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Bureau of Indian Affairs' Coronavirus Response at Indian Country Detention Facilities
From the Document: "On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was enacted. It included $8 billion for direct payments to Indian Tribes and $522 million of direct appropriations to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) for COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] response. Given this infusion of funding, we examined the impact of COVID-19 on the Indian detention system from April 1, 2020, to May 31, 2020, including the actions the BIA and the tribes have taken to respond to outbreaks of this virus, and how other longstanding challenges have affected the BIA's response. Detention facilities that include housing, recreation, and food service components present unique challenges to control COVID-19 among inmates and staff. Inmates in detention facilities are particularly at risk of contracting COVID-19 because they live, work, eat, and participate in activities in close proximity to each other. These factors also increase the potential for COVID-19 to spread once introduced."
United States. Department of the Interior. Office of Inspector General
2021-01-26
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Federal COVID-19 Testing Report: Data Insights from Six Federal Health Care Programs
From the Document: "The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act, coupled with subsequent legislation including the December 27, 2020 enactment of $900 billion in supplemental pandemic relief funding, has brought over $3 trillion dollars in pandemic relief funding to a nation reeling from COVID-19's [coronavirus disease 2019] effects on our communities, schools, workplaces, health care system, and economy. The CARES Act created the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) to coordinate oversight of the Federal government's pandemic response and this historic level of spending. [...] This report developed by the PRAC Health Care Subgroup, 'Federal COVID-19 Testing Report: Data Insights from Six Federal Health Care Programs', provides insights on testing efforts from February 1, 2020, to August 31, 2020-- the first seven months following declaration of a public health emergency in the United States. The six programs include: Department of Defense, Medical Treatment Facilities; Department of Health and Human Services, Medicare Part B; Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons; Department of Labor, Workers' Compensation; Department of Veteran Affairs, Veterans Health Administration; and Office of Personnel Management, Federal Employee Health Benefits Program. This report provides a detailed look at testing data in each of these federal health care programs, which together offer services to about 64 million individuals."
Pandemic Response Accountability Committee
2021-01-14?
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Employee Safety - Postal Service COVID-19 Response
From the Objective: "Our objective was to assess the U.S. Postal Service's response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak regarding the safety of its employees. In March 2020, the president of the United States declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency; its impact to the nation's health and safety has been unprecedented. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of July 31, 2020, there were 4.5 million cases and 151,000 deaths in the U.S. Many states and communities shut down businesses, asked people to stay home, and prohibited gatherings to slow the spread of the virus. Even during the shutdowns, the Postal Service continued to deliver mail and packages to every address in the nation, every day. To lead its pandemic response, the Postal Service created the COVID-19 Command Response Team at headquarters to ensure the agency followed directions and guidance from the CDC. The Postal Service implemented changes to slow the spread of the virus, manage and support affected employees, and ensure that recovered employees returned to work safely."
United States Postal Service. Office of Inspector General
2020-11-20
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EPA's Initial Plans for Returning to the Office Incorporate CDC Guidance but Differ by Location
From the Document: "The Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] initiated work in July 2020 under Project No. OA&E-FY20-0241 [hyperlink] to determine the EPA's national strategy for implementing federal guidelines to protect the health and safety of its workforce when reopening its locations that were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. While conducting our evaluation, we identified disparity among the 13 reopening plans we reviewed for Phases 1 and 2. We are therefore issuing this report to inform the EPA of this matter before locations begin to enter Phase 3. We plan to review implementation of the reopening plans as Agency locations advance to Phase 3 and more staff return to their offices."
