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Wednesday, August 12, 2020

COVID19--Heuristic Algorithmic Crashes--"HAL" REBOOTED


     "...I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that..."

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     Discovery One (EOC)-- Facing unprecedented input levels, state health department disease reporting systems are crashing across the board, leaving officials with blank faces unable to make reopening decisions. The problem isn't unique to the recent surge in cases, as well as increased testing results, but has been around since Washington state first discovered the abnormal presence of the coronavirus menace last spring. Since then, with the onset of an existential pandemic affecting everything from employment to tenant evictions, information technology systems are crashing. The following reports, curated from a variety of sources, indicate the degree of the problem:  (Note: As per the reported glitches, just how many are going unreported is uncertain)

12 August 2020--California

Tech Challenges Complicate California's COVID-19 Response

(TNS) - Before he became California governor last year, Gavin Newsom built his reputation as a tech-savvy Bay Area politician, who wrote a book arguing government should follow Silicon Valley's lead and embrace new technology. But five months into the biggest crisis of his governorship, technology problems have become major stumbling blocks to his coronavirus strategy.


12 August 2020-- Florida

Reporting glitch upends confidence as Florida adds 8,000 coronavirus cases

Coronavirus updates: Florida reaches 550,901 cases with 8,898 deaths; Palm Beach County has 37,934 cases with 970 deaths. * TO OUR READERS: The Palm Beach Post will continue to provide essential coverage of the coronavirus for free. You can have coronavirus news delivered directly to your inbox by signing up for our Coronavirus Newsletter.


12 August 2020--Kentucky

With computer glitch, state hits one-day coronavirus high - ABC 36 News

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) - The state recorded its highest one-day total of new coronavirus cases Wednesday, partially because of a stack up in cases from a computer glitch in reporting but also because "the virus still is very real," Gov. Andy Beshear said.


11 August 2020--Oklahoma

894 New COVID-19 Cases Reported Tuesday In State, 820 More COVID-19 Cases Found In Backlog

A large number of new coronavirus cases were reported Tuesday and the state health department found a backlog of 820 cases, Oklahoma Interim Health Commissioner Lance Frye said. Frye said 894 new cases were tallied on Tuesday and the department found a backlog of 820 cases that was not reported.


07 August 2020--Iowa

Iowa Puts $21M in COVID-19 Aid Toward State Computer System

(TNS) - Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has transferred $21 million intended for Iowa coronavirus relief to help pay for a computer system already in the works before the pandemic. As of July 31, Reynolds has transferred $627.3 million from the $1.25 billion in federal funds Iowa got through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES Act, passed by Congress in March, the Legislative Services Agency reported Wednesday.


26 July 2020--Texas

Dallas County Reports 605th COVID-19 Death, 800 New Cases

Dallas County officials reported 800 new cases and the county's 605th death related to the coronavirus on Sunday. The additional death was a Dallas man in his 40s who had been critically ill with the coronavirus in an area hospital. The man had underlying high-risk health conditions.


30 June 2020--Tennessee

Tennessee's COVID-19 reporting system shuts down for 9 hours due to high volumes of data : The Tennessee health department's COVID-19 daily reporting system experienced downtime on June 28 due to an unplanned shutdown, Times News reports.

The Tennessee health department's COVID-19 daily reporting system experienced downtime on June 28 due to an unplanned shutdown, reports. "An unplanned shutdown of the state surveillance system," which tracks COVID-19 testing and case/death counts, occurred at 3 a.m. on June 28, the Tennessee Department of Health told the publication.


07 May 2020--Minnesota

Minnesota reports 30 COVID-19 deaths, including two tied to food processing plants

Minnesota reported a single-day record of 30 deaths related to COVID-19 on Wednesday, including a worker in the 50s age range at the JBS plant in Worthington that has shut down amid a substantial outbreak of the infectious disease.


22 April 2020--Indiana

Daily coronavirus count dips, but Indiana official points out technical glitch

Indiana reported about 400 new cases of coronavirus both Tuesday and Wednesday, fewer than in many other days in the past. But state health officials warned that the lower numbers were not necessarily a reflection of what had actually occurred.


17 April 2020--Pennsylvania

Pa. underreported 18% of COVID deaths this week; state blames computer glitches

Wardle said that Gov. Tom Wolf was briefed on reporting issues by Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine and that the undercount was discussed again during an internal call today. He said the artificially low numbers had not affected policy decisions to ease aspects of the statewide shutdown, such as a recent move to reopen state liquor stores.


16 April 2020--Louisiana

Coronavirus numbers caught in reporting glitch

Errors in the Louisiana Department of Health's (LDH) recording of confirmed coronavirus cases have apparently hit Lincoln Parish for at least the second time. Wednesday's LDH update showed the parish with 41 positive cases, down from the 42 reported on Tuesday. But parish Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Kip Franklin disputes the finding.


09 April 2020--Tennessee

Nashville mayor: National database glitch affecting health departments across Tennessee

A technical problem with a national database is hampering the abilities of health departments across the state of Tennessee in reporting new COVID-19 cases.


21 March 2020-- Washington state

Flood of coronavirus data overwhelms Washington state's disease-reporting system, leading to lag in data

Even as the novel coronavirus has spread from Washington's cities to its small towns and rural communities, Department of Health (DOH) officials acknowledged Tuesday they're wrestling with another thorny problem from the pandemic: A flood of case data is overwhelming the disease-reporting system.


 

"Open the pod bay doors, HAL..."


     The above are just a few of the breakdowns of hardware on board spaceship Earth that have created major headaches for administrators, having sleepless nights trying to find a way to contain the virus amid surges, political stubbornness over relief legislation and the public at large in rebellion over simple mitigation mandates.
     The computer crashes are not restricted to infectious disease reporting. Unemployment has created chaos for many states with antiquated systems meant to deal with minor jobless claims being filed. 
      Is all of this being guided by some unforeseen force beyond the level of intelligent life in the universe? Perhaps it's all being controlled by the Heuristically Programmed ALgorithmic Computer, also known as "HAL"  on board Discovery One enroute to Jupiter...It appears 2001 is finally here.
    

Cited:

Credit, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), dir. Stanley Kubrick, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/

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