A Data Visualization Newsletter

In the next two weeks, the federal government is set to release the results of the 2020 Census. This means that seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will soon be reshuffled according to official state populations. Estimates suggest that Rhode Island — currently the most overrepresented state in the House — may lose a seat, suddenly making it the most underrepresented state.

St. Vincent, a small island in the Caribbean, has been rocked over the last week by intermittent eruptions from its Le Soufriere volcano. After decades of inactivity, Le Soufriere sprang back to life on April 9th, and has since continued spewing dark particles into the atmosphere. Some 20,000 residents have been evacuated from the northern part of St. Vincent so far.

As vaccinations increase and restrictions lift, more and more people are starting to travel again. But how safe is flying in an airplane while COVID-19 is spreading? The New York Times worked with researchers at George Mason to simulate the flow of several million particles within an airplane’s cabin and assess the risk posed to passengers.

As the vaccine rollout continues, many states are seeing lower vaccination rates among their minority populations. Only six states have given at least one vaccine dose to more than 25% of their Black population, and only three have done as well with Hispanic people. But the latest data from Bloomberg suggests that these gaps are starting to narrow, especially in the South.