US State COVID-19 Report Card: September Update
Map current as of 9/30/20
Author: KATIE JILLSON
Following the initial release of the GenderSci Lab’s Health Affairs Blog, Socially Relevant Variables in US State COVID-19 Surveillance Reporting: A Report Card, at the end of June, the lab has continued to track changes in state reporting of socially relevant variables for COVID-19 cases and fatalities. Data availability is becoming increasingly critical as many states experience a second wave of infections. By monitoring the comprehensiveness of COVID-19 data reporting across the US, we are continuing to build a picture of what data are available, and where this data can be found. Only once socially relevant variables and their interactions are analyzed, can COVID outcomes and their disparities be placed within their social context, as highlighted in our June Report Card blog post. It is of paramount importance that states continue to be held to a high standard of accountability for their data reporting.
The full data tables for this Report Card, and prior versions going back to April, are hosted on our US State COVID-19 Report Card page. Data will continue to be updated monthly, with primary data hosting on the site and a highlights blog emphasizing important shifts. Previous month’s highlights blogs are available below this post.
The September Report Card highlights differences in states’ reporting of socially relevant variables for COVID-19 cases and fatalities from August 2020. Concerningly, the states’ average grades dropped this month, continuing the trend of failing grades nationwide.
The average grade for all states decreased slightly from 6.70 to 6.65; this represents a “D” grade, and thus the average for all states is a failing grade. Our data indicate that the average state is only reporting 6 variables out of a possible 10. It is important to note that the average grade has been a D grade since we began data reporting in June, indicating that the reporting continues to be dangerously substandard, with few states improving on the socially relevant variables they report.
On an unsettling note, Florida and Missouri (two states with high and rising COVID prevalence rates) saw a large decrease in data reporting, as they both stopped reporting socially relevant variables. Additionally, the scores of both Indiana and Rhode Island decreased by 1 point. Missouri no longer reports sex-disaggregated data for cases or fatalities. Rhode Island and Florida have both stopped recording interactions among case data, and Florida is also missing the interaction between data variables in death data. Indiana has stopped recording interactional data for deaths.
Fortunately, three states saw a 1-point increase in score. North Dakota has started reporting race/ethnicity for cases, and Hawaii has begun reporting race/ethnicity for death data. This follows Hawaii’s upward trend in reporting more data, as last month the state also started reporting sex among cases. Additionally, South Dakota now also reports race/ethnicity for fatalities.
Race/ethnicity data was the variable most likely to be newly reported in September, as seen with Hawaii, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Notably, New York is currently the only state not reporting race/ethnicity data for cases and Missouri appears to be the only state that is not currently reporting sex-disaggregated case data.
This September update indicates that states are continuing to modify their methods of reporting data. Increasing variables in data reporting is an important part of understanding the health inequities that preside over COVID-19 cases and outcomes, and our monthly report card should inspire states to continue to improve and develop their reporting of socially relevant variables and COVID-19.
Highlights from September’s Report Card
From August to September, the average state grade decreased from a 6.70 to a 6.65, representing a “D”.
North Dakota and Hawaii both saw a score increase of 1. However, this still leaves Hawaii with a D grade and North Dakota with an F grade.
Indiana and Rhode Island both saw their scores decrease by 1, whilst Florida and Missouri both had their scores decrease by 2.
Most notably, Missouri has stopped reporting sex for case and fatality data. It is now the only state not reporting this variable.
One state (North Dakota) has begun reporting race/ethnicity for case data and one state (Hawaii) has begun reporting race/ethnicity for fatality data.
New York is now the only state not reporting race/ethnicity data for cases.
Source: Authors’ analysis of State Health Department websites, as described in Boulicault et al. 2020
Prior Report Card blog posts
Original June 2020 Report Card and Health Affairs Blog Post
RECOMMENDED CITATION
Jillson, K. “US State COVID-19 Report Card: September Update ” GenderSci Blog, October 19, 2020. https://www.genderscilab.org/blog/us-state-covid-19-report-card-september-update
CONTACT
For media and other inquiries concerning the Data Report Card or questions about the GenderSci Lab COVID Project, please contact us at
genderscilab@fas.harvard.edu.
STATEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL LABOR
Jillson wrote the blog post and highlights. Shattuck-Heidorn provided edits. D’Souza, Tarrant, and Jillson collected and validated the data.