As public health agencies start vaccinating high-risk health care workers against COVID-19, the federal government has started to provide detailed information about the state of the pandemic in a new Community Profile Report series. Tables at the end of the report list the states and communities with the COVID-19 indicators that worry public health officials the most. This information could help risk managers, life insurers, annuity issuers, health insurers, pension plan managers, and others forecast what might happen next with the pandemic's spread.

Getting ahead of the data

The HealthData.gov team at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is creating the profile reports with data compiled by the Data Strategy and Execution Workgroup, which is part of the White House COVID-19 Task Force. The team began posting the reports Thursday and has been updating the reports every day. The reports provide county-level maps showing, for example, where the number of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are high. They also include maps showing where the key indicators have been going in the wrong direction. Officials provide lists for "core-based statistical areas," or communities, with a population of 50,000 to 250,000, a population from 250,000 to 1 million, and a population over 1 million. In the 50,000 to 250,000 population category, for example, Palestine, Texas, ranks at the top of the list of small communities with an increasing COVID-19 pandemic burden. With a population of 57,735. Palestine has had only 201 cases in the past seven days, or new 348 cases per 100,000 lives. However, 17.2% of the people in the community who have been tested in the past seven days had COVID-19. The number of new cases reported this week is 66% higher than the number reported last week. In the category for midsize communities, Fresno, California, ranks first. Fresno has a population of 999,101. It recorded 9,572 new cases in the past week, or 958 new cases per 100,000 lives — meaning that about one resident in 100 has come down with COVID-19 in just the past seven days. The number of new cases reported this week is more than two times as high as the number reported last week. For a look at the five big communities at the top of the worry list for big communities, see the slideshow above. Related:

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