Blog | pegasusinstitute

May 28, 2024
3 min

Private Industry, Not Government, is the Key to Solving Covid-19

There have been ample callbacks throughout the coronavirus pandemic to the Greatest Generation. Though working from home is hardly comparable to the horrors of Iwo Jima, the comparisons speak to an essential aspect of the American character. We have always been willing to supplant our own interest in the pursuit of a greater goal. But, America’s success in the Second World War is as much about its own strategic advantage as it is about sacrifices on the home front, and any re

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Austin Dillon

May 19, 2024
3 min

Stay-at-Home Order May Have Increased Domestic Violence in Louisville

As Kentucky begins its gradual reopening from the COVID-19 shutdown, many of the consequences of sheltering in place become more apparent. In Louisville, efforts to “flatten the curve” may have inadvertently driven an uptick in the number of domestic violence incidents. Although total domestic violence calls to LMPD are down in 2020 from 2019, this is the result of considerably lower numbers of reports during the pre-shutdown months. March marked both the beginning of Kentuck

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Erinn Broadus and Dasha Kolyaskina

May 15, 2024
3 min

Tennessee Continues to Test nearly 2x as Many Residents per Capita as Kentucky, Still has Fewer Deat

Three weeks ago, Tennessee seemed to be weathering COVID-19 better than Kentucky – with greater numbers of tests administered and fewer confirmed deaths. Both trends persist, although Kentucky has increase its testing capacity. Increased Testing Availability and Distribution In the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis, only those with the most severe COVID cases were receiving tests, and these tests were usually performed in a clinical environment. As this crisis has evolved,

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Josh Crawford

May 11, 2024
4 min

Policies for a Coronavirus Shut-down Recovery

As states begin to reopen and policymakers begin to shift their focus from solely fighting COVID-19 to also fighting the economic and social harms that resulted from shutting down the economy, not all policy solutions are equally valuable. Below are five key policies to ensure that Kentucky can emerge from COVID-19 as strong as possible. Over the next few weeks, we will expand upon some of these recommendations. 1. Do the same with less, but if need be, do less with less. The

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Josh Crawford

May 1, 2024
3 min

As COVID-19 Lockdowns Persist, So Does Deadly Violence

As we approach the end of the second month of the Great Pause, a clearer picture has emerged of violent crime during this period. Unfortunately, the situation for many in Louisville and across the Commonwealth is rather grim. Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) Chief Steve Conrad recently testified before the Louisville Metro Council about the state of violent crime in Louisville during the first four months of 2020. His testimony was far from encouraging. Chief Conrad

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pegasusinstitute

May 1, 2024
4 min

There is Very Little Consistency or Apparent Coordination Between 7 State Reopen Pact ; Here's W

Despite being a southern state in every way imaginable, with a culture completely consistent with that of the Upper South, a shared history with the American South, and everything from dialect to food preferences that align incontrovertible with the region, Kentucky is partnered with six Midwestern states to coordinate reopening their state economies. This week, several states, Kentucky included, have provided additional details about their plans to reopen their state's econo

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pegasusinstitute

Apr 25, 2024
2 min

COVID-19 Hospitalizations in Kentucky Have Slowed Considerably Over the Last Week

New data shows that Kentucky's hospitalizations related to COVID-19 have slowed considerably this week, with daily new admissions going down by more than 75% over the last seven days. As of April 24th, the state has 303 individuals hospitalized for COVID-19, with 164 individuals currently in the ICU. The new admissions bring the total number during the pandemic to 1,143. Friday's numbers bring the average daily admissions over the last seven days to 19.2 individuals per day.

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pegasusinstitute

Apr 23, 2024
2 min

Kentucky Coronavirus Hospitalizations per capita More than 2x Higher than Tennessee

Comparisons to Tennessee are commonplace in Kentucky and the state government response to the coronavirus has been no different. In the first weeks of economic shutdowns, some outlets compared the total number of cases in Tennessee to the number in Kentucky, criticizing Volunteer State Governor Bill Lee for not enacting more draconian economic constraints. The widely used justifications for economic shutdowns was to avoid overwhelming the health care system, a universally des

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pegasusinstitute

Apr 22, 2024
3 min

Tennessee has Tested 3x as Many Residents as Kentucky and has 40% Fewer Deaths Per Capita

Comparisons to Tennessee are commonplace in Kentucky and the state government response to the coronavirus has been no different. In the first weeks of economic shutdowns, some outlets compared the total number of cases in Tennessee to the number in Kentucky, criticizing Volunteer State Governor Bill Lee for not enacting more draconian economic constraints. Such comparisons failed to control for key differences like population and the number of tests administered however, rend

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Dr. Corrie Block

Apr 21, 2024
7 min

How are States Responding to COVID-19?: Exploratory Questions, Descriptive Statistics & Correlat

On the Coronavirus Tracker, Real Clear Politics provides national and global COVID-19 data for these variables: Deaths, Deaths per 1 million of the population, Tests, Confirmed Cases, Confirmed Case Fatality Rate, Confirmed Cases per 1 million of the population and Seasonal Flu Deaths for a ten year average. Data analysis suggests statistically significant relationships between many of these variables. Statistical significance is important because statistical significance is

