While 2020 is coming to a close, AHCJ wants to recognize the year’s demanding work of journalism colleagues through the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism.
The contest deadline is Jan. 26 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
Winners of the contest are recognized at the annual awards luncheon at AHCJ’s annual conference. First-place winners earn $500 and a framed certificate. They also receive complimentary lodging for two nights and registration for the annual conference, June 24-27, in Austin.
It is perhaps little surprise that the most-read blog posts on Covering Health this year were almost exclusively about the coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic.
Since we first reported about the “mysterious pneumonia outbreak in China” on Jan. 10 and followed up with a post urging “Use caution when reporting on pandemic potential of Wuhan coronavirus” on Jan. 23, the topic has been top-of-mind for health journalists.
Here is a list of the top-10 blog posts, plus a bonus: Continue reading
Things we all know: The current pandemic can bring on stress, anxiety and fear. Common sense actions, such as social distancing, can make people feel depressed, isolated and lonely.
But then there are the more hidden mental health concerns. In some populations, stigmas against seeking care can become more entrenched when people become more remote. As some providers and clients face economic hardship, connecting with professionals can become near impossible. Continue reading
The race for COVID-19 vaccines won’t be the last vaccine race we’ll see. Vaccines for HIV are in the pipeline, scientists continue to work toward the elusive universal flu vaccine, and novel viruses we haven’t yet seen are likely in our future.
But the race for a COVID-19 vaccine has been a sprint compared to the marathon style of past vaccine development.
What does that mean for journalists covering development of the COVID-19 vaccine? How does this process differ from past ones, and what lessons and technologies might be applied to future vaccine efforts? How will society react when future vaccines become available? Continue reading
A “twindemic” is what infectious disease experts are calling the possibility that both the COVID-19 and influenza viruses will sicken Americans this winter. How likely is that possibility and what are public health officials doing about it?
Experts, speaking at AHCJ’s Summit on Infectious Disease in November, discussed expectations about the coming flu season, how the health care system will handle the influx of both COVID-19 and flu patients, and how the flu, like COVID-19, disproportionately impacts Black, Latinx and other vulnerable communities. They also offer insights about what this year’s flu vaccination rates might mean for the anticipated COVID-19 vaccine in 2021. Continue reading
Ever since John Snow pieced together how cholera spread from a water pump in London in 1854, data has been key to learning how epidemics spread and what it will take to finish them off.
This recorded panel, from AHCJ’s Summit on Infectious Disease in November, features experts in biosecurity, vaccines and health disparities. Continue reading