Influencers and Experts Weigh in On Pandemic’s Impact at One Year Anniversary
SAN FRANCISCO — March 11, 2021 – Resiliency and hope were the prevailing themes in a Live Town Hall hosted by Healthline Media on the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. Guests included prominent broadcasters, actors and influencers. To support the live broadcast, Healthline ran a survey that found nearly 70% of Americans plan to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it is available to them.
Moderated by Healthline.com Editor-in-Chief Erin Petersen and Healthline Media Chief Medical Officer Dr. Elaine Hanh Le, and hosted by Healthline Media Vice President of Communications Steve Swasey, the one-hour program included live interviews with:
Lesley Stahl (CBS News 60 Minutes Correspondent)
D.L. Hughley (Comedian and Author)
Paula Green-Smith and Philip Hamilton (Detroit Public Health Professionals)
Also, featured were:
Alyssa Milano (Actor and Activist)
Brian Stokes Mitchell (Tony Award-winning actor)
All of Healthline’s guests had contracted COVID-19, which they discussed at the most personal level.
Key findings and discussion points from the Live Town Hall included:
Combating the spread of misinformation and rebuilding trust with the media
The importance of understanding the science behind the vaccine
Normalizing and destigmatizing mental health issues during the pandemic
Building trust and offering support within the Black and Brown communities through localized information
The critical need for continued empathy and compassion with hope for the future
During the discussion, Lesley Stahl shared that she is “looking forward to kids going back to school...It’s kind of an outrage.” She went on to add that teachers should have been among the early vaccinated groups. In support of the vaccine, D.L. Hughley shared that, “I don’t know many that have died from taking the vaccine...scores that have died from COVID.
To complement its Live Town Hall, Healthline surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. adults about how the pandemic has affected them this past year. Top findings showed:
Nearly 70% of Americans plan to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it is available to them
More than 50% of Americans are looking to resume normal life by eating out at restaurants, travelling, taking a vacation and spending time with family
43% of Americans have shared that they have gained weight during the pandemic – 22% have gained 10 or more pounds while an additional 21% have gained less than 10 pounds
Only 18% shared that they are looking forward to returning to work at an office
This Healthline Live Town Hall is part of a series of quarterly events intended to inform the public about critical health and wellness issues. The first Healthline Live Town Hall took place last August and featured Dr. Anthony Fauci.
A recording of the latest event, which streamed live on Healthline’s home page, Facebook Live and YouTube, is now available for download here. Additionally clips from the event are available here.
About Healthline Media
San Francisco-based Healthline Media’s mission is to empower people to be their strongest and healthiest selves by being a trusted ally in their pursuit of health and well-being. The company is one of the world’s fastest growing health information brands with online properties Healthline.com, MedicalNewsToday.com, Greatist.com and PsychCentral.com. Healthline Media’s sites provide evidence-based articles with the highest standards of medical integrity that support the modern health consumer with a whole-person approach to health and wellness. Healthline Media is the only health publisher and number 44 on Comscore’s Top 50 Property rankings. Across all its properties, Healthline Media publishes articles authored by more than 120 writers and reviewed by more than 100 doctors, clinicians, dietitians, and other experts. The company’s repository contains more than 70,000 articles, each updated with current protocol. More than 250 million people worldwide and 79 million people in the U.S. visit Healthline’s sites each month, according to data from Google Analytics and Comscore, respectively. Healthline Media is owned by Red Ventures.
Media Contact
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