The rapid spread of COVID-19 has prompted containment measures across continents to respond to this urgent crisis. National health care systems, and city/local health care resources have been stretched to the limits. Hospitals and clinics have had to protect their workers on the front-line. Government policies have restricted movement and to varying levels of degree enforced or advised social distancing measures. These stories highlight how communities are containing the virus, stopping or reducing its spread, and how these responses are effectively reworking distribution systems and re-strategizing emergency preparedness.
To explore Containment stories, click on our collections or the selection of tags below.
This collection is adapted from the SolutionsU Pro Innovation in Action series on COVID-19. The...
Solutions Journalism Network
With the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rising by the day in the United States and around the...
Solutions Journalism Network
This collection is adapted from the SolutionsU Pro Innovation in Action series on COVID-19....
Solutions Journalism Network
With the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rising by the day in the United States and around the...
Solutions Journalism Network
https://crosscut.com/news/2021/01/olympic-peninsula-quinault-indian-nation-beats-back-pandemic
Manola Secaira
Crosscut
21 January 2021
Text / 1500-3000 Words
In Washington state, the Quinault Indian Nation has taken an aggressive and proactive approach to control the spread of COVID-19 amongst their community, and these efforts are showing success. Using a combination of tactics including contact tracing, closing the borders to their reservation, isolation procedures, and partnering with the local county, the tribal region has seen fewer cases compared to other areas.
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2021/01/19/zoom-funerals-outdoor-classes-jails-and-prisons-innovate-amid-the-pandemic
Keri Blakinger
The Marshall Project
19 January 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
When the pandemic forced jails and prisons to ban educational classes and cut off visits between outsiders and their loved ones behind bars, some jailers opened their facilities to remote-learning and -visiting tools. The result is a boom in the use of video conferencing for literacy classes, vocational training, family visits, and even to enable incarcerated people to attend family funerals. Some advocates for the incarcerated worry that in-person interactions could permanently be replaced by video, even after the risk of viral infection has eased.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/16/world/europe/uk-coronavirus-variant.html
Benjamin Mueller
The New York Times
16 January 2021
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In March when fewer than 100 coronavirus infections had been found in the U.K, researchers in Cambridge decided to begin sequencing coronavirus samples as part of an "unparalleled surveillance system for Covid" that could identify and track possible mutations or the virus. This effort – which involves labs sending leftover material from testing swabs to the researcher's genomics lab where they are stored and analyzed – has culminated in hundreds of thousands of genome sequences and "sounded an alarm for the world" about the new fast-spreading variant.
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2021/1/15/22231241/california-coronavirus-vaccine-availability-moderna-pfizer
Kelsey Piper
Vox
15 January 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
Residents of California are working together to crowdsource where COVID-19 vaccinations are being offered, and who they're being offered to. While the state has failed to implement a transparent dissemination strategy, 70 volunteers joined forces to create a spreadsheet that keeps track of what clinics are offering the shot and what parameters must be met to receive it. Users have reported that they were able to schedule an appointment because of this effort.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/nyregion/assisted-living-newsletter-covid.html
John Leland
The New York Times
14 January 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
To address the need and want for increased access to information, an 80-year-old woman living in a retirement home in New York City rallied her fellow residents and launched a newsletter to provide relevant news during the coronavirus pandemic. It has not only helped to hold management accountable, but has also provided a reprieve from the isolation that many in the institution were feeling.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/how-denmark-is-administering-vaccines-at-three-times-the-rate-of-ireland-1.4457739
Naomi O’Leary
The Irish Times
13 January 2021
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Denmark public health workers have been able to distribute nearly their entire supply of the COVID-19 vaccine thanks in part to early preparation tactics and "a capable health system." Although the country had to procure special freezers and pay more by choosing to move forward with the first vaccine on the market, the success to administer the vaccinations to the public "far outstrips other EU countries."
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/a-tiny-public-housing-authority-offered-residents-the-vaccine
Jared Brey
Next City
12 January 2021
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A small public housing authority in Rhode Island took the initiative to develop a methodology to administer the COVID-19 vaccine once the city began to offer the vaccine publicly. While a significant number of the residents had signed up to receive the vaccine, this number increased after the mayor and mayor-elect were publicly vaccinated at the site.
