Maxwell School News

National COVID-19 trends mask large differences in trends across U.S. states. Reductions in March & April were due almost entirely to declines in New York. The failure of other states to enact strong physical distancing protocols and/or reopening too early has led to our current national surge in cases.

COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania have been concentrated in eastern urban counties this far. However, the 14-day incident rate has recently begun increasing in several rural counties that have high prevalence of several chronic health conditions that increase risk of severe complications and death from COVID-19.

"Everything he (Lopez Obrador) has put into place in terms of security has either been amateur or just very papered over in terms of political rhetoric," says Gladys McCormick, Jay and Debe Moskowitz Endowed Chair in Mexico-U.S. Relations.

"The champagne isn’t quite as fizzy as we might have expected—even under the best of circumstances—and there’s trouble coming from all sides," says Professor of Economics Mary Lovely. She adds, "this could be a trade agreement that quickly ends up in dispute and higher trade barriers."

The deadliest weather-related health outcomes in the U.S. are heat-related. Older adults – especially those in the most urban and rural areas of the US - are at high risk of heat-related death.

Adults with intellectual and/or developmental disability living in group homes in New York are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes, including death.

"Our research shows that green investments can help smooth the transition to a green economy, but must be used carefully," says David Popp, professor of public administration and international affairs.

While military deployment to the border by President Trump is "clearly legal," Professor of Practice William Banks questions "whether the wall construction itself is lawful."

"Attracting GSCs to India is actually very hard work, without having any attractive catchphrase. There is no strategy other than considerable additional investment and effort into infrastructure and skill-building, tackling power bottlenecks, reforms in labour and land regulations and keeping protectionist forces at bay," writes Devashish Mitra, professor of economics and Gerald B. and Daphna Cramer Professor of Global Affairs.

Yingyi Ma, associate professor of sociology, assesses that Trump's executive order suspending the entry of foreign workers seeking H1-B visas "seriously undermines American leadership in fields such as technology and medicine where skilled immigrants serve as the backbone."

As New York’s regions move through their various phases of reopening businesses and recreations activities, policymakers and residents should be mindful of the underlying health vulnerabilities and the higher COVID-19 mortality risk in several of NY’s rural counties. Is your county at high risk?

Dave Levinthal '02 B.A. (PPhil) previously spent seven and a half years at the Center for Public Integrity, as an editor and senior reporter focused largely on federal politics.

This brief features the stories of a nurse and national guardsman from Central NY who served on the frontline of the COVID-19 response during the early days of the outbreak in New York City. These frontline workers described patient overcrowding, equipment shortages, feeling physically and emotionally exhausted, and lessons learned from their experiences.