Are coronavirus statistics reliable?

As the coronavirus has spread throughout the world, checking in on statistics has become something of a daily ritual for many people. Tracking the number of cases and deaths in a specific country or region offers a sense of how quickly the virus is proliferating, or in some cases being contained.

The data is incredibly important. It lets lawmakers and public health officials know if containment measures are working and how many resources need to be sent to hospitals. The figures also inform models predicting the severity and duration...