Advanced search Help
Resource Type or Special Collection is Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
Clear all search criteria
Only 2/3! You are seeing results from the Public Collection, not the complete Full Collection. Sign in to search everything (see eligibility).
-
MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, November 19, 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: "Prevalence and Characteristics of Subjective Cognitive Decline Among Unpaid Caregivers Aged ≥45 Years -- 22 States, 2015-2019"; "Health Care Access and Use Among Adults with Diabetes During the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Pandemic -- United States, February-March 2021"; "Automated Digital Notification of COVID-19 Diagnoses Through Text and Email Messaging -- North Carolina, December 2020-January 2021"; "Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] Infection, Emergency Department Visits, and Hospitalizations Because of COVID-19 Among Persons Aged ≥12 Years, by COVID-19 Vaccination Status -- Oregon and Washington, July 4-September 25, 2021"; "Impact of Hospital Strain on Excess Deaths During the COVID-19 Pandemic -- United States, July 2020-July 2021"; "'Notes from the Field': Acute Nonviral Hepatitis Linked to a Brand of Alkaline Bottled Water -- Clark County, Nevada and California, 2020"; and "'QuickStats': Age-Adjusted Death Rates from Heart Disease Among Adults Aged 45-64 Years, by Urbanization Level§ and Sex -- National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2019." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from this issue can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2021.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2021-11-19
-
Government's Preparedness for the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for Government on Risk Management
From the Summary: "This report sets out the facts on: [1] the government's approach to risk management and emergency planning (Part One); [2] the actions the government took to identify the risk of a pandemic like COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] (Part Two); [3] the actions the government took to prepare for a pandemic like COVID-19 (Part Three); and [4] recent developments (Part Four). [...] The report sets out central government's risk analysis, planning, and mitigation strategies prior to the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the aim of drawing out wider learning for the government's overall risk management approach. It does not cover local-level risk planning, wider aspects of resilience planning or top-level disaster response procedures. It also does not cover the government's response to COVID-19 or how prepared it was for subsequent waves of the pandemic."
Great Britain. National Audit Office
Davies, Gareth (Comptroller and Auditor General)
2021-11-19
-
MMWR Early Release: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, November 19, 2021: Risk for Stillbirth Among Women With and Without COVID-19 at Delivery Hospitalization -- United States, March 2020-September 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: "Risk for Stillbirth Among Women With and Without COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] at Delivery Hospitalization -- United States, March 2020-September 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.)
2021-11-19
-
MMWR Early Release: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, November 19, 2021: COVID-19-Associated Deaths After SARS-CoV-2 Infection During Pregnancy -- Mississippi, March 1, 2020-October 6, 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]-Associated Deaths After SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] Infection During Pregnancy -- Mississippi, March 1, 2020-October 6, 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.)
2021-11-19
-
COVID-19 and Access to Medical Products: Implications of Section 301 Tariffs [Updated November 17, 2021]
From the Overview: "On October 8, 2021, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) published a 'Federal Register' notice seeking comments on whether to reopen the process by which U.S. stakeholders may apply for exclusions from Section 301 tariffs on U.S. imports from China. Specifically, the agency is requesting comments on whether to reinstate 549 exclusions that were previously extended and have now expired or are set to expire in the coming weeks. Some of these exclusions cover products with known or potential medical uses related to the U.S. response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The USTR is to collect comments through its portal until December 1, 2021. Separately, in light of the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant this summer and developments in the production capacity of U.S.-based manufacturers to satisfy various national needs, the USTR recently concluded a review of public comments on whether 99 current exclusions on medical-care and/or COVID-19 response products needed to be further extended for six months ('COVID-19 Review'). In response to these comments and the advice from advisory committees, the interagency Section 301 Committee, and the White House COVID-19 Response Team, the USTR determined on November 9 to provide a transition period for all COVID-19 exclusions set to expire on November 14 (through November 30) and to extend 81 of the 99 COVID-19 exclusions through May 31, 2022."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Schwarzenberg, Andres B.
