How official death data underestimate COVID-19’s inequities

January 8, 2023.Reading time 7 minutes.

In the last week of December, I had a major story published at MuckRock, USA TODAY, and local newsrooms in Arizona, Oregon, and Texas. The story explains that official COVID-19 statistics underestimate the pandemic’s true toll—particularly on people of color, who are more likely to have their deaths inaccurately represented in mortality data.

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Sources and updates, October 30

October 30, 2022.Reading time 4 minutes.

Sources and updates for the week of October 30 include booster shot demographics, mortality data by occupation, Paxlovid prescriptions, and more.

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COVID-19 risk factors that should lead to Omicron booster priority

September 11, 2022.Reading time 8 minutes.

Unlike previous vaccination campaigns, the new Omicron boosters are available to all adults across the country who have been previously inoculated. But all previously-vaccinated Americans are not facing similar levels of COVID-19 risk.

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Sources and updates, July 3

July 3, 2022.Reading time 2 minutes.

Sources and updates for the week of July 3 include race and ethnicity data, COVID-19 spread from a cat, and more.

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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.

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COVID source callout: The Morning

June 12, 2022.Reading time 2 minutes.

A recent edition of “The Morning,” the New York Times’ flagship newsletter, painted a misleading picture of COVID-19 disparities in the U.S.

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Sources and updates, June 5

June 5, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

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.

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Sources and updates, May 1

May 1, 2022.Reading time 2 minutes.

Featured sources for the week of May 1 include vaccination rates in nursing homes, neighborhood-level health disparities, access to hospital services, and more.

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Sources and updates, April 24

April 24, 2022.Reading time 5 minutes.

Data sources and updates for the week of April 24 include COVID-19 on airplanes, death rates by race and ethnicity, Long COVID research, and more.

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Fenceline communities left behind by data gaps: A dispatch from SEJ in Houston

April 3, 2022.Reading time 9 minutes.

This week, I’m sharing a short dispatch from the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) conference in Houston, Texas. I’m discussing the cascading health issues caused by environmental racism—including, of course, COVID-19—as well as the ways that data gaps can make it harder for hard-hit communities to get needed public health assistance.

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