It's the sad truth but most of USA would be infected by a month or two at this rate.
you're on the old fudge factor standard. We were already undercounting:
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/01/off...unt-of-actual-tally-new-yale-study-finds.html
you gotta update your fudge factor to last week's changes
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/14/world/coronavirus-update.html#link-47bd459f
New COVID-19 definitions by the state could raise case counts in Collin County
A probable case of COVID-19 in Texas can now be confirmed by a positive FDA-approved lab result paired with certain clinical criteria or certain epidemiological links. (Courtesy Adobe Stock)
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By Elizabeth Ucles | 6:27 PM May 19, 2020 CDT | Updated 3:20 PM May 20, 2020 CDT
Revised definitions for probable COVID-19 cases and related deaths by the Texas Department of State Health Services could result in a spike of reported cases of the virus, according to a county official.
Aisha Souri, an epidemiology department official for the county, informed Collin County commissioners of the reasoning behind the state’s decisions at a May 18 meeting.
The definition for a confirmed COVID-19 case has not changed and is determined by a positive polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, test result from a lab, Souri said.
A probable case of COVID-19 can now be confirmed by a positive FDA-approved lab result paired with certain clinical criteria or certain epidemiological links, she said.
However, a probable case can also be determined without an FDA-approved test if someone meets definitions of certain clinical criteria and epidemiological links, Souri said.
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“That still gets counted towards the case count,” she said. “It’s different. It’s not confirmed; it’s probable; but it’s still a case.”
Collin County Judge Chris Hill said he is worried COVID-19 cases will spike in a way that does not accurately represent the virus’s spread in the county.
“I fear that this is coming at a time when we’re just now starting to reopen,” he said during the meeting. “If the numbers jump in a false way, it’s going to start to be very concerning to our citizens that we’re actually going backwards.”
The state—which will soon take over contact tracing of COVID-19 cases for all of Texas—is expected to report probable cases separately from confirmed cases, Hill said.
Additionally, a positive PCR test result will no longer be required to determine a COVID-19-related death, Souri said.
If COVID-19 was determined to be a possible cause of death—even among other possible causes—it will be counted as a COVID-19-related death, she said.
“That also has the opportunity for COVID deaths to go up dramatically,” Hill said.
Clinical criteria needed to meet the definition of a probable COVID-19 includes:
- at least two of the following symptoms: fever that is measured or subjective, chills, rigors, myalgia, headache, sore throat, or new smell and taste disorders;
- at least one of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; or
- severe respiratory illness with at least one of the following: clinical or radiographic evidence of pneumonia, or acute respiratory distress syndrome and no alternative more likely diagnosis.
Epidemiological links needed to meet the definition of a probable case includes:
- close contact with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19;
- close contact with a person with clinically compatible illness and linkage to a confirmed case of COVID-19; or
- travel to or residence in an area with sustained, ongoing community transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
Close contact, Souri said, is defined by being within 6 feet for at least a period of 10 minutes to 30 minutes or more depending on exposure.
“There are 15 different options on how you can be classified as a probable case,” she said.
Someone in a location considered endemic, Souri said, satisfies the definition for an epidemiological link for a probable case.
“Right now, Texas has stated that they are considering the state as an endemic area,” she said.
Hill said the state being endemic has a significant impact on COVID-19 case counts in the county. All county residents satisfy the epidemiological link by residing in Collin County, he said.
“If you have a subjective fever and you have a headache and you live in Collin County, you now meet the qualifications to be a probable COVID patient,” Hill said. “It is remarkable how low the standard is now.”
COLLIN COUNTY CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES CHRIS HILL AISHA SOURI
By Elizabeth Ucles
Elizabeth is the reporter for Community Impact Newspaper's Frisco edition. She graduated from St. Edward's University with a degree in Writing and Rhetoric with a journalism concentration and a minor in Spanish in May 2019. Elizabeth covers public and higher education, development and transportation.
As happy as you seem to be about more deaths, most would consider counting deaths as from COVID-19 when that cause was unconfirmed as overcounting.
https://communityimpact.com/dallas-...ate-could-raise-case-counts-in-collin-county/
If COVID-19 was determined to be a possible cause of death—even among other possible causes—it will be counted as a COVID-19-related death, she said.
“That also has the opportunity for COVID deaths to go up dramatically,” Hill said.
...
“If you have a subjective fever and you have a headache and you live in Collin County, you now meet the qualifications to be a probable COVID patient,” Hill said. “It is remarkable how low the standard is now.”