2021-11-17
-
Conflict, Extremism, Resilience and Peace in South Asia; Can COVID-19 Provide a Bridge for Peace and Rapprochement?
From the Document: "South Asia, home to 1.97 billion people (25% of the world's population), is no stranger to conflict and confrontation. Longstanding border disputes (such as between India and China and the decades-old standoff between India and Pakistan), the forced displacement of Myanmar Muslims to Bangladesh, and the 2021 rise of the Taliban triggering a mass exodus of professionals and educated women from Afghanistan underscore the enormous volatility and unpredictability of the region. Climate change poses a further challenge, with the real risk of interstate 'water wars.' Indeed, South Asia now faces a range of threats, with real risks of these spilling over into interstate conflict. [...] The history of conflict and vast inequities meant the region was a sitting duck for an infectious disease outbreak that took full advantage of social vulnerability. The covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has clearly exposed the extreme fragility of health systems, the limitations of emergency response capacity, inadequate early disease warning capabilities, and miniscule social support systems in the region. Consequently, South Asia has fared badly, with massive social and economic disruptions and the emergence of the delta variant leading to tremendous excess mortality across many countries in the region, including Sri Lanka, which had been less affected in the early phases of the pandemic. Education was interrupted for an estimated 434 million children, and numbers of teenage pregnancies rose by over 450 000 as young girls were married after dropping out of school." This document includes charts, tables, and graphs to illustrate the text.
BMJ Publishing Group
Bhutta, Zulfiqar Ahmed, 1955-; Mitra, Arun; Salman, Afsah . . .
2021-11-15
-
Deficiencies in Select Community Care Consult (Stat) Processes During the COVID-19 Pandemic
From the Executive Summary: "The VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] Office of the Inspector General (OIG) conducted a national review of select community care consults (stat community care consults) that were generated during a 103-day period at the outset of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic to evaluate consult processes. Patient involvement in care urgency disagreements and reporting of adverse events in community care were also reviewed. When the OIG identified deficiencies in processes, electronic health records (EHRs) of the patients at issue were further examined for potential negative outcomes. [...] In this report, the OIG addressed two components of the stat community care consult process-- the clinical aspect and the administrative aspect. To review the clinical aspect, the OIG evaluated whether care was rendered within 24 hours. For the administrative aspect, the OIG evaluated whether the status of stat community care consults was changed to complete within 24 hours. Facility processes were assessed through EHR reviews and survey responses."
United States. Department of Veterans Affairs. Office of Inspector General
2021-11-10
-
Global Economic Effects of COVID-19 [Updated November 10, 2021]
From the Summary: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] viral pandemic is an unprecedented global phenomenon that is also a highly personal experience with wide-ranging effects. On September 20, 2021, U.S. viral deaths surpassed the 675,446 total from the 1918 Spanish flu, the previously worst U.S. pandemic-related death total on record. The pandemic has disrupted lives across all countries and communities and negatively affected global economic growth in 2020 beyond anything experienced in nearly a century. Estimates indicate the virus reduced global economic growth in 2020 to an annualized rate of around -3.2%, with a recovery of 5.9% projected for 2021. Global trade is estimated to have fallen by 5.3% in 2020, but is projected to grow by 8.0% in 2021. According to a consensus of forecasts, the economic downturn in 2020 was not as negative as initially estimated, due in part to the fiscal and monetary policies governments adopted in 2020. In most countries, economic growth fell sharply in the second quarter of 2020, rebounded quickly in the third quarter, and has been mostly positive since. Although lessening, the total global economic effects continue to mount."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Jackson, James K., 1949-; Nelson, Rebecca M.; Weiss, Martin A. . . .
