Just focusing on the deaths graph today. I am reworking a few of the other graphs and will start reposting them as soon as I figure out how they will look best. One thing to keep in mind with the deaths graph is that on any given day the numbers change for more than just that day. What do I mean?

If you looked at the release from the ND Department of Health there were something around 15 deaths announced in today’s release. However there are only 2 deaths in the data release today for November 2. There is a lag in reporting the deaths and the state rightly announces the deaths when they know about them, and then allocates them in the data file to the actual date of death. Just something to keep in mind when you hear things and the data do not necessarily match. This is nothing other than the normal delay in this type of situation and it could get worse in the case of a surge in hospitalizations and deaths. I am thinking of ways it might make sense to include this in a visual but I am not sure if there are any great ways. It is typically a count of 1 or 2 per day that will change and it is not usually terribly far back in time.

The count for deaths clearly remains elevated in the most recent six weeks or so. This fits the broad pattern seen nationally where a surge in cases is followed by hospitalizations and deaths.