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

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 did COVID impact Massachusetts’ long-term care facilities?

Pioneer Institute has filed a Public Records Act request related to COVID’s impact on Massachusetts’ long-term care facilities because the Institute believes this is a matter of obvious importance, both on principle (the public has a right to know the facts), and for purposes of evaluating – and where possible improving – public policy. 

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

COVID-19 Podcast Episodes

Small Business Life Support: Policy Relief for Firms Sickened by COVID?

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Host Joe Selvaggi talks with Pioneer Institute’s Andrew Mikula and Retailers Association of Massachusetts' Jon Hurst about the state of small business in Massachusetts six months into the pandemic.

Award-Winning Writer Brenda Wineapple on the 170th Anniv. of The Scarlet Letter & Pres. Andrew Johnson’s Impeachment

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This week on “The Learning Curve,” Cara and Gerard are joined by Brenda Wineapple, author of the award-winning Hawthorne: A Life and The Impeachers: The Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Dream of a Just Nation. They discuss her definitive biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne and the 170th anniversary of the publication of his classic novel, The Scarlet Letter.

International Best-Seller Dr. Jung Chang On Wild Swans, Mao’s Tyranny, & Modern China

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This week on “The Learning Curve,” Cara and Gerard are joined by Dr. Jung Chang, author of the best-selling books Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China; Mao: The Unknown Story; and Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China.

Kelly Smith, Prenda CEO, on Microschooling & the Future of K-12 Learning

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This week on “The Learning Curve,” Cara and Gerard are joined by Kelly Smith, founder and CEO of Prenda, a company that helps create flexible learning environments known as microschools. Often described as the “reinvention of the one-room school house,” microschools combine homeschooling, online education, smaller class sizes, mixed age-level groupings, flipped classrooms, and personalized learning.

Lockdowns – Lawless or Laudable? Grading Gov. Baker’s COVID-19 Emergency Orders 6 Months On

Join Joe Selvaggi and Pioneer Institute’s executive director Jim Stergios for a conversation with Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby about the lawsuit against the Massachusetts Governor’s executive orders. They will explore what can be learned from the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what must be considered when devising a new way forward.

U-Ark Prof. Jay Greene & EdChoice’s Jason Bedrick on Yeshivas vs. New York & Religious Liberty

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This week on “The Learning Curve,” Cara and Gerard are joined by Jay Greene, the Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, and Jason Bedrick, the Director of Policy for EdChoice. They discuss their timely new book, Religious Liberty and Education: A Case Study of Yeshivas vs. New York, about the recent battle between Orthodox Jewish private schools and New York's state government over the content of instruction.

Drug Rebates: How Pharmacy Benefit Managers Manipulate Price & Limit Choice

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Join host Joe Selvaggi and his guest Dr. Bill Smith as they discuss the complex incentive structure between drug manufacturers, health plans, and pharmacy benefit managers. In this episode, they focus on how drug rebates work and how a system intended to optimize value may actually deliver higher costs and fewer choices. Joe and Bill also use this framework to speculate on the price of a COVID-19 vaccine, and who will likely pay for it.

Confronting COVID Constraints: How Certificate of Need laws stifle innovation, increase costs, and reduce quality in healthcare

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Join Joe Selvaggi and co-host Josh Archambault, Pioneer Institute's Senior Fellow in Healthcare, as they talk with Institute for Justice’s Jaimie Cavanaugh about the effects of Certificate of Need laws on the healthcare system.