2021-11-10
-
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) on Health Care Employment and Vaccinations and Testing for Large Employers [Updated November 10, 2021]
From the Summary: "On June 21, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) promulgated an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for the prevention of the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2], the virus that causes COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] in health care employment settings. On November 5, 2021, OSHA promulgated an additional ETS that requires employers with 100 or more employees to require that all employees either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January 4, 2022, or test negative for COVID-19 weekly in order to work onsite. On November 6, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ordered a stay on the OSHA COVID-19 vaccination and testing ETS pending additional judicial review. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) gives OSHA the ability to promulgate an ETS that would remain in effect for up to six months without going through the normal review and comment process of rulemaking. OSHA, however, has rarely used this authority in the past--not since the courts struck down its ETS on asbestos in 1983. The OSHA COVID-19 ETS for health care employers requires health care employers to develop COVID-19 plans and protect employees from COVID-19 exposure through health screenings, personal protective equipment (PPE), building ventilation, and physical distancing and barriers."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Szymendera, Scott
2021-11-10
-
Framework for Strengthening Health Emergency Preparedness in Cities and Urban Settings
From the Executive Summary: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has brought health emergency preparedness to the forefront of the political agenda, at the highest level of government. Heads of state are paying attention to the importance of being better prepared, and as they were often the epicentre of the pandemic and frontline of the response, cities have become the centre of this conversation. It is thus 'an opportune moment for countries to build on the momentum of the COVID-19 pandemic' and related discussions to ensure that their cities and urban settings are better placed to prevent, detect and respond to future health threats and emergencies in the future. This 'framework intends to facilitate an increased focus on cities in health emergency preparedness.' Different tools and resources that contribute to strengthening heath emergency preparedness in urban settings - both existing and to be developed in the future - can be linked to the framework, supporting its implementation and contributing to a coordinated approach among the multiple stakeholders working for strengthened urban preparedness."
World Health Organization
2021-11-09?
-
COVID-19 Cases and Deaths by Vaccination Status
From the Background: "Vaccination is a critical tool to help stop the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic. All authorized COVID-19 vaccines in the US are highly effective at protecting people from getting sick or severely ill with COVID-19, including those infected with Delta and other known variants. COVID-19 vaccination can also reduce the spread of disease overall, helping to keep communities safe. Because no vaccines are 100 percent effective, it is expected that some fully vaccinated people will get sick with COVID-19, and that number will increase as more people get vaccinated. Vaccine effectiveness can also be affected by an individual's own immune system, like how well they respond to the vaccine when it is given and how much their immunity wanes over time. Real world, state-specific data showing the impact of vaccination on outcomes, including infection and death, can help illustrate these benefits, improve confidence in vaccines, and raise vaccination rates in Texas. This analysis will be updated periodically to include the most recent four-week span with complete data."
Texas. Department of State Health Services; Texas Health and Human Services Commission
2021-11-08
-
Impact of COVID-19 on the DPRK's Health System and Future Inter-Korean Biomedical Cluster Cooperation in the Post-Pandemic Era
From the Introduction: "In this essay, Sang Min Park discusses the impact of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] and the international sanctions regime on the DPRK [The Democratic People's Republic of Korea] healthcare system, trends in global health aid for the DPRK and the role of the ROK [Republic of Korea], and a future inter-Korean Biomedical Cluster Cooperation model in a post-pandemic era, with implications for cooperative threat reduction (CTR+). [...] The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is yet to confirm any official cases of COVID-19. Since the start of the pandemic in January 2020, the DPRK has taken extensive measures to control COVID-19, including imposing strict border controls, a 30-day quarantine for those with COVID-like symptoms, lockdowns of entire counties and cities, and a ban on travel between provinces. Several researchers have summarized the status of COVID-19 in the DPRK, its response to the pandemic, and the pandemic's impact on the economy and regional security of the DPRK. This paper will attempt to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the DPRK health system as well as its future implications in three major ways: 1) a brief update of the DPRK's response to COVID-19 epidemic in 2021 and its impacts on the DPRK health system; 2) trends in global health aid to the DPRK during the international sanctions regime and the role of the Republic of Korea (ROK) in the COVID-19 pandemic era; and 3) how to build a sustainable and synergistic horizontal inter-Korean cooperation model in the post-pandemic era."
