Thread by @reveal

1/ On Jan. 20, 2020, the United States' first known case of the coronavirus was reported in a county north of Seattle.

Since then, the virus has crept into every county in the U.S., killing nearly 400,000 people, and infecting 1 in every 14 Americans. usatoday.com/in-depth/news/…

2/ Our coverage around the COVID-19 pandemic aimed to highlight how the virus affected the most vulnerable people in this country, from immigrants stuck in unsanitary ICE facilities, to healthcare workers and residents in nursing homes with poor infection controls.

3/ One of the first stories we published at the height of the pandemic centered immigrants.

As many corners of American life came to a halt to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the U.S. immigration system in many ways continued with business as usual. revealnews.org/article/how-fe…

4/ We learned that ICE detention centers are breeding grounds for infectious diseases, and the agency’s medical facilities have been harshly criticized by inspectors and human rights organizations.

5/ ICE eventually suspended social visits to detention centers and had begun screening newly arrived detainees for COVID-19 symptoms.

But inside, detainees said, little else had changed in response to the virus.

6/ But that wasn't it.

Inside a Louisiana ICE facility, detainees said they would go without hand sanitizer or gloves. Some figured out a way to fashion masks out of their own socks.
revealnews.org/article/inside…

7/ And in New Mexico, internal emails we obtained show the lengths state health officials went to try to help ICE contain the coronavirus — and ICE officials’ disinterest in accepting that help.

revealnews.org/article/ice-co…

8/ Our work also touched on how farmworkers and grocery store workers fared during the COVID-19 crisis.
revealnews.org/article/dozens…

9/ Dozens of grocery store workers have died.

Hundreds of their colleagues told us the largest chains – like Walmart, Whole Foods and Kroger – implemented policies that left them unprotected in the crucial first weeks of the pandemic.

10/ As for farmworkers: an estimated 2.5 million of them across the U.S. were deemed essential workers at the height of the pandemic.

Yet, little has been done to protect them against exposure to the coronavirus. revealnews.org/article/farmwo…

11/ Workers in other industries haven't fared any better either.

Amazon warehouse workers were already bearing the brunt of the company’s relentless quest for speed. Then, they said they weren't being protected from COVID-19.
revealnews.org/article/inside…

12/ In one of our most recent investigations, we reported on complaints filed by McDonald's workers who portrayed some of the chain's outlets as COVID-19 incubators.
revealnews.org/article/mcdona…

13/ Our coverage didn't end with workers and immigrants.

Residents in drug rehab centers and nursing homes struggled during the pandemic, too.

At a drug rehab in Baton Rouge, residents were given two days to find a place to live.

Some became homeless.
revealnews.org/article/drug-r…

14/ When we published this story, 25% of U.S. nursing home residents had gotten COVID-19.

Federal strike teams that went into nursing homes with outbreaks found staff not properly washing hands, using PPE incorrectly or failing to social distance.
revealnews.org/article/poor-i…

15/ For more of our investigations, COVID-19 related or otherwise, subscribe to our weekly newsletter. revealnews.org/newsletter/

16/ If you enjoy our work, consider making a donation today. Help us continue to deliver the stories that make a difference. checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org…