Joshua Gans' Newsletter

Joshua Gans' Newsletter focuses on analyzing impacts and responses to COVID-19 across various fields including economics, education, health protocols, and technology. It explores pandemic management strategies, vaccine distribution, data management in health crises, and the adaptation of businesses and societal structures amidst the pandemic, emphasizing on innovation and the need for swift adaptation.

Pandemic Management Economic Impacts of COVID-19 Education and COVID-19 Health Protocols and Screening Vaccine Development and Distribution Data Management in Health Crises Technological Adaptations to Pandemics Business Adaptation and Strategy Public Health Communication Societal Changes due to COVID-19

The hottest Substack posts of Joshua Gans' Newsletter

And their main takeaways

Safe events

0 implied HN points • 30 Aug 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Events Rapid Testing Risk management Compliance
  1. Rapid antigen tests can help make events safer by reducing the risk of someone infectious attending, but they are not foolproof. Testing before an event and daily can help manage the risk of potential spread.
  2. The use of rapid tests can potentially lead to a sense of complacency regarding social distancing and mask-wearing, so it's important to have a clear plan in place in case someone tests positive at the event.
  3. In the end, having everyone vaccinated is crucial, with testing serving as an additional layer of protection especially in high-prevalence situations. However, there are no guarantees, so decisions should be made based on the specific circumstances.

Bits of news

0 implied HN points • 11 Aug 21
📰 News COVID-19 updates Education Public Health Measures
  1. Regular COVID-19 screening in schools with active isolation and testing of contacts can be more effective than closures.
  2. Some regions are implementing vaccine passports for non-essential activities and in-person classes to control the spread of COVID-19.
  3. Enjoy the summer to build mental strength for potential disruptions in the Fall due to COVID-19.

Rapid screening in schools

0 implied HN points • 29 Jul 21
🏥 Health & Wellness COVID-19 Schools Rapid Testing Vaccination Prevention
  1. Regular rapid antigen testing in schools can help prevent disruptions and keep schools open by catching infectious cases
  2. Using daily testing in schools can lead to significantly fewer school days lost and staff absences due to Covid-19 compared to mandatory isolation measures
  3. Denmark recommends regular testing for school children as a measure to control the spread of Covid-19

The Economist's Trigger

0 implied HN points • 08 Mar 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Emotions Vaccines Pandemic Risk management Public Health
  1. Emotional reactions can be unpredictable and vary from person to person, sparking different responses even to the same triggers.
  2. Individuals may have differing perspectives on concepts like fairness and personal rights, leading to contrasting emotional reactions.
  3. Varying emotional triggers can highlight differences in values and beliefs, such as the balance between individual freedoms and social cohesion.
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So you want to achieve herd immunity

0 implied HN points • 04 Nov 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Epidemiology Infectious Diseases Public Health Preventive measures Immunity
  1. Achieving herd immunity through infection can be a challenging policy due to individual behaviors impacting the rate of infection.
  2. To accelerate the spread of Covid-19 for herd immunity, potential strategies include mask prohibitions, creating situations for people to congregate indoors for extended periods, and avoiding widespread testing.
  3. Implementing unconventional and counterintuitive measures like not announcing vaccine progress, encouraging large gatherings such as political rallies, or subsidizing risky activities could be attempts to expedite herd immunity.

Vaccine Week: A final worry

0 implied HN points • 18 Sep 20
🏥 Health Politics Vaccines Health Issues Policies Prevention
  1. Vaccines may have unintended consequences such as creating more health issues if not distributed carefully.
  2. There's a risk that a fast and widespread distribution of a 'leaky' vaccine could lead to the acceleration of virulence in viruses.
  3. It's crucial to thoroughly research and understand the potential risks associated with Covid-19 vaccines to avoid unexpected outcomes.

A limit to Bitcoin scale?

