Last month, a scientist named Rebekah Jones was allegedly fired from the Florida Department of Health for refusing to manipulate data so that it would support the state’s reopening plan. According to NPR, Jones wrote, “I would not expect the new team to continue the same level of accessibility and transparency that I made central to the process during the first two months. After all, my commitment to both is largely (arguably entirely) the reason I am no longer managing it.” A rebuttal from the Florida governor is provided here.
Whatever the circumstances, Jones subsequently created her own dashboard which is available through a portal. While the new dashboard currently is dependent on Florida Department of Health data which Jones criticized upon her departure, the team is “working to collect the data without depending on DOH’s live updates.” One feature that I think the public should find particularly useful is the “Reopening Criteria” tab as pictured below:
The reopening criteria that are displayed on the dashboard include (1) Decrease in ER visits fro COVID-like illness, (2) Decrease in ER visits for influenza-like illness, and (3) Decrease in new cases by date. These are all very reasonable criteria to me, and they are similar to other reopening criteria that I recently profiled.
According to NPR, “only two of the state’s 67 counties at the moment meet the state's criteria for further easing restrictions.” Assuming that the data feeding these criteria are correct, one might conclude that Florida’s recently announced plan to reopen schools is not supported by data.
It would be nice if all states and counties had access to data that are presented in the context of their local reopening criteria. It would help inform conversations among the public and among officials who make decisions about public policy.
No comments:
Post a Comment