(Washington, DC) Earlier today, CovidExitStrategy.org, United States of Care, Resolve to Save Lives, U.S. Digital Response, and the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy held a press webinar outlining new data on COVID-19 hospitalizations, data challenges, the upcoming election and steps the federal government can take to provide COVID relief. You can view the video of the webinar here.

“United States of Care is constantly talking to people across the country about COVID-19 and the state of health care in the U.S. We have found that Americans want accurate and reliable data, and Covidexitstrategy.org meets that need by supplying real-time data on where their state stands in the battle against COVD-19,” stated Emily Barson, United States of Care Executive Director. “With an election just a few weeks away, and a federal relief package stalled, Americans are concerned about their safety and when they and their states might see some relief. ” added Barson.

CovidExitStrategy.org was founded by a group of public health and crisis experts, with previous experience working at the White House, Department of Health and Human Services, and on the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. COVID Exit Strategy is a non-partisan group of experts who have worked across multiple administrations. 

Marta Wosinska, Deputy Director at the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy said,“We are seeing an upswing in cases and, more recently hospitalizations, in the majority of states.  We do have vaccines and effective therapeutics on the horizon, but it will be months before they can be broadly distributed, so mask wearing, testing, and appropriate distancing will remain our main defenses against the virus for the months to come.”

“Every day 500-1,000 Americans die and more than 50,000 are infected with COVID-19.  This is the ongoing tragedy of the pandemic in the United States, but it is not too late to turn it around.  Places guided by and that support science & public health have less death and less economic disruption. We need to apply proven  mitigation strategies to ensure that people feel safe voting during this important election.” added Cyrus Shahpar of Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies.

“Our national response continues to be hampered because the White House Task Force continues to keep its weekly state-by-state report private. It is critical that all COVID-related data be shared with the public. Everyone needs to work from the same trusted source of facts about the situation on the ground. Data is not a partisan affair. It is a public trust—and a public resource..” remarked Ryan Panchadsaram, Co-Founder of CovidExitStrategy.org

Raylene Yung, Co-founder and CEO, U.S. Digital Response added,“COVID-19 is putting serious strain on state and local government operations across the board. States face a backlog of millions of unemployment claims and high demand for mail in ballots and voter information because of the changes the pandemic has wrought. U.S. Digital Response has supported over a hundred government partners dealing with both the primary health impacts and secondary economic and social impacts of the crisis. Not all of the challenges states face can be fixed quickly, but many of them can benefit greatly from the smart application of tools and existing technologies.”

“Congress is stalled right now on providing much needed relief to state and local governments, but one thing is clear, whether it is now, after the election or in 2021, there are steps necessary to come to agreement on to help families, and most importantly states, that are facing severe budget shortfalls,” said Andrew Schwab, Director of Policy, Federal Affairs and Partnerships. “United States of Care continues to recommend policies ensuring our health care system is responsive to the pandemic and is accessible and affordable for people now and into the future.”