Some states trim COVID reporting as Delta spurs surge

Weekly releases — like the strategy employed in Florida — "have consequences for the country’s understanding of the current summer surge, with no statewide COVID stats coming out of the virus hotspot for six days a week," AP writes.

Driving the news: Nebraska recently halted virus-reporting for two weeks after Gov. Pete Ricketts ended the state's virus emergency. That decision was reversed two weeks later and a weekly site with basic numbers went live.

• In Florida, virus reporting frequency slowed earlier this month, with officials saying it reflected the dwindling case counts and the increasing number of people being vaccinated.
• Kansas started reporting its data three times a week back May when the state's health department said the task overwhelmed its staff.

• Washington, D.C., earlier this week published a dashboard on breakthrough cases to illustrate those residents who contracted the virus after being fully vaccinated.

What they're saying: "There was absolutely no reason to eliminate the daily updates beyond an effort to pretend like there are no updates," said state Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat from the Orlando area.

The other side: Experts have long-advised that seven-day rolling averages are more valuable for laypeople because the numbers can vary widely each day.