Nautilus Institute
Park, Sang Min
2021-11-08
-
Military's COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate [Updated November 8, 2021]
From the Document: "SECDEF [Secretary of Defense] issued a memorandum on August 24, 2021, directing the Secretaries of the Military Departments (MILDEPs) to 'immediately begin full vaccination of all members of the Armed Forces under DoD authority on active duty or in the Ready Reserve, including the National Guard, who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19.' This Insight summarizes the COVID-19 vaccination mandate for servicemembers and offers considerations for Congress as the MILDEPs implement the mandate."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Mendez, Bryce H. P.
2021-11-08
-
Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 in Diverse Populations
From the Document: "New American Economy (NAE), wanted to better understand why COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] caused the most unequal recession in modern history, why the pandemic had such disproportionately severe economic and health impacts on BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color] and immigrant communities, and how municipalities and their partners are adapting to meet the needs of their most vulnerable residents. [...] LCF [Latino Community Fund] Georgia and the Atlanta Mayor's Office of Immigrants Affairs expanded the scope of the data collection from a city to a state-wide effort. [...] Over 900 surveys were collected across Georgia from January to May 2021 from individuals 18 years old and older. Data was structured for analysis and zip codes were used to determine Metro or outside Metro locations for the answers."
Latino Community Fund Georgia
Rodriguez-Vila, Omar; Smith, Bernita; Aleman, Lupe . . .
2021-11-08?
-
MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, November 5, 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: "Progress Toward Global Eradication of Dracunculiasis, January 2020-June 2021"; "National Surveillance for Acute Flaccid Myelitis -- United States, 2018-2020"; "Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Among Adults Hospitalized with COVID-19-Like Illness with Infection-Induced or mRNA [messenger ribonucleic acid] Vaccine-Induced SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] Immunity -- Nine States, January-September 2021"; "The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' Interim Recommendations for Additional Primary and Booster Doses of COVID-19 Vaccines -- United States, 2021"; "Effectiveness of 2-Dose Vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Against COVID-19-Associated Hospitalizations Among Immunocompromised Adults -- Nine States, January-September 2021"; and "'QuickStats': Infant Mortality Rates for Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Counties, by Single Race and Hispanic Origin -- National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2019.'" Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from this issue can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2021.html]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2021-11-05
-
MMWR Early Release: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, November 5, 2021: The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' Interim Recommendation for Use of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in Children Aged 5-11 Years -- United States, November 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: "The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' Interim Recommendation for Use of Pfizer-Biontech COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Vaccine in Children Aged 5-11 Years -- United States, November 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.)
2021-11-05
-
CBO Presentation: CBO's Budget and Economic Analysis During the Pandemic [November 3, 2021]
From the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) presentation to the Council for Affordable Health Coverage webpage: "Phillip Swagel, Director of the Congressional Budget Office, outlined the agency's budget and economic analysis during the 2020-2021 coronavirus pandemic and described some of the challenges involved in analyzing current economic policy. His remarks focused on CBO's analysis of health policy, the macroeconomic effects of the legislative response to the pandemic, and labor market issues arising from the response and recovery. He also discussed the long-term effects of the recovery on economic growth, jobs, wages, productivity, and climate change."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
Swagel, Phillip
2021-11-03
-
Relationship Between School Closures and Female Labor Force Participation During the Pandemic
From the Document: "Public K-12 schools are open now for the academic year, and instruction has returned to full-time in person, despite some disruptions due to outbreaks of the highly contagious COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] delta variant (Burbio School Opening Tracker [hyperlink]). The anticipation has been that with schools reopening, women with young children--who have disproportionately dropped out of and remained out of the labor force since the start of the pandemic--will return to the labor force. However, the small bit of evidence provided by the labor market data in September [hyperlink] suggests that this is not the case, as the aggregate labor force participation rate roughly moved sideways and the rate for women ticked down. In this post, we speak to this question by examining the extent to which the switch to all-virtual and hybrid schooling during the pandemic impacted the labor force participation of women with young children. We find that increases in the share of children in virtual or hybrid schooling in a given state are associated with decreases in labor force participation among women with young children in that state. However, the effects are modest. Moreover, in our data, remote schooling also depresses the participation of men with young children, all else equal, so it cannot entirely explain the relatively low participation of women with young children since the start of the pandemic. From a policy perspective these findings indicate that the reopening of schools will not be enough to return mothers' labor force participation back to its pre-pandemic levels. Indeed, mothers, like women more generally, have faced many challenges since the onset of the pandemic. In particular, they were over-represented hyperlink] in the service occupations that were hardest hit when the economy shut down at the start of the pandemic, and as such, conditions related to the progress of the pandemic and the reopening of the economy will also play an important role in increasing their participation. More generally concerns about the progress of the pandemic are likely to be a continuing factor in labor force decisions, especially for parents with young children who cannot be vaccinated."
