EYECARE: Coronavirus BRIEFING: Exclusive COVID-19 Practice Performance Trackers Overall ECP Revenues Are Flat, and Northeast Region Is Strongest, Per Jobson COVID-19 Performance Tracker for Week Ending July 26 By Staff Wednesday, July 29, 2020 12:33 AM NEW YORK—Even while COVID-19 spread throughout the country over the past week, the U.S. optical business held its own, reporting flat revenues to slight decreases for the period, depending on the region, according to the latest Jobson COVID-19 Performance Tracker for the week ending July 26. With COVID-19 cases dramatically increasing throughout the U.S., even in some Northeastern states where the virus has previously been on the decline, according to the CDC COVID Data Tracker, the U.S. optical business remained either flat or declined only a few index points slightly across all service/product categories. On a national level, gross revenue and lens pairs declined by 1 index point, while exams/refractions, frame units, and contact lenses all remained flat.The optical business in the Northeast experienced the most growth over the past week. In the South, Midwest, and West, the optical business declined for the most part, except for contact lenses (up 2 index points) and exams/refractions (up 1 index point) in the South. This reflects the rise of COVID-19 cases throughout those regions.Nearly all U.S. states in the South, Midwest, and West experienced an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases over the past week, according to the CDC COVID Data Tracker. The product categories with the largest increases were frame units and lens pairs in the Northeast, both of which grew at a rate of 5 index points. Exams/refractions in the West felt the sharpest decline of 4 index points. As in the previous week, ending July 19, over 60 percent of consumers' remain concerned about COVID-19 in the period ending July 26. There was a slight dip to just under 20 percent of consumers, who said they were postponing or cancelling eyewear purchases, according to The Vision Council's VisionWatch, which polls consumers regularly about their vision care and eyewear purchasing habits. The Jobson COVID-19 Practice Performance Tracker data is compiled by Jobson Research from GPN and ABB Analyze data. Another element of the report illustrates Consumer Sentiments about the COVID-19 response and purchasing intentions, with data supplied by The Vision Council.Click here to view the complete Jobson COVID-19 Performance Tracker.