Less data, more Covid-19?

A new challenge: Public health legal scholars, data experts and many federal officials worry the scaling back of data access could make it harder to control Covid-19. – CDC/TNS

JOEL Wakefield isn’t just an armchair epidemiologist. His interest in tracking the spread of Covid-19 is personal.

The 58-year-old lawyer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona, has an immunodeficiency disease that increases his risk of severe outcomes from Covid-19 and other infections. He has spent lots of time since 2020 checking state, federal and private sector Covid-19 trackers for data to inform his daily decisions.