COVID-19 Resources
As strategies such as mask-wearing, social distancing, and vaccinating all teachers are adopted across the country, more schools are re-opening. Updated school re-opening data are available at Burbio, which actively monitors 1,200 districts, including the 200 largest school districts in the US. See Trends and Observations as well as maps showing in-person schooling percentages by state and county.
The CDC’s COVID Data Tracker ranks states by the percentage of COVID vaccine doses received that have been administered. As of this writing, 54% of doses distributed nationwide have been administered, with fewer than 3.5 million people having received both required doses. The Dakotas and New Mexico lead the nation in percent of doses administered.
The states say they're running out of vaccines and urge the federal government to give them more doses; however, data suggest that the states have only administered about half to two-thirds of their vaccines. Why the discrepancy? The answer lies in a number of factors involved in a complex distribution system, including lack of communication between the federal government and states, data lags and differing eligibility requirements, according to a report from Becker’s Hospital Review.
As the states develop plans for COVID-19 vaccine distribution, this presentation from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) provides guidance, defining which groups should receive priority for the vaccine and describing strategies to ensure equity in vaccine allocation and distribution.
The states’ COVID-19 vaccine distribution plans are available on this searchable, interactive site from the National Academy of State Health Policy. Most plans prioritize when their workforce members and populations will receive the vaccine, with healthcare workers and emergency personnel in the first of three planned waves of vaccinations.
This interactive map tracks daily hospital capacity by county across all 50 states, with percentages shown for Total Beds and ICU Beds. As described by Carlson School of Management, tracking hospitalization data is an important component in quantifying impact on local hospital systems, forecasting future needs, and tracking the rate of change in disease severity.
This hub created by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), highlights useful resources and best practices from governmental public health, academia, think tanks, and nonprofits to support local health departments in designing, establishing, scaling up, and strengthening COVID-19 contact tracing programs.
States and several jurisdictions have shared preliminary reports outlining their COVID planning and vaccine implementation strategies based on the CDC’s published guidance. Executive summaries of the reports are available here.
The National Association of Counties reports that, while the CDC has released approximately $200 million in funding to states and local governments to date for vaccine planning, state health officials are estimating that approximately $8 billion will be needed.
This report from the Kaiser Family Foundation collects and analyzes current COVID vaccination plans from the states, focusing on common themes and concerns across the state plans in key areas: priority populations, provider networks, data collection and reporting, and communications strategy.
COVID Vaccine Facts is an educational tool to link people to third-party scientific and evidenced-based information related to the COVID vaccine. The searchable site helps answer a range of frequently asked questions, such as How will we know the vaccine is safe and effective? and How much will I have to pay?
The FDA will likely authorize emergency use of the Pfizer and BioTech vaccine after a Dec. 10 meeting of an advisory committee, followed shortly by authorization of the Moderna vaccine. Divisions are emerging among top US officials over when the country’s first COVID-19 vaccine will be authorized — and who should be at the front of the line to get vaccinated, according to this STAT news report. The conflicting views risk sending mixed signals to public health authorities at the state level. Sufficient supply is expected to vaccinate 20 million Americans in December and another 25 million in January.
This interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci covers many questions your constituents may have about COVID-19 going forward. He describes how COVID vaccines will be vetted by scientists to ensure their safety, and identifies situations when it is "Safe and important to keep open, with precautions” versus “Things that aren’t safe under any circumstances.”
Who serves in a state or local government until election results are known?What "holdover provisions” are in place when a winner cannot be determined in time to assume office on the standard date? How close does an election have to be to trigger an automatic recount?Does your state require automatic recounts? Where are the state government trifectas?In which states does one party hold the governorship plus majorities in both the senate and house? Updated with 2020 election results as they become available.
More than $12 billion in CARES Act funding has been allocated to the states to cover activities such as Epidemiology, Lab Capacity and COVID-19 Vaccine Preparedness, according to this funding update from the CDC. As a COVID vaccine appears closer to approval, the states prepare to play a key role in distribution and administration, based on the assumption that adequate federal funding will be available to implement a large-scale response. The Council of State Government’s interactive map describes each state’s current draft vaccination plan.
