Q&A of the Day – Conoravirus analysis vs assumptions
Each day I’ll feature a listener question that’s been submitted by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
Twitter: @brianmuddradio
Facebook: Brian Mudd https://www.facebook.com/brian.mudd1
Today’s entry: Dear Brian, I usually like how you present all the facts, but with the COVID-19.I hear you giving out lots of statistics. But you are leaving out one main fact. The number of deaths is not accurate. They have stated that even if you die of a heart attack and test positive with the virus, that's countedas a COVID-19 death. That's with the virus not because of the virus. It would be nice you let everybody know the difference.
Bottom Line: This is once again an instance where context is key. Something you’ve frequently heard me say while covering the pandemic. When it comes to data and analytics, I never have an agenda (inherently you can’t be analytical if you’re agenda driven) and it’s important not to assert your own assumptions into the mix. Your statement isn’t necessarily correct, but moreover, the way COVID-19 deaths are being accounted for by the medical establishment – including the CDC and National Institutes for Health – is completely consistent with all previous and current virus reporting. I’ll illustrate the point by using the example of HIV/AIDS.
According to the World Health Organization 32 million people have died due to HIV/AIDS. In reality, the virus hasn’t killed anyone. HIV breaks down one’s immune system to the point where something else, often something benign to those without the virus, kills them. Using your suggested approach, no one would have ever died due to HIV. You can see what a misnomer and general disservice to humanity that type of approach would be with a virus as detrimental as HIV. So, back to COVID-19.
The reason you’re hearing those with pre-existing conditions – including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease are at a higher risk of death due to COVID-19 is due to what it does to the body. Inflammation of major organs. According to the Harvard School of Medicine, one of the symptoms of COVID-19 is a condition called myocarditis. The condition is inflammation of the heart. For those who are already at risk, this greatly increases the risk of a heart attack, including major attacks. Additionally, standard treatment options aren’t necessary effective for one who has COVID-19, making heart attacks which ordinarily wouldn’t be fatal, to become fatal. This is why they’re tallied as COVID-19 related deaths.
If officials were accounting for COVID-19 deaths differently than standards used for other viruses, I’d agree that we should reevaluate the official totals. But they’re not. The same standards used for the traditional H1N1 flu virus and HIV, are being used for COVID-19. And as I illustrated with the example you cited, there’s validity to the methodology. The bigger takeaway is this...trying to minimize the threat of the virus isn’t helpful. Think about the five people in your life you most care about. Which one of them is potentially expendable? Insensitive question isn’t it? Here’s the point I’m trying to make. I know there’s a desire by many to suggest that the threat of the virus isn’t what it’s been made out to be. Here’s what I can tell you. With nearly a half million closed cases, more than one-five people diagnosed with the virus have died. I wouldn’t take a chance with any of the five people I love most. That’s why I, nor my asthmatic wife have been to a store in three weeks. It’s why we’ve adhered to all of the recommendations issued by authorities and it’s why I’ve analytically presented the facts to you daily since the first day I reported on the coronavirus in February.