United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Office of the Inspector General
2020-11-30
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COVID-19 in Nursing Homes: Most Homes Had Multiple Outbreaks and Weeks of Sustained Transmission from May 2020 Through January 2021, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on the 1.4 million elderly or disabled residents in the nation's more than 15,000 Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is responsible for ensuring that nursing homes nationwide meet federal quality standards. The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act includes a provision directing GAO [Government Accountability Office] to monitor the federal pandemic response. GAO was also asked to review CMS oversight of nursing homes in light of the pandemic. This report describes the frequency and duration of COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes. Future GAO reports will further examine nursing homes' experiences with COVID-19 outbreaks."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-05
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Evaluation of CARES Act Debt Relief to 7(a) Borrowers
From the Executive Summary: "This evaluation examines SBA's [Small Business Administration] implementation of debt relief for borrowers in the 7(a) Program, SBA's flagship loan guarantee program. Section 1112 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided $17 billion in debt relief to borrowers in the 7(a), 504, and Microloan programs. Section 1112 does not include the Paycheck Protection Program. The Act was enacted on March 27, 2020 to alleviate the severe economic hardships and public health threat created by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Our objective was to determine whether SBA has effective internal controls to provide debt relief to 7(a) borrowers in accordance with CARES Act Section 1112 and internal policies and procedures."
United States. Small Business Administration. Office of the Inspector General
2020-12-01
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MMWR Early Release: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 21, 2021: COVID-19 Testing to Sustain In-Person Instruction and Extracurricular Activities in High Schools -- Utah, November 2020-March 2021
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 early release issue of MMWR contains the following article: "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Testing to Sustain In-Person Instruction and Extracurricular Activities in High Schools -- Utah, November 2020-March 2021." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from MMWR can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2021.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2021-05-21
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Final Memorandum, 'COVID-19 Impacts on NASA's Major Programs and Projects'
From the Document: "Although NASA managers include schedule margin in program and project plans to address unforeseen circumstances, in many instances the margins were not sufficient to absorb the impact of the pandemic--a public health emergency that continues to rage across the world. A top-line estimate of the cost for these delays and challenges across NASA is estimated to be nearly $3 billion. However, NASA will not be able to quantify the complete impact of the pandemic on its programs and projects until after the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] emergency has subsided. This memorandum presents a snapshot of the reported estimated impacts to 30 of the Agency's major programs and projects (defined as those with life-cycle costs of at least $250 million) at the end of fiscal year (FY) 2020. These major programs and projects accounted for approximately $1.6 billion of the estimated $3 billion total COVID impact reported by NASA. To quantify the impacts to these programs and projects, we reviewed (1) estimated COVID-19 related costs; (2) estimated COVID-19 related project life-cycle delays; and (3) COVID-19's impact on NASA's domestic and international program and project partners. We did not evaluate the Agency's compliance with congressional reporting requirements regarding cost growth and schedule delays."
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Office of the Inspector General
2021-03-31
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Review of Veterans Health Administration's Virtual Primary Care Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
From the Executive Summary: "The VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a review to assess the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) virtual primary care response to the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic, as well as the use of virtual care by primary care providers and their perceptions of VA Video Connect (VVC) between February 7 and June 16, 2020. [...] To review VHA's COVID-19 response as it related to the provision of outpatient care, the OIG focused on the use of virtual modalities in primary care, including primary care providers' use and perceptions of VVC. The OIG reviewed primary care encounter data, conducted interviews with VHA leaders, and distributed a questionnaire to primary care providers at selected sites to collect information and perceptions related to the use of virtual care modalities."
United States. Department of Veterans Affairs. Office of Inspector General
2021-03-11
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Audit of Contracts for DoD Information Technology Products and Services Procured by DoD Components in Response to the Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic
From the Objective: "The objective of this audit was to determine whether DoD Components, in accordance with Public Law 116-136, 'Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act' (CARES Act) and other Federal and DoD requirements: [1] procured information technology products and services to support operations in response to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; [2] paid fair and reasonable prices for those products and services; [3] assessed whether known cybersecurity risks existed and developed risk mitigation strategies for the risks before procuring or using the information technology products; and [4] accurately reported the required COVID-19-related codes to USAspending.gov."
United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Inspector General
2021-02-12
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COVID-19: Increased Worksite Complaints and Reduced OSHA Inspections Leave U.S. Workers' Safety at Increased Risk
From the Document: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has raised specific concerns about the health and safety of workers and the measures OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] has taken to ensure employers are mitigating employees' risk of exposure to the virus at workplaces. Due to the pandemic, OSHA has received a surge of complaints in a matter of months, while garnering the attention of Congress, labor unions, and media with requests to act swiftly on behalf of the 130 million workers at more than 8 million worksites nationwide whom OSHA is responsible for protecting. [...] We conducted this audit to answer the following question: 'What plans and guidance has OSHA developed to address challenges created by COVID-19, and to what extent have these challenges affected OSHA's ability to protect the safety of workers and its workforce?' To answer this question, we reviewed guidance, public laws, and state standards; conducted interviews; and researched complaint and enforcement data."
