California’s COVID-19 disparities are sobering. Everyone is at risk, but low-income, Black and Latino residents are dying at higher rates.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Inequality
The health care inequities suffered by Black Americans today began centuries ago.
Analysis and Comment
A blood test to detect Alzheimer's disease in people who have symptoms and even those who don't has been shown to work. Scientists still need to improve its accuracy rate to almost 100%, however.
The stress of having children do distance learning at home during the pandemic is linked to an increase in alcohol consumption among parents, a new survey finds.
Test positivity rates measure the success of a testing program. Even though the US performs a huge number of tests, high test positivity rates across the country show that that it still isn't enough.
Research shows that children can become infected with the coronavirus and spread it to others. Though rare, some kids do become severely ill and a few have died from COVID-19.
Ideally everyone could get tested frequently for the coronavirus. No state is close to achieving this, but some are doing better than others. What are the challenges in meeting demand for testing?
A team of researchers from Indiana University performed random testing for SARS-CoV-2 across the state. The results offer some of the most accurate data to date about important aspects of the virus.
Telehealth has seen massive increases in use since the pandemic started. When done right, remote health care can be just as effective as in-person medicine.
For a COVID-19 vaccine to stop the pandemic, a large percentage of the population will have to get vaccinated. A law professor explains how far government and employer vaccine mandates can legally go.
There's more to the numbers than what you see on TV.
A close look at Florida's economy shows just how vulnerable the state and its population are to a pandemic, and some of the reasons state officials hesitate to take action.
The percentage of people who die from a coronavirus infection is an important number for public health experts to know. Recent estimates now put it at 0.65%, far lower than initially thought.
The Trump administration has revised CDC health guidelines and undermined its own experts, making it harder for science to prevail over politics in US's coronavirus strategy.
Finally, an answer to a long-bubbling question: What works best – bar or liquid soap?
The WHO is a health agency, not a political one. Yet political leaders have often criticized it. Still, the move by the US to pull out from the organization is unprecedented.
The COVID-19 death toll in the US is now over 130,000. What do 130,000 fatalities look like? A biostatistician provides some perspective.
Race and racism
The issues facing Black Americans are not confined to only racial discrimination. Gender plays a part too.
Reopening
Trust in the confidentiality of contact tracing broke down during the AIDS epidemic. Today, it's faltering again.
Mental health
For Black youth, death by suicide has become a leading cause of death. And they face social problems that give rise to depression and isolation that their white counterparts do not.
Around the world
As the US prepares to reopen from weeks of social distancing, it’s worth noting what other countries are doing.
Editors’ Picks
Masks are only effective if you follow certain principles when wearing them.
Taking a trip this summer? You can do a lot to prevent coronavirus exposure, but you cannot take away all risk. It is important to practice caution.
To keep congregations safe, religious services must take a different approach.
Many patients without a diagnosis of Lyme disease report a constellation of symptoms, sometimes for years. Does chronic Lyme disease exist?
In a well-functioning health care system, the emergency room would be able to meet the needs of all of its patients in a timely manner.
Gathering race-based data during the coronavirus pandemic is essential for Indigenous communities, racialized people and those with disabilities and mental health challenges.
The government doesn't know how many people have died of COVID-19, in part because it didn't require nursing homes to report cases to the CDC. In some states, over half of deaths are in nursing homes.
Physical activity is important for all kinds of health reasons, even in quarantine.
The only way to know if a medical treatment actually works is with a randomized-controlled trial.
In the UK, nobody collects patients' insurance information or credit card details. There's simply no charge for services, including doctor visits, ambulances and hospitalizations.
A pulmonologist at Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis provides a firsthand look at how the hospital is preparing to allocate resources and supplies in response to coronavirus.
Doctors face difficult choices about rationing medical care. A scholar who studies discrimination argues that those with chronic illnesses and disabilities will be hit the hardest.
The CDC is reconsidering its policy about the widespread public's use of masks, as is the World Health Organization. Here are the facts about when it's appropriate to wear a mask – and what kind.
Then – as now – the wealthy fled to the countryside, while the urban poor were forced to work on the front lines.
Office buildings have been left mostly empty for weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic, leaving standing water in pipes where harmful organisms can grow. What happens when those buildings reopen?
Most Read past week
- Yes, kids can get COVID-19 – 3 pediatricians explain what’s known about coronavirus and children
- Can people spread the coronavirus if they don’t have symptoms? 5 questions answered about asymptomatic COVID-19
- Test positivity rate: How this one figure explains that the US isn’t doing enough testing yet
- Low blood pressure could be a culprit in dementia, studies suggest
- Could employers and states mandate COVID-19 vaccinations? Here’s what the courts have ruled
Pitch an idea
Got a news tip or article idea for The Conversation?
Our Audience
The Conversation has a monthly audience of 18 million users, and reach of 42 million through Creative Commons republication.
Want to Write?
Write an article and join a growing community of more than 110,500 academics and researchers from 3,629 institutions.
Make a Donation
The Conversation relies on university, foundation and reader support. If you would like to help us have even better conversations, then you may like to make a one-off or on-going donation.