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đź’” Disheartening news: A new study shows that COVID-19 raises risk of cardiovascular disease for at least a year after infection.

Data and Metrics Long COVID

A recent large study of U.S. Veterans found that the risk of having a heart attack, stroke and a long list of other cardiovascular events was higher for those who had COVID-19 the year prior compared to those who didn’t. The risk was highest for those who had been admitted to the hospital or ICU Read more…

Q: If 50% of COVID hospitalizations are among the vaccinated, does that mean the vaccines aren’t working?

Data and Metrics Data Literacy Vaccines

A: No. This metric sounds useful, but it can’t tell us anything about vaccine effectiveness. Since the roll-out of COVID vaccinations, many headlines have reported the percent of COVID hospitalizations and deaths who were vaccinated, trying to convey how well the vaccines are working. ‘Only 1% of COVID hospitalizations are vaccinated people’ sounds encouraging, doesn’t Read more…

POLITE POTTY TALK

Data and Metrics

Hopeful news from đź’© data Omicron stinks big time. But there’s hope on the horizon, popping up in the most unexpected of places – our collective poop. Tracking đź’© – aka “wastewater surveillance” – is a proven way to predict the overall burden of infection in a community. Happily, đź’© trends are ⬇️ nationwide. It Read more…

POSTCARDS FROM THE UK: Buckle up America (and everywhere else).

COVID Variants Data and Metrics Infection and Spread

And by buckle up, I mean BOOST-UP. And take other sensible precautions, especially leading up to the holidays. Nerdy Girl Jenn (🇺🇸 in 🇬🇧 ) writing from not-so-sunny England, home of the strangest shaped epidemic curve ever seen (Figure 1). Delta has been raging here since June and never went away. Omicron has a significant Read more…

ICUs in Critical Condition

Data and Metrics

/* This is NOT a drill : ICUs in critical condition */ 🏥 1 in 4 U.S. hospitals report worrisome ICU bed occupancy levels, up from 1 in 10 from June As AP reports, “a maxed-out ICU can become a staffing and logistical nightmare.” Staff shortages are particularly acute in many places. At one hospital Read more…

What is the real COVID-19 death toll? Are we over-counting deaths?

Data and Metrics Data Literacy

A: Sadly, we are most likely UNDER-COUNTING Covid-19 deaths. While the official global death toll from Covid-19 is now 4.6 million, the actual toll is estimated to be close to 15.4 MILLION people. Among the most persistent COVID-19 myths is the idea that COVID-19 deaths are being over-counted, including stories of victims of motorcycle accidents Read more…

What’s going on with the Delta variant in the UK 🇬🇧? I heard cases were falling?

COVID Variants Data and Metrics

A: It’s a mixed bag—cases *have* fallen from their peak but have now plateaued at a high level. TL;DR: ➡️ Cases remain stuck at a high level in the UK, despite high vaccination rates (higher than the US). This speaks to the transmissibility of Delta and means things could get worse in the US. ➡️ Read more…