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Pied_Pfeffer's avatar

When it comes to the COVID pandemic, what statistics are important to you?

Asked by Pied_Pfeffer (28144points) August 31st, 2021

If accurate stats could be provided to you, how would they be broken down? For example, would it be by death vs. ill? Vaccinated vs. not? Include contributing factors? Age? Your region?

Bonus: What source/s would you be willing to believe?

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26 Answers

Hawaii_Jake's avatar

1. Daily positive cases in my state and the positivity rate
2. I am also interested in knowing where the likely sources of positivity came from: tourists versus community transmission.
3. Percentage of beds occupied at our hospitals broken down by vaccinated versus not.
4. R0 factor

I work for the Hawaii State Dept. of Health, and we provide some of these data points daily. I trust the department.

chyna's avatar

Daily positive cases.
Age of positive cases.
If positive cases were fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated or not vaccinated at all.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Damnit @chyna! I was composing in.my head and there you are!

filmfann's avatar

Hospital death rates of vaccinated vs unvaccinated.

The number of people hospitalized because of CO2 poisoning from wearing masks.

The number of obstinate idiots hospitalized with Covid who say they are glad they haven’t been vaccined.

The number of children hospitalized.

If these numbers were known and publicized, maybe the knuckle headed right would realize that their ignorance threatens children, the elderly, and the future of this country.

KNOWITALL's avatar

A world map updated with strain tracking and daily positive rate.

JLeslie's avatar

Most important to me:

Cases in my city by age. Can be broad age range groups like under 18, 18–50, over 50. More breakdown even better.

Breakthrough cases in my city.

How full the hospitals are not just the ICU in my area.

Breakthrough cases in my area.

Deaths for people who live in my city.

Whether cases are residents of my state or not. If they traveled here recently.

After all of that then I look at general numbers for each state. Like cases and deaths.

I believe in the US the primary source of large surges in cases is people traveling when school is out of session. Most people don’t agree with me. Mid September will be a major test to my theory. If I’m right, cases in the US will be coming back down overall after Labor Day.

@filmfann I think just the oposite about the number of children. I think the numbers aren’t easy to find because it is too easy for Republicans to say the death count is not much different than the flu.

Hawaii_Jake's avatar

@JLeslie I can tell you this for a fact. The vast majority of current cases in Hawaii are community spread and are not related to travel. For Hawaii, your theory is wrong.

JLeslie's avatar

@Hawaii_Jake Is Hawaii still requiring a negative test to fly or cruise into the state?

Blackwater_Park's avatar

“If accurate stats could be provided” Ha!
99% of statistical quotes on 100% of mainstream media outlets are 85% bullshit.
To play on an even field I provide these numbers without any context, source data or calculations.

95% of sources people provide I have a .05% confidence in. Those numbers are also 50% made up.

Hawaii_Jake's avatar

@JLeslie Travelers from anywhere must show a negative covid test taken no more than 72 hours prior to departure or proof of completed vaccination from a source within the US. Without these, they must quarantine for 10 days.

The state has set up a website where travelers can upload a picture of their vaccination card. When preparing to travel, one must answer a few health questions on the site to receive a clearance for expedited entry. The airlines check this clearance and give those passengers a wrist band. Upon arrival, those with a wrist band are waved through.

I recently traveled to the Northeast. Returning was simple because of the process.

JLeslie's avatar

@Hawaii_Jake I think it’s great Hawaii took steps to protect the people in the state.

My state, Florida, is a top destination for summertime travelers. That’s people traveling from within the contiguous 48.

There is no testing or vaccination requirements for them to come here and thousands come daily throughout the summer. Memorial Day is the kick off.

I feel confident travelers spread a whole bunch of covid around (I know a few people who traveled carrying covid unknowingly, one died, and another couple who think they caught it at the airport, but they can’t be sure) but no doubt there is community spread happening too.

flutherother's avatar

I like to see:

Daily number of positive cases (Scotland)
Daily number of deaths (Scotland)
Daily number of positive cases locally (Local Authority Area)

Public Health Scotland updates the official figures daily.

Pied_Pfeffer's avatar

@Blackwater_Park *If accurate stats could be provided*…yes, that is a challenge in many countries, including the USA. There are some countries though, such as the UK, which have a natl. health system. They are able to report stats daily that can be sorted by just about any category.

