@TechReport{iza:izadps:dp13749,
            	author={Chen, Simiao and Jin, Zhangfeng and Bloom, David E.},
            	title={Act Early to Prevent Infections and Save Lives: Causal Impact of Diagnostic Efficiency on the COVID-19 Pandemic},
            	year={2020},
	month={Sep},
            	institution={Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)},
            	address={Bonn},
            	type={IZA Discussion Paper},
            	number={13749},
            	url={https://www.iza.org/index.php/publications/dp13749},
	abstract={This paper examines the impact of diagnostic efficiency on the COVID-19 pandemic. Using an exogenous policy on diagnostic confirmation, we show that a one- day decrease in the time taken to confirm the first case in a city publicly led to 9.4% and 12.7% reductions in COVID-19 prevalence and mortality over the subsequent six months, respectively. The impact is larger for cities that are farther from the COVID-19 epicenter, are exposed to less migration, and have more responsive public health systems. Social distancing and a less burdened health system are likely the underlying mechanisms, while the latter also explains the more profound impact on reducing deaths than reducing infections.},
	keywords={diagnostic efficiency;information disclosure;social distancing;COVID-19;China;instrumental variable},
            }