A COVID-19 tracking project provides up-to-date statistics on tests administered, positive cases, and death tolls for each US state via an API. To build a text-message-based tracker in Python using this API and Twilio Programmable Messaging, you need to set up your environment, install dependencies, retrieve data from the API, and create a Flask app that responds to incoming texts with COVID-19 statistics. The app uses ngrok to provide a publicly accessible URL for the Flask app, and you can test it by texting your Twilio number. The project emphasizes the importance of staying home, social distancing, and taking care of yourself during the pandemic.