States may be opening up gradually, but COVID-19 has not been conquered. Short of developing an effective vaccine, the only way to instill confidence among consumers, commuters, sports fans and shoppers is through reliable, accurate and encompassing data.
To that end, we’re encouraged that the Legislature’s new Public Health and Economic Emergency Commission, which originally seemed it might be a meddlesome intrusion into the governor’s handling of the pandemic in Utah, is dedicated to a rigorous collection of that information.
In a meeting with the Deseret News/KSL editorial board Tuesday, members of the commission, including Senate President Stuart Adams, Senate Majority Whip Dan Hemmert and Adjutant General Jefferson Burton, Utah’s pandemic response coordinator for the state Department of Health, stressed the need to begin mass testing of all Utahns and to promote stronger tracing efforts in order to see how the virus is spreading.
They also spoke of a three-pronged approach to battling COVID-19, involving a close monitoring of daily hospital capacity rates in order to ensure enough bed space for patients, a careful eye on transmission rates, as measured by hospitalizations, and, through tracing, the monitoring of community spread.
They spoke of the need to collect and track data on all patients who are hospitalized for COVID-19, not just those who have died.
The value of data cannot be overstated. For most of two months, Utah was in a position where people generally were directed to stay home and nonessential businesses told to temporarily cease operation. With better data, future pandemic controls could take a more nuanced approach.
For instance, Utah has officially transitioned from a red to an orange response status, indicating a gradual and carefully guided reopening of businesses, using social distancing, face masks and other precautions. But for people 65 and over, the condition remains red.
Should a dreaded second wave of infections afflict the state, data could lead to tighter restrictions in certain geographic areas, among certain businesses only, or among certain demographics, while others have fewer restrictions. Commission members pointed to the recent discovery of a spike in COVID-19 cases in Utah County that apparently led to an immediate shutdown of one as-yet-unidentified business as an example.
Better data would allow the state to understand why Hispanic communities are experiencing higher rates of illness than others.
Utah so far has seen a lower death rate from COVID-19 than all but four states. The personal finance website Wallethub.com on Tuesday issued a study that determined Utah is the least vulnerable state to the pandemic. Among other things, it cited the state’s young demographic and its residents’ access to health care, as well as their ability to save for an emergency.
That’s good news, but it would be premature to celebrate. The virus has not been defeated.
The commission’s job is to recommend actions to the governor, which he is free to accept or reject. But the more the commission immerses itself in relevant and rigorous data, the more valuable it will become and the closer it will bring the state to ending the pandemic with a minimum of harm.