OWID, or the Worldometer, is a web site that tracks the volume of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and antibody tests across the world. This is an interesting and important piece of data, but it also has a number of shortcomings. One of the biggest is that it does not give a sense of the magnitude of change and the flow of time.
OWID only tracks polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests
During a recent tussle with the media, the team at Worldometer wowed the crowd with a live demonstration of their wares. While the company has had a long and storied history of collecting and analyzing data, the recent release of a live version of their database has brought them a notch closer to the mainstream media.
The company isn’t alone in its quest to provide relevant data. In January, Johns Hopkins announced that it was going to begin manually tracking Covid-19 testing data, using a combination of data from aggregation sites and primary sources. It hasn’t revealed which data it uses, or for that matter, when it started doing it, but the fact is, it’s a start.
In its heyday, Worldometer boasted a small but dedicated team of analysts and researchers who would do the math for you. They’ve since parted ways, allowing the company to become something of a boutique.
Worldometer counts PCR and antibodies together
Counting both polymerase chain reaction tests and antibodies in the same breath is not the most efficient way to determine whether someone is infected with Covid-19. This has been confirmed by a team of researchers at Yale University who were able to model the spread of the virus in the United States.
Despite the hype, there is no clear cut winner in the battle to claim the top spot in the rankings. For one thing, the most reputable source of testing data has yet to publish their results. The most impressive data comes from the World Health Organization, which claims a total of 1.2 million cases in its country of origin.
On the other hand, there is a lot of competition for the top spot, including Spain and Finland, both of which have a reported total of more than one million cases. The Spanish embassy also complained about the coverage of the Zika virus, a topic which was largely overlooked in the US media. While the Worldometer has not retreated from its testing numbers, it no longer bears the’s’ on its URL.
Spain is fifth in the world in Covid-19 testing volume
Despite a number of criticisms, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is standing by his claim that Spain is fifth in the world for Covid-19 testing. His office has also rejected calls for adjusting the numbers for population.
The number of Covid-19 patients in Spain has risen by 46 each day over the last seven days, and 99 people have died. At least 142 surviving patients had not received a dose of the vaccine.
The World Health Organization reported in September that Spain has suffered five waves of the virus. In the fifth wave, the delta variant predominates, and most of the surviving patients have not received a dose of the vaccine. This is a concern for health chiefs, as the Delta variant has a higher transmission rate than other versions vefeast
Worldometer fails to provide a sense of the magnitude of change and the flow of time
Touted as the official mascot of the World Health Organization’s Global Programme for Research and Training in Viral Hepatitis (GPR-VH), Worldometer is a well-researched website that has not changed much since its purchase by Dario, a young Italian entrepreneur. While not all is auspicious, the most recent iteration has managed to snag the top spot in Google’s search rankings for a variety of metrics, e.g.,’several’ and’multilingual’. Moreover, the site is home to a small but select group of analysts and researchers, most of whom have a penchant for the alliterative. Likewise, the company sprang into action after other businesses failed to materialize.
For instance, the company’s top-notch technical support is on par with the best in the business. As a testament to the quality of the company’s services, Worldometer was able to deliver on its promise to make a million giveme5 dollars in the first year of operation. On top of that, the company’s most senior employee – and its namesake – has landed a lucrative contract with a global pharmaceutical manufacturer.
FL is only reporting deaths of FL residents in its weekly reports whereas WorldOmeter is reporting all deaths
Earlier this week, the Florida Department of Health released a report that reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases it has ever recorded. It also reported that the cumulative total of new cases had plateaued at 150,740. This marked the first report of the COVID-19 outbreak to include county-level deaths.
