Monday, 17 April 2023

 

The Vicious Circle of Covid Boondoggles and Bad Data

Medicare bonuses and FEMA funeral benefits create incentives to overstate the disease’s toll.

By Leslie Bienen and Margery Smelkinson

WSJ Opinion: Hits and Misses of the Week 

WSJ Opinion: Hits and Misses of the Week
Journal Editorial Report: The week's best and worst from Kim Strassel, Bill McGurn, Allysia Finley and Dan Henninger. Images: Zuma Press/Getty Images/Washington Post Composite: Mark Kelly

Public-health experts are increasingly acknowledging what has long been obvious: America is overcounting hospitalizations and deaths from Covid-19. Hospital patients are routinely tested for Covid on admission, then counted as “Covid hospitalizations” even if they’re asymptomatic. When patients die, Leana Wen notes in a Washington Post column, Covid is often listed on their death certificates even if it played no part in killing them. Government programs create incentives to overestimate Covid’s toll, and poor data make it difficult to pinpoint who’s still at risk and how effective boosters are.

To the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a positive Covid test is enough to identify a “Covid hospitalization.” A few states and hospital systems have taken it on themselves to analyze their hospitalization data more thoroughly. Massachusetts requireshospitals to report how many of their Covid-positive patients have received dexamethasone, a standard treatment for Covid-induced lung inflammation. Using this method, the proportion of Covid-positive patients hospitalized for their Covid symptoms is around 30%, though it fluctuates.

Opinion

donshafi911 at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

  British hunger strikers learn prison lessons from Palestine ​  Summary ​ Wed, 12/03/2025 - 19:06 Asa Winstanley    The Electronic Intifada...

  • (no title)
      Why Are There So Many Fires? Dr. David Martin Unveils What He Thinks Is Behind It These fires may just be the smoke signals of a bigger pr...
  • (no title)
      Federal lawsuit alleges racketeering scheme in Jefferson County court drags out cases to increase profits Erica Thomas  | 06.09.23 A feder...
  • (no title)
      GAZA GAS DEAL with ISRAEL and HAMAS? This was in the works right before the recent events broke out Peggy Hall Imagine, if you will, Israe...