Pandemic Data Initiative

Building modern data management systems for local, state, federal, and global public health agencies is critical to preparing the nation and the world for the next major public health crisis. The Pandemic Data Initiative explores the lessons learned throughout the pandemic for how best to support government efforts to collect and deliver comprehensive real-time information to the public, policy makers, and the media.

Pandemic Data Outlook

The State of State-Level Breakthrough Case Reporting

COVID-19 breakthrough case data is essential for tracking the virus and monitoring vaccine efficacy. Only 35 states report this data and only a portion of them report the data in a useful format. We need clear, consistent reporting of this data across all 50 states.

Expert Insight

Q&A: Universal Testing Data Provides Community Insight

Universal testing of entire nursing home communities has revealed higher COVID-19 positivity due to asymptomatic cases. The lessons learned from this testing data have consequences to the future of public health surveillance.

Pandemic Data Outlook

Determining Discrete Data Points from the Sex and Gender Spectra

Sex and gender play an important role in health and disease, yet data collection methods for these demographics are outdated, insufficient, or non-existent. The recent interest in sex disaggregated data due to COVID-19 should be harnessed to reinvent the way we value, collect, and employ sex and gender data.

Expert Insight

Q&A: Helping Carry the Vaccination Decision-Making Burden during Pregnancy

With limited data on the efficacy and safety of vaccines in pregnant people due to antiquated policies, this population is either unfairly blocked from receiving vaccinations or forced to decide to get vaccinated without clear public health guidance. The COVID-19 pandemic has been an opportunity to prioritize pregnant people, but there is yet again a lack of data on COVID-19 vaccination and pregnancy.

Pandemic Data Outlook

Preparing State Data Systems for Booster Doses and Breakthrough Cases

As concerns about breakthrough infections increase and booster doses become a reality, states must prepare their data collection systems and public dashboards to best collect and disseminate this information. These new data streams could be incredibly useful to controlling COVID-19 if states follow certain recommendations and prepare accordingly.

Expert Insight

Q&A: Let’s Talk About Sex, Gender, and Intersectionality

Sex and gender combine with other societal constructs such as race and age to determine how a person will respond to a disease like COVID-19. Detailed data collection on patients’ sex and gender will be necessary to appropriately tailor medical interventions and understand the underlying mechanisms of disease and this pandemic.

Pandemic Data Outlook

State Data Reporting Reduction Continues Amidst COVID-19 Resurgence

About 70% of U.S. states do not release updated COVID-19 data daily. As cases and deaths continue to rise, states need to reinstate near real-time reporting of data to protect the public’s health during the pandemic.

Expert Insight

Q&A: Breaking Down Data Silos for Societal Well-being

Economics and public health have been billed as opposing forces throughout the pandemic. This tension arises from disparate data streams and analyses that fail to incorporate a holistic view of the problem and tradeoffs imposed by potential solutions. Linking data streams across specialties is our best hope for progress.

Expert Forum