White House releases ‘previously hidden’ state COVID-19 data

The White House COVID-19 team on Wednesday released state coronavirus profile statistics that were “previously hidden,” according to White House COVID-19 Data Director Cyrus Shahpar.

In a tweet, Shahpar shared the state profile reports (SPR), which give week-by-week analyses of coronavirus changes per state. 

First post: We are now sharing previously hidden weekly COVID-19 state profile reports with the public. Thanks to data team and @l_e_whyte @rypan @alexismadrigal @DrTomFrieden @EricTopol @JasonSalemi @PeterJ_Walker @T_Inglesby https://t.co/f4trSyNpBv

— Cyrus Shahpar (@cyrusshahpar46) January 27, 2021

Prior to yesterday’s release, the SPRs had been largely hidden from the public, being released only to state governors by the Trump administration’s coronavirus task force. 

“The purpose of this report is to develop a shared understanding of the current status of the pandemic at the national, state, regional and local levels,” the reports state.

The data included in the SPRs notes the numbers of COVID-19 cases, percentages of hospitals with staffing and supply shortages, and the most at-risk counties and localities organized by color zones, among other statistics.

At this time, previous reports that detailed the state-specific recommendations provided to governors have not been released, according to multiple outlets, including the Orlando Sentinel.

HealthData.gov indicated that additional reports would be released, saying, “the format and content may change in coming reports.” It also noted the data is being presented to the public in the same way it was given to governors.

The reports, generated by the White House COVID-19 team, are an interagency effort that enlist the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the SPR introduction. The profiles are designed to provide “contextual information at the county and state levels” by providing “visual interpretations of results with color thresholds,” the reports note.

Testing and organizational methods are noted on each individual state’s report.