Saturday, November 07, 2020

Covid-19: I'd like to see some numbers and percentages

I know the Corona virus kills many people.  The numbers of those who have died stagger the imagination.  But I never see numbers that show the percentages as compared to the general population.   I'd like to know how many people with positive tests have no symptoms.  I have googled questions like this, but many of the stats come from the early part of the pandemic.  I want to know what percentage of the population of our country has died from Covid; I wish they'd stop with the numbers and tell me the percentage.  

I think we are all confused by the nature of this disease.  For instance, none of the people I know who tested positive... not a single one!... have had symptoms.  One has man tested positive, then ten days later still tested positive... never a symptom, and they told him to go back to work testing positive.  The woman who sleeps in his bed every night has tested negative, although she has a rather high-risk job.  Our oldest grandson ran around with a good friend for an entire weekend, celebrating his birthday.  The friend tested positive, the grandson never did, although he said he was pretty sure they even drank from the same bottle at one point.  

There's a couple around my age in Kentucky I know personally who tested positive but had no symptoms, while their daughter, who had it before they did, got very sick and was in the hospital for an extended time, and is still recuperating at home.

I did a quick Google search a while ago and saw an article saying that over 40% of positive cases were asymptomatic, but that was pretty early in the pandemic when not a lot of testing had been done.

I realize the doctors are still trying to figure this thing out; it doesn't seem to behave like other virus's we know about.  I appreciate their efforts.  All I want to know is what percentage of the general population of the USA have died from Covid-19, what percentage of them have tested positive, etc.  Numbers don't tell me anything.  I suppose if I were good at math I could google the numbers of populations and divide it by the numbers of cases or deaths, but math was my worst subject in school, and those would be some BIG numbers.  I could even ask Alexa to figure the percentage, but I'm not sure I know how to say numbers that big. 

I guess that's my rant for the day.  

Carry on.

7 comments:

  1. I don't know that numbers and percentages tell the story. It's a complex virus that, as you noted, can have little effect on some, but serious symptoms in others. Or long lasting, like several of my young former students. In many states, the hospitalizations are skyrocketing which is a major issue. We have an outbreak in one of our local hospitals which is terrifying.

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  2. So weird how many people are asymptomatic with it while others get it and are so sick for so long, unless they are very sick and die.

    The number of asymptomatic "stealth" carriers is frightening. I don't think this was a virus made in nature.

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  3. less than .1 % of the US population has died. Slightly over 3% of the population tested positive. Less than 50% of the population has been tested. 7% of people tested were positive.Somewhere around 2.3% of those that test positive died. Flu is .002% died from 16.5 million that tested positive. I personally know of 3 people that have died from COVID( not online) 4 that tested positive with no symptoms and 3 others that tested and developed mild symptoms, one of which is still having issues 3 months later.(all not online people)

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  4. Good friends of ours have a son who tested positive and was asymptomatic. They did not get it which is amazing. On the other hand, my husband's cousin caught it and died in September. You just don't know.

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  5. I have been HIGHLY suspicious of this pandemic from the very beginning. The virus is real, people are indeed dying - but the statistics are greatly exaggerated and the information provided is confusing and conflicting.
    Strange that we have to be tested to know if we have it. And why are so many people
    testing "Positive" with no symptoms??

    The news media seems to enjoy perpetuating panic. Will we be forced to wear masks and hide indoors the rest of our lives??
    Methinks the mystery is more frightening than the disease.....

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  6. Locally, a man (whose wife I know) passed away last month from covid after being on a vent in ICU for weeks. His wife and son also had it, but had only slight symptoms and are okay now. Another man, whose family I know, is in ICU in south GA in very serious shape. I know several here who have had it and survived. There have been a few die due to covid in our county. Georgia has quite a few serious cases. I don't know the percentages, but I sure wish we could go back to "normal".

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  7. Donna, this is the site I use to help me 'see' numbers.
    https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/health/coronavirus-us-maps-and-cases/
    It does not give percentages but does state number cases / deaths per 100,000 for each state. I like to look and see how Arkansas compares to our neighbors, like the big MO.
    Arkansas 70, Missouri 52.
    Apples to apples, oranges to oranges.

    Disease is an abstract concept until one feels its touch. The touch of this disease has brought death and heartache to many. I pray the minimizers never know its touch.

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