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Data Literacy

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With so many people using home tests (which mostly go unreported), how can we rely on COVID-19 data to understand community levels of transmission?

Data and Metrics Data Literacy Testing and Contact Tracing

A: With more people using home rapid tests interpreting local COVID-19 data does become murkier, but a useful addition is wastewater surveillance! TL; DR Keeping an eye on local wastewater surveillance can help round out understanding of community transmission as it doesn’t rely on testing or reporting of test results. ✳️Home testing is great because 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…

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 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. 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 getting tested in the hospital so they can be counted as COVID-19 deaths, or the infamous line that people are dying *with* COVID-19 rather Read more…

In vaccine trial data we trust?!

Data and Metrics Data Literacy Uncertainty and Misinformation Vaccines

A: Like a healthy democracy, a healthy data system relies on a sophisticated set of checks and balances. The FDA’s system is highly protective against data hanky-panky.* Today an FDA advisory panel meets to discuss Moderna’s vaccine data – with an eye towards recommending emergency use authorization. Your Nerdy Girls look forward to watching all Read more…

Are we over-counting COVID-19 deaths? Wouldn’t lots of people dying of COVID19 be dying from other causes anyway?

Data and Metrics Data Literacy

A: Sadly, it is clear that we are NOT over-counting COVID deaths. It’s true that some people who died of COVID-19 over the past 9 months would have died anyway, but we can account for this by counting OVERALL deaths compared to the same period in previous years. Among the COVID-19 myths that just won’t Read more…

I heard somewhere that doctors and hospitals are falsely claiming deaths are due to COVID-19 and incorrectly increasing the case counts. Is that true?

Data and Metrics Data Literacy Uncertainty and Misinformation

A: No. There is no evidence that healthcare professionals are inflating the numbers of COVID-19 cases. Understanding the role of death certificates and how they are completed can help you get to the bottom of it. There has been increased circulation of a false claim that clinicians and hospitals are inflating the number of COVID-19 Read more…