4. What the hell is going on with COVID-19?
n this episode, I speak with Steph Smith (@stephsmithio), founder of Integral Labs. In our wide-ranging conversation, Steph shares her thoughts about the COVID-19 pandemic and what we can expect over the coming months for life and business.
We also discuss the complex nature of the virus, why the entire world missed its window to react, how these “black swan events” lead to second and third-order effects, why many people may default to optimism, and what data we should pay attention to.
Episode Resources
COVID-related resources
- John Hopkins Dashboard: Comprehensive dashboard of COVID-19 cases and deaths across each country around the world, along with by county in the United States.
- Tests per country: Dashboard comparing the testing rate of each country, relative to their population size.
- Finding Testing: Searchable database of testing centers in the United States.
- Which states are doing what?: Overview of orders by state.
- Covid Act Now: Site tracking the possibility of hospital overload, by location.
- COVID Volunteer projects: Project helping to crowd-source contribution to COVID-related projects.
Data sources
- Open Table booking data: Weekly data tracking restaurant reservations around the country.
- COVID news by country: Resource tracking amount of COVID news daily, around the world.
- Tableau case data: Open access to COVID data, which can be used/modeled directly in Tableau.
- SimilarWeb traffic data: Web traffic data aggregated across different industries over time.
- Safegraph foot traffic data: Foot traffic patterns monitored weekly, across different industries, regions, and brands.
- Traffic in Wuhan: Live traffic monitored in Wuhan, China over time. You can get a sense of how this region is ramping back up.
- Airplane cancellation tracker: Spreadsheet updated to reflect the state of major airlines across the world and how much business they have scaled back.
- Homebase data on small businesses: Report up until the end of March detailed the impact of COVID-19 on small businesses, including wages lost and hours worked.
- Womply revenue dashboard: Report on how industries are faring, according to credit card data.
Resources for Businesses
- Guide to the CARES Act: Everything you need to know about how the new coronavirus relief bill applies to small businesses.
- Startups flattening the curve: List of startups committed to supporting the COVID-cause.
- Layoff tracker, Hiring freezes, Silver Lining, Job postings, Who is hiring?: Resources tracking people losing their jobs, companies still hiring, and which companies are on freezes.
- SaaS for COVID deals and here: Discounts and free access to various digital tools during COVID.