Federal data updates, Nov. 22
America’s federal public health agencies are busy in the lead-up to Thanksgiving, as are the researchers and volunteer networks filling those agencies’ information gaps.
Read MoreMonth: November 2020
HHS releases data on new admissions, staffing shortages
The HHS has made two major upgrades to its hospitalization dataset in the past week: it now includes new admissions and staffing shortages for every state. The metrics are only available at the state level; I’m hoping that county- and even individual hospital-level numbers may be released in the coming weeks.
Read MoreNational numbers, Nov. 22
1 in every 114 Americans has been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the beginning of November, and cases aren’t slowing anywhere in the nation. The COVID Exit Strategy tracker categorizes the spread in every state except for Maine and Hawaii as “uncontrolled”; even Vermont, praised by public health experts for its mitigation efforts, is now seeing record numbers.
Read MoreFeatured sources, Nov. 15
Featured sources for Nov. 15 include city data, state and county policy orders, and school outbreaks in Maryland.
Read MoreOur favorite COVID-19 sources
Last week, I asked readers to share their go-to sources for COVID-19 data about their community. I’m highlighting a couple of responses here.
Read MoreWhat a President Biden could mean for COVID-19 data
President-Elect Biden’s transition plan promises a Nationwide Pandemic Dashboard, which would standardize information from all 50 states and provide local data down to the ZIP code level.
Read MoreHow to think about vaccine results
Pfizer reported its preliminary data not in a peer-reviewed scientific paper, but in a press release, and some key details about the company’s clinical trial are not yet public. I used information from STAT News, KHN, and SciLine to compile a few key questions that should be in all of our minds as we think about this and future vaccine data releases.
Read MoreA new metric for conceptualizing cases
Last week, a new metric appeared in the COVID Tracking Project’s daily updates. Here’s how it works. You take the number of COVID-19 cases reported in the past week and divide the current U.S. population by that case number. There are variations; the metric may also be calculated for different time spans or smaller geographies, such as a specific U.S. state. But the standard calculation focuses on the nation, over the past week.
Read MoreNational numbers, Nov. 15
Cases continue to rise across the country; 38 states reported over 1,000 cases yesterday. Hospitalizations are up 24% from the previous week.
Read MoreCOVID source callout: Missouri
Missouri presents its race and ethnicity data in pie charts, showing the percents of cases and deaths that are reported in each category. A lot of states use this type of pie chart presentation, as it draws attention to the most impacted groups. But pie charts have a significant drawback.
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