Pandemics in History

A 1920 Letter from F. Scott Fitzgerald, Quarantined in the South of France (A Parody that Went Viral)

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Below is the picture circulating social media; here is a link to original publication of the, now viral, parody letter: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/this-side-of-paradise-a-letter-from-f-scott-fitzgerald-quarantined-in-the-south-of-france On March 13th, this work of parody was published by Nick Farriella on McSweeney’s, a daily humor website. He published a creation of a letter by Fitzgerald commenting on his experience with quarantine during … Read more

Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Ongoing.

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One of the earliest updated maps. Global numbers, then breakdowns by most countries. Updated several times daily. https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6 For how the map was created: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30120-1/fulltext

Effects of COVID-19 on Individuals with Mental Health Disorders

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In an article published in The Lancet by physicians from China, they discuss the challenges and effects in the comorbidity of mental health illnesses along with physical illness, in this case specifically COVID-19. In addition, the piece discusses the social difficulties that are experienced among residents including stigma as well as general inability to access … Read more

Myers, “China Created a Fail-Safe System to Track Contagions. It Failed.” New York Times, March 29, 2020.

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After SARS, China established a system for tracking cases of dangerous infectious diseases as well as outbreaks of new diseases. This story helps explain why that system broke down with covid-19, with local leaders not wanting to displease the central Chinese government.