United States. Department of Labor. Office of the Inspector General
2021-02-25
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Alert Memorandum: The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) Needs to Ensure State Workforce Agencies (SWA) Implement Effective Unemployment Insurance Program Fraud Controls for High Risk Areas
From the Document: "The purpose of this memorandum is to alert you to a concern the Office of Inspector General (OIG) identified during our ongoing audit of the Department of Labor's (DOL) response to the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program's expansion under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The information provided herein was developed in collaboration with the OIG's Office of Investigations. We identified more than $5.4 billion of potentially fraudulent UI benefits paid to individuals with social security numbers filed in multiple states, to individuals with social security numbers of deceased persons and federal inmates, and to individuals with social security numbers used to file for UI claims with suspicious email accounts. The Department needs to take immediate action and increase its efforts to ensure SWAs implement effective controls to mitigate fraud in these high risk areas. This alert memo only captures a subset of the potential fraudulent UI activities from March 2020 through October 2020, and is the result of our comprehensive data analysis performed. The OIG expects that the actual amount of potential fraud is much larger."
United States. Department of Labor. Office of the Inspector General
2021-02-22
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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 21, 2021
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: "Outbreaks Associated with Treated Recreational Water -- United States, 2015-2019"; "Update to U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use: Self-Administration of Subcutaneous Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate"; "Characteristics of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Cases and Outbreaks at Child Care Facilities -- District of Columbia, July-December 2020"; "The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' Interim Recommendation for Use of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in Adolescents Aged 12-15 Years -- United States, May 2021"; "Interim Estimates of Vaccine Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines Among Health Care Personnel -- 33 U.S. Sites, January-March 2021"; "Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Between Urban and Rural Counties -- United States, December 14, 2020-April 10, 2021"; and "'QuickStats': Age-Adjusted Death Rates for Four Selected Mechanisms of Injury--National Vital Statistics System, United States, 1979-2019." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from MMWR can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2021.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2021-05-21
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Metering & COVID-19
From the Introduction: "For the past two years, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been stationed at the United States' international boundary with Mexico and informed arriving asylum seekers that U.S. ports of entry were full. Simultaneously, CBP officials accepted limited numbers of asylum seekers a day, in a process that is known as metering. As lines of asylum seekers grew longer in border cities, Mexican authorities and civil society groups responded by providing humanitarian assistance and creating informal waitlists. [...] This report by the Robert Strauss Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies (USMEX) at the University of California San Diego aims to provide an update on how metering's suspension has affected asylum seekers and metering lists along the border. It also looks at how migrant shelters are preparing for COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] cases among asylum seekers."
University of Texas at Austin. Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law; University of California, San Diego. Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies
Leutert, Stephanie; Arvey, Savitri; Ezzell, Ellie . . .
2020-04
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Mapping COVID-19 Disinformation in Brazil: An Analysis of Disinformation Consumption and Demand for Fact-Checking
From the Introduction: "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] related disinformation is globally accessible and has been a feature of the pandemic since the first infections. COVID-19 related disinformation is often shared online by the general public through social media or messaging apps, and in some instances world leaders and political officials have adopted and shared disinformation related to the virus. Brazil has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing the rapid spread of the virus alongside a severe economic crisis and intense political polarisation between President Bolsanaro's far right government and left wing political and social movements. In this context, COVID-19 disinformation and fake news have spread widely, with a resulting uptick in the appetite for fact checkers. Over a five week period in June - July 2020, Moonshot gathered data on Portuguese-language Google searches that indicated interest in COVID-19 related disinformation and fake news, and fact checking services, across all 26 states of Brazil."
