This week, Yall-itics makes its first stop all the way up in Philadelphia, PA. The Jasons talk with the man heading up a renowned research team there. The scientists have been modeling how the pandemic will affect different metros across the country. And when they ran the numbers for Harris County recently, they were ‘alarmed’. The potential case-count nearly went off the chart as they took a look out four weeks into the future. The trajectory is definitely going in the wrong direction, but the research team there says recent reopening rollbacks and some simple, but critical changes in our individual behaviors may prevent their worst-case scenario graph from becoming reality.

 June brought a swell of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations in Texas, particularly in some of the larger metro areas, like Harris County. From Pennsylvania, Yall-itics makes its way into the heart of the Texas Medical Center, often referred to as the largest complex of medical facilities in the world. One expert there explains why medical professionals are calmer than they were when they first encountered the virus this spring. The headlines from the medical center have been dire lately, but this well-positioned expert says there is still plenty of capacity to take care of new patients. But he warns against complacency, noting how easily this virus can exploit our failure to stay vigilant…saying that we will only be able to keep the economy open by getting better at maintaining safety precautions.

Policy Lab Covid-19 mapping

Texas Medical Center Bed Capacity