Both Georgia and Florida have tried to manipulate their COVID data to minimize the significance of the pandemic on their states. Recently, Florida changed its reporting on the state health department site using a graph they call “deaths by date of death” Making it look like the death rate in Florida is declining.
They also misrepresent the positivity rate by excluding some test numbers and including others. They report a positivity rate of 5.2% while Johns Hopkins reports a rate of 12.2%. This is how the Florida death rate graph really looks.
As an RN it is especially concerning and distressing to me that the State Health departments and the CDC have lost their credibility and the ability to lead us through health challenges due to political pressures.
This is so dangerous. People need accurate accounting of positivity rates. We are so messed up because we do not have a national plan.
So disgusting.
This information is indeed disturbing. As a retired RN I expect those bodies whose job it is to safeguard the health of the citizens to be fee from outside pressures. They have a fiduciary trust to uphold, and we must be able to depend on them for this. Where can you turn for help?
No excuse for manipulating statistics. I used to be asked to do that and wouldn’t be cause I knew how dangerous it can be.
This misinformation just leads to a false sense of security. As a result people aren’t as diligent in observing safety standards and this puts us all at risk. These are the very agencies that should be protecting us! I don’t look for any positive changes anytime soon.
As a retired federal worker, I thought our oath of office was sufficient to ensure that people would do the right thing, but now I see that is not enough. Federal laws need to be passed that would punish the people that change the data gathering and the statistical display. However, the people who should be prosecuted are the administrators, and it should also include the Governors of each state, and any down line staff who are taking orders. If we had a president who had any honor, this would not be happening. The federal purse strings are deep and could have serious impacts to any state who chooses to behave badly, but again, not with the current president.
Hi Mary! I feel your destress and join you. I watched the news showing so many FL seniors attending a rally with no masks, no distancing, not a care in the world, driving their golf cart to support their candidate. There’s no fix for stupid. My state (Wisconsin) has numbers going through the roof, and the mask order the Governor tried to put in place has been struck down. It’s frustrating but all I can do is control myself and my actions. I do mask and distance and stay home other than work and groceries when necessary. {{Hugs}} Take care. ~smile~ Roseanne
Thank you for shinning a light on this. I know it’s not always an easy decision and I’m glad to see there is no backlash in these comments. Right now I trust only one person for information on this pandemic and that’s Dr. Fauci. I only wish our government would put more effort into changing the numbers (legitimately) rather than manipulating them.
You and some of us. Too many go along with what is being done and said.
xx, Carol
It is so hard to believe anything you read or hear. I try to stay safe and do what is necessary to stay well. And count the days until this election is over and done with!!! The whole thing is destroying so many lives.
The whole statistic thing is a quagmire. A friends brother, at 99, played 18 holes of golf, and died the next day (in Florida). The dr. told my friend that he died of covid. The birth certificate said, old age. Can you play 18 holes of golf at that age with covid serious enough to die the next day?
The hospitals get more money if someone dies from covid. Isn’t that an incentive to inflate those numbers?
Comparing the US numbers to other countries, or counties to counties, or states to states makes no sense unless you give the percent of population, which I have not heard. Statistics can be true but not really meaningful.
A lot of our deaths and cases have occurred in nursing homes. How does our nursing home population compare to other countries? Are we better able to keep people with serious health issues alive than other countries?
The other issue is how many people are surviving the virus, and what issues are left? The doctors have more information about treating the virus and fewer people are on ventilators.
This whole covid thing has a lot more relevance than just the numbers, but we rarely hear anything but the numbers.
In my county, cases are rising, but way fewer deaths are occurring. Many of our cases are in nursing homes.
All of this has been and will continue to be manipulated by our Liar in Chief. He’s messed with all reporting agencies and encouraged governors to minimize COVID data. Those who have not done so have their lives threatened. The people who try to truthfully report have been slapped down and silenced. The CDC is not the agency it’s supposed to be. And if this administration has their way, healthcare coverage will vanish for many and certainly for those who have pre-existing co dictions, COVID becoming one of those conditions. Hopefully we will be rid of trump and will be able to begin again – on the right and truthful track this time.
I find this so frustrating! SD is manipulating the numbers too. SD DOH website says they calculate positivity rate by dividing number of positives by number of tests. Then they show % for each day and each week. Based on the real numbers we are hovering at about 30% positive. But the site always shows between 8-13% positive. And our brilliant governor says it’s only because they are testing more people. Guess she thinks that explains the enormous rise in deaths this month too.
I hope your happy after putting your quilting blog in the middle of a political hot spot. What did you expect?
Wow, it’s Mary’s blog! I think she can post what she likes.
Boy those two graphs sure show two different stories! It is so hard to know what is even true anymore…