Pied_Pfeffer's avatar

@Hawaii_Jake Yes, Hawaii potentially has an advantage in that it is an enclosed area of islands under state rule. In that sense, it is like the UK.

@JLeslie Yes, Florida doesn’t have the advantage of testing those driving into the state (yet). To say that there is confidence in travelers spreading a whole bunch of COVID around sounds extreme. How do you know? Are there state stats that support this? And how does anyone know where they picked up the virus?

JLeslie's avatar

@Pied_Pfeffer Like I said, I want those stats. They are not given anymore. We used to get them.

I do think the majority of spread is within a community, but where it starts is my concern.

I’m not saying people are spreading it on the airplanes (that seems to be very minimal) I’m saying tourists come here and once here they are giving it and catching it. I don’t know why you only say driving, they are flying here too. People in the US don’t need to test or be vaccinated to fly to FL nor most states.

Many counties in the panhandle have positivity rates over 30%! In fact the county where Destin is, which I’m sure you know that city name well, was 32.1% last week. The beginning of summer FL numbers were going up and then states more north. That’s TN, AL, MS, returning back home from the panhandle beaches in my opinion, and then spreading it around their community, but those states were doing well at spreading even without travel too.

A weekend at the beach, the tourists most likely get diagnosed in their own state.

chyna's avatar

^Yet, with those statistics, your governor is withholding paychecks from school board members in Alachua and Broward counties for mandating masks in school. Sounds like he doesn’t care what happens to children.

janbb's avatar

My county has a high risk of infection and part of it is because we are a summer tourism destination but thank heavens, my Governor is reasonable and is promoting vaccination and mandated mask wearing indoors and in schools. I even got a booster shot last week.

JLeslie's avatar

@chyna Is your state giving statistics for whether cases are residents or out-of-staters or if your sick resident recently traveled?

DeSantis is being a dangerous idiot regarding masking in schools. As I’m sure you know, the school districts with the largest populations have mask expectations in schools. DeSantis lost in court. I feel confident everyone will get paid eventually.

I think he cares about children to some extent, he does look at the stats. I think he cares about his political life or maybe it’s just money more than trying to stop the spread of covid.

chyna's avatar

@JLeslie In case you didn’t know, I live in West Virginia. That is NOT a vacation destination! Lol. No my state is not giving those statistics.

janbb's avatar

To answer the OP, the main statistic I am following now is how many in my state are fully vaccinated. We are slowly creeping up; now at 61%.

JLeslie's avatar

@chyna Does your state travel to other places? Do you know any state that is recording if someone recently traveled and if a case is an out-of-stater? Or, we hold Florida to a higher standard than other states?

Even in your state why not track that?

By the way, Florida is over 60% at least one dose, over 50% fully vaccinated. Florida is nowhere near the bottom of the list, but some of our counties are terrible and some are great, over 80%. The average doesn’t tell the story.

Did you see Trump was booed for telling a crowd to get vaccinated? DeSantis always supported vaccination. We need church leaders to reassure some of these hesitant people, but a lot of pastors stay silent. Some have been outspoken to get the shot, some have been outspoken not to get it, a lot avoid the subject. I found this article. https://apnews.com/article/health-religion-coronavirus-pandemic-7a03fed8e7548797487f2b7a20161e4e There are other reasons for hesitancy, but this is a big chunk.

smudges's avatar

To be bluntly honest, I don’t give a shit about the stats. What’s gonna happen is gonna happen. I can only do my part, and trying to keep up with the many many, some false, stats is a waste of my time, energy and peace of mind.

chyna's avatar

I disagree with you @JLeslie on the church leaders. They need to do their job, which is teaching the Bible, and stay out of the political turmoil of whether or not to take the vaccine. There are a few “church leaders” (nut jobs) that are saying the vaccine is the mark of the beast. I’d rather they all stay out of the vaccine issue than to spread misinformation or outright lies. I don’t have a problem with them requiring parishioners to wear masks.

KNOWITALL's avatar

@chyna I agree 100%. Medical decisions are not a pastor’s purview.

JLeslie's avatar

@chyna I’m ok with that as long as we go after the ones pushing false information. They should lose their tax exempt status.

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