US death numbers are grossly under-reported say doctors and nurses

[clutterbox1830]

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nidhiprakash/coronavirus-update-dead-covid19-doctors-hospitals

Medical professionals around the US told BuzzFeed News that the official numbers of people who have died of COVID-19 are not consistent with the number of deaths they’re seeing on the front lines.

In some cases, it’s a lag in reporting, caused by delays and possible breakdowns in logging positive tests and making them public. In other, more troubling, cases, medical experts told BuzzFeed News they think it’s because people are not being tested before or after they die.

In the US, state and county authorities are responsible for collecting data on cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and deaths. The data is then reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In California, one ER doctor who works at multiple hospitals in a hard-hit county told BuzzFeed News, “those medical records aren't being audited by anyone at the state and local level currently and some people aren’t even testing those people who are dead.”

“We just don't know. The numbers are grossly underreported. I know for a fact that we’ve had three deaths in one county where only one is listed on the website,” the doctor said.

A spokesperson for the California Department of Health told BuzzFeed News in an email that “local health jurisdictions are required to report all positive COVID-19 cases to the state. In addition, when a death or impending death from COVID-19 occurs, health care facilities must immediately notify their local health jurisdiction and the state."

They did not immediately address the question of whether they’re confident their death count is accurate given the shortage of testing for COVID-19.

And two of the hardest-hit areas in the nation — New York City and Los Angeles County — released guidance earlier this week encouraging doctors not to test patients unless they think the test will significantly change their course of treatment. That means that potentially more people in both places could be admitted to hospitals with severe respiratory symptoms and recover — or die — and not be registered as a coronavirus case.

This could be the reason why infectious case do not match with US death numbers in comparison to China and Italy.

[Lulu KC]

1. Intersects interestingly with this article, just out regarding Italy

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/this-is-very-important-from-italy-please-read

[The Magistrate]

4. Thank You For Sharing That, Ma'am

A grim if sensible read. Mr. Marshall is a sound thinker.

[The Magistrate]

2. Quite Likely, Sir

Under the present regime, there is no reason to believe our numbers are any more accurate than Russia's or China's. In fact, on balance, I suspect the Chinese figures are, at present, about the most honest among the 'big three' powers.

[jimfields33]

3. The numbers are coming from New York, California and Washington mostly

Those are the three with the huge numbers. Perhaps they are trying but numbers are slow coming in from hospitals. Just a thought.

[Doodley]

5. With inadequate testing and many uninsured, surely many deaths will be written off as flu or

other illnesses.

[bullwinkle428]

6. MAGAts on social media are desperately trying to spin the opposite narrative. I've seen a

bunch of shit on Facebook and other, supposedly non-political sites, where they're attempting to mock it by saying that authorities are blaming Covid for any death, even if it's a car accident.

[clutterbox1830]

8. These people are nuts are dangerous.

They believe anything that fits there narrative or say its fake news.

I've been reading a lot of my RW blaming China and that China have overtaken our media. Are these people nuts?
When you ask for actual proof all they can give you is heresy. These people are dangerous. Even when their love ones are sick, they still believe Trump then doctors.

[Baclava]

7. We are China, all your deaths are belong to us