The federal government has burned through more than $1 billion to study Long COVID, and there’s basically nothing to show for it. This investigation from STAT News and MuckRock explores the National Institute of Health’s failed RECOVER initiative.
Wastewater surveillance has become a valuable tool for tracking COVID-19 and other pathogens. But now its long-term ability to protect public health is in jeopardy. This Scientific American story explores the funding concerns and uneven state commitments at play.
A growing body of research suggests that the gut microbiome could play a major role in a debilitating chronic disease that has been on the rise in conjunction with Long COVID. This National Geographic article discusses two recent studies, along with patient research efforts.
Stomach illness is rising in New York City, and norovirus is a likely culprit. But city, state and federal officials can’t say for sure. This story explains why norovirus is difficult to track, and some options for improvement.
Airplane bathrooms are not most people’s idea of a good time, but they might be a data gold mine for public health. This story for the Atlantic explores the wastewater surveillance potential at 30,000 feet and in many other settings beyond entire cities’ sewersheds.
The true toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on many communities of color is worse than previously known. This feature –a collaboration between MuckRock, USA TODAY, and local newsrooms in three states – explores this trend using data from the CDC and Boston University researchers.
Since early 2020, New York City has become a pioneer of wastewater surveillance, a method of tracking diseases in sewage that gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic. But city agencies are not being transparent about what they’re finding in our waste or how the data is used to inform public health decisions, according to a monthslong reporting collaboration between Gothamist and MuckRock.
It’s been more than two years since the first long COVID patients called attention to their condition, but researchers are still unable to answer basic questions about it. This article explores how scientists are working to fill those gaps, with a focus on collaborations.
People with Long COVID are facing years-long wait times, insufficient legal support, and a lack of clear guidance on how to prove they are disabled — compounded by the challenges of a medical system that does not have a uniform process for diagnosing Long COVID, according to health experts and disability attorneys.
It is a truth universally acknowledged among health experts that official COVID-19 data are a mess right now. This article for The Atlantic explains how to find and interpret newer data sources, including wastewater surveillance and population surveys.
Betsy Ladyzhets 