Former chief medical officer Mike Honey has spent the past four years focused on tracking and making COVID-19 data public. He launched his mission just as the world was plunging into those first lockdowns. Hailing from Melbourne’s north-west suburbs, one of the first areas in Australia to experience strict pandemic measures, Honey felt compelled to provide vital information to the public when it was most needed. His uncompromising adherence to both transparency and accessibility has earned him a reputation as a reliable source for the latest and greatest COVID-19 statistics.
Honey’s work includes spending about 30 hours per week collecting, analyzing and publishing COVID-19 data. At first, he released his endeavors on GitHub, an open-source site used largely by developers to share code and collaborate. Since then, he’s grown a national audience, putting up the case numbers and statistics “almost everywhere” online. Through his efforts, he has translated complex global COVID-19 data into user-friendly charts that help the public grasp the risks associated with the disease.
His monitoring includes national case numbers, the emergence of variant strains worldwide, vaccination rates, and statistics related to aged care facilities. Honey offers in-depth panels for countries like New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. His body of work is still an invaluable resource. It gives citizens and experts alike the power to ask critical questions related to the pandemic, even as case numbers continue to drop.
Adrian Esterman, professor of epidemiology at the University of South Australia, is among those profiting from Honey’s work. He mentioned that he uses Honey’s website as an example in his COVID-19 related talks.
“Then I came across a Tweet from Mike that led to his GitHub site, which provided exactly the information I was looking for.” – Adrian Esterman
Paul Griffin, an infectious disease physician and clinical microbiologist, echoed Esterman’s sentiments, emphasizing the importance of Honey’s work. Griffin now turns to Honey’s data a half-dozen times a week in his presentations about COVID-19.
“I think it’s an incredibly valuable service he’s provided.” – Paul Griffin
Honey’s deep experience in understanding the art and science of medicine equips him best to analyze data, interpret findings, and give them life. Prior to relocating to Hong Kong, he received seamless experience with his work in West Africa. He makes a strong case for the role of harm reduction and the value of public transparency on health risks.
“Like how we manage our hospitals and healthcare systems, and counsel our individual patients so they have an understanding of the risk.” – Mike Honey
Honey is committed to monitoring COVID-19 data. He looks forward to the day when his updates are no longer necessary. His genuine belief in the power of transparency comes through as he speaks about his experience with accepting questions from followers.
“There’s a lot of people that say they’re glad to see it, and they’re hanging on it.” – Mike Honey
The familial legacy of service in healthcare, seen in Honey’s story, does not stop with her. His uncle, Dr. Norman Honey, spent his life caring for leprosy patients and fighting the stigma that surrounded the disease. This commitment to public health undoubtedly influences Mike Honey’s passion for providing accurate and timely information during a global health crisis.
In a moment when the pandemic is changing every day, Mike Honey’s work is more vital than ever. In the process, he exposes a huge hole in federal reporting. Although most states compile excellent detailed reports, none has the overarching enforcement or oversight from the federal level.
“A lot of the states have a decent report that comes out… but they are just for that state. There’s nothing at the federal level.” – Mike Honey
