“The CDC is the last place you want to trust for proper information.”
I have seen it jump around sometimes, without explanation.
For example, I watched the total number of people 75 or older who had received a first shot climb steadily for weeks. Then suddenly one day, that total dropped by more than a million, and those 65-74 surged by more than a million.
Another time, the total delivered dropped by about five million from one day to the next.
I could see how red-faced bureaucrats might have to adjust their errors (or the errors of others) during the course of big new endeavors, like this Program, but I would appreciate an explanation.
I could definitely see how politics would get them to skew reports (either Party politics, or just Office politics, trying to kiss up to the boss), but they also need to accumulate and track real numbers for their own management and decision making.
They are the authoritative source, given their official position, and I can’t think of anything better to use. Of course, we will always have to take whatever they say with a grain of salt, and keep a gimlet eye on them for any skewing or spinning.
I’ve seen the numbers change as well. One of my programs verifies data only to find different data with no explanation. I don’t update my data and just go with what they originally posted.
On another note, this happens with the so-called climate change data as well. Nasa has been caught a few times manipulating historical data.
I see no reason to trust either organization.