1/5 I’ve been tracking #COVID19 data in #Lebanon for 5 months now. It’s been enlightening, rewarding, & frustrating, & the response from community members, journalists, & academics has surprised me. What have I learned? What advice can I give to others tracking the data? A THREAD

2/5 Focus on weeks & months, not days. It’s tempting to draw conclusions from changes or anomalies observed over a day or two, but trends reflect the status & story of the pandemic. This is why many experts recommend a minimum of 2 weeks’ data to start drawing conclusions.

3/5 Look at #’s in context, not in isolation. Case counts, e.g., are one measure, but positivity can indicate if cases are likely under-/over-counted & hospitalization can indicate if cases are worsening in severity. Great article about understanding #’s: https://www.propublica.org/article/how-to-understand-covid-19-numbers

4/5 Rely on trusted sources for information. Everyone is an “armchair epidemiologist” these days, so it is important to discern which people & orgs you can turn to for credible insight. Some suggestions: @firassabiad, @K2PCenter, @Fatima_AlSayah, & @CMartinICRC.

5/5 Follow evidence, not speculation. #COVID19 is not just a pandemic, but also an infodemic. Well-meaning folks forward misinfo trying to help others, & even experts are subject to confirmation bias that filters out contradictory info. Be critical, informed, & keep an open mind.