The U.S.’s flu and RSV surveillance is insufficient for tracking this fall’s outbreaks

October 30, 2022.Reading time 11 minutes.

I recently received a question from a reader, asking how to follow both COVID-19 and the flu in the county where she lives. For COVID-19, county-level data sources aren’t too hard to find; for the flu, this is much harder.

0 Shares

Sources and updates, October 16

October 16, 2022.Reading time 4 minutes.

Sources and updates for the week of October 16 include a new paper on the U.S.’s data failures, indoor air quality measures from the federal government, testing out of isolation, and more.

0 Shares

Several respiratory viruses might spread widely this fall; here’s how we should track them

October 9, 2022.Reading time 12 minutes.

As you might have guessed from the last couple weeks of National numbers posts, I am anticipating that the U.S. will see a new COVID-19 surge this fall, along with potential surges of the flu and other respiratory diseases. Here’s why it’s worth worrying about possible surges, and some thoughts on better tracking these viruses in the future.

0 Shares

Orders of free at-home COVID-19 tests varied widely by state

October 2, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

On September 2, 2022, the federal government stopped taking orders for free at-home COVID-19 tests. The day this program ended, I sent a public records request to the federal government asking for data on how many tests were distributed. I just received some data back from my request; here’s what the numbers show.

0 Shares

Sources and updates, September 25

September 25, 2022.Reading time 4 minutes.

Sources and updates for the week of September 25 include new booster shot data, CDC funding for COVID-19 testing and genomic surveillance, Long COVID studies, and more.

0 Shares

Sources and updates, July 17

July 17, 2022.Reading time 3 minutes.

Sources and updates for the week of July 17 include antimicrobial resistance, PCR testing sites, and a new vaccine authorization.

0 Shares

FAQ: PCR testing is still important, but it’s become harder to access

July 10, 2022.Reading time 17 minutes.

New York City has been closing PCR testing sites, even as the city faced a major Omicron resurgence this spring. The trends I found in a local story—and the pushback that the piece received from city health officials—are pretty indicative of the national state of COVID-19 testing right now.

0 Shares

Nine areas of data we need to manage the pandemic

June 26, 2022.Reading time 11 minutes.

Will we ever get control of this pandemic? We can, but better data will go a long way in helping us get there. Here are nine areas where I’d like to see improvement.

0 Shares

Sources and updates, June 19

June 19, 2022.Reading time 5 minutes.

Sources and updates for the week of June 19 include data on testing trends, vaccines for kids, and Long COVID risk.

0 Shares

As Omicron keeps mutating, variant surveillance remains important

June 19, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

Sharing perspectives from three variant experts on how to keep monitoring the way that SARS-CoV-2 is mutating, as bonus material from a recent story about BA.4 and BA.5.

0 Shares