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How New York City Vaccinated 6 Million People in Less Than a Month

John Florio Ouisie Shapiro

December 18, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

When a smallpox outbreak was deemed to be a likelihood in New York City in 1947, the city’s health commissioner rapidly launched a vaccination campaign that leveraged internal collaboration, consistent and transparent communication, and contact tracing. The effort culminated in more than six million people receiving vaccination in under a month, and only 12 infections and two deaths total. While this "public health triumph" hold lessons for the current COVID-19 pandemic, experts caution, “It’s almost inconceivable that we’re going to be able to do something similar as rapidly and as effectively.”

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How one school became a ‘COVID-19 Safety Zone' through innovative testing

Laney Valian

December 15, 2020 |

KXAN-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, San Antonio, Texas

High school students at Somerset High School in San Antonio, Texas get tested every week for COVID-19. The method is called “assurance testing,” and is a way to target “silent spreaders,” people who have COVID who don’t show symptoms and spread the virus to the larger community. With assurance testing, silent spreaders are quickly identified, preventing them from spreading COVID. “Of the 70,000 tests Community Labs has run so far, 1,700 were identified as positive for COVID-19. Most of those positive test results came from people who were asymptomatic and had no idea they had the virus.”

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Reusing, recycling, rethinking

Jessica Wolfrom

December 10, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Alexandria, Virginia

Mason & Greens is a zero-waste store that reduces environmental impact by selling package-free items, from shampoo bars to organic produce. Dry goods and the wines, oils, and kombucha on tap are bought with reusable containers and priced by the ounce, which reduces plastic waste and allows customers to buy only what they need. In addition to minimizing products' carbon footprints, the store has been profitable since it opened and the owners say that, while prices are initially higher for consumers, reusable products may be less expensive in the long run because they don’t have to be replaced as frequently.

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How Cherokee Nation Is Beating Back COVID

Mary Harris

December 10, 2020 |

Slate |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Talika, Oklahoma

Leaders from the Cherokee Nation have been praised for their success in containing the coronavirus pandemic through aggressive and rapid actions. A key component to that success has been the Cherokee Nation's private healthcare system, which includes a hospital on the reservation. Other efforts that have played a role include a mask-wearing mandate and messaging that focuses on protecting the community's elders.

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Michigan's weakened environmental laws lead activists to embrace other tactics

Tom Perkins

December 10, 2020 |

Planet Detroit |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

Environmental deregulation and budget cuts opened the door for a loose coalition of environmental attorneys and activists to do the accountability work for the regulatory system. The groups sue to force companies to follow the law, contest permits, and run media campaigns to raise awareness of corporate misdeeds. Their efforts have been effective, forcing the closure of a toxic incinerator, pushing utilities towards clean energy, and revealing environmental abuses of major companies. The groups work with residents in impacted communities to determine priorities and organize support among neighbors.

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Learning the hard way

Andrew Panton

December 09, 2020 |

Africa in Fact |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo

A failed response to the outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo has helped prepare the country's government and health officials to respond more successfully to the coronavirus pandemic and other public health crises. Several lessons that have proved especially important include the development of a research unit, focusing attention on supporting the community members rather than suppressing the virus, and improving public health communication.

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There are worse viruses than Covid-19 out there. How do we avoid the next big one?

Debora MacKenzie

December 08, 2020 |

Ensia |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: China

Public health experts are strategizing for how to combat the next pandemic by learning from what failed to prevent the most recent coronavirus pandemic. From increasing surveillance of viruses to using diagnostic technologies to "screen for novel infections more systematically," there are a series of protocols that countries failed to utilize that can be enacted now as a preventative measure.

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As cases rise, college students take COVID-19 prevention into their own hands

Mathew Reagan Hannah Getahun Maddie Beck

December 04, 2020 |

CalMatters |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

From zoom workshops that teach people about the misconceptions of COVID 19, to Google docs, to Instagram profiles that shame people who are partying during the pandemic, university students are holding their communities accountable. Across the country a myriad of student-led efforts have sprung up in response to careless behavior by college students. “I just thought it would be a good idea to sort of hold each other accountable and then be safe.”

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Heat Waves Kill More People Than Any Other Weather Disaster. These Cities Have A Plan.

Rachel Ramirez

December 01, 2020 |

The Huffington Post |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: India, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

With rising temperatures occurring all over the world, cities are implementing plans to combat heat waves and protect its residents. The city of Ahmedabad in India has been a model for heat resiliency after it created its first heat action plan that centered around “community-focused social measures.” Because of the plan, a 2015 heat wave resulted in fewer than 20 fatalities compared with thousands of deaths in previous years. Other cities like New York City are also participating in heat resiliency efforts aimed at protecting all of its residents.

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A helpline connects Indigenous immigrants to crucial COVID-19 information

Anna V. Smith

November 30, 2020 |

High Country News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Lincoln County, Oregon

After a contact tracing effort spurred by an outbreak of COVID-19 cases in Lincoln County, Oregon resulted in the realization that resources weren't being offered in Indigenous Mayan languages, the Oregon Health Authority created a helpline to better connect community members with translators. The hotline is now being used in several other counties and has also been used to offer additional public health information – such as when wildfires began erupting throughout the state.

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