What a difference a month makes. On March 10, the CDC hosted a media telebriefing to report “more than 500 cases of COVID-19” and “19 deaths.” Nearly half of all U.S. cases at the time were reported in California and Washington. These were early days, and it was around that time I asked readers of my monthly newsletter to take a survey on how news of the coronavirus was affecting them.
In April, I conducted and identical survey to see how perceptions had changed. Below are the results:
As you can see, readers of the Monthly Musings newsletter perceived the threat of the coronavirus as much higher in April of 2020 than in March. Readers also found the media’s coronavirus coverage to be more accurate and appropriate than before.
Finally, when asked about their level of fear and anxiety in April vs. the month prior, participants responded as follows:
- More afraid or anxious (47%)
- The same as one month ago (36%)
- Less fearful or anxious (17%)
To participate in future surveys, and get access to the latest news and opinion from the world of healthcare, sign up for my free (and ad-free) newsletter Monthly Musings on American Healthcare.
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Dr. Robert Pearl is the former CEO of The Permanente Medical Group, the nation’s largest physician group. He’s the bestselling author of “Mistreated: Why We Think We’re Getting Good Health Care–And Why We’re Usually Wrong” and a Stanford University professor. Follow him on Twitter @RobertPearlMD.
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i don’t see the value in the media question without also asking which media sources the responder uses regularly.