Public Health

The Psychology Behind Ohio’s Vax-a-Million — and What Experts Say Would Work Better

In May, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced a lottery: the state would give five residents who got the COVID-19 vaccine $1 million each and five...

What’s the Deal With Post-vaccination COVID-19 Antibody Tests? Answers from Experts

As the United States reopens, mask mandates wane and variants continue to spread, some people are looking to receive antibody tests to see if...

The Pandemic Travel Dilemma: How the Midwest is Faring this Holiday Season

The holiday season is looking different this year with decreased mobility, and while some places are seeing a surge of cases post-Thanksgiving, some states across the Midwest have managed to prevent and mitigate the predicted danger through public health announcements and limited mobility and gatherings.

Sustained Outrage in the Fight Against the Opioid Epidemic: A Review of Death in Mud Lick

Pulitzer-prize winner Eric Eyre’s new book exposes how hard drug distributors work to keep eyes off of their numbers and how important it is for journalists to keep looking. In the small towns of America, it can literally mean life or death. The opinions expressed in this series are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect any official organizational stance. Cover graphic by Ruth Chang for Midstory.
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COVID-19 Risk Assessment for Ohio: Identifying Risks for Ongoing Reopening and Resilience to Future Hazards

As our researchers watched Ohio’s response to the pandemic, they wished to contribute meaningfully toward the next stage of disaster response and help to prepare our state for future crises. This risk assessment brief is a comprehensive look, county by county, of factors that put Ohio’s populations at risk for COVID-19, including socio-economic status, mobility, race, overcrowded housing and more.

Can We Be Re-infected with COVID-19? Answers from Immune System Experts

Recently, reported cases of “re-infection”—people testing positive only months after a previous instance of COVID-19—have led to worries about how our immune system responds to COVID-19. We speak with Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, a professor of immunobiology from Yale School of Medicine, and Dr. Sydney Ramirez, a researcher at La Jolla Institute for Immunology, about our immune response and immunity to COVID-19.

Isolated Amidst Illness: Pandemic Responses in Ohio Correctional Facilities

Jason Goudlock is used to being alone. Much of his 27 years in prison has been spent in solitary confinement, oftentimes voluntarily in order...

Fighting COVID-19: It’s In Our Blood

With the rapid progression of COVID-19 through the U.S. and rest of the world, chances are either you or someone you know has needed...

The Science Behind Wearing Masks: Answers From an Infectious Disease Expert

As COVID-19 cases rise across the nation, masks (and requiring citizens to wear them) have become a major point of contention. We speak with Dr. Jeffrey Shaman, a professor of environmental health sciences and an infectious disease modeler at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, about the use of masks and other ways to slow and prevent the transmission of COVID-19.
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What We Can Learn from Taiwan’s COVID-19 Response

The Midstory Team chats with Dr. Shao-Hsuan Hsia, the director of the Division of Pediatric Respiratory Therapy and the Chief of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taipei, about Taiwan's response to the pandemic, social responsibilities and the state of public health in Taiwan.

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