Brookings Institution
Aaronson, Stephanie; Alba, Francisca
2021-11-03
-
Inter-Korean Solidarity Around COVID-19, Under the Northeast Asian Public Health Initiative (NEAPHI), as a Contribution to Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR+)
From the Introduction: "In this essay, Shin Young-jeon assesses the potential for the Northeast Asian Public Health Initiative (NEAPHI) to contribute to Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR+) given the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] situation in the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] and the operational status, limitations, and future challenges that NEAPHI must address."
Nautilus Institute
Yeong-jeon, Shin
2021-11-02
-
MMWR Early Release: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, November 2, 2021: Effectiveness of 2-Dose Vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Against COVID-19-associated Hospitalizations Among Immunocompromised Adults -- Nine States, January-September 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: "Effectiveness of 2-Dose Vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Against COVID-19-Associated Hospitalizations Among Immunocompromised Adults -- Nine States, January-September 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.)
2021-11-02
-
Building Back Resilient: Strengthening Communities Through the COVID-19 Recovery
From the Executive Summary: "'This report aims to understand how the coronavirus outbreak has impacted social cohesion and integration. It asks what the post-pandemic environment will look like when it comes to community resilience, and what is needed to ensure that the economic hit imposed by COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] does not exacerbate tensions in communities. Ultimately, it asks how we can 'build back better' when it comes to cohesion, so that the period of hardship which is likely to follow the coronavirus pandemic does not harm resilience.' The COVID-19 pandemic will lead to a period of real economic difficulty for the UK. It has effectively created a 'perfect storm' - exposing weak social infrastructure, accelerating certain types of automation and stretching local authorities, many of which were hit hard by austerity long before the coronavirus. This is not just an economic crisis but one that undermines the resilience of our communities, and puts many at risk of division and rising hate. Our research has consistently shown how, during economically tough periods, resentments and frustrations can brew, and people look for someone to blame. When people have little hope for their own chances in life, it is much harder for them to show openness and compassion for others. And it easier for opportunists to exploit real fears with hatred. The post-pandemic landscape therefore poses enormous challenges for community resilience. This is likely to play out across geographic divides. Our research has consistently found that communities with the greatest anxiety about immigration and multiculturalism are also the ones which have suffered through economic decline, have weak civic, social and economic infrastructure, and feel most distant from power."
Hope not Hate (Organisation); Paul Hamlyn Foundation
Carter, Rosie; Clarke, Chris
2021-11
-
What Do Middle-Income Countries Want from the IMF as They Look to Recover from the Pandemic?
From the Document: "After more than a year of grappling with the economic effects of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic, many middle-income countries (MICs) will continue to experience health and economic dislocation for some time to come. While much of the global financial community's attention has focused on supporting low-income countries (LICs), the majority of the world's poor are in MICs, and economic recovery in these countries will be critical to an equitable and sustainable global future. [...] To understand the current reticence among MICs to access IMF [International Monetary Fund] support, CGD [Center for Global Development] held a closed-door meeting with current and former MIC officials from across the globe (central bank governors, deputy governors, and ministers of finance) earlier this year. With a view towards past experiences, we found four plausible explanations for the low uptake of IMF financial support during the pandemic. We identify these and give our take on how to deal with them below."
