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‘Drive-in' Mass in parking lot feeds faith, fellowship, despite sudden storm

Maudlyne Ihejirika

July 26, 2020 |

Chicago Sun-Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Parishioners are reunited for worship again in one Chicago church's parking lot with a "drive-in Mass." The Catholic congregation tuned into a radio station to hear the priest from their cars while lined up in rows to receive communion. Members of the church have been able to join in for online services since the health crisis began, but they missed the physical ritual of Communion.

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These Elite Contact Tracers Show the World How to Beat Covid-19

Heesu Lee

July 25, 2020 |

Bloomberg |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: South Korea

After a coronavirus flareup that killed nearly 300, South Korean public health authorities used rigorous contact tracing investigations to prevent a second wave of illnesses. As of July 2020, the country’s new cases had plateaued for two months at less than 10% of their February levels, and only 8% of new cases came from unknown origins, a much lower rate than most other countries. The country’s Immediate Response Team’s work has allowed the nation to avoid disruptive shutdowns by aggressively targeting dangerous hot spots before they spread.

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A tale of two pandemics: Is COVID-19 repeating the mistakes of HIV's past?

Laura López González

July 24, 2020 |

Bhekisisa |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal

As Covid-19 spread throughout regions of South Africa, public health clinics began reporting seeing fewer patients for HIV viral load testing due to shelter-in-place orders. In trying to mitigate the longterm implications of people missing their appointments, a few HIV specialists have joined the frontlines in local communities to act as both coronavirus testers and information conduits for HIV programs.

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In Baltimore, a struggling, black-owned nursing home keeps covid-19 at bay

Rebecca Tan

July 24, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore has reported approximately 10,000 cases of Covid-19, but the local Maryland Baptist Aged Home hasn't had a single senior resident infected due "a relatively small population of 29 residents, a strong history of infection control, a dedicated staff and...the cynicism that comes with residing in an underserved community." Leadership at the nursing home acted before local government officials did, implementing a strict lockdown and widespread testing protocols while also relying on measures already in place such as thorough infection-reducing cleaning regimens.

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The Warsaw Ghetto beat an epidemic. Scientists say they know how.

Eva Botkin-Kowacki

July 24, 2020 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Poland

In 1941 it was predicted that the Warsaw Ghetto would be overwhelmed with typhus cases due to the overcrowding of inmates, but instead this "oppressed community" established a series of health measures that largely kept the caseload much lower than expected. Although the community was arguably more behaviorally motivated to implement strict and aggressive measures due to the conditions they were living under, the case study indicates that "sheltering in place, promoting and enforcing hygiene, and practicing social distancing," does matter when containing a pandemic.

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As Long Waits for Results Render COVID Tests ‘Useless,' States Seek Workarounds

Phil Galewitz Matt Volz

July 23, 2020 |

Kaiser Health News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Helena, Montana

To better serve those who have been tested for coronavirus, but have experienced a significant delay in receiving their results, states across the nation are experimenting with distributing the load of tests to various lab companies, as opposed to relying on just one. While this isn't the only method in place to fix the testing backlog, states that have already implemented a decentralized model – such as Texas – are seeing results delivered at a much quicker pace, and now other states – such as Montana – are turning to similar systems.

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This is what one of the world's largest experiments in basic income looks like

Márvio dos Anjos Meaghan Tobin

July 23, 2020 |

Rest of World |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Brazil, Marica

Mumbuca is a digital currency used in Maricà’s basic income program. Residents, with few eligibility requirements, can qualify for a monthly stipend to purchase goods and services using a smart phone or a card. The currency runs on the digital platform E-dinheiro and can only be spent in the city limits. Individuals cannot swap Mumbucas for national currency, but businesses can after a 48-hour waiting period and a 1% fee. Local currencies, which are popular in Brazil, help residents increase personal savings and, with increased stipends during the Covid-19 pandemic, allowed informal workers to stay home.

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Vietnam took drastic early action to fight the coronavirus — and has reported zero deaths

Christina Farr

July 23, 2020 |

CNBC |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Vietnam

Vietnam is home to 95 million people, yet the country has reported less than 450 cases of coronavirus and not a single death thanks to quick implementation of lessons the country learned from the 2003 SARS pandemic. Although not all went smoothly in the country's response and critics have called some measures "excessive," the overall use of contact tracing, quarantine, and both business and movement restrictions have seemingly successfully contained the spread of the virus.

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A national forewarning: Wisconsin's high absentee volume and ballot errors

Dee J. Hall Tom Scheck Geoff Hing

July 23, 2020 |

APM Reports |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Wisconsin

Wisconsin officials are using lessons from the failures of the April 2020 primary, where many mail-in ballots were rejected based on technicalities such as missing a witness signature or address, to make changes in the general election. Since the law doesn’t require officials to notify voters so they can fix the mistakes, they adapted a computer system to process absentee ballot applications so clerks have more time to focus on other voting related issues and they will use barcodes to track ballots. But issues such as missing signatures or addresses will still lead to rejected ballots without recourse.

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What Other Countries Can Teach The U.S. About Safely Reopening Schools

Catherine Pearson

July 23, 2020 |

The Huffington Post |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Denmark

As schools across the United States weigh the pros and cons of sticking to remote learning, welcoming students back into the classroom, or a hybrid, there are lessons to learn from schools around the world. In China and France, teachers have gotten creative by having students wear wings that help them remember proper social distance, and other teachers have decorated the playground with smiley faces to indicate where students should stand. Other schools in Denmark and Finland reintroduced students to class by age, since data has supported that children under 10 are less likely to transmit the virus.

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