Never Before Seen COVID Data Report Released by HHS

The Community FAQ for this data release is hosted by CareSet

(PRNewswire) HOUSTON - Today Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the “COVID Community Profile Report” a daily updated snapshot of how COVID is affecting our states and communities. This release of county-level testing data has never been made available before in any dataset, nor compiled by an outside organization. It is available for public review for the first time.

The Community Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for this data release is hosted by CareSet and welcomes healthcare professionals, data journalists, and researchers to ask questions and comment at: https://github.com/CareSet/COVID_Community_Profile_Report_FAQ

“This release reveals how Federal epidemiologists at HHS and the CDC choose to rank and prioritize regional problems in the COVID pandemic,” says Fred Trotter, CTO of CareSet. “For the public, it will be the first time they will see a merged data view of the most critical measurements of the pandemic.” Access to the report can be found at: https://beta.healthdata.gov/National/COVID-19-Community-Profile-Report/gqxm-d9w9

Here are some examples of what this data reveals:

• Are there regional variations that illustrate differences? In Texas, deaths per 100k is higher in Amarillo, but the city is improving while Midland continues to surge.
• How does this data demonstrate our current pandemic “surge?” Currently, 899 of 926 cities are considered “sustained hotspots.”
• How can this data be used to try and address racial inequities? All of the regional analyses included in this report have corresponding census data on race and ethnicity. This should allow researchers to better understand how people of different races are being impacted with narrow regional communities.
• How are different communities being impacted? Small towns across the US are having surges, especially: Susanville, CA; Wenatchee, WA; McMinnville, TN; Meadville PA; and Lincoln, IL.

Because systematic reporting has improved over time, and the data has become more reliable, the Federal government hopes this data release can provide clarity and reduce misinformation. This data release illustrates how COVID is affecting local communities and hospitals. It shows how holiday gatherings can lead to a spike in cases and hospitalizations.

About CareSet

CareSet (https://careset.com) a government healthcare data analytics and data journalism company. We believe in getting the best treatments to the right patients quickly and efficiently. We do that by analyzing government data sources, such as Medicare claims data. With CareSet, biomedical companies become better at serving the patient community.