0 implied HN points • 26 May 18
🔮 Crypto Bitcoin Blockchain Cryptocurrencies
  1. Eric Budish's paper highlights a potential contradiction at the core of 'proof of work' schemes supporting cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
  2. The economic viability of Bitcoin in the long term is based on short-term enforcement mechanisms, which could pose challenges as Bitcoin becomes more economically significant.
  3. The use of specialized ASIC chips for mining may increase Bitcoin's robustness against attacks, but it challenges the democratic philosophy initially associated with Bitcoin.

Some simple economics of ICOs

0 implied HN points • 19 Mar 18
💰 Finance Monetary Policy Market Analysis Startups
  1. Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) have raised billions for startups but there is concern about fraud and lack of incentives for startups to deliver on promises.
  2. ICOs can help startups reveal demand for their services early on and aggregate information from buyers and speculators.
  3. Monetary policy plays a role in ICOs when there is a need to raise a large amount of money up front, affecting the timing of revenue generation.

Waiving vaccine patent rights

0 implied HN points • 07 May 21
🏥 Health Politics Vaccine distribution Government funding
  1. Waiving vaccine patent rights is more symbolic than impactful in incentivizing R&D versus broader vaccine distribution.
  2. Patents were not a significant factor in speeding up vaccine development during the pandemic.
  3. The main focus should be on investing in manufacturing facilities and supply chain to produce and distribute vaccines efficiently.

Ontario, a turn at being the worst

0 implied HN points • 17 Apr 21
🏥 Health & Wellness COVID-19 Workplace Safety Preventative measures Public Health Healthcare policy
  1. Ontario is currently facing a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by new variants, particularly the B.1.1.7 or UK variant.
  2. The outbreak is primarily originating in workplaces that remain open, such as manufacturing factories and distribution centers, leading to high rates of infection.
  3. A proposed solution to counter the surge in cases is to mandate the use of N95 or better masks in all currently open workplaces in Ontario with more than 20-30 employees.

Tell them they're dreaming

0 implied HN points • 01 Apr 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Vaccination Health Risks Immunity Vaccine Hesitancy
  1. Australia's success in managing COVID-19 has led to complacency in vaccination efforts, resulting in potential long-term challenges.
  2. Achieving herd immunity is not a guarantee of safety, as the virus can still spread even with high vaccination rates.
  3. Strategic planning and a stronger vaccine strategy are crucial for countries like Australia to navigate the transition from COVID-Zero to a more sustainable approach amidst evolving virus variants.

The weakest link

0 implied HN points • 08 Feb 21
🏥 Health Politics Policy COVID-19 Vaccines Prevention Economics
  1. Maintaining a Covid-Zero policy brings challenges due to the weakest link, like quarantine workers in hotels.
  2. Regular rapid testing and vaccinations for quarantine workers are crucial to prevent Covid-19 spread and lockdowns.
  3. Investing in safety measures for the weakest link, such as daily screenings and prioritized vaccinations, can mitigate costly leakages and lockdowns.

The problem with R-targeting

0 implied HN points • 20 Jan 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Epidemiology Policies Masks Vaccines
  1. Targeting reproduction numbers (R) in epidemics is common, but focusing on the average R can be misleading because individual variances matter.
  2. Policies like lockdowns and screening programs can be more effective in reducing both average R and its variance, making them reliable indicators of success.
  3. Understanding how policies impact the variance of R is crucial to ensuring sustained mitigation of outbreaks and keeping case numbers down.

Great recent reads

0 implied HN points • 18 Jan 21
🏥 Health & Wellness COVID-19 Vaccines Rapid Testing
  1. Some recent articles highlight the need for better masks for workers.
  2. Improving vaccination supply can be done with minor changes like using different syringes.
  3. Evidence suggests that schools, especially for younger children, may be able to open up with flexibility.

To pay or be paid?

