Nine areas of data we need to manage the pandemic
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.
Read MoreCategory: Wastewater
Sources and updates, June 5
Sources and updates for the week of June 5 include a new chart on the CDC’s wastewater dashboard and studies showing COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on Native Americans.
Read MoreWastewater data gap follow-up: an update from Biobot
Last week, I pointed out a data gap on the CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) dashboard: hundreds of sewershed sites on the dashboard have not been updated with recent data in weeks. This week, I’m excited to share an update on the situation, courtesy of Biobot.
Read MoreMore transparency needed on CDC wastewater data
Something strange is going on with the CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) data. Hundreds of sites on the CDC NWSS dashboard have been labeled as showing “no recent data” for a couple of weeks.
Read MoreCOVID source callout: “No recent data” at hundreds of sewershed sites
Anyone who’s pulled up the CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) dashboard in the last week or two has likely noticed this trend: hundreds of sewershed sites are currently marked as “no recent data.”
Read MoreCOVID source shout-out: SCAN’s wastewater dashboard
For my recent wastewater data story, I’ve been looking at a lot of wastewater surveillance dashboards from different health agencies and research groups. One of my favorites is from Sewer Coronavirus Alert Network (SCAN), a project based out of Stanford University.
Read MoreHow one wastewater plant became a leading COVID-19 forecasting source
This week, I had a new story published with FiveThirtyEight and the Documenting COVID-19 project about the data and implementation challenges of wastewater surveillance. As bonus material in today’s COVID-19 Data Dispatch, I wanted to share one of the interviews I did for the story, which provides a good case study of the benefits and challenges of COVID-19 surveillance in wastewater.
Read MoreCOVID source shout-out: CDC wastewater dashboard upgrades
After the CDC released its National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) dashboard in February, the agency faced some criticism. The CDC has responded with some helpful upgrades to its dashboard, though there’s still room for improvement.
Read MorePandemic preparedness: Improving our data surveillance and communication
What has the U.S. learned from the last two years, and what lessons can we take forward for future COVID-19 surges and other infectious disease outbreaks? The Biden administration has released a new pandemic preparedness plan that addresses these questions.
Read MoreThe CDC is finally publishing wastewater data—but only ten states are well-represented
This week, the CDC added wastewater tracking to its COVID-19 data dashboard. Wastewater has been an important COVID-tracking tool throughout the pandemic, but it gained more public interest in recent months as Omicron’s rapid spread showed the utility of this early warning system. While the CDC’s new wastewater tracker offers a decent picture of national COVID-19 trends, it’s basically useless for local data in the majority of states.
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