Since last April, The Center for Health Journalism has been publishing a special newsletter geared to journalists as they report on one of the biggest and most complex stories of our times. Each Monday, while the pandemic runs its course, The Coronavirus Files will provide tips and resources and highlight exemplary work to help you with your coverage. This week, the Center for Health Journalism’s Coronavirus Files Monday newsletter is curated and reported by science writer Amber Dance, PhD. Have a suggestion or a request? Write us at editor@centerforhealthjournalism.org.
Webinar this week: Fighting the 'Infodemic'
Join us March 10 for a panel discussion on COVID-19 misinformation — how it spreads, who is most impacted, and how to report on it. More details below.
States target low-income areas for vaccination
In an effort to narrow the gap between vaccination rates in rich and poor areas, some states are beginning to reserve doses for people living in the most disadvantaged ZIP codes. For example, Connecticut asked vaccine providers to commit at least one-quarter of vaccines to people in ZIP codes that rank high on the CDC’s social vulnerability index. In Maryland, officials announced the Baltimore-based mass vaccination site will “seek to fill as many appointments as possible” with people from a handful of ZIP codes in underserved neighborhoods, but stopped short of setting a target percentage. California will reserve 40% of its vaccine supply for eligible people living in low-income areas, including many in the Central Valley and in the Los Angeles region. “The shift comes amid mounting evidence that Latino and Black communities are falling behind white and Asian ones in getting access to the vaccine,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
Pandemic leads to rise in domestic violence
As many experts predicted and feared, lockdowns resulted in more domestic violence. A new report found a greater than 8% rise after restrictions went into effect last year, “a very striking result,” study author Alex Piquero told CNN’s Eric Levenson. Piquero added that 8% is likely an underestimate: “I think the problem is actually worse.” While the exact reasons are unclear, likely contributors include economic issues such as unemployment and financial insecurity, as well as stress over child care and Zoom-schooling. (The Center for Health Journalism is hosting a free symposium on the domestic violence April 16 and 23 — more details below.)
Will Johnson & Johnson get cool reception?
The nation is now administering on average about 2 million doses a day — up from 1.3 million a month ago, but still short of the 3 million figure many experts say we need to hit. While Johnson & Johnson vaccines are shipping, the company has fallen behind on production. In response, President Joe Biden, the nation’s vaccine-broker-in-chief, negotiated a highly unusual deal between Johnson & Johnson and rival Merck, which previously gave up on its own vaccine efforts. Two Merck factories are being converted to produce the Johnson & Johnson formula, though it’ll take a few months to start cranking out vials. Biden now predicts the U.S. will have enough vaccine on hand for all adults by the end of May, two months earlier than previously promised.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has major advantages — it doesn’t require freezing and works with just one dose — and some people are eager for the convenience of one appointment and just one needle stick. But there are also challenges in getting people to accept it. Detroit has already rejected a supply of Johnson & Johnson vaccines, reports CNN, because the mayor says the other vaccines are better. Catholic bishops are encouraging their flock to seek alternative shots because the vaccine’s production requires lab-grown cells descended from aborted fetal tissue collected in the 1980s. (Yet Pope Francis himself says the vaccines are O.K., CNN reports) Another concern: governors and other officials worry that if the Johnson & Johnson formula is sent to underserved communities, people will perceive it as an inferior shot, reports The Washington Post’s Isaac Stanley-Becker. “If we end up with a hierarchy that says all rich White people get Pfizer, and all poor Black people get J&J, that would be a problem,” Helen D. Gayle, president of the Chicago Community Trust, told the Post.
Part of the problem comes down to how people interpret trial vaccine efficacy numbers: higher than 90% for Pfizer and Moderna but 72% in the U.S. for Johnson & Johnson. At The New York Times, Carl Zimmer and Keith Collins break it down: “Just because one vaccine ends up with a higher efficacy estimate than another in trials doesn’t necessarily mean it’s superior,” they write. “It’s not possible to make a precise comparison between these vaccines.”
