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Policy Briefs

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.

Disclaimer: the information provided will be produced by researchers, not health care providers, and is based on their best assessment of the existing knowledge and data available on the topic. It does not constitute medical advice and is subject to change as additional information becomes available.

Recent Publications by CORE-19


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COVID-19 Vaccination

This short policy brief provides information on the COVID-19 vaccination.
Published March 3, 2021

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Flu Shots

This short policy brief provides information on the importance of flu shots during the pandemic.
Published September 29, 2020


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Death Statistics

This short policy brief provides information on how death statistics are determined by public health officials.
Published August 16, 2020

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Testing Availability

This short policy brief provides information on testing availability county-by-county in Tennessee.
Published August 17, 2020


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Predictive Modeling

This short policy brief provides forecasts on the spread of COVID-19.
Published August 11, 2020

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Herd Immunity

This short policy brief provides information on herd immunity as a non-pharmaceutical strategy.
Published July 22, 2020


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Understanding Modeling Methods

This short policy brief provides information on different ways of modeling disease outbreaks.
Published July 1, 2020

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Modeling and Predictions

This policy brief provides modeling of caseloads and the effects of social distancing policies.
Published May 15, 2020


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Therapeutic Trials

This policy brief provides an update on the status of therapeutic trials for treating COVID-19.
Published April 30, 2020

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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


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Municipal Waters

This policy brief provides some answers regarding COVID-19 and municipal waste water precautions.
Published April 21, 2020

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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


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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

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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


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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

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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


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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

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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



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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


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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



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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

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Health Impacts

This policy brief provides information on the health impacts of COVID-19 transmission, contagiousness, and disease burden.
Published March 13, 2020



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Policy Briefs

Our experts are working as quickly as possible to provide timely and accurate information on COVID-19. The information published here may change as updates are available.
Published March 27, 2020


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).

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.







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.

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