Each morning I sit down with a mug of coffee and click through a series of sources for the latest update on the trajectory of the pandemic. This routine includes the following:
Predictions on the trajectory of the pandemic by The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). (Note: the source data on this one does not update every day)
Fourteen day case trend by state by the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center
Case rate and death rates for my own state (MA) and several others at Coronavirus Bell Curve.
Reviewing COVID stories from a range of sources (primarily NYT, WSJ, Boston Globe, the Atlantic, and then highlights from other sources)
This gives me a sense of how the world is today when compared with yesterday in how we understand our prospects for the immediate and midrange future related to living through the pandemic. This pattern is likely familiar to many of you, who are eager to be prepared for what is next.
It’s hard to say that this level of close monitoring is practical…even though it sometimes feels like things are changing quickly, such as in the early days, when monitoring this closely, the pandemic feels a little more stable. Monitoring this data can give me an indication of the options available to my children for school and sports, and of whether I will continue to be able to eat at a restaurant outside. Yet, I’m aware that this close monitoring leans me to remain connected to daily detail even when we can see that the longer trajectory is the bigger story.
In each conversation I have, whether professional or personal, I discover more tendrils of this change, and more implications for our future. Never before has my own fate felt so deeply connected to others. Collaboration is our way of being at Spring Street Exchange, and we love to have this conversation. So, let’s connect. We’d love to hear your concerns and silver linings, and we are happy to share highlights of what we’re running across.
It’s just another way that we’ll get through this together.