The estimated reading time for this post is 4 minutes
The U.S. government launched a new website last week that provides COVID information and resources all in one place. Instead of opening different websites to find COVID information and access resources, now you can head to this new website and get all your information at once.
About the New U.S. Government COVID Website
The new U.S. government website, covid.gov, was launched last week as an official COVID site that can provide instant access to all kinds of information about COVID resources.
The site is simple to use yet provides a wealth of information about access to COVID resources.
The website is available in English, Spanish, and Chinese.
Community Information
You can search by county to learn about local current COVID infection levels, mask requirements, vaccine availability, testing information, and more.
COVID Resources
If you’ve been bouncing between websites looking for where to get a vaccine, where to find testing, how to get treated, or where to find masks, you’ll appreciate having all of this information in one place. Covid.gov has a COVID-19 Toolkit that shows visitors to the site all of this information and more.
The Toolkit has links to help you find the resources to fight COVID. Get links to:
- Masks — with information about the effectiveness of masks and where to find free N95 masks
- Vaccines — where to find a vaccination or booster near you
- Treatment — what treatment options are available to you and where to find a Test-to-Treat location near you
- Testing — a link to order free tests
Want to talk to someone about your COVID questions? The site includes a phone number (1-800-232-0233) to call with questions.
Planning to travel and wondering about COVID restrictions? Check out => Sherpa’s Interactive COVID Restrictions Map Helps You Plan Your Next Trip
COVID Trends and Data
Perhaps you’re thinking that the COVID pandemic is over and you don’t need any of these resources. Or you’re worried about when the next variant will cause another surge in COVID cases. While COVID rates have been dropping in the U.S., the next outbreak could happen at any time.
In either case, you may want to check out the latest trends in COVID data from the CDC COVID Data Tracker website. By seeing the COVID data trends you may be able to anticipate whether the next wave is coming soon or whether the statistics are continuing their current downward trend. At this site, you can find the latest trends at a glance or dive deep into recent COVID data.
On the CDC Data Tracker website, you can find daily U.S. COVID trends for:
- Cases
- Deaths
- Hospitalizations
- Vaccinations
You can see the total numbers for COVID cases and deaths, as well as the current number of hospitalizations for COVID. The site also shows the percentage of people age five or older in the U.S. who have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine.
The CDC Data Tracker also lets you search for trends at the state and county levels. You can search for COVID trends state-wide to see if another outbreak may be coming soon. You can also search for your home county to gauge the risk factors for COVID locally.
The site provides a link to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) COVID Data Weekly Review that summarizes COVID trends in the U.S. The CDC Weekly Review includes a map showing COVID trends across the U.S. by county so you can quickly spot the hotspots.
Deeper COVID Data Dives
Want to find out even more about COVID trends? The COVID Data Tracker site can give you a deeper dive into recent COVID data. The site currently has links to COVID Data Basics, including:
- Cases, Deaths, and Testing
- Case and Death Demographic Trends
- Vaccination Delivery and Coverage
- Vaccine Effectiveness and Breakthrough Surveillance
For example, let’s say you want to find out how effective the COVID vaccine has been recently in keeping people out of the hospital. Click Vaccine Effectiveness and Breakthrough Surveillance to see the difference in hospitalization rates for those who are vaccinated versus those who are unvaccinated, according to age group.
Additional COVID Data Topics
If you want even more COVID data, COVID Data Tracker has plenty of additional information. Check out fascinating data such as:
- Wastewater Surveillance
- Social Impact and Prevention
- Seroprevalence (how much of the U.S. has been infected with COVID so far)
- Health Care Settings
- Variants and Genomic Surveillance (how the CDC is tracking COVID variants)
As an example, in the Seoprevalence section, you can see the estimated percentage of people who have had COVID in your state so far.
Your Thoughts
Will you use the new covid.gov website to find COVID resources? Have you been tracking COVID data to see what the trends are? Were you surprised by any COVID data you learned from the COVID Data Tracker site?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
Deena Siddle says
This has a lot of great updated information; we really haven’t been hearing much about Covid lately and I have seen pictures of people in air ports without mask. I pray the numbers don’t clime again.
Carolyn Nicander Mohr says
Hi Deena, Time will tell whether we in the U.S. are on a COVID break or are done with the pandemic. This new website can give us insight into when and whether the numbers start rising again. If they do, this site can help us find resources for treatment, testing, and more.