
JHU coronavirus analysis end 2020
INTRODUCTION
There are numerous analyses on the internet and in research papers regarding COVID-19. Data from the pandemic is very useful for creating educational material. The Johns-Hopkins University (JHU) data repository contains large open data sets on the pandemic.
In this notebook, I showcase the use of this data resource. The aims are as follows:
Use the JHU data as teaching material for the R language
Use the JHU data as teaching material for data analysis
Compare data between countries (South Africa, Germany, United Kingdom)
Look ahead at what may happen in South Africa in early 2021
View the complete RPub document here
CONCLUSION
South Africa lags behind in the time line of COVID-19. Cases in South Africa were much higher after the first wave. It may be that the case load will be very high in the first part of 2021.
While we do consider that a current strain of SARS-CoV-2 is more infective, there might be confounding factors as there is great concern about human activities and interactions, especially since the progressive lifting of restrictions. The festive season may worsen upcoming case numbers.
Seroprevalence studies in South Africa are showing a a much higher level of infection than confirmed cases report. Vaccines will take the better part of 2021 to reach large parts of South Africa.