Featured sources, August 29
Featured sources for the week of August 29 include a few favorites from the archives: K-12 statistics, vaccine consent laws, COVID-19 in ICE detention centers, and rural hospital closures.
Read MoreMonth: August 2021
One data researcher’s journey through South Carolina’s COVID-19 reporting
I invited Philip Nelson to contribute a post this week after reading his Tweets about his ongoing challenges in accessing his state’s hospitalization data. Basically, after Philip publicized a backend data service that enabled users to see daily COVID-19 patient numbers by individual South Carolina hospital, the state restricted this service’s use—essentially making the data impossible for outside researchers to analyze.
Read MoreLearn more about the Opening series via a live Q&A with Betsy
Opening” series at a virtual conversation this coming Wednesday, September 1 with David Levine, co-chair of Science Writers in New York (SWINY).
Read MoreOpening profile: Personal responsibility in Andrews, Texas
Andrews Independent School District, in West Texas, prioritized personal responsibility, giving families information to make individual choices about their children’s safety. Partnerships with the local health department, outdoor classes, increased ventilation, and an intensive cleaning regimen also helped keep cases down — even though the district did not follow all CDC protocols, such as required quarantines and masks for the youngest students.
Read MoreNational numbers, August 29
COVID-19 cases in the U.S. just keep rising, approaching 150,000 new cases a day. Case numbers have not been this high since January, during the winter surge. The case rise does seem to be decelerating, however: cases are only up 3% this week compared to last week, after much higher jumps in late July and early August.
Read MoreFeatured sources, August 22
Featured sources for the week of August 22 include school reopenings, CARES Act funding, and covering long COVID.
Read MoreU.S. moves to approve booster shots despite minimal evidence
This week, the federal government announced that the U.S. intends to provide third vaccine doses to all Americans who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. This booster shot distribution will start in September, with adults becoming eligible once they hit eight months after their second shot. Many epidemiologists, vaccine experts, global health experts, and other scientists have criticized the decision.
Read MoreOpening profile: Community over wifi in Garrett County, Maryland
Unlike other districts in Maryland, Garrett County Public Schools was able to bring the majority of its students back to classrooms during the spring 2021 semester. The district built trust with its community by utilizing local partnerships, providing families with crucial supplies, setting up task forces to plan reopening, and communicating extensively with parents.
Read MoreNational numbers, August 22
COVID-19 cases continue to rise, with the U.S. seeing almost one million new cases this week (or more than one million, according to some non-CDC trackers). Deaths are also increasing, up 11% from last week and up almost 200% from late July. The vast majority of these deaths continue to occur in unvaccinated Americans.
Read MoreSource shout-out: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
I recently checked out the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) COVID-19 data page for the first time in a few months. And it has gotten a serious renovation during that time.
Read More