COVID and perceptions
A friend and I were planning a trip to Paducah to see the National Quilt Museum (now it's canceled due to an illness in her in-law's family). So before the cancellation, I thought I would look at the status of COVID there. I found this at https://www.14news.com/2020/07/17/western-ky-records-alarming-spike-covid-cases/
The Green River Health Department reported another double-digit spike in coronavirus cases on Thursday. Exactly 29 new cases were confirmed - 12 in Ohio County, eight in Daviess County, three in McLean County, two in both Henderson and Webster Counties, and one case in both Hancock and Union Counties.
This is a spike? If we had 29 more traffic deaths in a 7-county area, would we call it a spike? And these are cases, not deaths. Based on the national fatality rate of about four percent of those who test positive, that might be one death.
Of course, it's 300 miles away, people I don't know, and not my death. COVID is bad and I'm not interested in catching it by being stupid or possibly giving it to anyone by being careless. This is a corporate responsibility, not an individual right. Wear the d---- mask when you're around people.
But don't believe the numbers. I firmly believe we will never have an accurate number on cases and deaths from COVID-19. I just know it's real and deadly for some. That's going to have to be enough.
Twenty-nine new cases would be good news in the 7-country area in which I live in Northwest Georgia, which saw far more. Just one county saw more than that in a week.
If a news source uses the word "spike," it's self-justifying. It seems that 2020 is the year of redefining all words and quantities and impacts.
The Green River Health Department reported another double-digit spike in coronavirus cases on Thursday. Exactly 29 new cases were confirmed - 12 in Ohio County, eight in Daviess County, three in McLean County, two in both Henderson and Webster Counties, and one case in both Hancock and Union Counties.
This is a spike? If we had 29 more traffic deaths in a 7-county area, would we call it a spike? And these are cases, not deaths. Based on the national fatality rate of about four percent of those who test positive, that might be one death.
Of course, it's 300 miles away, people I don't know, and not my death. COVID is bad and I'm not interested in catching it by being stupid or possibly giving it to anyone by being careless. This is a corporate responsibility, not an individual right. Wear the d---- mask when you're around people.
But don't believe the numbers. I firmly believe we will never have an accurate number on cases and deaths from COVID-19. I just know it's real and deadly for some. That's going to have to be enough.
Twenty-nine new cases would be good news in the 7-country area in which I live in Northwest Georgia, which saw far more. Just one county saw more than that in a week.
If a news source uses the word "spike," it's self-justifying. It seems that 2020 is the year of redefining all words and quantities and impacts.
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