Moonshot
2021-03
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COVID-19 Pandemic After-Action Report
From the Executive Summary: "Not since the 1918 pandemic has the United States faced a public health emergency of the magnitude of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic. The National Homeland Security Consortium (NHSC) developed this report to capture the insights its members have learned thus far about the COVID-19 pandemic response. [...] Specifically, deliberations focused on issues and recommendations associated with five topics: inadequate, confusing, and changing guidance; adherence to protective measures; logistics and supply chain management; revenue shortfalls; and operational coordination. The conference also addressed best practices for four topics-- logistics and supply chain management, workforce resilience, information sharing and public messaging, and emergency powers and authorities."
National Homeland Security Consortium
2021-06
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MMWR Early Release: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, June 21, 2021: COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Adults -- United States, December 14, 2020-May 22, 2021
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 Early Release issue of MMWR contains the following article: "COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Adults -- United States, December 14, 2020-May 22, 2021." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from WWMR can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2021.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2021-06-21
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MMWR Early Release: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, June 21, 2021: COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage and Intent Among Adults Aged 18-39 Years -- United States, March-May 2021
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 Early Release issue of MMWR contains the following article: "COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage and Intent Among Adults Aged 18-39 Years -- United States, March-May 2021." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from WWMR can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2021.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2021-06-21
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COVID-19: Implementation and Oversight of Preparedness Strategies at Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, Report to Congressional Addresses
From the Highlights: "VHA [Veterans Health Administration] provides health care to more than 10 million veterans each year, offering a range of services at approximately 170 VAMCs [Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers] nationwide. In January 2020, components of VHA's emergency management system began coordinating the agency's efforts to prepare for the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic so VAMCs could continue the delivery of services while maintaining the health and safety of patients and staff. The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to report on its ongoing monitoring and oversight efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report describes VHA efforts to prepare for COVID-19, including (1) how selected VAMCs implemented VHA's COVID-19 preparedness strategies; and (2) the steps VHA took to oversee VAMCs' implementation of preparedness strategies."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-06
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Immigration Detention: Ice Efforts to Address COVID-19 in Detention Facilities, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "Detention facilities can present a challenging environment to manage the risk of transmission of infectious diseases, including COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]. ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement], within the Department of Homeland Security, is the lead federal agency responsible for providing safe, secure, and humane confinement for detained individuals of foreign nationality while they wait for resolution of their immigration cases, or removal from the United States. As of March 2021, ICE confirmed over 10,000 cases of COVID-19 among detainees within its detention facilities nationwide and recorded eight deaths. This report examines: (1) ICE's policies and procedures for responding to COVID-19 in immigration detention facilities and how they were implemented at select facilities; (2) ICE's mechanisms for conducting oversight of COVID-19 related health and safety measures; and (3) ICE's data on COVID-19 cases and identified high-risk health factors among detainees."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-06
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Resources for Tracking Federal COVID-19 Spending [Updated June 22, 2021]
From the Summary: "Congress has responded to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with supplemental appropriations measures providing relief and assistance to individuals and families, state and local governments, businesses, health care providers, and other entities. [...] This report provides selected sources for tracking COVID-19 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. Due to the continually evolving nature of information provided by sources that track federal COVID-19 spending, this report may be updated frequently. Data currency varies among sources."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Teefy, Jennifer; Kreiser, Maria
2021-06-22
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States Opting Out of COVID-19 Unemployment Insurance (UI) Agreements [Updated June 24, 2021]
From the Document: "In response to the recent recession [hyperlink] caused by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Congress created several temporary Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-136 [hyperlink]), and extended these programs through P.L. 116-260 [hyperlink] and P.L. 117-2 [hyperlink]. Recently, 25 states announced their intention to terminate their agreements to pay COVID-19 UI benefits."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Whittaker, Julie M.; Isaacs, Katelin P., 1980-
2021-06-24
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Could Vaccine Dose Stretching Reduce COVID-19 Deaths?