0 implied HN points • 16 Dec 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Vaccine distribution Public Health Medical Research
  1. Economists suggest using prices to address vaccine distribution issues. This includes charging for doses to signal demand and potentially paying individuals to take the vaccine.
  2. There is a proposal to pay individuals to receive the vaccine in order to address low demand. By offering subsidies, it can help close the gap in vaccination rates.
  3. Balancing the approach between paying for priority in vaccine distribution and paying individuals to get vaccinated presents challenges. Complexity arises when trying to incorporate financial incentives into the vaccination process.

Book excerpt: Telling the Truth

0 implied HN points • 09 Nov 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Communication Trust Misinformation Persuasion
  1. Public officials should be clear and truthful in their messaging to the public to build and maintain trust.
  2. Persuasion is key in encouraging people to take necessary actions, like wearing masks, especially when the public may be reluctant.
  3. In the absence of trusted information sources, misinformation can spread like a virus, impacting public health decisions and outcomes.

What does an infection tell us about others?

0 implied HN points • 07 Oct 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Contact Tracing
  1. When someone tests positive for Covid-19, it's important to trace their contacts to identify potential spread and find the source of infection - backward tracing can be especially useful.
  2. Frequent testing in places like schools can shift the focus from tracing contacts within the place to outside contacts, highlighting the value of backward tracing to prevent spread.
  3. Investing in apps for tracing outside contacts can be crucial as it may have higher impact than focusing only on contacts within a specific place.

Covid-19 and 'Forced' Experimentation

0 implied HN points • 07 Aug 20
💼 Business Economics Entertainment Streaming Consumer behavior Decision-making
  1. Due to Covid-19, the entertainment industry is experimenting with online movie releases, which may lead to permanent changes in distribution practices.
  2. The economics of movie distribution involve factors like physical distribution costs, risk aversion in trying new strategies, and revenue-sharing agreements with theaters.
  3. If successful, the shift to online releases could mean higher quality home viewing experiences, changes in consumer choices, and potential scaling back of traditional movie theaters.

The Coming Big Rationing

0 implied HN points • 22 May 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Vaccines Public Health
  1. When a vaccine for COVID-19 is developed, there will be a period of shortage, potentially lasting months or a year, before doses are widely available.
  2. Governments have plans to allocate vaccine doses in case of scarcity, usually by prioritizing different groups such as healthcare workers and high-risk populations.
  3. Methods like lotteries and non-monetary signaling could play a role in distributing limited vaccine doses fairly and encouraging positive behaviors during the pandemic.

Why are peer reviews private?

0 implied HN points • 01 Mar 17
🔬 Science Peer Review Research Publications
  1. The current system of keeping journal article reviews private raises questions about potential benefits of making them public to improve efficiency and encourage more careful submissions.
  2. Authors might take more care in their papers if peer reviews were public, allowing for dialogue and counter arguments.
  3. While there are concerns about anonymity and potential pressure on reviewers, testing out the publication of reviews could help reduce costs and system delays in academic publishing.

Turning our back on America

0 implied HN points • 14 Nov 16
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Immigration Election Policy Draft
  1. The author believes that most Americans are good people, regardless of the election outcomes. However, their view of America as a place for economic opportunities may be changing due to immigration restrictions.
  2. The author's personal experience of relocating to North America for career gains and future prospects tied to the US is now possibly undermined by concerns over restrictive immigration policies under Trump, affecting employment and student opportunities.
  3. The potential impact of current political scenarios, such as increased denial rates for visas and the possibility of drafting for military service, is causing individuals to rethink their long-term decisions and career paths involving the US.

Investing in gender-neutral pronouns

0 implied HN points • 08 Oct 16
🎭️ Culture Language Gender Ethics Academia Diversity
  1. Gender-neutral pronouns can be a simple way to avoid unnecessary gender bias in writing and communication.
  2. It may be worth considering the moral argument for using gender-neutral pronouns, especially when gender identification is irrelevant.
  3. Starting to use gender-neutral pronouns at a young age can help reduce the associated costs and make it easier to make the change in communication style.