Data Firm Says Jackson County Might Be a Potential Future COVID-19 Hotspot

(May 2, 2020 4:49 PM) A study using artificial intelligence suggests Jackson County may be on the verge of becoming a coronavirus hotspot as Michigan is taking the first steps to slowly reopen the economy. 22 counties in the nation, including Jackson County, are predicted as future coronavirus hotspots, the report says.

The analysis from technology firm Dataminr used artificial intelligence to scour through posts on several social media platforms. According to Fortune, several governments and companies use Dataminr’s technology to look for trends and predict emerging events—including the World Health Organization and the United Nations.

Jason Edelboim, President and Chief Operating Officer at Dataminr told JTV News in a statement, “COVID-19 is the first pandemic of the age of social media and information is moving faster than the virus itself. More than ever, people are posting real-time, first-hand accounts of what they see, hear, and are experiencing as it relates to the virus. These social media clusters, detected through Dataminr’s AI platform, represent the “ground truth” of the virus as it unfolds, and have proven to be a leading indicator for impending coronavirus outbreak severity, helping organizations and corporations – including local hospitals and frontline staff – to more quickly determine their response, allocate resources, protect people, and minimize disruption to their operations.”

The Jackson County graph in the Dataminr report.

You can find the study here.

Dataminr’s software accurately forecast infection hotspots in 14 states between a week and two weeks before those areas saw exponential growth in cases, the company said in a March study.

On the Dataminr website, the firm claims to have been first to report the Wuhan outbreak in late 2019. “In late 2019, an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus—now known as COVID-19—simmered for weeks in Wuhan, China before claiming its first victim on January 10, 2020. Dataminr first detected the outbreak of COVID-19 within public social media posts at 9:11 a.m. EST on Dec 30, 2019, providing clients with the earliest warning in advance of the U.S. government’s announcement 7 days later,” the website reports.

Dataminr is also projecting hotspots in Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas—states that have eased or are considering easing social distancing protocols. Its data showed while COVID-19 is peaking in cities, smaller metro and rural areas could be next.

The company said it accurately predicted spikes in cases for Italy, South Korea and Spain.

In addition to Jackson County, Dataminr is forecasting likely surges in the following counties:

Georgia

Chatham County

Clarke County

Florida:

Bay County

Escambia County

Manatee County

Polk County

Volusia County

Indiana