Narrative

My piece is inspired by the research of the Weitz Group, whose work aims to code for an accurate visual that maps COVID-19 progression, risk, and projections for the future. One major product of their studies is an interactive online dashboard that allows viewers to quantify and visualize their expected risk of contracting COVID-19, given that they attend a gathering of population size n. Through the use of county-level case reports as well as statistical calculation of ascertainment bias, the group was able to generate a risk assessment map of the United States. In "Us," I took the Weitz Group map of COVID-19 risk and explored its implications on the individual. I aimed to reflect the delicate balance between larger, holistic numbers-- real-time per capita infection rates, county case counts, national geolocalized risk-- and the community of individuals living their day-to-day behind them, under the hope and weight of numbers so much bigger than themselves.