The Mission The Coronavirus-19 Outbreak Response Experts (CORE-19) team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is a network of researchers in public health, economics, public policy, agriculture, veterinary medicine, and other disciplines who seek to: Provide timely and evidence-based information for policymakers, industry, and the public on pressing questions regarding the global pandemic. Submit Questions Questions will be compiled, reviewed, and prioritized daily. Those questions that are specific to Tennessee and have the greatest value for the public health and safety will be given highest priority for a response. Questions will be shared with the expert network for a rapid response (within 12-48 hours depending on the complexity of the inquiry). The information contained on this website is for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and the University of Tennessee makes no warranties, expressed or implied, regarding errors or omissions and assumes no legal liability or responsibility whatsoever for loss or damage resulting from the use of information provided. Research questions for the CORE-19 team can be submitted here. To contact the team directly, please email us at: core19@utk.edu or call us at 865-321-1299. Partners This effort is being coordinated by The Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy and the University's Department of Public Health, with additional expertise provided by the Institute for Public Service (IPS), the Institute of Agriculture (UTIA), the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research, the Tennessee State Data Center, the Colleges of Law, Nursing, Social Work, and Veterinary Medicine, as well as the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. This COVID-19 Working Group effort is partially supported by the National Science Foundation-funded Social Science Extreme Events Research (SSEER) network and the CONVERGE facility at the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder (NSF Award #1841338). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF, SSEER, or CONVERGE. Recent Policy Briefs and Updates COVID-19 Vaccination This short policy brief provides information on the COVID-19 vaccination.Published March 3, 2021 Flu Shots This short policy brief provides information on the importance of flu shots during the pandemic.Published September 29, 2020 Death Statistics This short policy brief provides information on how death statistics are determined by public health officials.Published August 16, 2020 Testing Availability This short policy brief provides information on testing availability county-by-county in Tennessee.Published August 17, 2020 Predictive Modeling This short policy brief provides forecasts on the spread of COVID-19.Published August 11, 2020 Herd Immunity This short policy brief provides information on herd immunity as a non-pharmaceutical strategy.Published July 22, 2020 Understanding Modeling Methods This short policy brief provides information on different ways of modeling disease outbreaks.Published July 1, 2020 a> Modeling and Predictions This policy brief provides modeling of caseloads and the effects of social distancing policies.Published May 15, 2020 Therapeutic Trials This policy brief provides an update on the status of therapeutic trials for treating COVID-19.Published April 30, 2020 H1N1 vs. COVID-19 This policy brief compares the spread and impact of COVID-19 pandemic with the 2009 H1N1 swine flu.Published April 24, 2020 Municipal Waters This policy brief provides some answers regarding COVID-19 and municipal waste water precautions.Published April 21, 2020 Policy Comparisons This policy brief describes COVID-19 related policies in Tennessee, and provides comparisons of the timing of Stay-at-Home orders issued in Tennessee versus nationally.Published April 21, 2020 Effects of Social-Distancing This policy brief provides information on the effects of the Stay-at-Home orders issued by Knox County and Knoxville, TN on COVID-19 case projections, including potential hospitalizations and ICU needs.Published April 13, 2020 Duration of Social-Distancing This policy brief provides information on the importance of social-distancing, and community compliance and includes newly published cost-benefit analysis on the economic and health trade-offs.Published April 13, 2020 Local Government Finances This policy brief provides information on the potential economic impact of COVID-19 on local revenue streams , including sales taxes and property taxes, as well other revenue sources.Published April 3, 2020 Case Reporting in Tennessee This policy brief provides information on the impact of COVID-19 case reporting , on knowledge of clinical and population prevalence, in Tennessee.Published April 3, 2020 COVID-19 and Testing Accuracy This policy brief provides information on research regarding the accuracy of COVID-19 testing and the earliest an individual could be tested based on viral load.Published March 31, 2020 COVID-19 and the Economy This policy brief provides information on the economic trade-off to avoid the projected loss of life from COVID-19.Published March 27, 2020 TN vs. KY This policy brief provides a comparison of the number and spread of COVID-19 cases in Tennessee and Kentucky.Published March 26, 2020 Pets & COVID-19 This policy brief provides information on the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission to and from pets from the Veterinary College.Published March 26, 2020 You and We This policy brief provides guidelines on limiting the spread of the infection through personal protection strategies and understanding the purpose of Shelter-in-Place orders. Published March 23, 2020 Health Impacts This policy brief provides information on the health impacts of COVID-19 transmission, contagiousness, and disease burden.Published March 13, 2020