Are you changing your travel plans long-term because of COVID-19?

[bbodb1]

Perhaps but talking to people in our neighborhood I'd say at least 75% of them are saying they won't get the COVID-19 vaccine until it's been on the market for at least one year. They're afraid the rush to find a vaccine will lead to companies and regulators cutting corners on safety.

I hate to even mention this, but I recall a time (under far different circumstances) when Thalidomide was offered as a drug to cure pregnancy related nausea. I want to hope medical science (and safeguards) have advanced a long way since then, but the greed of big business (AKA Big Pharma) is still with us.

 

[Superchief]

I would like to have a lot better information in order for me to make better informed decisions. Most states are now including 'probable' in addition to the confirmed cases. Some of the cases being considered 'probable' are very suspect. "Science' should not includes 'probable' assumptions with confirmed test results. I can't find a source for Ohio that only shows confirmed cases. Additionally, it is very difficult to find any information regarding how many cases actually have symptoms, how serious they are, and how long they last. I live in a 'red' county in Ohio, but none of my family or contacts know anyone who has gotten Covid 19. We have a friend who was in the hospital in March with pneumonia (from a strep infection) who was tested every day. Despite never having a positive test, the hospital listed him as having Covid because it received higher reimbursement. I am becoming more skeptical because only the negative data are being presented. Why doesn't anyone consistently report statistics regarding how many people get sick, and what % are hospitalized? Why don't states report what % of deaths are in institutions (nursing homes, prisons, etc)?

I consider Covid 19 to be a serious and contagious disease and will continue to take precautions, wear masks when it makes sense, and avoid large crowds. However, I'm not shutting my life down until there is a vaccine. I continue my workouts in a clean gym and will go on vacation as long as the trip doesn't expose me to a greater risk than staying home. I've spent my career utilizing statistics to make decisions, but I trusted the sources and methods regarding how those statistics were generated. I really don't trust the integrity of the data that is currently being provided to the general public.

 

[gln60]

Your position makes a lot of sense...agree 100% with your last sentence.

 

[Ken555]

I live in a 'red' county in Ohio, but none of my family or contacts know anyone who has gotten Covid 19.

My cousin in Ohio just tested positive for C19.

The data is far from perfect, but it's better than nothing. Sadly, the numbers in Ohio are growing.

Ohio Rt

Up-to-date values for Rt — the number to watch to measure COVID spread.

rt.live

Ohio

Cases, testing, hospitalization, outcomes, long-term-care, and race and ethnicity data for Ohio, plus data sources, notes, and grade.

covidtracking.com

 

[deniseh]

I would like to have a lot better information in order for me to make better informed decisions. Most states are now including 'probable' in addition to the confirmed cases. Some of the cases being considered 'probable' are very suspect. "Science' should not includes 'probable' assumptions with confirmed test results. I can't find a source for Ohio that only shows confirmed cases. Additionally, it is very difficult to find any information regarding how many cases actually have symptoms, how serious they are, and how long they last. I live in a 'red' county in Ohio, but none of my family or contacts know anyone who has gotten Covid 19. We have a friend who was in the hospital in March with pneumonia (from a strep infection) who was tested every day. Despite never having a positive test, the hospital listed him as having Covid because it received higher reimbursement. I am becoming more skeptical because only the negative data are being presented. Why doesn't anyone consistently report statistics regarding how many people get sick, and what % are hospitalized? Why don't states report what % of deaths are in institutions (nursing homes, prisons, etc)?

I consider Covid 19 to be a serious and contagious disease and will continue to take precautions, wear masks when it makes sense, and avoid large crowds. However, I'm not shutting my life down until there is a vaccine. I continue my workouts in a clean gym and will go on vacation as long as the trip doesn't expose me to a greater risk than staying home. I've spent my career utilizing statistics to make decisions, but I trusted the sources and methods regarding how those statistics were generated. I really don't trust the integrity of the data that is currently being provided to the general public.

I agree 100% with your analysis.

 

[Cornell]

I would like to have a lot better information in order for me to make better informed decisions. Most states are now including 'probable' in addition to the confirmed cases. Some of the cases being considered 'probable' are very suspect. "Science' should not includes 'probable' assumptions with confirmed test results. I can't find a source for Ohio that only shows confirmed cases. Additionally, it is very difficult to find any information regarding how many cases actually have symptoms, how serious they are, and how long they last. I live in a 'red' county in Ohio, but none of my family or contacts know anyone who has gotten Covid 19. We have a friend who was in the hospital in March with pneumonia (from a strep infection) who was tested every day. Despite never having a positive test, the hospital listed him as having Covid because it received higher reimbursement. I am becoming more skeptical because only the negative data are being presented. Why doesn't anyone consistently report statistics regarding how many people get sick, and what % are hospitalized? Why don't states report what % of deaths are in institutions (nursing homes, prisons, etc)?

I consider Covid 19 to be a serious and contagious disease and will continue to take precautions, wear masks when it makes sense, and avoid large crowds. However, I'm not shutting my life down until there is a vaccine. I continue my workouts in a clean gym and will go on vacation as long as the trip doesn't expose me to a greater risk than staying home. I've spent my career utilizing statistics to make decisions, but I trusted the sources and methods regarding how those statistics were generated. I really don't trust the integrity of the data that is currently being provided to the general public.

