Trustworthy Sources of Information on the COVID-19 pandemic

Since we know the White House has withheld information, misleadingly couched the facts, and made false claims about the spread of the virus and the government’s response, we need to turn to other sources we can trust.

With the permission of Elizabeth Blackburn, Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine, below is a chart that shows the advance of the epidemic over time, based on data she culled from scientific sources.  Note that this chart tracks what will happen if we don’t take strong measures to stop the spread of the virus; social isolation can drastically reduce these numbers.

Below is a compilation of reliable scientific and public health sources.

Global Tracking of the Spread of the Virus

• You can view current tallies for COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University

• More information on where COVID-19 has spread can be found at https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/countries-where-coronavirus-has-spread/

Effectiveness of Measures to Reduce the Spread of the Virus

• The Institute for Disease Modeling provides a Coronavirus Info Hub that analyzes measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 and projects how each can reduce new cases over a period of time, dramatically showing how effective social isolation can be. The recommended measures, based on epidemiological models, include social distancing, contact tracing and isolation of infected individuals, disinfecting, and travel restrictions.

• Statista offers an analysis of the effectiveness of the  measures South Korea has taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Public Health and Legislative Information

• The World Health Organization has a SARS-CoV-2 section on its website.

• Research! America, an alliance of private and public organizations that advocates for medical and health research, provides abundant links to scientific sources of information  on the COVID-19 epidemic, including links to government agencies, scientific associations, and public health websites of research universities such as Johns Hopkins University and Harvard. Of special value on this website is comprehensive coverage of Congressional legislation and hearings related to the epidemic.

• Both The New York Times and The San Francisco Chronicle are making coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic available to all, free of charge.

• The New York Times provides a global and state-by-state comparison of the spread of COVID-19.

State and Local Public Health Sites

• State directives on “shelter in place” can be found at California's COVID-19 website.

• The San Francisco Department of Public Health monitors local cases and provides  information on health orders and COVID-19 testing.