To say the least, COVID-19 has dominated news headlines for the past few weeks. This trend will only continue for the foreseeable future.
As world citizens are increasingly being told to stay at home, a sweeping amount of time is collectively being spent online surveying the COVID-19 landscape. Thus, this article identifies trustworthy websites to bookmark and access going forward for credible coronavirus-related information.
DEFINITION: COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Emerging as a threat in the latter part of 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially labeled COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11th, 2020.
Due to the rapidly-changing nature of the pandemic, Pharmacist Consult is not in a position to provide any additional medical advice related to COVID-19 aside from listing out appropriate resources to learn from. It is important to be vigilant with staying up-to-date via the resources mentioned below.
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
This resource is arguably the most advertised place to access COVID-19 information, and for good reason. The CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) are the most trusted organizations to learn from regarding protective measures, what to do if questionable symptoms start to appear, and they detail essential pathology aspects of the novel coronavirus.
The CDC also has a running list of the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States. Similarly, the CDC provides an essential 1-page fact sheet to be aware of for readers who simply want a quick summary of what to know.
Out of all of the websites on this list, the CDC’s website is the one that readers should place the biggest emphasis on exploring and getting familiar with.
2. COVID-19 Disease Tracking Map (New York Times)
The New York Times has a dynamic and resourceful map that tracks the number of confirmed coronavirus cases and where they are located. This map offers an illustration of this on a continent-by-continent basis. Also, it offers a state-by-state breakdown for the United States to see where current disease hotspots are.
3. Comprehensive Rolling Updates (WHO)
Alongside the CDC, the WHO is one of the best organizations to use for COVID-19 information. Although their general coronavirus website as a whole is useful, their chronological list of events related to the COVID-19 pandemic is thorough and it provides a productive method to see how the global situation has developed over time.
Their chronological account begins on December 31st, 2019 and it has been updated multiple times per week since then with important developments.
4. State-by-State COVID-19 Resources
It is important to stay updated about the disease from international and national points-of-view. Respectively, utilizing the WHO and CDC as primary resources are optimal ways to stay informed on these levels.
However, for readers in the United States, it is also important for state residents to stay current with their state’s response(s) to COVID-19. Those responses are linked to state government resources listed below.
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
5. Travel Recommendations By Country (CDC)
Individuals are being told to stay home, and in an increasing number of situations, individuals are being forced to stay home. Borders are being closed, flights are being canceled, and the overall movement of people is decreasing significantly. This is having profound repercussions on domestic and international travel alike.
This resource from the CDC is a tool to utilize for making informed travel decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic. To utilize this resource most optimally, an important prerequisite is to first be aware of the different travel notice levels and what they mean.
A Level 1 notice urges travelers to heed caution and to travel with normal, standard precautions. A Level 2 notice warns travelers to be especially alert and to practice enhanced precautions. A Level 3 notice is a not-so-subtle warning that specifies the need to avoid non-essential travel.
6. Information for Employers and Workers (OSHA)
Seemingly all non-essential employees are being told to stay home during the current pandemic. However, there are still a significant number of individuals who must physically report to work every day. This page from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides essential information for both employers and workers.
This page from OSHA details hazard recognition, standard measures to protect workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, necessary medical procedures to protect workers, and actions that employers can take to help with the control and prevention of further viral spread.
7. Separating Fact from Fiction (Multiple)
There are a handful of reputable organizations that have dissected false myths about COVID-19. A few of the more helpful breakdowns are described here.
The WHO is inherently a go-to COVID-19 resource, and their dissection of false claims comes complete with graphics. Johns Hopkins Medicine is one of the most highly-esteemed medical institutions in the United States, and they provide a similar list of COVID-19 FAQ’s. To test how much you’ve absorbed, UNICEF has a quiz to gauge readers’ knowledge about COVID-19.
8. COVID-19 Resource Center (The Lancet)
The Lancet is a peer-reviewed medical journal. It is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious medical journals available. The Lancet also has a number of different specialty journal subsidiaries such as The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, The Lancet Infectious Diseases, and numerous others.
Public health and medical advances relating to halting the progression of COVID-19 are rooted in scientific studies and medical breakthroughs. These types of studies and breakthroughs are published in peer-reviewed journals like The Lancet.
For individuals who are curious about accessing recent publications related to COVID-19, this resource compiles all COVID-19 publications produced by The Lancet and its subsidiary journals into one location. All COVID-19 content published by The Lancet is free to access.
Resources:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). https://www.cdc.gov/. Accessed 21 March 2020.
- World Health Organization (WHO). https://www.who.int/. Accessed 22 March 2020.
- The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/world/coronavirus-maps.html. Accessed 21 March 2020.
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration. https://www.osha.gov/. Accessed 22 March 2020.
- The Lancet. https://www.thelancet.com/coronavirus. Accessed 22 March 2020.
About The Author
