Newly Released COVID-19 Data Show Most U.S. Cities Are 'Sustained Hotspots'

Newly Released COVID-19 Data Show Most U.S. Cities Are 'Sustained Hotspots' A comprehensive dataset gives the American public the same view of the status of the pandemic that federal officials have but previously held back. The outlook is bleak. NPR.org

The Trump administration on Friday made public a trove of federal data on the pandemic that reveals a country awash in red alerts.

The data contain a wealth of previously undisclosed information, including counties the federal government considers "hotspots," forecasts for whether virus cases are likely to increase at a local level, and information on cases, deaths and tests by metro area.

"This will give the American people the same community level information that is available to federal personnel," wrote federal officials who are responsible for the release of the data and who belong to an interagency group working for the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

In a statement posted on the website healthdata.gov, they promised daily updates. "We hope the publication of this data will help Americans make personal choices to slow the spread."

The newly disclosed data reveal that nearly 900 out of 938 metropolitan areas and more than 2,000 out of 3,270 counties qualify as "sustained hotspots," meaning they have "potentially higher risk for experiencing healthcare resource limitations." It also showed that more than a dozen metro areas and nearly 50 counties saw a 500% or greater increase in deaths from the previous week.

Some of the information is similar to metrics the task force previously sent to governors in weekly reports. The documents, which the White House never made public, are now only available if states request them. The Center for Public Integrity has been collecting and publishing them. ...