Public health experts unite to bring clarity to coronavirus response
This is part of our Coronavirus Update series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring. Uncertainty is the currency of pandemics. As evidence on the new coronavirus, how it spreads and who falls ill from it emerges slowly, policy makers and the public have to base their decisions on the best information available. Experts help interpret the evidence, but they may differ on details that can be confusing for non-experts — and filtering out what matters from a rising sea of misinformation has become a daunting task. To help cut through the noise and sometimes conflicting advice, a network of research, policy and public health experts convened by Harvard’s Global Health Institute and Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics launched a Key Metrics For COVID Suppression framework that provides clear, accessible guidance to...