MJH COVID-19 Coalition Surveyed on Mask Mandates, Vaccines, and More

As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases rise across the country, members of the MJH Life Sciences COVID-19 Coalition shared their perspectives on pandemic containment efforts.  

The MJH Life Sciences COVID-19 Coalition is a partnership with 10 nationally recognized experts in infectious disease, public health, epidemiology, and virology, who work to generate the most accurate, up-to-the-minute information on the pandemic's ever-evolving impact on health care professionals and the patients they treat through live, biweekly webinar events, white papers, and surveys.

According to the COVID Tracking Project, the US has surpassed 12 million cases and is approaching approximately 250,000 deaths. Last week, there was a reported a 26% increase in weekly cases and nearly 80,000 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 in the US as of November 18, which is one-third higher than the nation’s previous record.¹

We asked our COVID-19 Coalition to weigh in on the latest pandemic news on topics ranging from national mask mandates and vaccine hesitancy to data sharing transparency.

When polled, 5 of the 9 Coalition members said it’s time for the country to initiate another lockdown to contain the virus and all of the members said they would support a national mask mandate.

Additionally, two-thirds indicated that hesitancy is the biggest hurdle to COVID-19 vaccine distribution once a candidate is approved. With promising efficacy data on current vaccine candidates, and 1 candidate that has already filed for emergency use authorization, the country is prepping for the distribution of a vaccine once approval is given. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, MD, has previously said in a news conference that Operation Warp Speed anticipates 40 million doses to be distributed by the end of the year.

When it comes to data-sharing during the pandemic, Coalition members ranked transparency as a 5 out of 10.

A key takeaway from Coalition members: Wear a mask. Each member said that the singular piece of advice they would share with the American people is to continue adhering to the recommendations of wearing a mask to protect themselves and others.

The next COVID-19 Coalition event, “Innovative Testing Strategies for COVID-19 Containment,” will be held December 1, 2020, at 6PM ET. Register here.

Reference

1. Curiskis A, Goldfarb A, Kissane E, et al. One Million Cases in Seven Days: This Week in COVID-19 Data, Nov 19. The COVID Tracking Project. November 2019, 2020. https://covidtracking.com/blog/one-million-cases-in-seven-days-this-week-in-covid19-data-nov-19