Let me know how many people died in March-June this year vs any past March-June period? I'll wait while you look it up......As happy as you seem to be about more deaths, most would consider counting deaths as from COVID-19 when that cause was unconfirmed as overcounting.
https://communityimpact.com/dallas-...ate-could-raise-case-counts-in-collin-county/
If COVID-19 was determined to be a possible cause of death—even among other possible causes—it will be counted as a COVID-19-related death, she said.
“That also has the opportunity for COVID deaths to go up dramatically,” Hill said.
...
“If you have a subjective fever and you have a headache and you live in Collin County, you now meet the qualifications to be a probable COVID patient,” Hill said. “It is remarkable how low the standard is now.”
you're on the old fudge factor standard.
All those extra people dead, what do you reckon they died of? If anything the excess death numbers show us undercounting COVID deaths. Either that or we've got some even scarier unknown thing killing an abnormal number of people?
You gotta explain that excess death count if you're going to be at all intellectually honest in this discussion, however inconvenient it is for your beliefs.
Published: July 10, 2020
More people are dying during the pandemic – and not just from COVID-19
By American Heart Association News
(Orbon Alija/E+, Getty Images)
More people in the United States are dying during the COVID-19 pandemic, but not just because of the coronavirus. One reason, experts say, is people with other ailments may not be seeking help.
That conclusion is emerging from new research showing deaths are increasing from causes such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes – while emergency room visits for those conditions are down.
"One factor that could be contributing to the increase is that people are afraid to come in for care," said Dr. Steven Woolf, professor of family medicine and population health at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. "We need to assure them that the danger of not getting care is greater than the danger of getting exposed to the virus."
Woolf led a study published July 1 in JAMA that examined the number of deaths reported in the U.S. in March and April, when the pandemic began to take hold, compared with preceding years.
The nationwide data showed there were 87,000 "excess deaths" – that is, more than would have been expected during the two-month period – but only two-thirds of the total were attributed to COVID-19. In 14 states, more than half of the excess deaths were from causes other than COVID-19.
Moreover, the JAMA study found huge increases in excess deaths from underlying causes such as diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer's disease in Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania – the five states with the most COVID-19 deaths in March and April. New York City experienced the biggest jumps, including a 398% rise in heart disease deaths and a 356% increase in diabetes deaths.
Other research underscores the findings. A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine analyzed data from March through May and calculated that 22% of excess deaths were not attributed to COVID-19. Although data is still being gathered, "Upward trends in other causes of death (e.g., suicide, drug overdose, heart disease) may contribute to excess deaths in some jurisdictions," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Woolf said he is certain those trends are continuing, and offered two explanations. The first is that COVID-19 did contribute to many of the deaths even though it was not listed on death certificates and people may not have been tested for the virus.
"We now know that the virus is not just a respiratory problem," he said. "It causes other physical responses, such as damaging the immune system, blood clotting and arrhythmias. It's possible some of these spikes (in excess deaths) were caused by COVID-19 and the doctors didn't realize it."
The other factor, Woolf said, is some people may be avoiding or delaying treatment for medical conditions, as well as mental health or addiction problems. The CDC reported in late June that in the 10 weeks after the pandemic was declared a national emergency on March 13, hospital emergency department visits declined by 23% for heart attacks, 20% for strokes and 10% for uncontrolled high blood sugar in people with diabetes.
"It seems like people are afraid of getting the virus, or maybe they're afraid of adding to the burden on the doctors and the hospital," said Dr. Mitchell Elkind, professor of neurology and epidemiology at Columbia University in New York. "They think, 'I don't want to bother anybody, and I'll be OK. Why don't I just stay home and take care of this myself?'
"But obviously, especially for serious conditions like heart disease and stroke, that is the wrong thing to do," he said. "Just like before the pandemic, they should seek help, call 911 or get to the emergency room right away."
Elkind, who is president of the American Heart Association, said the danger is twofold: delayed treatment increases the risk of death, while survivors can face a diminished quality of life.
"The longer the lack of blood flow to the heart and the brain, the more damage there will be," he said. "Some studies have suggested that during the pandemic some people who do show up for care are sicker, suggesting they waited too long. And that's not good either. You want to take care of the problem as quickly as possible."
To stress that message, the AHA initiated the "Don't Die of Doubt" campaign to encourage people to seek medical help. In addition, an alliance of health care organizations that includes insurer Humana, Baylor Scott & White Health and Walgreens has launched the "Stop Medical Distancing" ad campaign.
Since the pandemic began, the medical community has learned a lot about how to handle the virus and manage the risk of infection by separating people who have it from those who don't, Elkind said.
"There's no question the risk of untreated heart attack or stroke is higher than the risk of COVID-19," he said. "We have to get that message through."
CNBC and NYtimes>your shit tier blog