bradshaw, Adam; Browne, James; Dowlen, Henry . . .
2022-04-29
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Analysis of Firearm Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US
From the Introduction: "In the US, more than 500 000 deaths were directly attributable to COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] in the first year of the pandemic. The pandemic and the concomitant public health response profoundly affected nearly every aspect of people's lives. The impacts on health and well-being of work and school closures and other social distancing measures are only starting to be quantified, and emerging evidence suggests that pandemic restrictions may have had substantial detrimental effects on population mental health. Worsening economic conditions, psychological strain, and trauma associated with the pandemic, combined with an increase in firearm sales, could potentially increase the risk of firearm violence in association with the pandemic, thus exacerbating another major public health crisis in the US. [...] [W]e sought to quantify the change in firearm violence associated with the COVID-19 pandemic by examining nearly 300 000 firearm-related incidents occurring between January 1, 2016, and February 28, 2021, across all 50 US states and the District of Columbia."
JAMA Network
Sun, Shengzhi; Cao, Wangnan; Ge, Yang . . .
2022-04-28
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Cascading Disaster Effects, Mental Health, and Resilience
From the Document: "By February 3, 2020, the United States had declared a national public health emergency and on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] a pandemic. It hardly seems possible that our lives could change so much in such a short time. We have had to adapt not only to a life-threatening disease and national shutdowns, but also to the impacts they caused on our social, mental, and financial wellbeing. The effects of COVID-19 have 'cascaded' through our lives, communities, and the world. 'Cascading effects' is a term usually applied to the aftermath of extreme natural disasters. It refers to how the impacts of a disaster spread throughout society, in a branching manner similar to how a waterfall spreads and branches through nature. Cascading effects increase over time and generate unexpected, secondary events which can be as severe, or even worse, than the original event."
Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board
2022-04-28?
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Recession Remedies: Lessons Learned from the U.S. Economic Policy Response to COVID-19
From the Webpage: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic posed an extraordinary threat to lives and livelihoods. In the United States, the pandemic triggered a sharp downturn. Yet, the ensuing economic recovery was faster and stronger than nearly any forecaster anticipated due in part to the swift, aggressive, sustained, and creative response of U.S. fiscal and monetary policy. But when the next recession arrives, it most likely won't be triggered by a pandemic. Recession Remedies examines and evaluates the breadth of the economic-policy response to COVID-19. Chapters address unemployment insurance, Economic Impact Payments, loans and grants to businesses, assistance to renters and mortgage holders, aid to state and local governments, policies that targeted children, Federal Reserve policy, and the use of nontraditional data to monitor the economy and guide policy. These chapters provide evidence and lessons to apply to the next recession."
Brookings Institution
Edelberg, Wendy; Sheiner, Louise; Wessel, David
2022-04-27
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Unemployment Insurance: Program Integrity and Fraud Concerns Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic Response [April 27, 2022]
From the Document: "The federal-state Unemployment Insurance (UI) system has faced long-standing program integrity challenges. The enhanced and expanded UI benefits created in response to the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic exacerbated some of these challenges and introduced new considerations related to improper payments and fraud. This report defines key concepts related to UI program integrity, including fraud; addresses what is known about the scope of COVID-19 UI program integrity and fraud at this time; summarizes challenges related to UI program integrity, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic; and synthesizes existing policy proposals and introduced legislation to address UI program integrity generally and fraud specifically."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Isaacs, Katelin P., 1980-; Whittaker, Julie M.
2022-04-27
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Cross-Sectional Study of Factors Associated with COVID-19 Testing Among People Who Inject Drugs: Missed Opportunities for Reaching Those Most at Risk
From the Abstract: "People who inject drugs (PWID) are vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] infection. We examined correlates of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] testing among PWID in the U.S.-Mexico border region and described encounters with services representing potential opportunities (i.e., 'touchpoints') where COVID-19 testing could have been offered. [...] We identified several factors independently associated with COVID-19 testing and multiple touchpoints where COVID-19 testing could be scaled up for PWID, such as SUD [substance use disorder] treatment programs and syringe service programs. Integrated health services are needed to improve access to rapid, free COVID-19 testing in this vulnerable population."
Springer Nature (Firm)
Yeager, Samantha; Abramovitz, Daniela; Harvey-Vera, Alicia Yolanda . . .
2022-04-27
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'We Had Our Hand in the Cookie Jar': The Trump Administration's $700 Million 'National Security' Loan to Yellow Corporation
From the Executive Summary: "This staff report presents findings from an investigation conducted by the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis into the Trump Administration's $700 million loan to trucking company YRC Worldwide Inc. (now named Yellow Corporation) under a Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act program designed to ensure continued operation of companies 'critical to maintaining national security.' The loan to Yellow Corporation (Yellow) made up 95% of the total funds disbursed under the national security loan program. The Select Subcommittee launched this investigation in June 2021 following reports that Yellow may not have been eligible for the loan and may have misused the funds it received. The Select Subcommittee's investigation has uncovered troubling evidence that Trump Administration political appointees flagrantly disregarded an assessment by career Department of Defense (DOD) industrial base experts that the company should not be certified under the CARES Act as 'critical to maintaining national security' and provided generous loan terms that violated CARES Act risk and interest rate requirements. Evidence obtained by the Select Subcommittee suggests that these decisions were driven by the White House and President Trump himself."
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Oversight and Reform. Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis
2022-04-27
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Design of a Vaccine Passport Validation System Using Blockchain-Based Architecture: Development Study
From the Abstract: "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] is an ongoing global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2]. As of June 2021, 5 emergency vaccines were available for COVID-19 prevention, and with the improvement of vaccination rates and the resumption of activities in each country, verification of vaccination has become an important issue. Currently, in most areas, vaccination and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results are certified and validated on paper. This leads to the problem of counterfeit documents. Therefore, a global vaccination record is needed. [...] The main objective of this study is to design a vaccine passport (VP) validation system based on a general blockchain architecture for international use in a simulated environment. With decentralized characteristics, the system is expected to have the advantages of low cost, high interoperability, effectiveness, security, and verifiability through blockchain architecture." This article was originally published on the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) Public Health and Surveillance website: [https://publichealth.jmir.org/2022/4/e32411].
JMIR Publications
Lee, Hsiu An; Wu, Wei-Chen; Kung, Hsin-Hua . . .
2022-04-26
