When doing a data analysis, your analysis is only as good as the data you receive. A common phrase is garbage in, garbage out. The COVID-19 “crisis” is an excellent example of data manipulation, in this case by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and also our Florida Department of Health (FDOH). Daily we read or hear about the huge number of deaths and infections. I’ll note that often, these are in places where a mask mandate has been in effect, such as nearby Gadsden County.
I’ll begin there. Recent data I pulled from the FDOH showed an 8% infection rate and 1% death rate due to COVID-19 in Gadsden. When I looked closer, the 8% and 1% were for the 2,300 positive cases, NOT the 46,000 folks living there. Will many make that distinction in a short-attention span society? Doubtful. When you look at the actual population vs the hospitalizations and deaths (more on this below), the numbers are not 8% and 1%, they are .3% and .06% respectively. In simple terms, one-third of one percent of the population has been hospitalized, about 138, and about 28 have died. Based on CDC data misrepresentation, it’s likely only 2 of those 28 (6%) were the only ones to die from COVID-19.
How about those deaths? Only 6% of all COVID-19 deaths reported were actually due to COVID-19. It’s a fact, the CDC has finally admitted it, albeit burying it on their website: cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm (retrieved on 9/6/20)
Relevant text (emphasis added):
Comorbidities
Table 3 shows the types of health conditions and contributing causes mentioned in conjunction with deaths involving coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). For 6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned. For deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death…
Comorbidities are other diseases, such as influenza or pneumonia, which the CDC still lumps together with COVID-19 unless you take the time to do the math. The use of the word “involving” here is misleading.
Putting this in actual numbers as of 9/6/20, the deaths “involving” COVID-19 in these United States total 172,884. Since the CDC has finally admitted the true number is far lower, all we need to do is take 6% of 172,884. The actual total is 10,373. To put this in perspective, over 30,000 Americans die in traffic crashes every year. Awareness has been around for COVID-19 for about 6 months, which means we can expect around 20,000 to die from COVID-19 in a year. Accordingly, it’s more likely you will die in a traffic crash than you will from COVID-19. In 2018-19, the flu season saw about 34,000 deaths in these United States. In the past decade, the lowest number of annual deaths from the flu took place in 2011-12 with about 12,000. Despite this greatly increased death toll, no one mandated a mask be worn.
We must demand our nation- to include schools- be reopened and Americans allowed to work again. There must also be a full disclosure of the misleading data front and center on the CDC site.
Paul Henry