PBS has a good series on how medicine has learned to fight pandemics. This particular episode focuses on how data is used to understand and limit pandemics. It starts with how William Farr used data to track a cholera outbreak. I’ve embedded this episode here for your enjoyment and information. **Related Posts** Income and LifeContinue reading “PBS Program on Data and Pandemics”
Author Archives: CSI without Dead Bodies
Pennsylvania has Become the First State in the U.S. to Curb the Governor’s Emergency Powers
In the 2021 primary election in Pennsylvania there were 2 constitutional amendments on the ballot to limit the Governors emergency powers in times of a pandemic or natural disaster. The first amendment empowers the state legislature to terminate or extend a disaster declaration with a simple majority without input by the governor. The second amendmentContinue reading “Pennsylvania has Become the First State in the U.S. to Curb the Governor’s Emergency Powers”
COVID-19 Cases Have Risen in Cambria County but Deaths Have Not Due to Vaccinations (so far)
The second installment of We Are All In This Together: Pandemic-Johnstown 1918 has come out and can be seen above. Recently there has been a rise in cases as spring has sprung. Since the terrible months of December and January, the 7 day average for new cases fell from 214.29 on Dec 11 to 14.29 onContinue reading “COVID-19 Cases Have Risen in Cambria County but Deaths Have Not Due to Vaccinations (so far)”
The 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic in Johnstown
In this Together Cambria has created a series of short films on the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic to show how similar it is to what is happening today with the coronavirus. Above is the first part of a four part series produced by UPJ professor Paul D. Newman. It was filmed at the Oklahoma HouseContinue reading “The 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic in Johnstown”
Some Clues for Racial Disparities for Cambria County
Last week I posted on the racial disparities in health outcomes in Cambria County. These disparities are primarily what is driving the low rankings for the county in the County Health Rankings. County Health Rankings provides a wealth of statistics called health factors which provide clues to these disparities. Here is a list: 9% ofContinue reading “Some Clues for Racial Disparities for Cambria County”
African Americans Still Lag Behind in Life Expectancy in Cambria County
Group Cambria County Pennsylvania U.S. Overall 76.1 78.4 78.7 Caucasian 76.4 78.9* 78.6 African American 67.3 73.4* 74.7 Hispanic 91.3 85.3* 81.8 *Pennsylvania life expectancy by race numbers are from 2010 (Measure of America, 2013) In my book, Wuthering Depths in Johnstown: By the Numbers. I wrote extensively on the 2020 County Health Rankings for CambriaContinue reading “African Americans Still Lag Behind in Life Expectancy in Cambria County”
The 2021 County Health Rankings are Out
The 2021 County Health Rankings are now out for every county in the US. The rankings use more than 60 government statistics to assess the overall health of each county. Above is a video description of their model. They have two overall rankings for the state: Health Outcomes (mortality and quality of life data)Continue reading “The 2021 County Health Rankings are Out”
One Year of Corona Virus in Cambria County
March 23 will be the one year anniversary of the first case of coronavirus in Cambria County. The graph above shows the trend in cases and vaccinations over the past year. The graph below shows the trend in deaths. The first death was reported on April 7. The county now (as of this writing) hasContinue reading “One Year of Corona Virus in Cambria County”
Hate Groups do not Predict Trump % in 2020. It did in 2016
The Southern Poverty Law Center has come out with it’s 2020 hate map showing the concentration of hate groups in the US as seen above. The total number of groups that they follow nationally went down in 2020 to 838 from 940 in 2019. The high point for hate groups during the Trump years wasContinue reading “Hate Groups do not Predict Trump % in 2020. It did in 2016”
What other Variables Contribute to Nursing Home Mortality in PA?
% of death in LTCF Case Mortality in LTCF Case Mortality in County % over 66 % Rural Median Household Income % of death in LTCF 1.00 Case Mortality in LTCF 0.38 1.00 Case Mortality in County 0.02 0.26 1.00 % over 66 -0.19 -0.30 0.33 1.00 % Rural -0.13 -0.21 0.11 0.62Continue reading “What other Variables Contribute to Nursing Home Mortality in PA?”