The conventional wisdom from the blue-check journo class is that the protests have not caused any COVID-19 spikes around the country:
New York City reports no protest-related upticks in Covid-19 https://t.co/lgfUUXVnLW
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) June 26, 2020
But numbers from other cities do show a spike in COVID-19 cases that are possibly linked to protests.
There have been some early positive data for the "protests don't spread covid" theory. Here's some also preliminary evidence that they do. https://t.co/BaCyzXNELO
— Megan McArdle (@asymmetricinfo) June 26, 2020
Here’s the Bay Area in Northern California:
The change in the Bay Area looks what you'd expect if there were a big increase in transmissions 3 weeks ago https://t.co/kn59qq9yZw pic.twitter.com/u9lAkhnWa0
— Spotted Toad (@toad_spotted) June 26, 2020
Dallas and Austin, Texas:
There's a lot going on at once. I can't see how we've shown this is not a factor at all. pic.twitter.com/M44oM98kCa
— Spotted Toad (@toad_spotted) June 26, 2020
Seattle:
Seattle and Oakland estimated Rt from https://t.co/F2Laqg7QL7
Not huge effects, but timing is right pic.twitter.com/8uMhnXwCV0
— Spotted Toad (@toad_spotted) June 26, 2020
And we already told you about Los Angeles:
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L.A. County Public Health Director says it's 'highly likely' mass protests responsible for surge in coronavirus cases https://t.co/U6H8nPFRDf
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) June 23, 2020
We’ll point out that cases are on the rise in Minnesota, too:
While the state reports the highest single-day total of new COVID-19 cases since early June, death totals have now been in the single-digits for nearly a week. | https://t.co/lfk83jCn54 pic.twitter.com/eV6Zw4Bjpe
— WCCO – CBS Minnesota (@WCCO) June 26, 2020
And with cases surging in Houston, how can you not link that to the protests?
Texas today banned the gathering of over 100 people without government permission.
Below is a picture of George Floyd’s Houston funeral: pic.twitter.com/06NyeyxJLN
— Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) June 26, 2020
More from Twitchy regular AG:
Thread. Rather clear that the hypothesis of "reopenings led to spikes" just doesn't match the data for cases or hospitalizations. A drastic shift can clearly be traced to late May and early June. https://t.co/0Mf0dVm3GE
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) June 26, 2020
“Spikes are directly correlated with the timing of the protests” but AG also thinks the “most likely explanation is that many Americans changed their behavior around” the protests:
It's rather obvious, as @boriquagato suggests, that the spikes are directly correlated with the timing of protests. But data that spread occurred at protests is limited thus far. That's why I view most likely explanation is that many Americans changed their behavior around then.
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) June 26, 2020
It’s hard to see what’s going on as this data is coming in, but this is definitely something to watch.
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