The CDC has revised its definition of “close contacts,” saying that even brief exposures that add up to 15 minutes over a 24-hour period raise the risk of coronavirus transmission. The new definition may affect local decisions about public gatherings and put workers such as waiters into a higher-risk category.
This fascinating map contrasts the wide disparity in the number of voters represented by each vote in the Electoral College. Florida has the least power with 536,000 per electoral vote, while Wyoming has 144 people per Electoral Vote.
The CDC's Vaccination Program Interim Playbook provides detailed guidance on how to successfully protect your state and prepare for the biggest vaccination effort in US history.
With most state legislatures reconvening in a few short months and COVID cases on the rise, many legislatures are determining how to meet safely (link courtesy Pew/Stateline). Options include meeting in person, moving to a new location, going virtual, and opting for a hybrid plan. At least 162 state legislators nationwide have tested positive for the virus to date, and three have died.
To answer your constituents' questions about how the safety of potential COVID-19 vaccines is being evaluated, this article from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) provides expert insights into the safety systems deployed to monitor, evaluate and communicate the safety of vaccines, including any safety issues after they are released.
Following several years of declining or flat enrollment growth, states expect Medicaid enrollment and spending each to jump by more than 8 percent in FY 2021, chiefly due to a slumping economy amid the pandemic and federal conditions to maintain coverage to access enhanced federal matching funds, according to a new Medicaid budget survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The COVID-19 Q&A collection provided by JAMA provides video and audio interviews with Dr. Anthony Fauci and other medical leaders in the fight against coronavirus, including content on vaccine development, infection control, and public health preparedness.
As the wave of COVID-induced layoffs continues, many states are grappling with evaporating funds for unemployment benefits that could force cuts to payments or hikes in business taxes. The Pew Trust reports that 31 states already are using federal CARES Act dollars or seeking federal loans to keep unemployment coffers funded.
The Department of Defense’s OWS portal describes the development process, timeline and distribution strategy for a COVID-19 vaccine, with the first of 300 million doses provided by January 2021. Successful implementation of Operation Warp Speed requires precise intergovernmental coordination and the cooperation of many public and private partners..
Updated daily, this NCSL site provides data visualizations about state-initiated bills related to COVID-19 including budgeting and revenue, child welfare, commerce, criminal justice, education, elections, employment, finance, health access and coverage, housing and homelessness, labor and retirement, legislative operations, public health, workforce and more.
Johns Hopkins University is compiling a daily updated summary of COVID-19 statistics by state showing critical data from the past 24 hours on the numbers of new cases and deaths. The impact of infection control measures and re-openings undertaken by states is also tracked daily in a JHU timeline.
This resource from the National Governors’ Association details a range of actions taken by governors and state officials in economic development organizations to support small businesses and regional economies in the wake of COVID-19. Also accessible is the entire archive of NGA Policy Memos.
States and localities are being forced to balance a surge in demand for government expenditures with unprecedented funding shortfalls. McKinsey & Co.’s analysis Reimagining the Postpandemic Economic Future looks at what is required of cities, states, and the nation to come back from the pandemic even stronger by "deliberately addressing the vulnerabilities the crisis has exposed."
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Economic Recovery
States Beat Revenue Expectations in FY 2020
State tax collections declined 5.5% in FY 2020 according to new Census data, reports the Tax Foundation.
Restoring Your State's Economy
RestoreYourEconomy.org provides extensive resources and best practices for state leaders regarding the restoration of local economies.
COVID-19 Impact: $121 Billion Loss in State Revenues
A new analysis by the Tax Foundation of 12 states’ revenue forecasts indicates $121 billion two-year tax revenue losses compared to FY 2019.
Repurposing Incentives for Small Business Recovery
The Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) and Smart Incentives have collaborated on a guide for adjusting incentive programs to support small business recovery.
Evaluation Tax Incentives
The Pew Charitable Trusts have developed best practices for policymakers to evaluate their tax incentives regularly and rigorously.
COVID-19 Impact: $121 Billion Loss in State Revenues
A new analysis by the Tax Foundation of 12 states’ revenue forecasts indicates $121 billion two-year tax revenue losses compared to FY 2019.
Essential Reading: Economic Outlook from CBO
In a July 8 report, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that GDP will be $3.9 trillion lower over 2020–2021 than in its January projections.
