Re: Detailed NM COVID metrics

Posted by Tom Johnson on Sep 01, 2020; 8:05pm
URL: http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/Detailed-NM-COVID-metrics-tp7598534p7598536.html

Nick:

I think ZIP code maps, if seen as a one-off, are essentially useless.  Here's what I sent to some friends at the New Mexican last week.

"The online edition of the New Mexican has many data graphics that help readers put the virus in context:  https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/virus/  

Yet what we see in print (p. A-4 today), with one exception,  totally fails to supply any context for the data.  Yes, the "Daily cases reported in New Mexico" chart supplies the necessary context of change over time.  But using space and ink to print "Positive Cases By County" or "Virus Tracker" are, essentially, meaningless numbers without any display of statistical normalization, i.e. cases per thousand, etc.  And perhaps most misleading is the ZIP code map of cases by ZIP?  

There are ~350 ZIP codes in New Mexico.  They range in population from about 80,000 to fewer than 10.  In our local case, ZIP 87505 has about 25,000 people while 87505 has twice as many.  To simply see a "daily" number with an arrow tells us nothing about the rates per TK residents or the change over time in any of those ZIPs.

So, I fully appreciate the shortage of staff and newshole, but (a) isn't there some way to present the data in a more meaningful way in the print edition and, (b) why not at least direct readers of the ink-on-paper edition to the helpful online data at the link above?"

Virus-free. www.avast.com

On Tue, Sep 1, 2020 at 1:55 PM <[hidden email]> wrote:

Hi, Tom,

 

Yes.  That link is to an interesting page.  The state estimated r naught  (1.04) is up from 0.70 in the last two weeks, but the new cases (125) and the test positivity rate (2.3) are holding pretty steady.   I also recommend looking at the dashboard map by zipcode.  It’s frustrating because it shows only total cases, but I have been keeping a hand tab of daily cases, which are coming in at under ten (cf 1 or 2 in April).  Most of the cases are in 87507, with 505 coming net.  I wish we had better information on how contact tracing is working.

 

Nick

 

Nicholas Thompson

Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology

Clark University

[hidden email]

https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/

 

 

From: Friam <[hidden email]> On Behalf Of Tom Johnson
Sent: Tuesday, September 1, 2020 1:30 PM
To: Friam@redfish. com <[hidden email]>
Subject: [FRIAM] Detailed NM COVID metrics

 

Click on the link shown.

 

"New Mexico health officials have a target of performing 5,000 tests per day  on a seven-day average as part of its eight-pronged gating criteria for economic re-opening. Currently, the state is testing 5,376 people per day, down from a recent high of 7,884 on Aug. 9. The dip follows what Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham characterized as a "continuing saga of challenge" around the country "as all of the states are competing for the commodities" required on both the front and back end of testing."  

 

TJ
============================================
Tom Johnson - [hidden email]
Institute for Analytic Journalism   --     Santa Fe, NM USA
505.577.6482(c)                                    505.473.9646(h)
NM Foundation for Open Government
Check out It's The People's Data                 

============================================

 

Virus-free. www.avast.com

 

- .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. .
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6  bit.ly/virtualfriam
un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/
FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/

- .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. .
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6  bit.ly/virtualfriam
un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/
FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/