COVID-19 (Con’t 2)

[jklotz]

Maybe, but I'm fairly certain it's not a good time to go around licking door knobs.

[SoCalSurf]

With all due respect, that sounds like splitting hairs to me. Death rates are one issue of many, including job loss, financial instability, depression, anxiety, cost of treatment, etc.

[srick]

Spock -

These statistics are on a state-by-state basis and depending on how their medical examiner's office is set up, some are better reporters than others. It's an old system and I do not believe that the reporting is consistent between states. Some states relegate this to the counties.

I just read of a 79 year old, where Covid was the final straw. He had survived a bout or two with cancer and had a heart valve replaced. The article implied that he was not a good candidate for a respirator and so was given palliative care (essentially morphine, which eases pain, but also decreases respiration). So this gentleman had three causes of death (I am speculating)

1. an underlying respiratory deficiency
2. pneumonia secondary to Covid-19
3. respiratory depression due to morphine.

You guess is as good as mine as to how this was entered and how it was reported. In Connecticut last week, 16 extra deaths were attributed to Covid-19 as the medical examiner reviewed the cases and re-classified them in the Covid category.

So my point here is that the numbers will fluctuate as these kinks work out. Don't look for absolute numbers, but look for trends.

[CoffeeFan]

I heard that there was someone in Jacksonville who was killed in a car accident last week. He had tested positive for the virus and, as a result, it was reported as a coronavirus related death.

And therein lies a problem. This guy may very well have survived the virus. He was in otherwise good health, mid-30's, non-smoker, etc.

But, apparently, coronavirus now has the ability to cause traffic accidents...

[RedJoker]

I suppose you could go further and say that COVID19 doesn't kill anyone, it's the pneumonia that does. Death rate = 0%

Problem solved!!

[Stratcat77]

Originally Posted by spock

First off, lest anyone misunderstand, I take the current COVID-19 pandemic extremely seriously, from a host of different standpoints, not the least of which is its ability to kill people, even younger folks and those without pre-existing health issues.

Two things though.

1. If in fact there are a significantly greater number of people who have the virus and simply haven't been tested, or, have the virus but show no symptoms, then the overall death rate is considerably lower than what is being reported. No consolation to those who have passed, to be sure, but maybe some to those of us concerned with the alarming published rates.

2. I have read where some officials are counting among the COVID-19 deaths anyone who has died recently and was positive for the virus. If true, and I cannot confirm this, ( see link below) that would similarly inflate the actual death rate as people are currently dying from other causes unrelated to the COVID-19 virus and if the virus was not a contributing factor leading to their death, should not be counted as a COVID-19 fatality. For example, if I test positive for COVID-19 and get run over by a car, my cause of death is not COVID-19 but rather motor vehicle accident, or if I have terminal cancer and die but happen to have tested positive for COVID-19 but without any signs or symptoms of COVID-19, my cause of death should be due to cancer, not COVID-19. It is the same as if someone dies of a massive heart attack and just happens to have asymptomatic prostate cancer, the cause of death is cardiac arrest and not cancer, even though they harbored it. If the COVID-19 was not directly responsible for a person's death, it should not be recorded as being responsible. Bottom line, folks are still dying from other causes that are not due to COVID-19, even though they may be carrying it.


https://www.globalresearch.ca/open-l...merkel/5708004

I’ve been saying this for some time now. Again, not to downplay that this is a real health issue, but the stats being touted as fact are not accurate. And possibly significantly incorrect and misleading.

[HodgdonExtreme]

The plague website for Alabama reports two mortality numbers; "reported deaths" and "died from illness"



Here is the official verbiage providing distinction between the two numbers:

Originally Posted by Alabama Plague Website

"Reported Deaths and Died From Illness represent the number of individuals who have a positive lab result and are now deceased. To count a person who died from COVID-19 disease, the medical record of the deceased person has to be reviewed by a physician and Infectious Disease and Outbreak staff. Once review is complete, if the death is attributed to COVID-19, the individual will also appear in Died From Illness"

It's definitely imperfect, and provides an avenue for politics, bureaucracy and corruption to infiltrate - but it's probably better than nothing.

[Riverwolf]

And another thing...

Every newscast seems to have a different number for the total deaths.

[robj144]

Originally Posted by CoffeeFan

I heard that there was someone in Jacksonville who was killed in a car accident last week. He had tested positive for the virus and, as a result, it was reported as a coronavirus related death.

And therein lies a problem. This guy may very well have survived the virus. He was in otherwise good health, mid-30's, non-smoker, etc.

But, apparently, coronavirus now has the ability to cause traffic accidents...

You have a source or is there hearsay?

That doesn't make sense if you think about it. Why would they give someone who died in traffic accident a hard to find Covid 19 test? Or, did he have it before the accident and if he did, why was he driving if he knew?

[slide496]

I think they should include tested positive and died. It may reflect conservation of equipment needed to test.

It MAY reflect the virus as a complication which may be useful both studywise and in prioritising treatment efficiently.

[slide496]

Originally Posted by Meursault

Indeed. I wonder how many of those clapping their support continually vote to under fund the health service. The clapping does seem more about making the general public feel better and give them something to do while stuck indoors. The only support the NHS needs is proper funding.

Darren

IMHO it also helps for a short period maybe with the morale of some of the frontline workers, being on the frontline must be a very intense isolating experience. I don't think it's going to mean much if it's ongoing and the workers are still faced with shortages and underfunding.

[6 Strings MI]

Originally Posted by robj144

You have a source or is there hearsay?

That doesn't make sense if you think about it. Why would they give someone who died in traffic accident a hard to find Covid 19 test? Or, did he have it before the accident and if he did, why was he driving if he knew?

I wod like to see a source for this, too. If true, it represents fear-mongering at its highest order. Enough misinformation and untruth has been spread as it is. Said misinformation and untruths from what should be trustworthy sources are proof that objectivity in journalism is dead.

[Joe Beamish]

Originally Posted by MChild62

agree and sorry about the link. It was accessible to me without a subscription as the FT seem to be giving open access to their CV-19 coverage, like the NYT....

Thanks for posting the substance of the article. To your point, the pay wall is easily avoided by going directly to the FT site, and then specifically to Coronavirus related articles. FT is one my top 10 news sources for sure.

[ManyMartinMan]

[SIZE="3"]I saw this today and, for me, this is as simple as it can get.

[HodgdonExtreme]

Originally Posted by ManyMartinMan

I saw this today and, for me, this is as simple as it can get.

Except it's not that simple to keep 7.5B people pinned down for a month or two.

Seems rather unreasonable to me to expect nobody to go get supplies or seek medical attention - which is moving - which risks exposure.