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pegasusinstitute

Apr 21, 2024
2 min

Kentucky Could Be Out of Money to Pay Unemployment Benefits in Less Than a Month

After an unprecedented four weeks, three of which have set all time records for the number of Kentuckians filing for unemployment, the state’s unemployment insurance trust is projected to be approximately a month away from running out of money. National comparisons show Kentucky’s overall Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund solvency ranking 45th in the United States, only having enough money for about 4 more weeks of payments. Research by Pegasus Institute echoes those projecti

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pegasusinstitute

Apr 20, 2024
2 min

Kentucky's Per Capita Unemployment Claims More than 20% Higher Than Next Closest Neighboring Sta

A Pegasus Institute study found that Kentucky has experienced more new unemployment claims per 100,000 residents over the last four weeks than any neighboring state by a wide margin. Data from the past four weeks of unemployment claims for every state in the region show that Kentucky is not just highest per capita, but more than 20% higher than the next closest state, Ohio. Since the week ending on March 21st, the first week of unemployment data after the economic shutdown re

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pegasusinstitute

Apr 17, 2024
3 min

How Does Kentucky Stack Up with White House's New "Opening Up America Again" Criteria?

Yesterday, the White House announced its public health expert led plan to begin reopening the US economy. The plan, known as "Opening Up America Again," allows for a phased return to normal, helping to mitigate the potential for additional waves of COVID-19 and protecting the most vulnerable. A full copy of the plan, provided by the White House, is available here. What are the Three Phases? Phase One Individuals - Vulnerable populations continue sheltering in place - When in

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pegasusinstitute

Apr 17, 2024
1 min

Despite Strong Start, Kentucky is Considerably Behind in COVID-19 Testing

Approximately a month ago, Kentucky was a leader in testing per capita in our region, behind only Illinois on March 21st. More recent numbers however show that the state is falling behind considerably, a trend which was notable in the data as early as March 31st and has not improved in the weeks since. Among states in the region, which includes Kentucky and the seven states that border the commonwealth, Kentucky ranks sixth in COVID-19 tests per capita. As of April 16th, the

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Erinn Broadus

Apr 8, 2024
3 min

Research Supports Releasing Certain Inmates in Response to COVID-19

The coronavirus has produced plenty of unprecedented changes, including a near nation-wide lockdown. In addition to closing restaurants, schools, and most businesses, there has been a call to release inmates from prisons and jails. The close proximity of offenders and staff paired with lackluster cleanliness and subpar medical assistance have led to concerns that jails and prisons are perfect environments for COVID-19 to spread rapidly. COVID-19, the specific virus that has c

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Dr. John Wright

Apr 7, 2024
3 min

Policing During a Pandemic

As the COVID-19 crisis continues unabated, it has become increasingly clear that our first responders, especially our police, are playing a critical role. Typically charged with keeping public order, investigating acts of crime, and enforcing traffic laws, police across the country are now being asked to enforce social distancing mandates, including limiting or dispersing crowds, protecting hospitals and healthcare resources, and in some states flagging citizens entering or l

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Josh Crawford

Apr 6, 2024
3 min

We’re All De-regulators Now

President Richard Nixon is famously quoted as having declared in 1971 that, “we are all Keynesians now.” While the response to the COVID-19 crisis from federal agencies and state governments has involved many things, the one thing that has become incredibly clear is that we’re all de-regulators now. A March 10 piece in the New York Times tells the remarkable story of an infectious disease expert in Washington State who – in January – proposed testing the nasal swabs she was c

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Dr. John Garen

Apr 3, 2024
3 min

COVID-19: In Rush to Act, There are a lot of Questions that We Still Haven’t Answered

A recent thread in the news is the economic and other negative consequences of the COVID-19 restrictions. In other words, there are trade-offs . . . more prevention of the virus comes at a cost of other things. Rational decision making requires assessing the trade-offs. This is difficult right now due to uncertainty about the virus. But this can breed fear and unwise actions. I‘m concerned about the limited information being publicized, which feeds the fear factor. To a

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Jason Pye

Mar 27, 2024
3 min

Guest Blog: Kentucky's Emergency Order Statutes are Being Tested. They Grant Too Much Power.

The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a wave of governors effectively shutting down their respective state economies. Certainly, the United States is in a crisis, one from which we may not see the light of day for weeks, and the economy has almost certainly entered a recession, with millions of Americans losing their jobs as businesses are forced to either cut back or shutter their enterprises. Gov. Andy Beshear has used the broad executive powers given to him by t

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Jordan Harris

Mar 26, 2024
7 min

After Days of Delay, the Senate has Passed the Phase III Coronavirus Relief Package. Here is what’s

After being blocked from advancing twice earlier in the week by Democrats, the Phase III coronavirus relief package, the largest stimulus bill in American history, has finally passed the United States Senate with an overwhelming vote of 96-0. Our original breakdown of the bill is available here if you want to see what has changed. The bill remains organized around the four priorities that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell laid out on Thursday of last week. Direct financial help

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