COVID-19 Member Reflection Series: Combating fear with facts (Keystone Fall 2020)

Member fights to give community access to facts

By Paul Ricci, Johnstown Healthcare Rights Committee

I have created an online database for my home county, Cambria County. I have tracked cases, testing and deaths in the county since the first case was reported here on March 23. The sources for these numbers is the Johns-Hopkins online database for the national numbers and the state department of health for state and local numbers. Case and testing data are available down to the zip code. I have been posting regular updates to the case and testing numbers and announcing them on local Facebook groups. The feedback to these updates has been positive.

Access to the facts provides a clear picture of what is around us. The best way to counter fear mongering and misinformation is with facts that can be independently verified.