Cutting through Coronavirus content
I'm Rachael. I'm a public health expert & here to answer your Coronavirus questions.
Cutting through Coronavirus content
I'm Rachael. I'm a public health expert & here to answer your Coronavirus questions.
Corona Comments
I'm Rachael. I'm a public health expert & here to answer your Coronavirus questions.
Coronavirus is taking over the news & our minds. It’s completely changing the way we live.
I am a public health expert focused on public health preparedness and response. My work has examined a variety of emergencies related to infectious diseases and natural disasters and how we can work to communicate effectively and respond in a systematic way to limit their impact. Coronavirus has taken over both my personal and professional life.
The goal of Corona Comments is to cut through the overwhelming amount of information & focus on key pieces that may be lost in the shuffle or that you may be particularly interested in.
Here are great sources of existing Coronavirus content:
- For location & case counts, this interactive map
- For general info, see the Coronavirus Resource Center
- For national governmental updates, the CDC’s website
- For Coronavirus FAQs, see WHO’s website
If there are particular questions you have, things you don’t understand, or concerns you have, please email us at coronacomments@gmail.com.
Our latest posts
Week of 11/2: Lockdowns in Europe
Week of 10/19: Great Barrington Declaration
Week of 11/2: Lockdowns in Europe
Countries in Europe are struggling with increasing infections. In the last week, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom have all reimposed significant lockdowns to try and curb infections.
Week of 10/26: Holiday decisions
Week of 10/19: Great Barrington Declaration
Week of 11/2: Lockdowns in Europe
Discussions of a third wave. The single day peak of COVID-19 cases was reported this past weekend. Deaths still lag case counts, likely related to younger people being infected and some semblance of ability to respond in a healthcare setting.
Week of 10/19: Great Barrington Declaration
Week of 10/19: Great Barrington Declaration
Week of 10/19: Great Barrington Declaration
A team of health researchers have circulated a health policy stance called the Great Barrington Declaration, which has gotten attention from the Trump administration, that calls for the US to essentially take a modified herd immunity approach to control the virus.
Week of 10/13: Reinfection Chances
Week of 10/13: Reinfection Chances
Week of 10/19: Great Barrington Declaration
Johnson and Johnson has halted heir vaccine trial due to an unexplained illness in a patient. There has been the first reported reinfection of a coronavirus patient in the United States.
Week of 10/5: Trump with Covid
Week of 10/13: Reinfection Chances
Week of 10/5: Trump with Covid
President Trump and several prominent politicians contracted coronavirus. We revisit challenges of testing and why a comprehensive strategy to control the virus cannot rely on rapid testing alone.
Week of 9/28: Herd Immunity
Week of 10/13: Reinfection Chances
Week of 10/5: Trump with Covid
Is the U.S. headed for herd immunity and what would be the implications?
Previous Posts
Kids & Coronavirus
Gloves: to wear or not to wear?
Gloves: to wear or not to wear?
While the impact of COVID-19 on kids has been limited, but it doesn't mean that they can't spread it
Gloves: to wear or not to wear?
Gloves: to wear or not to wear?
Gloves: to wear or not to wear?
As the economy gets going again (slightly) gloves have become common for people and workers alike, but do they make sense to wear?
Future Scenarios
Gloves: to wear or not to wear?
The Plan to Re-Open New York
We dive into three future scenarios published by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP)
The Plan to Re-Open New York
The Plan to Re-Open New York
The Plan to Re-Open New York
New York, and especially New York City, have been hardest hit by coronavirus. Div into Cuomo plan for reopening the state.
Are cases going down?
The Plan to Re-Open New York
The WHO & Immunity Passports
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Don't be fooled into a false sense of security that the outbreak has gone away because states are reopening.
The WHO & Immunity Passports
The Plan to Re-Open New York
The WHO & Immunity Passports
The WHO's statement around antibodies and thoughts around the use of immunity passports.
State Actions
The Purpose of Antibody Testing
The Purpose of Antibody Testing
More and more states have begun to relax social distancing measures and take steps towards reopening their economies.
The Purpose of Antibody Testing
The Purpose of Antibody Testing
The Purpose of Antibody Testing
Thoughts on why test results need to be evaluating in the context of what we know about testing.
Treatment Update
The Purpose of Antibody Testing
The Future of Air Travel
The latest results of Gilead pharmaceutical's trials for the use of the drug Remdesivir to treat coronavirus
The Future of Air Travel
The Future of Air Travel
The Future of Air Travel
What airlines are doing to encourage social distancing and what the foreseeable future of air travel might look like
Week of April 20th
The Challenge of Creating a Vaccine
The likelihood we have a functioning vaccine that is scalable for the population is a long way away. The are currently two viable candidates being developed in the US and one in China.
The True Impact
The impact of the pandemic on health can be measured in two things, cases and deaths.
Evolving Treatment Guidelines
Diving into the website published by the NIH to provide publicly available guidance on clinical care.
Community Wide Anti-body Testing
Results from the largest and most scientifically testing to date that provides important perspective on what we can estimate the level of infection has been in the population.
Do I have it?
Coronavirus was likely circulating in the United States significantly before it was first identified.
Week of April 13th
Contact Tracing
What exactly is it? Contact tracing, in addition to diagnostic and serologic testing capacity, is being heralded as a necessity to be able to control case count and limit community spread.
Who Decides?
Debate is brewing about who has the authority to “reopen” the economy - the states or the federal government.
There's Sort of a Plan
A preliminary plan that reflects on the guidelines and staged ways to relax social distancing measures.
Just because you can get a test...
...doesn't mean you should. Why you should be skeptical of the test results from non-approved tests.
Interpreting Federal Guidelines
The guidelines provide what they call "gating criteria" or particular standards that should be met before a state proceeds to relax social distancing measures and discuss three phases of re-opening.
Week of April 6th
Not an Equal Opportunity Virus
Deaths from coronavirus are more likely to occur in certain groups. This post explores differences across age, comorbidities, race, gender, and income .
Understanding Supply Shortages
In some locations doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers are facing the frightening prospect of work without personal protective equipment (PPE). Also, how you can help and where you can donate.
Why New York?
The biggest hotspot of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States is New York City. Explore how density, delays, and testing have contributed to New York's challenges.
Testing the Asymptomatic
CDC will conduct three interrelated studies called “serosurveys” to determine the prevalence of antibodies in the population.
The Other Physical Health Benefits
Review some of the additional impacts of this virus on physical health and suggest some things you can do now to prevent future complications.
Week of March 30th
Federal, State & Interstate
What guidance and requirements are coming from the Federal versus State levels and interstate restrictions that have been challenged.
Evolving Timeline
What indicators will experts look to in order to make a call that we can begin to relax social distancing efforts.
Understanding the COVID-19 Models
Why do the models vary so widely, and what can we take from the models?
The Antibody Test
A test for antibodies can help improve our understanding of the virus. It will tell us how widely the virus spread in the population especially among people who may never have shown symptoms.
The Mask Debate
CDC has changed their stance on whether or not the public should wear masks when outside. Previous guidance had said only to wear a mask if you are sick to prevent the spread of your respiratory droplets. New guidance would call for everyone to wear a mask whether showing symptoms or not.