Is the US actually prepared for the next pandemic?

View in browser | Support our newsroom

THE WEEKLY REVEAL

Saturday, August 17, 2024

Hello! In this issue:

Why COVID-19 was not “the great equalizer” as some claimed.
The government’s top coronavirus coordinator was brought behind the curtain on the tracking effort, and was quickly disappointed with what she saw.

Support deep investigations that change lives. Become a member.

THIS WEEK’S PODCAST

The COVID Tracking Project Part 3

Illustration by Amanda Northrop

At the height of the pandemic, COVID-19 was talked about as “the great equalizer.” But that was a myth. People of color died from the disease at around twice the rate of White people.

The COVID Tracking Project worked with Ibram X. Kendi and Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research to compile national numbers on how COVID-19 affected people of color in the U.S. It was part of the project’s quest to keep national data flowing daily for nearly a year at a time when the federal government couldn’t.

This week on Reveal: We examine the myth of COVID-19 as “the great equalizer,” what went wrong in the CDC’s response to the pandemic, and whether it’s prepared for the next one.

Listen to the episode

🎧 Other places to listen: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Pandora, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A Quote to Remember

“We don't know precisely how and when and where this virus is gonna spread first ... We don't have eyes on this virus. You've created holes in our surveillance system.”

Early in the pandemic, Dr. Deborah Birx was given a crucial task when she was named coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Quickly, she learned there wasn’t enough testing to offer real data about how the virus was spreading—and she was particularly critical of the decision by federal officials to rely on modeling to estimate case numbers as if they were tracking the flu.

Listen: Revisit our whole series, The COVID Tracking Project, starting with part 1.

In Case You Missed It

🎧 The Churn

🎧 How Police Guns End Up in the Hands of Criminals

This issue of The Weekly Reveal was written by Kate Howard and edited by Daniel King. If you enjoyed this issue, forward it to a friend. Have some thoughts? Drop us a line with feedback or ideas!

Donate

The Center for Investigative Reporting

PO Box 584

San Francisco, CA 94104

Add us to your address book

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from all Reveal emails.