COVID source callout: CDC’s weekly data review emails
The writers of the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review newsletter are getting a bit uncreative with their email subject lines.
Read MoreMonth: January 2022
Featured sources, January 30
Featured sources for the week of January 30 include hospital capacity by state and county, wastewater monitoring, prisoners released in 2020, and vaccine requirements.
Read MoreThree more things, January 30
Three additional news items for this week: lawmakers call for Long COVID data; we don’t know yet whether cannabis can treat COVID-19; have you received your free tests yet?
Read MoreOther Omicron updates: Healthcare system, treatments, and more
While BA.2 has dominated the news cycle this week, we’re still learning more about—and seeing policy shifts due to—the original Omicron strain, BA.1. Here are a few major updates, including hospital metrics, Omicron-specific vaccines, and more.
Read MoreBA.2 FAQ: What you should know about this Omicron offshoot
An offshoot strain of the Omicron variant has been making headlines this week as it spreads rapidly in some European and Asian countries. While the strain, called BA.2 by virologists, has not yet been identified in the U.S. in large numbers, it’s already spreading here, too: scientists have picked it up in wastewater samples in some parts of the country.
Read MoreNational numbers, January 30
Last week, COVID-19 case numbers started to indicate that the U.S.’s Omicron surge was turning a corner; this week, cases are clearly on the decline. National new case reports have dropped by about 24% in the past two weeks, from 784,000 new cases a day in mid-January to 597,000 new cases a day last week.
Read MoreCOVID source callout: Underreported cases in prisons
Data collected by the UCLA Law COVID Behind Bars Data Project show that Omicron is spreading incredibly fast in U.S. prisons. Yet many facilities and state departments of corrections fail to accurately report these case data.
Read MoreFeatured sources, January 23
Featured sources for the week of January 23 include booster shot effectiveness, rapid test coverage, and risk assessment.
Read MoreFAQ: A refresher on test positivity rates
I’ve recently been getting a lot of questions about test positivity rates, both from COVID-19 Data Dispatch readers and from friends outside this project, which reminded me of just how confusing this pandemic metric can be. So, here’s a brief FAQ post about test positivity.
Read MoreOmicron updates: Where will these massive case numbers leave us?
Omicron is now causing nearly 100% of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. Major Omicron news items for this week include the potential peak of the U.S.’s surge and real-world data from the CDC on how well booster shots work against this variant.
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