While we will continue to update this page with news items the blog format is not the most convenient for finding data. All the data on these pages can now be found in a more organized form in the EUI Data Portal a long-term project designed to make available covid-19 related data for social science researchers.
Plasma Shot and Market Design – proposed scheme now in practice
A promising new quasi-vaccine technology is to use anti-bodies from recovering covid-19 patients to provide vaccine-like protection. This technology is entering clinical trials. Effective supply is quite limited due to the need to acquire plasma from recovering patients: how to increase availabitity of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) and how best to allocate it is studied by Scott Kominers, Parag Pathak, Tayfun Sönmez, and Utku Ünver. This research is a fusion of medical science and social science and illustrates the benefits of collaboration.
The researchers’ proposed incentive based scheme to increase access to CCP therapy has had remarkable impact latey, as the US-based Covid Plasma Initiave decided to adopt the scheme.
CERGE-EI Recommendations
CERGE-EI has developed a set of recommendations for safe re-opening. Although specifically oriented towards Czechia there are broader lessons here as well.
US Foot traffic data available
SafeGraph had made its aggregated foot traffic data available for free to help combat the spread of COVID-19. Data includes foot traffic on every commercial place in the U.S. and Canada and also foot traffic within census block groups. You can access the data by filling out a form here.
More about pandemics
The latest instalment of Andrea Galeotti and Paolo Surico’s video explainer.
Why testing is crucial
Andrea Galeotti, Paolo Surico and Jakub Steiner clearly lay out the types and uses of testing and how it should be used to acquire crucial information and to provide necessary safety during reopening. An interview explaining this work is here, and a more technical and detailed version of there work is here.
Media coverage of Galeotti, Hohmann and Surico mortality estimates
Television report can be found here.
Data on work exposure by occupation
By O*net based on survey data of working conditions and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration.
Data on testing by country
Downloadable from Our World in Data.
Workers at risk in Italy
Analysis by the Bank of Italy about which occupations face the greatest risk. (In Italian, summary in English).