What’s up with the covid cases and deaths data?
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To be crystal clear: I’m thrilled that the mask mandate has been ditched … and, I’m supremely confident that it’s not coming back.
But, I’m puzzled by “the data” that “the science” followed to make last weeks surprise mask announcement.
So, let’s drill down …
Below is our standard chart of cases & deaths — indexed to November 1st ( just to keep the series plotted on a common chart).
Unpacking the numbers, covid-related deaths peaked at about 2,000 per day in January … and have ranged around 650 for the past 6 weeks or so.
For reference, a high flu season averages about 500 deaths per day during the roughly 4 month flu season.
My take: We shouldn’t declare victory against covid until the death rate drops below 500, for sure or, more conservatively, below 250.
I’ve longed argued that the daily death count is the purest metric of covid severity.
That said, let’s look at the case numbers that Biden , Fauci and Wolensky like to point to.
Note that cases peaked at about 200,000 per day right around Biden’s inauguration.
Then, case counts dropped quickly and sharply, almost miraculously, to under 100,000 … hovering around 65,000 for the past couple of months.
That is, until about a month ago … when case counts turned down again … to its current level of about 35,000 … which Biden says justified “relaxed guidance”.
So why have case counts dropped so much since Inauguration Day?
It could be that Biden is a miracle worker … or, it could be that the vaccines are kicking in … or, it could be another reason.
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Below is the JHU chart that tracks the number of daily covid tests.
Note how closely the number of tests and the number of confirmed cases seem to track.
In the month after Biden’s inauguration, testing dropped by 25% from about 2 million per day to under 1.5 million per day … and hovered there for a couple of months.
But, in the past month, testing has fallen to just over 1 million per day …. a 33% drop.
Let’s recap …
> Testing peaked around inauguration day … and so did cases. Coincidence?
> After a couple of months of level testing and cases, both data series turned down again in the past couple of weeks. Another coincidence?
Maybe I’m missing something….
The Homa Files 