Center for Global Development
Plant, Mark W.; Rojas-Suárez, Liliana
2021-11
-
COVID-19: State Carried Out Historic Repatriation Effort but Should Strengthen Its Preparedness for Future Crises, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "State [Department of State] provides repatriation assistance to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents abroad during crises such as the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic. State's Office of Crisis Management and Strategy and Bureau of Consular Affairs were primarily responsible for State's COVID-19 repatriation effort. 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. In addition, GAO was asked to examine State's COVID-19 repatriation effort. This report examines, among other things, (1) the results of State's repatriation effort, including lessons State reported learning from challenges it faced; (2) the consistency of selected aspects of State's repatriation effort with its policies and procedures; and (3) State's oversight of its overseas posts' crisis preparedness."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-11
-
US Emergency Food Aid Programs: In the Current COVID-19 Global Environment, Commonsense Reforms Are Overdue
From the Key Points: "[1] The United States international emergency food aid program has done a tremendous amount of good for people in dire need of help since it was first launched nearly 70 years ago in 1954. [2] However, mandates that forces the program to buy almost all US food aid at home and ship at least half of it on US-registered vessels are exceptionally costly in budgetary and humanitarian terms and are damaging to national security by limiting the exercise of soft power. [3] At the same time, the domestic policy rationales used to justify those mandates in 1954 have effectively disappeared over the past 30 or so years. [and 4] The rest of the world's emergency food aid donors have shed the shackles of procurement and shipping mandates. As commercial shipping freight rates and food prices continue to soar, severely constricting US Agency for International Development's ability to use the fixed budget allocated for the international food aid program, it is time for the US to follow suit."
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
Barrett, Christopher B. (Christopher Brendan); Smith, Vincent H.
2021-11
-
COVID-19: HHS Agencies' Planned Reviews of Vaccine Distribution and Communication Efforts Should Include Stakeholder Perspectives, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "Vaccination remains critical in the federal response to the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic. Vaccine implementation-- prioritizing, allocating, distributing, and administering doses--requires coordination among federal, state, and local levels and other stakeholders. HHS agencies--including CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and HRSA [Health Resources and Services Administration]--set up federal vaccine distribution programs, such as CDC's retail pharmacy program that sends doses directly to pharmacies. The federal government also sends vaccine doses to states for further distribution. The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security] Act includes a provision for GAO [U.S. Government Accountability Office] to report on its ongoing monitoring and oversight efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report examines (1) stakeholder perspectives on federal programs to distribute and administer COVID-19 vaccines, (2) efforts to inform health officials, providers, and the public about vaccination, and (3) actions HHS [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services] agencies are taking to evaluate their vaccine implementation efforts. GAO reviewed data and documents from HHS, CDC, and HRSA, and reviewed information from and interviewed state and local health officials in four states and one city selected, in part, for geographic variation. GAO also interviewed other stakeholders, including 12 national associations representing health care providers and others."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-11
-
How Conspiracists Exploited COVID-19 Science
From the Document: "Instead of envisioning an untidy world filled with randomness, unintended consequences, innocent action gone awry and new evidence, conspiracists envision one that is inhabited by powerful individuals who conceal malign activities and intent. The fluid nature of emergent science provides fuel for conspiracy theorists who offer certainty in place of the provisional, sometimes-updated statements of health experts. At the same time, conspiracy proponents question the trustworthiness and motives of those in the federal agencies, philanthropic institutions and pharmaceutical companies who fund basic research and develop, deliver and, in the case of some of the federal agencies, regulate public access to medical treatments, including vaccines. Filtering the world through these lenses, during the pandemic conspiracists have drawn on and manipulated statements and actions by public health experts, such as Dr Anthony Fauci (director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases), on topics that range from mask wearing and COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] treatments to vaccine safety and the funding of coronavirus research. Understanding the susceptibilities that conspiracists exploit should help us to identify ways to better safeguard both the trustworthiness of health science and public trust in it."
