National numbers, May 14

May 14, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

COVID-19 spread continues to trend down in the U.S., though our data for tracking this disease is now worse than ever thanks to the end of the federal public health emergency. If newer Omicron variants cause a surge this summer, those increases will be hard to spot.

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The federal public health emergency ends next week: What you should know

May 7, 2023.Reading time 18 minutes.

We’re now less than one week out from May 11, when the federal public health emergency (or PHE) for COVID-19 will end. While this change doesn’t actually signify that COVID-19 is no longer worth worrying about, it marks a major shift in how U.S. governments will respond to the ongoing pandemic, including how the disease is tracked and what public services are available. Here’s all the key info you should know about this, in one place.

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National numbers, April 23

April 23, 2023.Reading time 5 minutes.

Across the U.S., COVID-19 spread continues at a moderately high plateau as newer versions of Omicron compete with XBB.1.5. Officially-reported cases and new hospitalizations declined by 7% and 8% respectively, compared to the prior week.

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National numbers, April 16

April 16, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

COVID-19 spread appears to be at a continued plateau nationally, with slight declines in cases, hospitalizations, and viral concentrations in wastewater. New variants are on the horizon, though, at a time when data are becoming increasingly less reliable.

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Sources and updates, March 19

March 19, 2023.Reading time 4 minutes.

Sources and updates for the week of March 19 include long-term effects of the pandemic on kids, maternal mortality, new variant names, and more.

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Wastewater surveillance can get more specific than entire sewersheds

February 5, 2023.Reading time 14 minutes.

This week, I had a new article published in The Atlantic about how COVID-19 wastewater surveillance can be useful beyond entire sewersheds, the setting where this testing usually takes place. Sewershed testing is great for broad trends about large populations (like, an entire city or county), the story explains. But if you’re a public health official seeking truly actionable data to inform policies, it’s helpful to get more specific.

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Data implications of China ending its zero-COVID policies

December 11, 2022.Reading time 7 minutes.

China has rolled back some of its most rigorous COVID-19 safety policies, essentially moving away from its “zero COVID” strategy, following recent protests. I am no expert on China’s political or health policies here, but I did want to share some reflections on what this rollback could mean for global COVID-19 data.

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