On April 27th, Georgia updated their COVID-19 data tracking website with new data and improved visuals. A few initial thoughts:
New top level stats that give you a quick update on what's going on.
We now see county stats, ICU admissions, and more comprehensive demographic information. One challenge we still see is the state hasn't made this data downloadable / exportable (that we can see anyways). They should open this data up immediately.
Secondly, the testing data is still not sharing test dates, sample dates, and other info that would help us understand the nature of the data we're seeing.
I'm *really* glad that the state improved the cases over time chart and added the "14 day window" notation because the previous version led to mass confusion and some journalists getting the wrong data (see this twitter thread about the misappropriated number). That being said, I'm not a fan of data viz that needs explanation and still leaves room for misinterpretation. These are the kinds of graphics that experts understand. And with the 14 day disclaimer it certainly helps the lay person be more likely to thoughtfully use this data. However, in public health, we can't have room for errors in understanding data.
I'm pleased with the upgrade the state gave us. It's not clear to us why it took so long. Virtually every other state had an upgraded site out by end of March. Either way, we'll take it.