From the Abstract: "We argue that alternative COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] vaccine dosing regimens could potentially dramatically accelerate global COVID-19 vaccination and reduce mortality, and that the costs of testing these regimens are dwarfed by their potential benefits. We first use the high correlation between neutralizing antibody response and efficacy against disease to show that half or even quarter doses of some vaccines generate immune responses associated with high vaccine efficacy. We then use an SEIR [susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered] model to estimate that under these efficacy levels, doubling or quadrupling the rate of vaccination by using alternative doses would dramatically reduce infections and mortality. Since the correlation between immune response and efficacy may not be fully predictive of efficacy with alternative doses, we then use the SEIR model to show that alternative dosing would substantially reduce infections and mortality over a wide range of plausible efficacy levels. Further immunogenicity studies for a range of vaccine and dose combinations could deliver outcomes in weeks and could be conducted with a few hundred healthy volunteers. National regulatory authorities could also decide to test efficacy of alternative dosing in the context of vaccination campaigns based on existing immune response data, as some did for delayed second doses. If efficacy turned out to be high, the approach could be implemented broadly, while if it turned out to be low, downside risk could be limited by administering full doses to those who had received alternative doses. The SEIR model also suggests that delaying second vaccine doses will likely have substantial mortality benefits for multiple, but not all, vaccine-variant combinations, underscoring the importance of ongoing surveillance. Finally, we find that for countries choosing between approved but lower efficacy vaccines available immediately and waiting for mRNA vaccines, using immediately available vaccines typically reduces mortality."
Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics
Więcek, Witold; Ahuja, Amrita; Kremer, Michael, 1964- . . .
2021-06
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Prevalence of COVID-19 in Rural Versus Urban Areas in a Low-Income Country: Findings from a State-Wide Study in Karnataka, India
From the Abstract: "Although the vast majority of confirmed cases of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] are in low- and middle-income countries, there are relatively few published studies on the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] in these countries. The few there are focus on disease prevalence in urban areas. We conducted state-wide surveillance for COVID-19, in both rural and urban areas of Karnataka between June 15-August 29, 2020. We tested for both viral RNA [Ribonucleic Acid] and antibodies targeting the receptor binding domain (RBD). Adjusted seroprevalence across Karnataka was 46.7% (95% CI [confidence interval] : 43.3-50.0), including 44.1% (95% CI: 40.0-48.2) in rural and 53.8% (95% CI: 48.4-59.2) in urban areas. The proportion of those testing positive on RT-PCR [reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction], ranged from 1.5 to 7.7% in rural areas and 4.0 to 10.5% in urban areas, suggesting a rapidly growing epidemic. The relatively high prevalence in rural areas is consistent with the higher level of mobility measured in rural areas, perhaps because of agricultural activity. Overall seroprevalence in the state implies that by August at least 31.5 million residents had been infected by August, nearly an order of magnitude larger than confirmed cases."
Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics
Malani, Anup; Mohanan, Manoj; Krishnan, Kaushik . . .
2021-07
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Explaining the Income and Consumption Effects of COVID in India
From the Abstract: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic led to stark reductions in economic activity in India. We employ CMIE's [Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy] Consumer Pyramids Household Survey to examine the timing, distribution, and mechanism of the impacts from this shock on income and consumption through December 2020. First, we estimate large and heterogeneous drops in income, with ambiguous effects on inequality. While incomes of salaried workers fell 35%; incomes of daily laborers fell 75%. At the same time, we observe that income fell more for individuals from households in the highest income quartile. Second, we document an increase in effort to buffer income shocks by switching occupations. We employ a Roy Model to estimate the gains from occupation churn and find, surprisingly, that reservation wages fell, implying that the risk of COVID did not reduce the value of employment. Third, we find that consumption fell less than income, suggesting households were able to smooth the idiosyncratic components of the COVID shock as well as they did before COVID. Finally, consumption of food and fuel fell less than consumption of durables such as clothing and appliances. Following Costa (2001) and Hamilton (2001), we estimate Engel curves and find that changes in consumption reflect large price shocks (rather than a retreat to subsistence) in sectors other than food and fuel/power. In the food sector, it appear that lockdown successfully distinguished essential and non-essential services, at least to the extent that it did not increase the relative price of food. There is some suggestive evidence that the price shocks outside the food sector were larger in places with greater COVID-19 cases, even during the lockdown."
Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics
Gupta, Arpit; Malani, Anup; Woda, Bartek
2021-06
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COVID-19: HHS's Collection of Hospital Capacity Data, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "The magnitude of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has underscored the importance of having quality data to help the federal government understand the health care system's capacity to provide care and to inform the allocation of resources. HHS [Department of Health and Human Services] launched HHS Protect in April 2020 to capture hospital capacity data. Throughout the public health emergency HHS has made changes to how information is collected and used. 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 was asked to examine HHS's implementation of HHS Protect. In this report, GAO describes (1) HHS's implementation of HHS Protect hospital capacity reporting requirements and the challenges experienced by reporting entities; (2) HHS's and stakeholders' use of the data, if at all; and (3) lessons learned about ensuring the collection of quality hospital capacity data during a public health emergency."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-08
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Unemployment Rates During the COVID-19 Pandemic [Updated July 20, 2021]
From the Introduction: "The National Bureau of Economic Research declared February 2020 as the start of the most recent economic downturn, marking the end of the longest period of expansion in U.S. history. This expansion followed the Great Recession (December 2007 to June 2009), a downturn widely considered to be the worst since the Great Depression (August 1929 to March 1933). The unemployment rate rose quickly in March 2020, and by April 2020 it had greatly surpassed its previous peaks observed during and just after the Great Recession. This rise in unemployment was caused by an unprecedented loss of 22.1 million jobs between January 2020 and April 2020. Many individuals left the labor force over this period, and by April 2020 the labor force participation rate declined to 60.2%, a level not seen since the early 1970s. This deterioration in the U.S. labor market corresponded with various advisory or mandated stay-at-home orders implemented in response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and other pandemic-related factors affecting U.S. demand. States and localities implemented these orders to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 after it was declared a pandemic disease by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. This report discusses the state of the U.S. labor market using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The three primary sources are the Current Population Survey (CPS), the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program, and the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene; Romero, Paul D.; Carter, Jameson A. . . .
2021-07-20
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Impact of COVID-19 on Violent Extremism and Terrorism
From the Document: "The global COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has brought a significant threat to the safety, health and wellbeing of societies and communities around the world. In light of the crisis, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has recently called out for a global ceasefire and pleaded nations to focus on fighting the pandemic. Meanwhile, violent extremists across the ideological spectrum view the global pandemic as an opportunity for expansion. While COVID-19 and several measures taken by governments around the globe have contributed to the suppression of the activities of violent extremist and terrorist groups, the new 'normal' created by the crisis can also play into the hands of violent extremist and terrorist groups. At UNITAR [United Nations Institute for Training and Research], we have looked into facts and figures and identified the following trends and how to respond to them."
United Nations Institute for Training and Research
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Health Equity and Disparities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Brief Overview of the Federal Role [July 28, 2021]
From the Introduction: "According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ''[h]ealth equity' means that everyone has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.' The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic is a catastrophic public health emergency, challenging responders not merely to minimize overall deaths and serious illnesses as best they can, but to assure that the burdens of this emergency are borne equitably across different segments of society. Inequities, or health disparities, may arise among different racial and ethnic groups, among those of different ages, and among those with preexisting illnesses. Disparities may also be seen across certain socio-demographic and environmental characteristics such as income, educational attainment, and place of residence. These latter factors are often referred to as social determinants of health. [...] Non-uniform application of social distancing and masking requirements, business closures, and vaccine prioritization schemes may have facilitated each jurisdiction's best approach to an equitable response. Anecdotal reports suggest that health disparities have persisted throughout the pandemic, though they have varied between jurisdictions and changed over time. This CRS Report presents (1) several definitions of potential disparity populations in general and emergency management contexts; (2) selected health disparities documented during the pandemic; (3) selected key federal laws and policies that address health equity in general and during the pandemic; and (4) selected issues involving federalism, disparities data, and competing priorities."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Lister, Sarah A.; Sheikh, Hassan Z.; Wyatt, Taylor R.
2021-07-28
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COVID-19 Emergency Legal Preparedness Primer (As of March 29, 2021) [Presentation]
This presentation provides key information on the public health emergency response to COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) and is updated regularly. From the Contents: "[1] COVID-19 Epi Trends; [2] Emergency Legal Preparedness/ Response/Recovery; [3] Public Health Emergency Powers; [4] Crisis Standards of Care; [5] COVID-19 Vaccinations; [6] National Strategic Response Plan; [and 7] Additional Resources[.]"
Network for Public Health Law
Hodge, James G., Jr.
2021-03-29
