Last week it was my impression that the data were coming in slower. I chalked it up to Trump's efforts to suppress it by funneling it through HHS and the burdens HHS put on the hospitals to collect it. But (literally) at the end of the day Johns Hopkins' data base seemed to catch up. I didn't notice anything untoward in the eventual numbers. Last night I wrote that today, a Tuesday, would be a tell-tale day. Deaths should be double or more what they were yesterday. I wrote that in the context that it was my "sense" that we had turned the corner on the virus. If today's numbers were lower than expected that would be a sign we had turned said corner. And so far today the numbers have been shockingly, wonderfully lower. But it's only 1:30 p.m. Maybe my sense last week that the data was coming in slower was correct? We'll know by the end of the day. For now, the Dead number 177,619. That is an increase since yesterday of only 367. For the whole-ish story we turn to the New York Times' 7-day averages through yesterday, August 24:
In the latest iteration Cases actually inched up.
I hesitatingly-eagerly await the end-of-day Deaths numbers.
Deaths are still level, as they have been comme ci comme ca since August 8. Deaths lag Cases by two-four weeks, looking at where Cases were July 24 and August 10, actually that looks about as expected for Deaths.
