Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education, Department of
Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications
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Fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic with Reliable Data
Document Type
Article
Date of this Version
2-2021
Citation
Scharmann, L.C. (2021). Fighting the COVID-19 pandemic with reliable data. Innovation News Network. https://www.innovationnewsnetwork.com/fighting-the-covid-19-pandemic-with-reliable-data/9401/.
Abstract
Biologists, infectious disease specialists, and healthcare professionals make use of the evolutionary principle of common ancestry as a problem-solving lens. We apply the evolutionary principle of common ancestry as a problem-solving lens each time we encounter an infectious disease. The first question to be asked is whether the disease is already known. If it is known we can mitigate the spread of the disease based on existing strategies (e.g. quarantining, isolation, vaccination). If it is new, however, the next question posed is: ‘does this new disease at the very least closely resemble other known diseases?’ In this essay, I discuss why scientists keep changing their minds about COVID-19 recommendations and the importance of reliable data.