You have summed up my position on this whole thing .

 

[Superchief]

My cousin in Ohio just tested positive for C19.

The data is far from perfect, but it's better than nothing. Sadly, the numbers in Ohio are growing.

Ohio Rt

Up-to-date values for Rt — the number to watch to measure COVID spread.

rt.live

Ohio

Cases, testing, hospitalization, outcomes, long-term-care, and race and ethnicity data for Ohio, plus data sources, notes, and grade.

covidtracking.com

Thanks for the data source. This is much more comprehensive than what is reported. It is interesting that they made a big deal today about the record number of new confirmed or probable new cases, but they failed to mention that over 43000 tests were done, compared to less 1000-20000 tests per day for the past 7 days. The confirmed positive rate was 2.7% of total tested, which isn't nearly as concerning as what has been reported. This is the highest number of tests done in a day in Ohio. I don't understand why the complete picture is never reported. I also read that anyone who has had contact with a confirmed positive case is considered to be 'probable', but I don't trust anything I read on either side.

I hope your cousin is one of the lucky ones with no/mild symptoms and recovers quickly. Does your cousin have any ideas regarding how they were exposed?

 

[Cornell]

I saw this on Twitter this morning and this is why I’m skeptical of news I see on “any side” of the reporting.....

One reporter runs with a questionable statement and the public pounces.

Another reporter takes the time to fact-check the story and he gets all but ignored.

And people wonder why there’s so much distrust in the media (as well as rampant misinformation.)

 

[bbodb1]

How is the weekend going (thus far) @Cornell?

 

[Cornell]

How is the weekend going (thus far) @Cornell?

So far so good ! Nice group of kids . Great to see them having fun.

And I started Yellowstone. Good stuff .

 

[ljmiii]

My favorite COVID-19 source has become The COVID Tracking Project which under 'Our Data', 'Our Charts' has nice graphs of daily tests, cases, hospitalizations, and deaths - both for the US as a whole and state by state. The data sources are primarily state and local websites but you can look under 'About the data' for full details.

US All Key Metrics

The COVID Tracking Project collects and publishes the most complete testing data available for US states and territories.

covidtracking.com

 

[Superchief]

My favorite COVID-19 source has become The COVID Tracking Project which under 'Our Data', 'Our Charts' has nice graphs of daily tests, cases, hospitalizations, and deaths - both for the US as a whole and state by state. The data sources are primarily state and local websites but you can look under 'About the data' for full details.

US All Key Metrics

The COVID Tracking Project collects and publishes the most complete testing data available for US states and territories.

covidtracking.com

Thanks for sharing. The information is pretty comprehensive and it is a great resource when deciding when or where to travel. I don't understand why none of these data sources track the trend for % positive new cases/% Tested that day. This trend would be much more helpful than just looking at the total new cases, especially as a more representative sample of people are tested (not just those with symptoms). The Cincinnati paper's headline was 'Daily new case record in Ohio' without mentioning the actual % positive tests was only 2.7% which was lower than most previous days. I just wish our news sources would present the total picture, not just the numbers to try to scare people into a frenzy.

 

[deniseh]

Thanks for sharing. The information is pretty comprehensive and it is a great resource when deciding when or where to travel. I don't understand why none of these data sources track the trend for % positive new cases/% Tested that day. This trend would be much more helpful than just looking at the total new cases, especially as a more representative sample of people are tested (not just those with symptoms). The Cincinnati paper's headline was 'Daily new case record in Ohio' without mentioning the actual % positive tests was only 2.7% which was lower than most previous days. I just wish our news sources would present the total picture, not just the numbers to try to scare people into a frenzy.

It almost seems like the news sources are trying to increase the level of fear and paranoia. Statistics are only meaningful if you are able to look at all the data and interpret it in a way to accurately describe what the numbers mean. In this case, yes, positive cases are up but so is the testing. And questions of who, where, why and looking at hospitalizations and death rates need to be evaluated as well.

 

[ljmiii]

Thanks for sharing. The information is pretty comprehensive and it is a great resource when deciding when or where to travel. I don't understand why none of these data sources track the trend for % positive new cases...

You are most welcome. I use CovidActNow which partners with the Stanford and Georgetown University Medical Centers to see %positives per test and %ICU utilization by state and county but as you say it only gives me the data for 'today' and not over time. The South Carolina state COVID 'dashboard' is quite good and gives trendlines for many things including %positives per test and ICU utilization. As for Florida, Rebekah Jones - the woman fired for putting Florida's COVID-19 data on Florida's COVID-19 public dashboard - has since created a new dashboard to track the disease within the state. It's a little weird in that much of the useful data is 'hidden' and you have to click on the various tabs along the bottom but once you get the hang of it the website is very informative. It also allows you to get data by county.

Experience

experience.arcgis.com

 

[ljmiii]

In this case, yes, positive cases are up but so is the testing.

Sadly, testing has been flat for the past week or so but cases continue to skyrocket. Hospitalizations have been rising since around June 20th and even more sadly deaths are once again on the rise (not terribly surprising since they tend to be a 2-3 week trailing indicator from hospitalizations). But the 'news of the day' is that hospitalizations increased yesterday from 43,895 to 54,544. A one day increase of 10,649 - a new record.