Follow the Data Podcast: The State of the Virus with Dr. Fauci

After seven months, Coronavirus cases continue to surge across the United States. The New York Times reports that 26 states are at or near record numbers for new infections, and that hospitals are recording an estimated 46 percent increase in patients hospitalized from the virus over last month.

And while the escalating case numbers have not resulted in lockdowns or curfews in the U.S., European countries are introducing new restrictions to slow the spread of the virus. In France, President Macron has reimposed a nationwide lockdown, while Germany will close bars, restaurants, movie theaters, sports facilities and more through the end of November.

Health policy has never been at the forefront like it is now, at least in our lifetimes. The Johns Hopkins University has introduced the Health Policy Forum, a quarterly series of discussions designed to bring Johns Hopkins faculty, students, and experts together with policy makers to explore how health policies are developed and implemented.

In this episode, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Dean Ellen MacKenzie joins Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, for the first installment of the Johns Hopkins University’s Health Policy forum. The webcast originally aired on October 16. The audio is adapted from Public Health on Call, a daily podcast from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dean MacKenzie and Dr. Fauci discuss how public health measures can be the gateway to opening the economy, how the COVID-19 vaccine could change the state of coronavirus response, and how the scientific community can gain trust among the general public.

You can access a recording of Dean MacKenzie and Dr. Fauci’s complete conversation at JHSPH.edu.  

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More episodes from our coronavirus series include:

• Shaping the Future of Youth in Baltimore, MD
• The Politics of Food
• Moving America Beyond Coal
• How Buenos Aires, Argentina, is Responding to COVID-19
• Peer-to-Peer College Advising – Does It Work?
• A Summer Unlike Any Other
• Virtual College Advising – Does It Work?
• Is it Safe to Reopen Schools?
• Your COVID-19 Vaccine Questions, Answered
• How Cities Are Supporting Arts & Culture During COVID-19
• Systemic Racism as a Public Health Issue
• Training an Army of Contact Tracers
• The Pandemic’s Effect on Gun Violence
• The Data Behind the Pandemic
• Food First Responders
• How Helsinki, Finland Is Responding to COVID-19
• Lights, Camera…Action?
• How Freetown, Sierra Leone Is Responding to COVID-19
• The Cost of Recovery for Our Cities, Part 2
• The Cost of Recovery for Our Cities, Part 1
• A Promising Treatment for COVID-19
• Slowing the Spread of COVID-19 in Africa
• The Intersection of COVID-19 and Transportation
• Behind the Scenes of the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracking Map
• Responding to a Pandemic Crisis
• How to Help Nonprofits Hit Hard by COVID-19
• “World War C” – Us Against the Microbe