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Flu was all but eliminated in South Africa this year. Coronavirus is to thank.

Lesley Wroughton Max Bearak

August 18, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: South Africa

When South Africa's government implemented measures to protect its citizens from the spread of COVID-19, it also drastically reduced its flu cases down to 1 single case for its winter season as a side effect. Stringent mask requirements and complete school closures, along with a sharp increase in people getting flu vaccines, contributed to South Africa's record-low flu season, despite being one of the countries with the highest recorded cases of coronavirus.

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700 residents, one COVID-19 case: How a senior living community keeps its distance from the virus

Chris Horne

August 17, 2020 |

WAVY-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Virginia Beach, Virginia

A residential senior center prevented the spread of Covid-19, with just 1 of over 700 residents contracting the virus. In addition to social distancing, hand washing, and outdoor visiting areas, the facility's residents wear colored wristbands, green for those staying on campus and red for those who want to leave. Those who leave cannot use the common areas, gym, or dining area for 10 days after returning, and then are tested for Covid-19 before reintegrating. There are some tensions between the two groups, but federal and state infectious disease experts have called the facility a model for best practices.

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How Taiwan is battling coronavirus with tech, crowdsourced data and trust

Jessica Yarmosky

August 17, 2020 |

Public Radio International (PRI) |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Taiwan

Taiwan has recorder fewer than 500 cases of COVID-19, and it is largely due to the country's reliance on "digital platforms to keep the public updated about medical supply availability and to monitor the status of quarantining citizens." From strict quarantine protocols – that include both monetary incentives and consequences – to a crowdsourcing app that shows mask availability, technology is driving much of Taiwan's response.

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Health care institutions, nonprofits team up to battle hunger and the pandemic

Janelle Nanos

August 15, 2020 |

The Boston Globe |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, a local health care institution has teamed up with a handful of community-based organizations to help those who are facing food insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic. The program includes screening patients who come in with COVID-19 symptoms also for food insecurity and then placing those who are high-risk on a grocery delivery schedule so that they can "recover safely at home," rather than wait in lines at the food pantry where they could potentially spread the virus.

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This AI startup is tackling the coronavirus disinformation deluge

Sirin Kale

August 14, 2020 |

Wired |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom

Logically is a fact-checking app that combines AI technology and human research to assess and label the truthfulness of news articles. The app has about 20,000 users after a soft launch in the UK, with a full launch planned for late 2020. The AI technology, a feature that makes the app unique, tries to match news claims to other sources and then human researchers take over to make a final judgment. The app has been busy fact-checking the extensive Covid-19 related misinformation. Some aspects, like technology glitches and slow fact-checking responses from researchers, still need to be worked out.

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This Denver Group is Keeping Immigrants' Restaurant Dreams Alive

Jake Bullinger

August 14, 2020 |

Bitterroot |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

Comal Heritage Food Incubator trains immigrant and refugee women to start their own businesses in the food industry. Comal offers coaching, financial support, and connections to social services. It also pays trainees, which has been vital to endure the food industry shutdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic. The group also ensures members have food, rent assistance, school supplies, or diapers for their children. They partner with the Denver Metro Emergency Food Network, delivering about 290,000 meals since the pandemic began. The model is working in other cities, including Seattle and San Francisco.

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Waiting for a New Deal job program? These US parks are already hiring

Jodi Helmer

August 14, 2020 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Asheville, North Carolina

With many people out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some cities and nonprofits are creating outdoorsy job programs to relieve unemployment. Inspired by the conservation corps programs created during the Great Depression, North Carolina, Alaska, and Texas have these initiatives. The reliance on fundraising to pay workers can be a challenge, but these programs are providing jobs for nearly 250 people and are making some conservation progress. For example, the Carolina Climbers Coalition crew has already completed projects at state parks in the Southeast.

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The faces behind the Apthamitra helpline for COVID-19 in Karnataka

Vinay B.S.

August 13, 2020 |

The News Minute |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Karnataka

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, with its medical care system already overwhelmed, the government of Karnataka collaborated with businesses to start the Apthamitra helpline. More than 7,000 people per day could connect via a mobile app to doctors on call. A triage system determined if people could be helped remotely, or if they needed higher-level care. Though no substitute for an adequate healthcare infrastructure, the helpline provided immediate counseling and connections to services for people fearful of getting infected or getting sicker.

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Here's a look at the security precautions in Colorado's mail-in ballot system

Rachel Lorenz

August 13, 2020 |

Colorado Politics |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

Colorado has fine-tuned an effective mail-in ballot protocol for statewide elections and has one of the highest voter turnouts. Ballots are stored in tamperproof locked rooms that are continuously monitored and voters’ signatures are compared by bipartisan election judges to signatures in a state database. An audit of election results is also conducted to ensure the accuracy of the results. Officials in other states are reaching out to learn more about Colorado’s system, which is well-suited to keeping voters safe during a pandemic, but a lot goes into the system’s success and it takes time to implement.

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Can Military Academies Serve As A Road Map For Reopening Colleges?

Sequoia Carrillo

August 13, 2020 |

NPR |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado Springs, Colorado

As colleges and universities around the U.S. figure out the best course of action to start a new semester amid an ongoing pandemic, military academies around the country may have some invaluable lessons to offer. The Army's West Point campus in New York state, the Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, and U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland used methods like pool testing, where individual swabs are grouped and tested instead of taking a one-by-one approach. The schools also staggered and quarantined waves of students returning to campus, and assigned different spaces to specific groups of people.

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