Roadmap to Pandemic Resilience
A bipartisan group of experts have developed a roadmap for how to safely reopen the economy (Roadmap to Panedemic Resilience).
COVID-19 Infection and Testing
Epidemiologists Endorse Requiring COVID-19 Vaccinations
The Society of Healthcare Epidemiologists — a major US infectious diseases medical society — outlined recommendations for requiring COVID-19 vaccinations.
PhRMA Tracks COVID-19 Trials
The PhRMA website tracks progress on 1449 current clinical trials, including trials of 477 unique therapies and unique 28 vaccines, and provides summaries of member companies activities to combat the pandemic.
Children and COVID-19 Risk
The CDC reports that children are at risk for severe COVID-19, with one in three hospitalized children being admitted to Intensive Care Units. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that there were 97,078 new child cases reported in the two weeks ending July 30 (241,904 to 338,982), a 40% increase.
Nursing Homes at Risk
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) compiled a state-by-state breakdown of facilities meeting this criterion and assessed their access to vital PPE, including N95 masks, surgical masks, and gowns.
COVID-19 Projections
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington provides state-by-state projections on Infections and Testing, Hospital Resource Use, and Social Distancing.
White House Issues Warning to 11 Cities
The White House Coronavirus Task Force, issued the warning during a July 22 call with state and local leaders.
COVID-19 Cases May Be Drastically Under-Reported
In some parts of the U.S., COVID-19 cases may be 6 to 24 times higher than reported figures, according to new antibody data from the CDC.
Troubling Trends for COVID-19 Infection Rates
Johns Hopkins University of Medicine is tracking and updating key metrics in a Testing Trends Tool to help leaders make informed decisions about lifting measures that control disease transmission.
How Risky Is Opening the Mail? Going to a Bar?
The riskiness of everyday activities during the pandemic, from Low Risk: “opening the mail” to High Risk: “Going to a bar,” was rated by physicians from the Texas Medical Association COVID-19 Task Force and the Committee on Infectious Diseases (BE INFORMED: Know Your Risk During COVID-19).
COVID-19 In U.S. Prisions
The Marshall Project site provides daily updates on the data for each state.
Speed of COVID-19 Contagion, by State
This site provides state-by-state values for Rt — a measure of how fast the COVID-19 virus is spreading or slowing.
Worldwide Tracker
This searchable snapshot of the COVID-19 crisis, updated daily, provides data down to the state or county level on COVID cases, deaths, and testing reports.
COVID-19 Projections
Analysis from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (COVID-19 Projections).
Federal Issues
Additional Aid to the States?
Stateside reports on how some states have had a windfall from the CARES Act, while others still face significant shortfalls.
Access to Federal Funds
For updates on States’ access to federal funds, see Federal Funds Information For States website and its section focused on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Note: Some pages require log-in).
Re-opening Schools
Safely Reopening the Schools
Two Johns Hopkins professors offer a framework of 6 components that policy makers should consider embracing in order to create the conditions for successful school reopening.
General
COVID-19 Disproportionately Affects Minorities
COVID-19 is affecting Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other people of color the most, according to the COVID Racial Data Tracker, a collaboration between the COVID Tracking Project and the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research.
Women's Equality, State-by-State
To determine where women receive the most equal treatment, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 17 key indicators of gender equality.
Interstate Travel Restrictions
States seeking to impose interstate travel restrictions must navigate a very uncertain legal path, according to a recent article in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Mask Mandates, State by State
A newly published list of statewide orders regarding face coverings indicates that Minnesota, Ohio and Indiana are the latest states to issue mask mandates.
Social Bubble FAQ
Hawaii’s State Department of Health has published Social Bubble FAQ’s: Bubble Up Don’t Bubble Over as part of its COVID-19 guidance.
Re-opening Status of the States
A report tracking each state’s re-opening status, updated daily, is online now at The New York Times.
State Legislative Actions and Fiscal Projections
NCSL is providing state-by-state updates on operations of state legislatures, including remote sessions and adjournment or suspension of legislative sessions.
COVID-19 Policy Tracker
State-by-state updates on legislative sessions, travel restrictions, “stay-at-home” orders, and official declarations are tabulated in the COVID-19 Policy Tracker from MultiState Associates.
2020 Legislative Session Dates
Legislative session dates and deadlines are available on a downloadable chart provided by MultiState.
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