Data Changed

My state changed the way they lay out the data: some file names changed, some tab names changed, layout changed and some of the data itself changed. I had to spend time reviewing the changes and mapping the files to the old files to determine what I needed to do when changing my programs. I got the main pieces done and what’s left is the minor stuff that I can adjust over time.

This change meant that a lot of tasks that I normally do got pushed back, so I feel like I am not getting things done. It’s been hard to get anything done because I’ve focused attention on these aforementioned changes. The re-programming is mostly done, except for the minor stuff, so now it is time to catch up.

The massive changes in the data are worrisome. The general shape of the charts appears to be the same, but the absolute numbers are very different. I’m not sure what that means. At first, I thought it was me not paying attention, but no, I actually have something that checks the numbers to see if something changed. Also, other sites that I pull from also show this single day jump in the numbers, so I know that the state is doing some kind of reconciliations and updates. The updates extend way back into early part of 2021, suggesting to me that the updates are not related to a “holiday” correction.

The changes came out on a Friday, before the MLK weekend, so if I were conspiracy minded, I would say it feels like the state government is trying to hide this change. There is no note on the site to explain what is driving the jump in the data.

Little Quick Review on Corona

[The source of data for all of these charts came from Wikipedia. See “Sources of Data” at the end of this post.]

Before I end this post, I want to show a graphic of the coronavirus data for the world as a whole to show the omicron variant is really driving a surge worldwide. The chart on the left show cases driving upward with a fairly sharp upward curve whereas the deaths on the right is plodding upward at a steady pace:

Top 10 Countries

Here’s the top 10 countries by cases accumulated over the last 14 days. You can see that some countries appear to be experiencing a sharp decline in cases, kind of like an “ice pick” signature. Those with the “ice pick” signature includes the US, France, and UK. The ones NOT declining yet appears to be India and Brazil.

Continents

Here’s the continents: the surge appears to have halted in the US and Europe.

Regions

Finally, here is a chart showing the trends in each of the regions of the US. The surge in the Northeast appears to have crested and may be the single biggest reason why the US as a whole appears to have halted its surge. However, this halt may not last long because the other regions may come into play. I want to stress the word may because the surge may be rolling across the US and thus, if enough states undergo a surge at the same time, then the overall US could rise again.

I’m going to stop here rather than go on to the charts showing the individual states. I’ve done enough to touch on the general trends at this point in time.