Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

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COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus first identified in late 2019. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting nearly every facet of daily life and claiming lives across the globe.

As leaders grapple with how to respond, RAND experts seek to address and inform policy options and examine how different countries and communities are managing the crisis. Topics include health care capacity, telemedicine, social distancing, countering misinformation, economic effects, school closures, and online learning.

Commentary

Vaccine Nationalism Has Real Economic Consequences

Dec 30, 2020

Vaccine nationalism, in which countries prioritize their domestic needs at the expense of others, will have significant global economic consequences. Major economies actually have more to gain by helping to make an effective COVID-19 vaccine widely available globally.
Commentary

COVID-19 Has Offered Opportunities for Communities to Come Together

Jan 13, 2021

The past year has been among the most turbulent in recent memory. Might recent crises provide a catalyst for a renewed sense of civic engagement that transcends some of the race and class divisions COVID-19 has exacerbated?

Explore Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Commentary

Unpacking COVID-19's Long-Term Effects on Students

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented set of obstacles for schools and exacerbated existing structural inequalities in public education. It may take years to unpack how the pandemic affected student learning and social and emotional development and to identify any lasting effects on low-income communities and communities of color.

Dec 29, 2020
Commentary

Teleworking During the COVID-19 Pandemic Highlights Educational Inequity

The ability to telework is associated with both reduced risk of COVID-19 infection and with significantly lower risk of job loss during the pandemic. There are large disparities in who is able to telework by race and ethnicity—but even larger ones by educational attainment.

Dec 23, 2020
Q&A

Medical Mistrust Could Reduce Vaccine Uptake: Q&A with Laura Bogart

Laura Bogart, a senior behavioral scientist, studies how discrimination feeds medical mistrust and conspiracy beliefs. Her research on how mistrust became a barrier to treatment for Black Americans during the HIV epidemic sheds light on why some might question the safety of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Dec 23, 2020
Blog

The Most Popular RAND Research of 2020

Here are the RAND research projects that resonated most in 2020, a year unlike any in living memory. Topics include remote learning, election disinformation, income inequality, and more.

Dec 21, 2020
Commentary

Four Gifts for Your Mental Health This (Pandemic) Holiday Season

Our mental health relies on our ability to cope with and adapt to difficult situations, but the length and the scope of the impact of the pandemic on our lives is something most of us have never experienced. Here are four evidence-based strategies to support your mental health this holiday season.

Dec 21, 2020
Commentary

A Case for Vaccinating Teachers First

Most agree that America's 18 million health care workers should top the list for COVID-19 vaccination. The 3.3 million teachers should come next. Vaccinating teachers could make it possible to open schools permanently and get parents back to work. That would help the economy recover.

Dec 19, 2020
Commentary

The Compensation System for Potential Side Effects Is an Important Part of a COVID-19 Vaccine Campaign

Concern about potential COVID-19 vaccine side effects and their consequences may be contributing to Americans' reluctance to get vaccinated. Policymakers and the public should carefully consider what types and levels of compensation for any adverse effects of vaccination are truly fair and appropriate.

Dec 18, 2020
Blog

Americans' Financial Struggles, COVID-19 Vaccinations, Virtual Schools: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Americans' ongoing financial struggles, how we can learn from the first phase of COVID-19 vaccinations, why virtual schools may be here to stay, and more.

Dec 18, 2020
Blog

RAND Commentary Highlights from 2020

The roughly 400 op-eds and blog posts published by RAND researchers during the year reflected an enormous variety of expertise and perspectives, from remote education to election cybersecurity to the economic harms of racial disparities. Here are 10 highlights that landed in high-profile news outlets.

Dec 18, 2020
News Release

Financial Woes Grow Worse Over Course of Coronavirus Pandemic; More Families Report Trouble Paying Bills

The economic challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic have grown worse since the spring for many American families, with an increasing number reporting that they have trouble paying bills.

Dec 17, 2020
Journal Article

Communication Missteps During COVID-19 Hurt Those Already Most at Risk

Emergency risk communication is a crucial part responding to crises, but it's also a critical part of preventing negative outcomes from communication missteps.

Dec 17, 2020
Research Brief

The economic benefits of equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines

Researchers used a global macroeconomic model to examine the economic effects of vaccine nationalism. This brief highlights the cost to 30 high-income countries if low and middle-income countries miss out on initial access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Dec 17, 2020
Report

Americans' Financial Difficulties Continue

As the pandemic continues, many U.S. households are struggling to pay their bills. No income group has been spared financial difficulties, but the most-vulnerable households have been hit the hardest. There are severe challenges among lower-income workers and among Black and Hispanic households.

Dec 17, 2020
News Release

Remote Learning Here to Stay Despite Challenges

About two in 10 U.S. school districts have already adopted, plan to adopt, or are considering adopting virtual schools after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dec 15, 2020
Report

Despite Its Challenges, Remote Learning Is Here to Stay

School district leaders are concerned about students' unequal opportunities to learn during the pandemic, students' social and emotional learning needs, and insufficient funding to cover staff. About two in ten still anticipate that a fully remote learning option will become a permanent public school offering.

Dec 15, 2020
Commentary

COVID-19 Vaccination: Expect the Unexpected

With emergency use authorization for the first COVID-19 vaccine now in place, states and localities have turned their focus to the logistics of dispensing it as quickly as feasible. Still, uncertainties abound. It is essential to build a process of learning into the plan.

Dec 15, 2020
Commentary

Curb Climate Change After COVID-19? Fast-Growing India and Brazil Are Key

India and Brazil are facing pressure to launch recoveries after the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. Will they backslide on their Paris climate agreement commitments, or will the expected return of the United States to the pact encourage them to build a more sustainable economic future?

Dec 15, 2020
Commentary

COVID-19 Gave Managers a Look at Our Home Lives. Will They Now Penalize Women?

The pandemic gave managers a window into the struggles of working women. What will they do with this information? Will they accommodate women by making exceptions to their established norms? Or will they do the harder work of remaking their culture so women are no longer the exception?

Dec 14, 2020
Blog

Civic Education, 'Vaccine Nationalism,' Polar Icebreakers: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how to revive civic education in America's public schools, the costs of "vaccine nationalism," why the United States needs more polar icebreaking ships, and more.

Dec 11, 2020
Commentary

Elevating the Well-Being of Home Care Workers

More than 2.3 million home care workers are responsible for caring for millions of Americans who are unable to fully care for themselves. It's worth considering policy options to provide them with better access to PPE, improved compensation, and formal recognition that their work is essential.

Dec 10, 2020

RAND Topic:
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Topic Synonyms:
Corona Virus;
Coronavirus

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

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