COVID Diaries, State Response to COVID Vaccination Program, December 2020 to September 2021

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Policy
• Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Background:

• National COVID-19 response plans emphasized state and local authority for health emergencies.
• State pandemic response capabilities and strategies for infectious disease outbreaks varied significantly.
• Effective public health communication and policy implementation are crucial during pandemics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a comprehensive database of state-level COVID-19 response publications.
• To document the range of strategies employed by states during the vaccine rollout period.
• To provide a resource for analyzing state public health communication and policy.

Main Methods:

• Collected online publications from governors and health departments across all 50 U.S. states and D.C.
• Data collection spanned December 2020 (vaccine Phase 1a) to September 2021 (widespread vaccine availability).
• Classified 5,223 unique publications into categories: Flyer, Milestone, Info, and Policy.

Main Results:

• A substantial dataset of state-level COVID-19 response documents was compiled.
• The database captures diverse state approaches to vaccination, communication, and policy.
• Identified key considerations for analyzing public health communication data during a pandemic.

Conclusions:

• The database offers a valuable resource for understanding state-led pandemic responses.
• Further research can explore variations in state strategies and their impact.
• This data can inform future public health emergency preparedness and response.