COVID Resources

Stay connected with Pioneer Institute during the fight to contain COVID-19. Read our research on remote learning, life sciences, healthcare, economic impact, transportation, and other important policy areas. Also check out our regular roundups of news, tips, resources, and other content related to the pandemic; our podcasts, surveys, and more!

INTERACTIVE TOOLS

COVID VACCINE TRACKER

Compare rates of fully vaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals, by all the demographic categories published DPH, by municipality, and by county. Data updated weekly.

MAPPING COVID IN MA

View the count & rate (per 100,000) of confirmed COVID-19 Cases in Massachusetts by City/Town, updated each Thursday.

UNEMPLOYMENT TRACKER

Take an interactive look at how COVID-related economic shutdowns are affecting jobs and lives across Massachusetts – updated weekly.

LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY TRACKER

View data about any Massachusetts nursing home, rehabilitation center or other long-term care facility with 2+ known COVID-19 cases and facility-reported deaths.

PPP LOAN TRACKER

Track data on Paycheck Protection Plan loans by recipient, lender, location, industry, and loan range

MAPPING K-12 SCHOOLS

View a table or map view of districts’ in-person, remote, or hybrid reopening plans across Massachusetts.

SURVEYS

RESULTS: Will You Commute To Work When The COVID-19 Crisis Is Over?

Survey suggests increased demand for telecommuting after COVID-19 crisis

"RESPECT MY RIGHTS" HOTLINE

Citizens can submit complaints and descriptions of civil liberties violations they have experienced

OPEN MEETING LAW HOTLINE - Government Transparency Violations

Log potential instances of abuse of relaxed standards for open meeting laws and eliminated requirements for in-person town meetings

MA COVID SURVEY

Tell Mass. Dept. of Public Health about your experiences with COVID, testing,
healthcare, mental healthcare, economic issues, and more.

K-12 REMOTE LEARNING RESOURCES

A series on curricular resources for parents, kids and teachers.

COVID-19 News Roundups

COVID-19 Roundup from Pioneer: How long does COVID-19 survive?; Remdesivir to the rescue; HubWonk: Attorneys & clients at risk? & more!

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COVID-19 Roundup from Pioneer: Will plans to re-open hurt civil liberties?; COVID-19 model skeptic; SCOTUS returns!; New podcast, HubWonk; 5 Tips for online learning & more!

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COVID-19 Roundup from Pioneer: Tracking drug discovery efforts; Secrets to Germany’s success; Unemployment tsunami; Voc-techs answering the call; COVID prevalence by town & more!

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Stay updated with our COVID resources!

COVID-19 IMPACT AREAS

ECONOMY
HEALTHCARE

As COVID-19 Emergencies Ease, Some Progress on Telehealth Rules

A new report from Reason Foundation, Cicero Institute and Pioneer Institute rates every state’s telehealth policy for patient access and ease of providing virtual care. The report highlights telehealth policy best practices for states.

EDUCATION
GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY

How Public Transportation’s Efficiency Changed During Covid

The MBTA’s efficiency plummeted during Covid; as people chose either personal transportation or personal work, the MBTA lost significant ridership. However, it maintained its vehicle fleet and the depth of its services even as its operating cost per passenger mile increased dramatically.

LIFE SCIENCES

Pandemic Dead Reckoning: Unseen Casualties of Public Health Interventions

Hubwonk host Host Joe Selvaggi talks with Pioneer Institute’s Senior Fellow Dr. Bill Smith about new evidence that during the past two years of the pandemic, there were as many unseen excess deaths from non-Covid-related diseases as seen from Covid. They discuss the need for public health leaders to pivot their messaging to address this hidden mortality.

TRANSPORTATION

How Public Transportation’s Efficiency Changed During Covid

The MBTA’s efficiency plummeted during Covid; as people chose either personal transportation or personal work, the MBTA lost significant ridership. However, it maintained its vehicle fleet and the depth of its services even as its operating cost per passenger mile increased dramatically.

COVID-19 Podcast Episodes

Georgetown’s Dr. Marguerite Roza on K-12 School Finance, Spending, & Results

This week on “The Learning Curve," Gerard and Cara talk with Dr. Marguerite Roza, Research Professor and Director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University. Professor Roza describes the three distinct phases of how American K-12 education has been funded over the last 40 years, and implications for equity and overall student achievement.

Preparing For Disaster: Health Readiness Expert’s Performance Review

Hubwonk Host Joe Selvaggi talks with Emergency Preparedness expert Dr. Paul Biddinger about how experts plan for disasters, and what went right and wrong in this pandemic.

Stanford’s National Humanities Medal Winner Prof. Arnold Rampersad on Langston Hughes & Ralph Ellison

This week on “The Learning Curve," Gerard and Cara talk with Professor Arnold Rampersad, the Sara Hart Kimball Professor Emeritus in Humanities at Stanford University and recipient of the National Humanities Medal for his books including The Life of Langston Hughes and Ralph Ellison: A Biography.

The Washington Post’s Jay Mathews on An Optimist’s Guide to American Public Education

This week on “The Learning Curve," Gerard and Cara talk with Jay Mathews, an education columnist for The Washington Post and author of the recent book, An Optimist's Guide to American Public Education. Jay describes the three key trends in K-12 schooling that he views as cause for hope.

Grading Education in a Pandemic: Survey Finds Teachers Pass, Administrations Fail & Students Incomplete

This week on Hubwonk, Joe Selvaggi discusses a recently released survey from Pioneer Institute and Emerson Polling, "Massachusetts Residents’ Perceptions of K-12 Education During the Covid-19 Pandemic," with Emerson's lead analyst, Isabel Holloway, and Pioneer Institute’s Charlie Chieppo.

Dartmouth’s Prof. Susannah Heschel Discusses Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel & the Civil Rights Movement

This week on “The Learning Curve," Gerard and Cara talk with Dr. Susannah Heschel, the Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College, and the daughter of noted 20th-century Jewish theologian and Civil Rights-era leader, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. They discuss what teachers and students today should know about Rabbi Heschel’s life and legacy.

Hoover Institution’s Dr. Eric Hanushek on COVID-19, K-12 Learning Loss, & Economic Impact

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This week on “The Learning Curve," Gerard and Cara talk with Dr. Eric Hanushek, the Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. They discuss his research, cited by The Wall Street Journal, on learning loss due to the pandemic, especially among poor, minority, and rural students, and its impact on skills and earnings.

Best-Selling, Netflix Author Loung Ung On Surviving Pol Pot’s Killing Fields

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This week on “The Learning Curve," Gerard and Cara talk with Loung Ung, a human-rights activist; the author of the bestselling books First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, Lucky Child, and Lulu in the Sky; and a co-screenwriter of the 2017 Netflix Original Movie, First They Killed My Father. Ms. Ung shares her experiences living through genocide under Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge from 1975 to 1979, which resulted in the deaths of nearly a quarter of Cambodia's population.