COVID-19 database

Abstract

The COVID-19 database is a statistical package developed by the Center for the Evaluation of Evidence-Based Policies (CEPE). This dataset collects more than 50 indicators in more than 150 countries to consolidate them into a public database available for download that compiles a multiplicity of variables related to the health targets, the policies implemented and the contextual characteristics of each country that significantly affect the impact of the pandemic. The goal of this dataset is to consolidate in a single, standardized and usable tool, a set of indicators that capture the multidimensionality of factors that influence the capacities of national states in dealing with the COVID-19 and affect the effectiveness of containment measures or the testing, tracing and isolating policies. This includes a wide set of variables that seek to take into account the incidence in the pandemic of social, economic, demographic, political and climatic characteristics (among others). The base is structured at the country level and on a daily frequency. A large number of variables in the database are daily time series and track the health outcomes of the epidemic, the stringency of containment measures and mobility trends, variations in public policies associated with COVID-19, and climatic variables such as temperature or humidity. These variables will be updated weekly in updated versions of the dataset that will be available on the CEPE website. On the other hand, other variables are considered “fixed effects” during the course of the epidemic, such as demographic, economic, social, political and cultural characteristics of each country that have a relevant incidence in the main health outcomes or in the effectiveness of social distancing policies. This document describes the detailed content of the database, its primary sources from which the information compiled was collected, and a codebook for its practical use. The document will be updated as new variables are added to the database.