Statistics paint a picture, but they can also be misleading. COVID Questions: By the Numbers will present a closer look at the statistics of the COVID pandemic, both nationally and locally.
The virtual town hall will be held Tues., Jan. 26 at 7:00 pm over Zoom. Participants can take part at https://pitt.zoom.us/j/94911790258. The presentation will be livestreamed over In This Together Cambria’s Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/inthistogethercambria.
“We’ll be looking at topics like herd immunity, how to interpret pandemic statistics, and what types of indicators experts look at to assess risk levels,” said Ashlee Kiel of In This Together Cambria.
Chip Minemyer, editor of The Tribune-Democrat, will moderate.
Tuesday’s event will be the third COVID Questions forum presented to date. Additional COVID Questions forums are planned as follows:
“COVID Questions” is an ongoing series featuring various experts to answer questions, dispel myths, and confirm how others are doing their share to curb the pandemic. The series is part of a larger effort in partnership with In This Together Cambria, an all-volunteer organization of local residents partnering to make Cambria County a better place to live, The Tribune-Democrat, and Pitt-Johnstown.
COVID Questions: By The Numbers presents:
Paul Ricci is a freelance statistician living in Johnstown, and has tracked local COVID statistics since the beginning of the pandemic. He has a master’s degree in biostatistics and research methodology from the University of Pittsburgh and teaches at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College. He blogs at csiwithoutdeadbodies.com and has written the book “Wuthering Depths in Johnstown: By the Numbers.”
Jill D. Henning, Ph.D is an associate professor of biology at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. She has a broad background in immunology, infectious diseases, and cancer biology. In general, her research examines how infectious disease affect humans and animals—a concept referred to as “One Health.” She has divided her research into two specific categories: viral influences on immune function associated with cancer and zoonotic infectious diseases and their vectors. She completed her Ph.D. in infectious diseases microbiology from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health in 2008. She was a post-doctoral fellow in biobehavioral medicine for a year and joined the faculty here at Pitt-Johnstown in 2009. She co-authors the column “COVID Questions” in The Tribune-Democrat.
Tulsi Shrivastava is a junior business intelligence analyst at Learning Sciences International. She graduated from Pitt-Johnstown in 2019 with degrees in mathematics and information systems. As a member of the Unity Coalition of the Southern Alleghenies for almost three years, she has volunteered with several community events and enjoys promoting diversity in the area. She assists with the Storytelling efforts of In This Together Cambria, hoping to humanize the pandemic and advocate for public safety.