Rethinking the value of COVID case counts

COVID case numbers have been breaking records in the last few weeks here in the U.S., but deaths and hospitalizations are largely down. So that got us thinking: how useful are case counts actually in understanding where we are in the pandemic? Plus, the healthcare worker shortage, by the numbers. And, why the James Webb Space Telescope is such a big deal. Guests: Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Testing Insights Initiative; Axios' Tina Reed and Miriam Kramer. Credits: Axios Today is produced in partnership with Pushkin Industries. The team includes Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Julia Redpath, Alexandra Botti, Nuria Marquez Martinez, Lydia McMullen-Laird, Sabeena Singhani and Alex Sugiura. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at podcasts@axios.com. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.