README.md

---
pretty_name: OWID COVID-19 — global daily compiled
license: cc-by-4.0
size_categories:
- 100K<n<1M
tags:
- cadence-daily
- geo-global
- surveillance-respiratory
- pathogen-sars-cov-2
- tier-2
- availability-open
schema_version: '0.1'
source_id: owid-covid
source_url: https://github.com/owid/covid-19-data
manifest_section: §16.1
surveillance_category: respiratory
pathogens:
- sars-cov-2
availability: open
availability_notes: null
access_type: github
tier: 2
cadence: daily
geography_levels:
- global
- national
geography_countries:
- multiple
gold_standard_for: []
vintaged_version_of: null
succeeds: null
derived_from: []
value_columns:
- name: new_cases
  unit: cases/day
  value_type: incident
  description: New confirmed COVID-19 cases reported per day (per OWID's compilation)
  aggregation: sum
- name: new_deaths
  unit: deaths/day
  value_type: incident
  description: New confirmed COVID-19 deaths per day
  aggregation: sum
- name: icu_patients
  unit: patients
  value_type: stock
  description: Patients in ICU with COVID-19 (point-in-time)
  aggregation: mean
- name: hosp_patients
  unit: patients
  value_type: stock
  description: Patients in hospital with COVID-19 (point-in-time)
  aggregation: mean
- name: weekly_icu_admissions
  unit: admissions/week
  value_type: incident
  description: New weekly ICU admissions for COVID-19 (carried on the date OWID assigns within the week)
  aggregation: sum
- name: weekly_hosp_admissions
  unit: admissions/week
  value_type: incident
  description: New weekly hospital admissions for COVID-19
  aggregation: sum
- name: new_tests
  unit: tests/day
  value_type: incident
  description: New tests performed (any type) per day
  aggregation: sum
- name: positive_rate
  unit: proportion (0-1)
  value_type: proportion
  description: Share of COVID-19 tests that are positive
  aggregation: rate
- name: people_vaccinated
  unit: people
  value_type: cumulative
  description: Cumulative number of people who have received at least one vaccine dose
  aggregation: max
- name: people_fully_vaccinated
  unit: people
  value_type: cumulative
  description: Cumulative number of people fully vaccinated under the country's primary protocol
  aggregation: max
- name: total_boosters
  unit: doses
  value_type: cumulative
  description: Cumulative booster doses administered
  aggregation: max
notes:
  extra_columns:
  - column: location_name
    description: OWID's English country / aggregate name. `location_id` is canonical.
  interpretation_caveats:
  - column: new_cases
    caveat: 'Compiled from a mix of national sources with very different definitions and

      reporting cadences. Many countries publish weekly only; OWID assigns the value

      to a single day in the week, leaving the surrounding days as 0/NaN. Treat as a

      low-resolution signal post-2022.

      '
  - column: positive_rate
    caveat: Computed by OWID from `new_tests`. Both inputs are sparsely reported, so this column has heavy missingness.
  general: 'OWID''s compilation is the broadest single COVID-19 time series available; it is

    *not* a primary source. For US analysis, prefer NHSN HRD; for forecast-target use,

    prefer the relevant forecast hub''s truth file.

    '
extra:
  source_columns_omitted: 70+ smoothing/per-capita derivative columns dropped (recoverable from kept incident columns).
  owid_iso_aggregates_dropped:
  - OWID_AFR
  - OWID_ASI
  - OWID_EUR
  - OWID_EUN
  - OWID_HIC
  - OWID_LIC
  - OWID_LMC
  - OWID_NAM
  - OWID_OCE
  - OWID_SAM
  - OWID_UMC
computed:
  last_ingested: '2026-04-26T12:49:09Z'
  row_count: 396995
  time_coverage:
  - start: '2020-01-01'
    end: '2024-08-14'
  geography_unit_count: 238
  observed_cadence_days: 1
  missing_gaps: []
  data_hash: 2a8ae627b9336e85
---

# OWID COVID-19 — global daily compiled

OWID's compilation is the broadest single COVID-19 time series available; it is
*not* a primary source. For US analysis, prefer NHSN HRD; for forecast-target use,
prefer the relevant forecast hub's truth file.

**Source:** <https://github.com/owid/covid-19-data>

## Coverage

- **Time:** 2020-01-01 → 2024-08-14
- **Cadence:** `daily` (observed median spacing: 1 days)
- **Geography levels:** `global`, `national` — 238 unique location IDs
- **Countries:** multiple
- **Pathogens:** `sars-cov-2`
- **Surveillance category:** `respiratory`
- **Rows:** 396,995

## Columns

| Column | Unit | value_type | Aggregation | Description |
|--------|------|------------|-------------|-------------|
| `new_cases` | cases/day | `incident` | `sum` | New confirmed COVID-19 cases reported per day (per OWID's compilation) |
| `new_deaths` | deaths/day | `incident` | `sum` | New confirmed COVID-19 deaths per day |
| `icu_patients` | patients | `stock` | `mean` | Patients in ICU with COVID-19 (point-in-time) |
| `hosp_patients` | patients | `stock` | `mean` | Patients in hospital with COVID-19 (point-in-time) |
| `weekly_icu_admissions` | admissions/week | `incident` | `sum` | New weekly ICU admissions for COVID-19 (carried on the date OWID assigns within the week) |
| `weekly_hosp_admissions` | admissions/week | `incident` | `sum` | New weekly hospital admissions for COVID-19 |
| `new_tests` | tests/day | `incident` | `sum` | New tests performed (any type) per day |
| `positive_rate` | proportion (0-1) | `proportion` | `rate` | Share of COVID-19 tests that are positive |
| `people_vaccinated` | people | `cumulative` | `max` | Cumulative number of people who have received at least one vaccine dose |
| `people_fully_vaccinated` | people | `cumulative` | `max` | Cumulative number of people fully vaccinated under the country's primary protocol |
| `total_boosters` | doses | `cumulative` | `max` | Cumulative booster doses administered |

### Additional data columns

- **`location_name`** — OWID's English country / aggregate name. `location_id` is canonical.

## Interpretation caveats

Things that may differ from how other sources define a similar measure. If you're combining this dataset with another, read these first.

- **`new_cases`** — Compiled from a mix of national sources with very different definitions and
reporting cadences. Many countries publish weekly only; OWID assigns the value
to a single day in the week, leaving the surrounding days as 0/NaN. Treat as a
low-resolution signal post-2022.

- **`positive_rate`** — Computed by OWID from `new_tests`. Both inputs are sparsely reported, so this column has heavy missingness.

## Access

- **Availability:** `open`
- **Access type:** `github`
- **License:** cc-by-4.0
- **Tier:** 2

---

*Schema version `0.1` · Last ingested 2026-04-26T12:49:09Z · `source_id: owid-covid` · Manifest section §16.1*