The novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, is the latest in a series of highly infectious viruses that have plagued the modern world, among them Ebola, measles, polio, yellow fever, and smallpox. Smallpox alone killed approximately 300 million people in the 20th century. The 1918–1919 influenza (flu) infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide and killed approximately 50 million people.
The first documented case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was detected in January—before the World Health Organization had declared a global health emergency and before much was known about the virus. Since then, some of the world’s brightest scientists across the disciplines have worked at an unprecedented pace to expand our understanding of the virus, develop therapeutics to improve outcomes, and conduct research and trials of a successful vaccine. Regulatory reform and relief in the U.S. have been essential to this process of knowledge-gathering. Much has been learned about the virus over the past several months, as well as better ways to care for patients and what the landscape for a future vaccine looks like.
Sound knowledge of the virus is critical for supporting decision-makers, the private sector, and individual Americans as they try to make decisions to respond appropriately and effectively to the virus. Because assessing risk is rarely a black and white answer, context, comparison, and nuance have been essential to effective communication about the virus’s impacts on Americans across different age groups, health conditions, and even geographic locations. Good information, including clear discussion of what we do, and do not, know is important for dispelling undue fear so that Americans can make decisions based on information rather than emotion.
Such careful communication has often been severely lacking in the media. Indeed, far too often politicians and public voices have hidden behind “the science” to circumvent debate over what are, in fact, political choices. While we continue to progress in our scientific understanding of the virus, we have much to learn in how to effectively and accurately communicate that knowledge.
Key Heritage Research:
- Katrina Trinko, “A Doctor’s Answers to All Your Questions About COVID-19,” The Daily Signal, March 18, 2020.
- Doug Badger and Norbert J. Michel, “Baseball Season, Our Distorted View of COVID-19, and What the Facts Tell Us,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, August 6, 2020.
- Doug Badger, “How Much Do You Know About COVID-19? Take This Quiz,” The Daily Signal, August 4, 2020.
- Kevin Pham, MD, “Using Face Masks Is Still a Good Idea. Mandating Them Isn’t,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, June 23, 2020.
- Doug Badger and Norbert J. Michel, “COVID-19: Still a New York Story,” Heritage Foundation Backgrounder No. 3532, September 17, 2020.
Appendix of Heritage Research:
Kevin Pham, MD, and Robert E. Moffit, “The End of the Pandemic Is in Sight, the Data Show,” Tyler Morning Telegraph, March 16, 2021, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/the-end-the-pandemic-sight-the-data-show.
Edmund F. Haislmaier, “The COVID Vaccine Rollout,” The Daily Signal, February 12, 2021, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/the-covid-vaccine-rollout.
Kevin Pham, MD, and Doug Badger, “Did the CDC Really Say We Need to Wear Two Masks? Here’s What You Need to Know About Double-Masking.” The Daily Signal, February 12, 2021, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/did-the-cdc-really-say-we-need-wear-two-masks-heres-what-you-need-know.
Kevin Pham, MD, “All Signs Point to Vaccine Success Against COVID-19, Tyler Morning Telegraph, February 9, 2021, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/all-signs-point-vaccine-success-against-covid-19.
Kevin Pham, MD, “I’m a Doctor. Here’s Why I Plan to Get the Coronavirus Vaccine.” The Daily Signal, December 14, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/im-doctor-heres-why-i-plan-get-the-coronavirus-vaccine.
Kevin Pham, MD, “What We’ve Learned About COVID-19,” Tyler Morning Telegraph, October 27, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/what-weve-learned-about-covid-19.
Marie Fishpaw and Kevin Pham, MD, Bangor Daily News, “Rapid COVID-19 Testing Can Restore American Confidence,” October 6, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/rapid-covid-19-testing-can-restore-american-confidence.
Doug Badger and Norbert J. Michel, “COVID-19: Still a New York Story,” Heritage Foundation Backgrounder No. 3532, September 17, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/report/covid-19-still-new-york-story.
Kevin Pham, MD, “A New Test for COVID-19 Shows Promise,” Sacramento Bee, September 11, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/new-test-covid-19-shows-promise.
Thomas Spoehr, “A COVID-19 Vaccine Won’t Save Us, But Improving Our Health Can,” The Daily Signal, September 10, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/covid-19-vaccine-wont-save-us-improving-our-health-can
Kevin Pham, MD, “Politicizing Masks: The Wrong Way to Lead,” Sacramento Bee, August 28, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/politicizing-masks-the-wrong-way-lead.
Amy Anderson, DNP, RN and Doug Badger, “Sorting Out the COVID-19 “Testing Mess,’” Daily Caller, August 28, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/sorting-out-the-covid-19-testing-mess.
Kevin Pham, MD, “What You Need to Know About ‘Promising’ Convalescent Plasma and COVID-19,” The Daily Signal, August 26, 2020, https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/08/25/what-you-need-to-know-about-promising-convalescent-plasma-and-covid-19/.
Amy Anderson, DNP, RN, and Kevin Pham, MD, “We’re a Doctor and a Nurse. Here Are 10 Things You Should Know About Sending Your Kids to School,” The Daily Signal, August 11, 2020, https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/08/11/were-a-doctor-and-a-nurse-heres-10-things-you-should-know-about-sending-your-kids-to-school/.
Doug Badger and Norbert J. Michel, “Baseball Season, Our Distorted View of COVID-19, and What the Facts Tell Us,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, August 6, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/baseball-season-our-distorted-view-covid-19-and-what-the-facts-tell-us.
Doug Badger and Amy Anderson, DNP, RN, “Without Proper Context, Leaked COVID-19 Data Is Worse Than Misleading,” The Daily Signal, August 5, 2020, https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/08/05/without-proper-context-leaked-covid-19-data-is-worse-than-misleading/.