Bottom line: Any of these vaccines will save your life. “The vaccine that’s available, get that vaccine,” said the NIH’s Anthony Fauci. “I would definitely take the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.”
Southern states rush to reopen
CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said she is “really worried” about the rollback of restrictions. Others were more blunt. “Head. Desk.” wrote “Your Local Epidemiologist” Katelyn Jetelina, while epidemiologist Tara C. Smith warned, “This is going to drive a rebound.” Even Mississippi’s state health officer Thomas Dobbs said, “There’s no way in heck I would go sit in a crowded bar right now.” Dr. Ivan Melendez, a health authority in Texas’ Hidalgo County, told the Texas Tribune, “This should have been the last step, not the first."
Looking ahead
Andrew Joseph and Helen Branswell at STAT continue their stellar coronavirus coverage with some predictions of what we can expect in the near, middle, and far future, even as they acknowledge the pandemic’s ongoing unpredictability. A few highlights:
- By summer 2021, ample vaccine supply could mean the disease retreats to smaller, localized outbreaks. Autumn, with cooling weather and back-to-school, could usher in another wave of cases driven by variants.
- Over the next few years, we may face seasonal waves as the immunity provided by vaccines wanes and the virus continues to evolve.
- Eventually, COVID-19 may become just another cold — a hassle, nothing more.
From the Center for Health Journalism
Covering Coronavirus: Fighting the ‘Infodemic’
The pandemic has unleashed a tsunami of misinformation, lies and half-truths capable of proliferating faster than the virus itself. In our next webinar, we’ll delve into what one of our speakers has termed “the natural ecology of bullshit”—how to spot it, how it spreads, who is most impacted, and how to counter it. And we’ll discuss reporting examples, strategies and story ideas that incorporate these insights and effectively communicate to diverse audiences.
2021 Domestic Violence Symposium and Impact Reporting Fund
Domestic violence affects tens of millions of Americans every year. Yet media outlets mostly treat incidents as “cops” items, if they cover them at all, as opposed to treating domestic violence as a public health problem. Our free two-day symposium will help journalists understand the root causes and promising prevention, intervention and treatment approaches. Plus, participants will be able to apply for grants to report California-focused projects.
We’re seeking a key journalism hire!
Are you passionate about helping journalists understand and illuminate the social factors that contribute to health and health disparities at a time when COVID-19 has highlighted the costs of such inequities? Looking to play a big role in shaping journalism today in the United States? The USC Center for Health Journalism seeks an enterprising and experienced journalism leader for our new position of “Manager of Projects.”
What we're reading
- “Women and the pandemic,” a collection of stories by Time
- “ID requirements are meant to stop vaccine tourists, but they can also shut out vulnerable residents,” by Stephanie M. Lee and Stephanie K. Baer, Buzzfeed News
- “Inside ‘post-COVID’ clinics: How specialized centers are trying to treat long-haulers,” by Erika Edwards, NBC News
- “How future generations will judge humanity's performance against the coronavirus,” by Anthony Faiola, The Washington Post
- “A national system to prioritize COVID-19 vaccines has largely failed as states rely on their own systems,” by Aleszu Bajak and David Heath, USA Today
Events and Resources
- March 11, 9:30 a.m. PT: The first of a four-part webinar series on “COVID Vaccines and the Return to Life” will feature Drs. Monica Gandhi, Paul Offit, Onyema Ogbuagu, and Eric Topol.
- SciLine offers expert quotes, free for journalists to use, about topics including vaccine development and variants.
- The Open Notebook offers a tipsheet on “Covering COVID-19 Vaccines.”
- The Journalist’s Resource shares “6 tips for covering COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.”
- The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas has built a list of resources, in several languages, for reporters covering COVID-19 vaccines.
- Reporting the science of COVID-19 is a free, self-paced online course for journalists without much experience in science reporting.
- MIT Technology Review is taking applications for five Covid Inequality Fellowships, which offer up to $7,500 each to produce stories about COVID-19 inequities in underserved U.S. communities. Deadline is March 21.