https://qz.com/1953007/the-countries-with-the-most-effective-covid-19-vaccine-rollouts
Annabelle Timsit
Quartz
11 January 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain have each "vaccinated a higher proportion of their populations than the rest of the world" due to strategies that included early approval of the vaccine, centralized and digitized health care data management, and cross-sector information campaigns. Although it's yet to be seen how these efforts will fare when the vaccine is released to the general public, they have proven to be successful for distribution to vulnerable people and communities.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/world/asia/singapore-coronavirus-universities.html
Sui-Lee Wee
The New York Times
9 January 2021
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Singapore's aggressive pandemic response in conjunction with strict university rules has helped keep campuses free of COVID-19 cases so far. As a country, free testing and medical care has ensured that positive cases can be isolated quickly, while at the university level, the use of technology, zoning rules, and penalties for those who do not comply have worked to safeguard public health.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-israel-trades-medical-data-for-vaccine-doses-1001356436
Danny Zaken
Globes
8 January 2021
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A collaboration between Israel's Ministry of Health and pharmaceutical company Pfizer has resulted in the country receiving thousands of COVID-19 vaccination doses. In return, the country is collecting and delivering data back to Pfizer and WHO, which will inform "vaccination strategies in the rest of the world and also [assist] the pharmaceutical companies in continuing R&D for coronavirus vaccinations and other treatments."
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/01/07/954409347/why-west-virginias-winning-the-race-to-get-covid-19-vaccine-into-arms
Yuki Noguchi
NPR
7 January 2021
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West Virginia managed to deliver approximately 90% of the COVID-19 vaccine doses allocated to the state within a week by "charting its own path to vaccine distribution." Rather than rely on chain stores as part of the vaccination plan every other state has done, the West Virginia government partnered with local pharmacies who were already serving rural populations and long-term care facilities to piggyback off of those already-established relationships.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-06/the-swift-disruptive-rise-of-slow-streets?sref=EHcL0Cmk
Laura Bliss
CityLab
6 January 2021
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When city planners rushed early in the pandemic to close streets to automobile traffic in order to give residents a safe space to roam outdoors, they ended up learning lessons entirely apart from their original goals rooted in public health and traffic safety. In Durham, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Oakland, community groups pushed back at the cities' initial failures to consider the opinions of communities of color whose neighborhoods were affected by the changes. The pushback led to collaborations and modified plans that redefined the problems at issue and the ways to address them.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/vying-for-vaccines-jewish-israelis-help-fill-near-empty-clinics-in-arab-towns
Nathan Jeffay
The Times of Israel
6 January 2021
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In Israel, Arab communities have welcomed those from neighboring Jewish communities into their cities to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as a means of "helping firm up the sluggish response to the vaccination drive among Arabs." Using social media and communication apps to determine where doses are available, Jewish Iranians have been "flocking" to Arab towns which in turn has created a "vaccine-bolstering buzz" among Arabs and encouraged many to also get the vaccination after initial hesitation and reluctance.
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Adventist-Health-Ukiah-hospital-vaccine-COVID-15847234.php
Amy Graff
SFGate
5 January 2021
Text / Under 800 Words
When a hospital refrigerator that was housing 850 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine stopped working, local health officials in Mendocino County, California worked together to quickly devise a distribution plan. Through strategic outreach and localized pop-up distribution sites, the health officials were able to successfully distribute all of the vaccines to individuals before they expired.
https://buffalonews.com/news/local/state-and-regional/these-nursing-homes-kept-covid-19-out-for-seven-months-heres-what-caregivers-learned/article_d1025e78-3f10-11eb-bce3-63f656313a92.html
Lou Michel
Scott Scanlon
The Buffalo News
4 January 2021
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A handful of nursing homes in New York have been able to avoid an onslaught of COVID-19 cases by focusing on education and training of the staff and keeping their workforce stable and well-supplied. While these methods aren't silver bullets, the "culture of shared accountability and caring” has been crucial to the positive outcome thus far.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/california-chronicles/what-the-san-francisco-bay-area-can-teach-us-about-fighting-a-pandemic
Jay Caspian Kang
The New Yorker
4 January 2021
Text / Over 3000 Words
The San Francisco Bay Area has had fewer COVID-19 deaths than would be expected for such a densely populated area, largely by "drawing on resources and expertise that predated the coronavirus pandemic." Unlike other large cities, the Bay Area was able to quickly identify where hotspots may emerge, and initiate changes – such as allowing only one entrance to hospitals and not using traveling certified nursing assistants in multiple nursing homes. City health officials also increased outreach to at-risk minority neighborhoods, after seeing the virus disproportionately impacting these communities elsewhere.
