As the delta variant spreads through Florida, data published by the CDC suggest this could be the most serious and deadly surge in COVID-19 infections since the beginning of the pandemic
As cases ballooned in August, however, the Florida Department of Health changed the way it reported death data to the CDC, giving the appearance of a pandemic in decline, an analysis of Florida data by the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald found.
Shivani Patel, a social epidemiologist and assistant professor at Emory University called the move “extremely problematic,” especially since it came without warning or explanation during a rise in cases. “It shouldn’t be left to the public, to scientists, national policy makers or the media to guess as to what these numbers are,” Patel said. “We know from the beginning that dates matter and that they tell us different things.”
“When you have big surges in deaths, the deaths by date reported will always show an increase while deaths by date occurred will go down,” Salemi said. The Herald also found that during the last two surges the trend lines using date of death showed peaks 25% and 8% percent higher respectively than the corresponding peaks by report date.The Florida health department has made several, unannounced changes to its data methodology over the span of the pandemic, abruptly switching between including and disregarding non-resident deaths in its total counts, for example.
The CDC eventually confirmed what experts had hypothesized after comparing the new data to previous reports — that the Florida Department of Health had begun to report deaths by date of death. The change was also reflected in data about new cases, which went from being counted by date of report to “the date of specimen collection, confirmed COVID-19 laboratory test result, or clinical diagnosis,” according to the CDC website.
The DOH weekly report notes “death counts include individuals who meet a standardized national surveillance case definition” but includes no descriptions of how the health department presents the numbers. “The CDC has started displaying the Department’s submitted retrospective file twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays, which updates previous day deaths that were subsequently reported to the Department,” Khoury explained for the first time in Monday’s statement. The difference can be an addition of eight deaths one day, and 901 the following day, as happened in the middle of last week.
When data are subtly distorted or presented differently than expected — something Harford called “statistical sleight of hand” — it can prompt dangerous levels of general mistrust and cynicism, he said. High levels of hospitalizations also tend to correlate with higher levels of deaths, said Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease professor at FIU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Florida ICU Doctor Breaks Down During CNN Interview About Dying COVID-19 Patients'We're tired of seeing these people die just because they're not vaccinated.'
Leer más »
COVID-19 live updates: Vaccines appear less effective at preventing hospitalization under delta, CDC saysDozens of states report limited beds in ICUs, with 23 states reporting over 80% capacity and six states reporting over 90% capacity, CDC experts announce at an advisory panel.
Leer más »
Covid-19 Delta Variant Pummels China’s Services SectorChina’s services sector suffered an unexpectedly severe blow in August as a wave of infections sparked new lockdowns across the country, sending an official gauge of nonmanufacturing activity into contractionary territory.
Leer más »
At Southern Border, Migrant Shelters Struggle as Covid-19 Containment Falls to ThemChurches, aid groups and private shelters are coming under increasing strain as migrants stream over the border, with the pandemic upending the way shelters operate as they are forced to take on Covid-19 testing and quarantining.
Leer más »
Six on cargo ship with COVID-19 transported to San Francisco hospitalsThe ship left the Port of West Sacramento days earlier.
Leer más »