America Amplified

For This Doctor, COVID-19 Deaths Bring Gut-Wrenching Goodbyes

By • Apr 28, 2020
Grinnell Regional Medical Center

This is part of Essential Voices, a series of interviews with people confronting COVID-19.

Hospitals across the Midwest have adjusted policies for the coronavirus crisis -- including limiting patient visitors. That can be especially hard when a patient is near death, and friends and relatives want to share a final goodbye. Dr. Lauren Graham speaks about those emotional moments at Grinnell Regional Medical Center in Iowa.

You Asked: When Will 'Stay-At-Home' Orders Be Lifted?

By • Apr 24, 2020
One America's signs in downtown Indianapolis usually display a pun. Since the governor's initial "Stay-At-Home" order, both have encouraged social distancing. It reads: "Home, not alone. #InThisTogether." (Lauren Chapman/IPB News)

Update: As the case count continues to rise, information on this story is moving quickly and may be out-of-date. We recommend checking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for ways to stay safe and this John Hopkins tool for the most recent data. 

States are considering how, and when, to reopen their economies. But the process looks different across the country, and there's a considerable variety even in the Midwest. Side Effects Public Media’s Brittani Howell spoke with Indiana Public Broadcasting’s statehouse reporter Brandon Smith, KBIA health reporter Sebastián Martínez Valdivia and Iowa Public Radio health reporter Natalie Krebs about how their states have reacted so far, and what they might do going forward.

Public Health Agencies Struggle To Find COVID-19 Resources

By • Apr 23, 2020
Jim Meadows/Illinois Newsroom

This is part of Essential Voices, a series of interviews with people confronting COVID-19.

Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, local public health agencies across the nation have been working to mitigate the spread of the disease -- and to overcome some big obstacles.

Coroner Prepares For Worst Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

By • Apr 22, 2020
Photo contributed by Alfarena McGinty.

This story is part of Essential Voices, a series of interviews with people confronting COVID-19.

Alfarena McGinty is the chief deputy coroner for Marion County, which oversees metropolitan Indianapolis -- which has had the largest outbreak of the new coronavirus in the state. She spoke with Side Effects reporter Carter Barrett about what it’s been like on the front lines of the county’s morgue, tough choices during this crisis, and how the pandemic reached personal life too. 

Health Workers Face Tough Parenting Choices Due To COVID-19

By • Apr 17, 2020
Courtesy of Brittanny Budimir

This is part of Essential Voices, a series of interviews with people confronting COVID-19.

Health care workers and first responders face serious risks dealing with people who have COVID-19. Bryce and Brittanny Budimir, a married couple in Kankakee, Illinois, both work on the front lines of the pandemic. 

After Getting COVID-19, Medical Student Looks Forward To Helping Patients

By • Apr 16, 2020
Courtesy of David Vega

This is part of Essential Voices, a series of interviews with people confronting COVID-19.

David Vega is a fourth year-medical student at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Earlier this year, he was in Africa for one of his courses. He had heard about the coronavirus spreading in China, but didn’t think much of it.

He returned to the U.S. in early March, stopped in Florida to visit family and friends, and then came back to Indiana. He told Side Effects that his symptoms started a couple days later.

You Asked: Why Is COVID-19 Hitting African-Americans So Hard?

By Indiana Public Broadcasting & Side Effects Staffs • Apr 10, 2020
Photo by Justin Hicks/Indiana Public Broadcasting.

Update: As the case count continues to rise, information on this story is moving quickly and may be out-of-date. We recommend checking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for ways to stay safe and this John Hopkins tool for the most recent data. 

Indiana Public Broadcasting’s digital producer Lauren Chapman and reporter Justin Hicks recently joined Side Effects Public Media’s Brittani Howell on Facebook Live to answer questions we’ve received about the new coronavirus and COVID-19.  

You Asked: How Does COVID-19 Compare To The Flu?

By & • Apr 3, 2020

Update: As the case count continues to rise, information on this story is moving quickly and may be out-of-date. We recommend checking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for ways to stay safe and this John Hopkins tool for the most recent data. 

In order to give your viewers a meaningful context in your reporting, please compare the current number of deaths from the COVID-19 virus with the average number of deaths due to the flu in the U.S. over the last decade.

The new coronavirus is still sweeping through the U.S., so it's difficult to draw comparisons to past flu seasons. Looking at the flu and coronavirus in other countries may be helpful. 

Survey: COVID-19 Brings U.S. Communities Together

By • Apr 3, 2020
Bigstock

A majority of Americans believe that while their communities will suffer in the short term from the COVID-19 pandemic, they will eventually recover.

And nearly one in 5 people feels their communities will emerge stronger than ever.

That’s according to a new Public Agenda/USA Today/Ipsos Hidden Common Ground survey — conducted at the end of March and released on April 3.

¿Puedo Salir A Caminar? Esto Es Lo Que Significa Una Orden De Permanecer En Casa

By & Lauren Chapman • Apr 1, 2020
Lauren Chapman/IPB News.

El Gobernador Eric Holcomb anunció una orden de permanecer en casa para todo el estado el la semana pasada. Mientras hay nuevas restricciones a través del estado, hay un número de cosas que puedes hacer y negocios que permanecerán abiertos.

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