Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

COVID-19 progress, take 2

In response to the comment on my last post . . . rolling 7 day average death rates with the peak for each country set to 100.   We peaked later than most countries other than Germany, which seems to be making better progress than us.  We may be doing as well (or as badly) […]

Coronavirus dashboard: emphasis on testing

(Dan here…NDd’s post points to more than the impact of the US catching up in testing only recently, but also points to beginning answers readers have asked in comments about what the statistics show regarding re-opening and where we might be failing to report. ) Coronavirus dashboard: emphasis on testing I want to focus this […]

New coronavirus cases vs. testing in “reopened” States

New coronavirus cases vs. testing in “reopened” States Are new coronavirus infections increasing in States that “reopened” on or about May 1? The jury is still out. The number of infections is up in 4 of the 5 biggest States that have done so, but so are the number of tests. The likelihood that most […]

Abbreviated coronavirus dashboard for May 19: testing improvement continues

Abbreviated coronavirus dashboard for May 19: testing improvement continues Here is the update through yesterday (May 18). As usual, significant developments are in italics. The downward trend in new infections and deaths has continued. An important issue is whether we are beginning to see an increase in new infections in States which irresponsibly “reopened.” I will look […]

Updating the Petri dishes of democracy: population density remains a primary determinant of intensity

Updating the Petri dishes of democracy: population density remains a primary determinant of intensity Over the weekend I saw a map indicating that new coronavirus infections have been increasing on a relative basis in different and generally more rural parts of the country, especially in the Baltimore-Washington portion of the eastern megalopolis and the “black […]