Doug Badger, “How Much Do You Know About COVID-19? Take This Quiz,” The Daily Signal, August 4, 2020, https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/08/04/how-much-do-you-know-about-covid-19-take-this-quiz/.
Kevin Pham, MD, “What We Know Now About Hydroxychloroquine to Treat COVID-19,” The Daily Signal, August 1, 2020, https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/08/01/hydroxychloroquine-covid-19/.
Norbert J. Michel et al., “County-Level COVID-19 Tracker,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, July 29, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/county-level-covid-19-tracker.
Doug Badger, “When It Comes to COVID-19 Deaths, Florida Is No ‘New York,’” Heritage Foundation Commentary, July 29, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/when-it-comes-covid-19-deaths-florida-no-new-york.
Kevin Pham, MD, “How Close Are We to a COVID-19 Vaccine? Here’s What to Know,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, July 28, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/how-close-are-we-covid-19-vaccine-heres-what-know.
Kevin Pham, MD, “What We Can Learn from COVID-19 Restrictions on Houses of Worship in 2 States,” The Daily Signal, July 21, 2020, https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/07/21/what-we-can-learn-from-covid-19-restrictions-on-houses-of-worship-in-2-states/.
Doug Badger, “In 3 Charts, What to Know About Florida’s COVID-19 Surge,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, July 15, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/3-charts-what-know-about-floridas-covid-19-surge.
Kevin Pham, MD, “Why In-Person Schooling Would Be One of the Safest Activities to Reopen,” The Daily Signal, July 10, 2020, https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/07/10/why-in-person-schooling-would-be-one-of-the-safest-activities-to-reopen/.
Doug Badger, “Putting the COVID-19 Surge in Florida in Context,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, July 4, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/putting-the-covid-19-surge-florida-context.
Kevin Pham, MD, “Why Is the COVID-19 Caseload Rising in California?” Heritage Foundation Commentary, July 12, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/why-the-covid-19-caseload-rising-california.
Kevin Pham, MD, “Paused COVID-19 Reopenings Reflect Setbacks, Not a Failure of Protocols,” The Daily Signal, July 1, 2020, https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/07/01/paused-covid-19-reopenings-reflect-setbacks-not-a-failure-of-protocols/.
Kevin Pham, MD, “Social Distancing Double Standards on Protests Betray Sound Health Policy,” The Daily Signal, June 15, 2020, https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/06/15/social-distancing-double-standards-on-protests-betray-sound-health-policy/.
Norbert J. Michel and Doug Badger, “Policymakers Should Adapt COVID-19 Responses to the Evidence,” Heritage Foundation Backgrounder No. 3496, May 23, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/report/policymakers-should-adapt-covid-19-responses-the-evidence.
Kevin Pham, MD, “Scientists Are Studying Hydroxychloroquine as a Preventative Drug for COVID-19,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, May 20, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/scientists-are-studying-hydroxychloroquine-preventative-drug-covid-19.
Peter Brookes and Kevin Pham, MD, “Are COVID Survivors Immune From Getting It Again? What You Need to Know,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, May 15, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/are-covid-survivors-immune-getting-it-again-what-you-need-know.
Kevin Pham, MD, “What We Know About the Link Between COVID-19 and a Rare Children’s Disease,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, May 13, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/what-we-know-about-the-link-between-covid-19-and-rare-childrens-disease.
Kevin Pham, MD, “Under This Doctor’s Care, Most COVID-19 Patients Are Recovering. Here’s His Unusual Approach,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, May 4, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/under-doctors-care-most-covid-19-patients-are-recovering-heres-his-unusual.
Doug Badger and Norbert J. Michel, “Is Sweden’s COVID-19 Approach the Right One? What 1 Expert Thinks,” The Daily Signal, May 1, 2020, https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/05/01/is-swedens-covid-19-approach-the-right-one-what-1-expert-thinks/.
Kevin Pham, MD, “How Close Is US to Herd Immunity for COVID-19? What the Numbers Show,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, April 27, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/how-close-us-herd-immunity-covid-19-what-the-numbers-show.
Kevin Pham, MD, “What You Need to Know About Antibody Tests for COVID-19,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, April 19, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/what-you-need-know-about-antibody-tests-covid-19.
Kevin Pham, MD, “The Results Are In: Stay-at-Home Orders Are Curbing Spread of COVID-19,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, April 9, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/the-results-are-stay-home-orders-are-curbing-spread-covid-19.
Brayden Helwig and Peter Brookes, “Asymptomatic Cases Complicate the Containment of Coronavirus,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, April 4, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/asymptomatic-cases-complicate-the-containment-coronavirus.
Kevin Pham, MD, “How Many Americans Could Die From COVID-19? What the Latest Data, Projections Show,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, March 30, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/how-many-americans-could-die-covid-19-what-the-latest-data-projections.
Kevin Pham, MD, “What We Know About Potential Treatments for COVID-19,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, March 23, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/what-we-know-about-potential-treatments-covid-19.
Kevin Pham, MD, “An Alarming Study Shows We Need to Be Vigilant to Beat Coronavirus,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, March 20, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/alarming-study-shows-we-need-be-vigilant-beat-coronavirus.
Kevin Pham, MD, “A Doctor Explains What You Need to Know About Coronavirus,” Heritage Foundation Commentary, March 20, 2020, https://www.heritage.org/public-health/commentary/doctor-explains-what-you-need-know-about-coronavirus.
Kevin Pham, MD, “Our Efforts to Fight Coronavirus Require Individual Responsibility,” The Daily Signal, March 16, 2020, https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/03/16/our-efforts-to-fight-coronavirus-require-individual-responsibility/.