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-pandemics-iran-coronavirus-pandemic-tehran-1a0c5f1f6e00aed9a731480dfc18a4ad
Vahid Salemi
Associated Press
29 December 2020
Text / Under 800 Words
An organization in Tehran, Iran is helping women "looking for work to make handicrafts" by allowing them to use donated sewing machines as a means of becoming self-sufficient despite high rates of unemployment. When the coronavirus pandemic impacted the market, however, they shifted to making masks. Specific sales figures for the masks aren't available, but participants say they are grateful to be able to learn a new skill for free.
https://undark.org/2020/12/28/malaria-prevention-pushes-forward-in-africa-despite-pandemic
Ashley Stumvoll
Undark
28 December 2020
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When the coronavirus pandemic caused lockdowns in Africa, many community members became hesitant to continue taking part in malaria prevention efforts for fear of contracting COVID-19, so health care workers began visiting people at their own homes to deliver both malaria and coronavirus information. Since the effort started, more people have begun to go back to the hospitals for treatment.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/businesses-adapt-better-to-covid-19-after-lessons-learned-from-spring-surge-11609065001
Paul Hannon
Austen Hufford
Tom Fairless
Wall Street Journal
27 December 2020
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As a second surge of the coronavirus pandemic spreads throughout much of the world, some manufacturers in the West have found ways to successfully avoid the economic fallout despite heightened restrictions. In one case, a manufacturing company "began requiring masks, banned employees from congregating during breaks and started checking their temperatures at the door," which initially decreased efficiency and productivity; but, as the employees continued to stay healthy, business returned, and the company is now "on track to meet its most ambitious forecast."
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/20/europe/europe-covid-restrictions/index.html
Henrik Pettersson
Krystina Shveda
Byron Manley
Susanne Gargiulo
Mark Oliver
CNN
20 December 2020
Multi-Media / 800-1500 Words
Finland, Norway, and Denmark are three countries that have largely been able to contain the spread of COVID-19 and keep average daily deaths low, by implementing some of the "most relaxed combinations of restrictions." Although the virus has not been entirely eradicated, the success so far has been tied to a high rate of public compliance, preventative measures, and clear communication.
https://www.startribune.com/cook-county-minnesota-has-kept-covid-at-bay/573438671
Katie Galioto
Minneapolis Star Tribune
20 December 2020
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In Minnesota, cross-sector collaboration, contact tracing, and a focus on adhering to public health safety protocols have helped Cook County avoid an outbreak of COVID-19 cases, despite being a tourist destination. Local health officials and industry leaders presented a united front, while residents and business owners focused on ways to "keep the tourists from infecting the locals." With only seven residents contracting the virus by summer's end, the efforts appear to have been successful.
https://www.startribune.com/it-was-a-godsend-new-minnesota-hiring-program-helps-care-homes-hit-hard-by-covid-19/573417851
Chris Serres
Minneapolis Star Tribune
18 December 2020
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After facing staffing shortages during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, the Minnesota Department of Human Services developed an aggressive emergency hiring initiative ahead of potential new outbreaks. Using third-party staffing agencies and encouraging applicants from all backgrounds – like those recently unemployed from the service industry – the initiative has "provided rapid relief to dozens of nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, group homes, homeless shelters and substance abuse treatment centers."
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/18/nyregion/nyc-smallpox-vaccine.html
John Florio
Ouisie Shapiro
The New York Times
18 December 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
When a smallpox outbreak was deemed to be a likelihood in New York City in 1947, the city’s health commissioner rapidly launched a vaccination campaign that leveraged internal collaboration, consistent and transparent communication, and contact tracing. The effort culminated in more than six million people receiving vaccination in under a month, and only 12 infections and two deaths total. While this "public health triumph" hold lessons for the current COVID-19 pandemic, experts caution, “It’s almost inconceivable that we’re going to be able to do something similar as rapidly and as effectively.”
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2020-12-17/migrant-camp-on-mexicos-border-limits-the-spread-of-covid-19
Anna-Catherine Brigida
U.S. News & World Report
17 December 2020
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When the coronavirus pandemic threatened to spread to the Matamoros tent camp where thousands of asylum-seekers lived, local health officials and aid workers proactively launched a public health campaign to boost education around the virus and leveraged ongoing relationships to distribute tests. Although there was a notable resistance from some, the tent camp has "avoided the devastation predicted in the early days of the pandemic, with only a few dozen mild cases reported since June."
https://tpinsights.com/2020/12/15/how-a-crowdfunding-campaign-expanded-access-to-covid-19-testing-for-black-philadelphians
Hadriana Lowenkron
The Plug
15 December 2020
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To address gaps in the healthcare system that were only being exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic for Black Philadelphians, a group of healthcare professionals joined efforts to create the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium. This "largely volunteer-comprised group" has been able to test more than 15,000 people by setting up testing sites in the communities they are serving.
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