As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, the question of where to turn for solid information has never been more important. Many Duke experts are being approached now for their expertise and insight. But where do they turn for guidance and for the latest information? Duke Today asked several Duke experts to share their preferred sources. We’ll share their insights over the coming weeks.
Gavin Yamey, professor of the practice of global health and public policy and director of the Duke Center for Policy Impact in Global Health, is himself a widely quoted authority on pandemics. To stay abreast of the COVID-19 pandemic, he consults a variety of media, social media and online sources.
MEDIA
• I read everything by Helen Branswell, global health reporter for STAT. Her reporting on COVID-19, from when the pandemic began, has been the finest to date.
• John Burn-Murdoch’s scatterplots for the Financial Times have become a valuable resource.
INSTITUTIONAL SOURCES
• The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s state-by-state forecasts are very helpful.
• Each day I look at the latest number of cases and deaths worldwide on two dashboards:
--The official World Health Organization dashboard.
--The Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering dashboard (this always reports a higher number of cases as it draws on multiple sources, including media reports).
EXPERTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
• The most efficient way I know of to stay up to date on the global public health and policy aspects, and on new studies, is to follow trusted experts on Twitter. Here’s my list: Michael Osterholm (@mtosterholm), Devi Sridhar (@devisridhar), Larry Brilliant (@larrybrilliant), Neil Ferguson (@neil_ferguson), Seema Yasmin (@DoctorYasmin), Rebecca Katz (@RebeccaKatz5), Peter Hotez (@peterhotez), Scott Gottlieb (@scottgottliebMD), Trevor Bedford (@trvrb), Ashish Jha (@ashishkjha), Krutika Kupalli (@KrutikaKuppalli), marclipsitch (@mlipsitch), Gabriel Leung (@gmleunghku), Gregg Gonsalves (@gregggonsalves), Clare Wenham (@clarewenham), Trish Greenhalgh (@trishgreenhalgh) and Sanjoy Bhattacharya (@JoyAgnost).
• And for insight on the disproportionate effect of the pandemic on African-Americans in particular, good voices to follow include: Uché Blackstock (@uche_blackstock), Ifeyinwa Asiodu (@IVAPhD), Camara Jones (@CamaraJones), Whitney R. Robinson (@WhitneyEpi )and Yolonda Wilson (: @ProfYolonda).