Trump’s Folly: Louisiana Core Covid-19 Tracking Data 05 (March 21, 2020)

Louisiana’s first reported Covid-19 case was a patient in Jefferson Parish near New Orleans. He was diagnosed on March 9 and he is officially the Index case for Louisiana, so far as government and public health authorities can tell.

This is the fifth in the series.

Here is the set of updated core data charts for March 21 for my home state of Louisiana starting almost literally at Epidemic Ground Zero for this state. We are 4.5 million souls. So, our state is a kind of unintended real-life experimental petri dish about what might help to blunt the epidemic curve, or prove that we acted too late to stem the tide.

LA DOH Corona 032120 5 PM

There are five core tracking tables, starting from the Week of March 8, and updating daily. The first set of two presents Louisiana’s Cumulative Reported Cases of Covid-19 by date, and the comparable US Cumulative Reported Cases of Covid-19 also by date. The second set of three tables shows the extent of Louisiana’s Covid-19 Lab tests Completed by date, the number of Louisiana’s Covid-19 deaths by date, and the Louisiana Covid-19 Case Rate per million population by date.

These five simple charts provide basic tracking values for the initial upsurge in the pandemic in Louisiana. The data are generated and publicly released twice per day on the official website of Louisiana’s Department of Health. The US national data are taken from the magnificent Johns Hopkins Covid-19 Tracking Database project.

We have added another daily chart which tracks the COVID-19 World Death Race. Sadly, the US has been on a relentless surge toward the Head of the Class on this list in the worst way, with only Italy and China surpassing our national piss-poor performance in some metrics.

Covid-19 World Death Race 032120

Hyperbole aside, when the post first wave history of this epidemic is written, there will literally be evidence of blood and gore on the hands of Federal Officials in charge. Not the doctors and scientists who have been hamstrung and overruled by dolts, but the political overseers, sycophants, and enablers of the most scientifically pig ignorant Administration in US history.

Times US Map 032120 9 PM

A harsh judgement? You bet. Talk to me about a softer tone when hundreds of Americans are not falling deadly ill all around us in real time. Keep quiet to protect the Dow Jones average from falling further? Whistling past the Graveyard. The only way to save the Market is to save American Lives and treat a Public Health Emergency like it is Wartime. Because it is.

NOLA US Case Cumulator 032120 7 PM

And the Viral Enemy has billions of soldiers who are invisible, eat light, travel by stealth, and laugh at money thrown to airlines, cruise ships, and hotels to replace lost profits.

Covid Lab Track 032120 11 PM

The national test information is drawn from the COVID Tracking Project, another wonderful private volunteer public health transparency data effort. Oh that our taxpayer funded federal informatics from might be of similar quality and rapid disclosure. This is the worst form of Trump.45 science constipation. Lives are at stake.

Barest Interval Summary

Louisiana is still hotter than the US national average in impact on this state. Our better news is that our state testing has very much increased, growing 10-fold in the last 7 days. Our positive test rate is also modestly declining to less than 25%, another not dreadful sign. In the last week the number of both US cases and Louisiana cases have increased about 7-fold, so Louisiana is not racing ahead of other states, as New York unfortunately is.

NOLA LA Spread Map 032120

With respect to the International COVID-19 Death race, the recent US performance is just dismal. We have the 3^rdlargest number of cases in the entire World using the March 21,2020 9 PM data reported from the Johns Hopkins Cocid-19 Tracker. In one week the number of US diagnosed cases has increased by 100 times. Let me repeat that 100 times larger in 7 days. Not even Italy and Spain performed that badly.

Times Covid World Death Counts 032120 9 PM

We have surpassed Iran in the number of sick patients. And our per capita diagnosed case rate is 50% higher than China’s. What a difference a week makes! If this is what the White House Corona Soft-Soapers were hinting at when they said to expect an uptick, they were lying through their collective dentures. Disgraceful. No wonder Trump.45 moved in February to classify meetings and some Covid-19 documents so the public wouldn’t get wind of them.

Times Case Growth 032120 9 PM

Comment

To a long-time public health professional this entire situation is unacceptable and nearly incomprehensible, thus eliciting expression of strong interpretive views. Nonetheless, the data are the data. Facts are Stubborn Things. All readers are advised to be skeptical and cautious, and examine the underlying data with care for themselves. Do a Reagan. Trust but Verify.

Consult the sources, and run your own numbers.

As for the notion that no-one could have seen this plaque coming after it hit China in December and no better Federal planning or prevention strategies could have been imagined or deployed, I call it utter Poppycock. It is a Deadly Lie, which some with Bully Pulpits continue to try and peddle to the naive and unsuspecting.