By CATHERINE BOWMAN
Los Alamos

Many people in Los Alamos appreciate the value of data – its collection, presentation, and analysis – in helping understand causal relationships, and how things work in general.

In the last six months, this collection and presentation of data has been in the forefront of many peoples’ minds, helping to clarify and understand the origins, nature, spread, and short- and long-term effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the concomitant coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

In the early weeks and months, as the nature of the spread and the effects of the disease were inadequately known and understood, much of the data reflected infection rates, hospital resource use, and death rates. With the advent of more research and wider testing, more information and relationships are emerging. 

During the last six-plus months, three individuals have contributed enormously to our need (in some cases passion) for data presented in a variety of ways. Nels Hoffman (link), Marv Alme (link), and especially Eli Ben-Naim (link) have given us magnificent graphic views of all manner of data, enabling us to see not only infection rates and death, but also where Los Alamos County stands in relation to New Mexico, and where New Mexico stands in relation to other states in infection, testing and hospitalization, travel restrictions from other states, what states have mask mandates (I loved this one) both geographically and chronologically.

As far as I can tell, Eli Ben-Naim has not missed a day since the pandemic coverage began. He has culled data on many facets of the pandemic conditions, from many different sources. Although the pandemic is frightening, in my experience the biggest fear is that of what we do not know and do not understand. Data helps us understand, and so perhaps to reduce the fear. So thank you to Nels Hoffman, Marv Alme, and above all, Eli Ben-Naim, for giving us our daily data.