Springer Nature (Firm)
Jamieson, Kathleen Hall
2021-11-01
-
Election Assistance Commission: Assessment of Lessons Learned Could Improve Grants Administration, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "During the 2020 federal elections, the EAC [U.S. Election Assistance Commission] administered $400 million in grant funds provided by the CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act to help states prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic. The CARES Act included a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to report on its ongoing monitoring and oversight efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report (1) describes information that the EAC provided to state and local election officials for conducting elections during the pandemic, (2) describes how the EAC administered CARES Act grant funding, and (3) examines the extent to which the EAC assessed its CARES Act grants administration."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-11
-
Examining the Pandemic's Economic Effects on Women
From the Document: "This issue of 'Consumer & Community Context' is being released in conjunction with the Federal Reserve Board's Gender and the Economy Conference. Together, these efforts demonstrate the Federal Reserve's interest in understanding the barriers to gender equality and strategies that achieve the benefits of a more inclusive economy. [...] In this issue, researchers from the Federal Reserve System present analysis of the pandemic's economic impact on women."
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.)
2021-11
-
Ein Virus Des Misstrauens: Der Russische Staatssender RT DE Und Die Deutsche Corona-Leugner-Szene
From the Introduction (Einleitung): "Seit einigen Jahren setzen der russische Staatssender RT Deutsch und dessen Nachfolger RT DE bei ihrer Berichterstattung über deutsche Politik auf polarisierende Themen. Die Verstärkung von spaltenden Inhalten gehört dabei zur langfristigen Strategie. Mit seiner Berichterstattung über die Covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]-Pandemie und wiederholten Anspielungen auf Verschwörungsmythen und irreführende Botschaften geriet RT DE mitten in eine öffentliche Debatte. In dessen Zentrum standen Desinformationen über die öffentliche Gesundheit und die Verantwortung, die große Plattformen wie YouTube oder Facebook tragen, wenn es um die Verbreitung von schädlichen Inhalten geht. Das USamerikanische Unternehmen YouTube nahm diese Verantwortung wahr und sperrte permanent den Kanal von RT DE. Die Folge war ein außenpolitischer Konflikt, in dem das russische Außenministerium mit „symmetrischen Gegenmaßnahmen' gegen die in Moskau vertretenden Korrespondentenbüros deutscher öffentlich-rechtlicher Medien drohte, obwohl die Bundesregierung keinen Einfluss auf die YouTube-Sperrungen hatte."
Institute for Strategic Dialogue
Smirnova, Julia; Winter, Hannah
2021-11?
-
Effects of COVID-19 on U.S. Small Businesses: Evidence from Owners, Managers, and Employees
From the Abstract: "We analyze a large-scale survey of small business owners, managers, and employees in the United States to understand the effects of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic on those businesses. We explore two waves of the survey that were fielded on Facebook in April 2020 and December 2020. We document five facts about the impact of the pandemic on small businesses. (1) Larger firms, older firms, and male-owned firms were more likely to remain open during the early stages of the pandemic, with many of these heterogeneities persisting through the end of 2020. (2) At businesses that remained open, concerns about demand shocks outweighed concerns about supply shocks, though the relative importance of supply shocks grew over time. (3) In response to the pandemic, almost a quarter of the firms reduced their prices, with price reductions concentrated among businesses facing financial constraints and demand shocks; almost no firms raised prices. (4) Only a quarter of small businesses had access to formal sources of financing at the start of the pandemic, and access to formal financing affected how firms responded to the pandemic. (5) Increased household responsibilities affected the ability of managers and employees to focus on their work, while increased business responsibilities impacted their ability to take care of their household members. This effect persisted through December 2020 and was particularly strong for women and parents of school-aged children. We discuss how these facts inform our understanding of the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and how they can help design policy responses to similar shocks."
New York University. Stern Center for Business and Human Rights
Kuchler, Theresa; Alekseev, Georgij; Amer, Safaa . . .
2021-11
