Several news outlets reported about a study by Johns Hopkins University misleadingly claiming that it states that Uttar Pradesh is among the toppers in managing the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe.
However, BOOM found that the case study, being cited by these news reports, is not a comparative study. Brandon Howard, Communications and Marketing Manager, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health told BOOM that neither the case study made comparisons to other countries or states nor did it make claims about which states or countries are top performers.
Newsroom Post in an article dated April 5, 2021, reported, "A case study by Johns Hopkins University states that Uttar Pradesh is among the toppers in managing coronavirus pandemic across the globe."
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The same case study was also misreported by several other news outlets including UNI India, The Pioneer, and Web Dunia, claiming that the study has found that Uttar Pradesh is among the toppers in managing novel coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the globe.
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Additionally, the Uttar Pradesh government tweeted a newspaper clipping stating, "'Uttar Pradesh among toppers in COVID Management'"
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FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the case study - "Preparation for and Response to COVID19 in a resource-constrained setting - A case study from Uttar Pradesh, India" which is being cited by these outlets does not make any comparisons with other countries, states, or dubs UP as 'topper' in COVID-19 management.
The case study was conducted in Uttar Pradesh by Johns Hopkins faculty in collaboration with the Government of UP and lists authors from the UP government and Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
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BOOM reached out to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and also received a copy of the case study. We went through the case study which documents the range of actions taken by the Uttar Pradesh government in response to COVID-19; however, we did not find any comparison made with other states or countries in the study.
Study did not make claims about which states or countries are top performers: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Brandon Howard, Communications and Marketing Manager, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health told BOOM via email that the case study did not make comparisons to other countries or states; he further added that the study did not make claims about which states or countries are top performers.
In a statement to BOOM, Howard stated that the case study covered activities in UP from January 30, 2020, to January 15, 2021, and aimed to document the range of actions taken in Uttar Pradesh in response to COVID-19, and to identify lessons for how to respond in resource constrained settings.
"As you can see in the report itself, the case study did not make comparisons to other countries or states, nor make claims about which states or countries are top performers. The case study does indicate that the UP government responded promptly and with its available resources," Howard told us via email.
He further stated, "Obviously, the COVID pandemic is ongoing, and the report identified how "it is imperative that the government of Uttar Pradesh continues its ongoing efforts to control the epidemic." The report identified lessons and recommendations (page 48-51) to:
- Refine current health emergency planning
- Strengthen coordination and collaboration further across relevant agencies
- Continue to partner with community members in preparation and response activities
- Bolster disease surveillance through strengthened laboratory capacity
- Expand integrated digital data platform to improve data for decision-making
- Develop strategy to expand and strengthen health workforce, including focus on public health and management
- Conduct surge capacity planning to meet with increased demand
- Identify opportunities to strengthen collaboration with the private sector
BOOM had previously fact-checked media reports that had grossly misreported a study by a Gurgaon-based institute on UP govt's handling of the COIVD-19 crisis, and called it a Harvard University study.
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