The hottest Pandemic response Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Health & Wellness Topics

When did we know enough to act?

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 23 Sep 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Pandemic response Risk Assessment Public Health
  1. Acting early against a virus like COVID-19 is crucial to keeping it under control. Waiting too long can make it much harder to contain.
  2. Experts, like public health officials, were aware of the seriousness of the situation regarding the virus well before certain key dates - like the Wuhan lockdown.
  3. In the early stages of a pandemic, personal risk assessments may not be adequate, and governments should be proactive in imposing restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus.

Political tensions and the endgame

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 24 Jul 21
🏥 Health Politics Pandemic response Vaccination Political Tensions Policy Implications
  1. During a pandemic, there is a trade-off between prioritizing the economy and prioritizing health, and this choice changes with developments like vaccinations.
  2. Countries like South Korea and Australia managed to balance the economy and health without relying solely on lockdowns by using testing and tracing methods.
  3. Vaccines play a critical role in improving production possibilities and reducing the impact of a pandemic, but they also complicate political choices by potentially shifting priorities and increasing tensions.

Reading and other recommendations

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 26 Feb 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Pandemic response
  1. Austria conducts regular self-testing in schools by children which has shown initial low positivity rates. This innovative approach is worth keeping an eye on.
  2. Different countries have varied success rates in dealing with the pandemic, leading to intriguing yet uncertain explanations.
  3. Apart from pandemic-related news, the writer discusses digital economics topics, like critiquing Australia's news media bargaining code and Amazon's new receipts, and recommends watching the impactful TV series, 'It's a Sin'.

The aspiration needs perspiration

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 22 Jan 21
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Pandemic response Policy decisions
  1. The new Biden Pandemic report, while a step forward, lacks hard decisions and specifics like measurable goals, targets, timeline, and direction.
  2. Prioritizing actions like testing in the pandemic response requires hard trade-offs, which need clear priorities and decision-making.
  3. Time is of the essence in addressing the ongoing pandemic crisis, demanding urgent, prioritized, and impactful actions from the new administration.

Contact tracing works!

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 30 Nov 20
🏥 Health Politics Contact Tracing Data Management Pandemic response
  1. Contact tracing is an effective method to reduce infections by identifying and isolating those exposed to a virus proactively.
  2. Randomized experiments in scientific inquiries can provide valuable insights, but ethical concerns often prevent conducting them.
  3. The UK Excel spreadsheet error provided inadvertent data for economists to study the impact of contact tracing, revealing its value in reducing infections and deaths.
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Social distancing at the end

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 28 Oct 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Pandemic response Vaccines Social Distancing Economic Impact Public Health Measures
  1. Vaccines and treatments for the pandemic take time to distribute and may not be perfect when they become available
  2. People's social distancing behavior changes when a vaccine is on the horizon, impacting economic activity
  3. The impact of a vaccine versus a treatment on social distancing behavior and economic activity can differ significantly

Largely out of government control

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 26 Oct 20
🏥 Health Politics Pandemic response Government intervention Economic Impact Public Health Herd Immunity
  1. Government actions have limited impact on the overall course of the pandemic, with people and their behaviors playing a significant role.
  2. Advocates of 'letting it rip' to achieve herd immunity quickly overlook the potential long-term health costs and economic impacts of such a strategy.
  3. Voluntary social distancing and population density have been crucial factors in influencing the spread of the virus, showing that personal behavior plays a key role in controlling the outbreak.

The Reopening Party

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 13 Aug 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Pandemic response Government Influence Consumer behavior Risk Assessment Safety measures
  1. People responded to government reopening by venturing out quickly, even more eagerly than they curtailed activities before lockdowns.
  2. The trusted government theory suggests that people trusted government information post-lockdown, but not pre-lockdown, leading to their swift return to activities.
  3. Alternative theories suggest that post-lockdown rush could be due to pent-up demand after restrictions, or due to perceived safety improvements like social distancing measures.

Will a COVID-19 vaccine exacerbate the economic downturn?

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 12 Jul 20
🏥 Health Politics Vaccine distribution Economic Impact Pandemic response
  1. Many are pinning hopes on a COVID-19 vaccine to end the pandemic, but the distribution process may lead to a prolonged economic downturn.
  2. The arrival of a vaccine could bring about changes in social distancing behaviors, leading to negative impacts on consumer activities and businesses.
  3. While a vaccine may be beneficial in the long run, in the short term, it could pose challenges for the economy, requiring preparation for the potential consequences.

Health Before Wealth: The Economic Logic

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 25 Mar 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Public Health Economy Pandemic response Testing Epidemiology
  1. During a pandemic, the concept of trade-offs between public health and economy shifts. The pandemic alters the production possibilities set, making it crucial to prioritize health over wealth.
  2. In a pandemic, the production possibilities set shows that there is a significant 'bite' where choosing between preserving public health or the economy becomes an either/or situation.
  3. Implementing widespread and accessible testing for COVID-19 can help reduce the economic impact while maintaining public health, weakening the trade-off between the two.

A War Footing: Surfing the Curve

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 14 Mar 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Pandemic response Economic Impact
  1. In dealing with Covid-19, there is a need to balance between minimizing short-term costs and minimizing medium-term costs, which presents a conflict.
  2. Flattening the curve is not enough to combat the pandemic effectively and can be very costly due to its impact on the health care system capacity.
  3. To address the limitations of flattening the curve, there is a critical need for a dramatic, immediate increase in healthcare capacity like what was done in Wuhan, calling for a war-like mindset.

Don’t Look for an On/Off Switch

Are You Okay? • 0 implied HN points • 22 Mar 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Public Health Pandemic response Vaccination Risk mitigation Emotional Wellbeing
  1. Get comfortable living in the gray: Assess everyday risks, mitigate them, and make changes gradually to protect health and wellbeing.
  2. Vaccines are very effective: They prevent death and severe disease, reduce transmission, even against variants, but it's important for unvaccinated people to mitigate risks and practice caution.
  3. Reentry is a process: Expect it to take time and be patient with yourself and others as you ease back into normalcy, taking small steps and following recommended safety measures.

Work Together

Are You Okay? • 0 implied HN points • 29 May 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Pandemic response Higher education Community support Medical Updates Public Health
  1. Dr. Wayne Frederick shares how Howard University is assisting with the pandemic and planning for reopening, emphasizing the importance of unity and community support.
  2. Howard University is actively involved in COVID-19 response efforts in DC, including expanding hospital capacity and managing a testing facility to address the virus within vulnerable populations.
  3. A Fall 2020 Preparation Committee is working on various issues for reopening, prioritizing safety measures, testing, and flexibility in case social distancing policies continue.