Unless you subscribe to This May Sting, a website and daily newsletter that analyzes Covid-19 data not as a medical doctor, virologist, or epidemiologist would, but with the rigor of a seasoned analyst, chances are you’re not getting the most useful data on the pandemic.

Matthew Scott Goldstein, or msg as he’s known in the media industry, is out to change that.

Covering Covid represents a pivot for msg, who has spent most of his career as an analyst in the world of advertising technology, or ad tech for short. As Covid-19 worsened in the spring, msg found himself naturally drawn to the pandemic’s data. That attraction was fueled in part by noticing big gaps in the data, as well as wanting to work on more consequential projects than wondering where the likes of Google, Facebook, and major media companies were headed. As a result, This May Sting was born.

In this episode, msg talks about:

• The pandemic data most of us don’t get but should
• The five key questions he has for Dr. Deborah Birx of the White House coronavirus task force
• Why the country needs a Chief Data Officer to help improve the quality, availability, and the public’s understanding of Covid-19 data
• The big questions facing the distribution and administration of Covid vaccines.