I wanted to know. Was COVID-19 going to kill as many people as experts predicted? Were drastic government actions really what was required to flatten the curve? What should I do to keep myself and my family safe? As a statistician, I was committed to following coronavirus by the numbers. Enough results are in, and I am ready to share my findings with you. You probably have questions yourself, like: - Did my state overreact or underreact? - Is it safe for me to go out in public? - Am I putting others at risk if I do? - Should I wear a mask? Fortunately, most of these questions can be answered numerically. Each of the 50 states took its own approach. We can compare their results. Comparisons can also be made between coronavirus decisions and risky choices you face every day. This book will reach statistical conclusions with a substantial degree of certainty.

But at the start of the outbreak, things were much less clear.