packgrad said:
Mormad said:
If they did that, counted every ED eval as a hospitalization, the numbers would be extraordinarily higher
Interesting. A positive Covid test and symptoms (even self inflicted) would seem to be counted to me. Especially since everyone had been so afraid for the last year and a half. Also since they count deaths that weren't from Covid, but tested positive for Covid, as Covid deaths. Interesting how the books work.
A covid positive test goes in the data bank as a covid case
An ER visit that's sent home with covid is still just a covid positive and a hospital encounter for that hospital but not really known nationally. This is like an outpatient visit in the hospital ER setting really.
A patient meeting admission criteria and receives admission orders is a hospitalization
People are admitted with other conditions all the time and found to have covid, and still go in the data bank. Rightfully so. Do we just disregard the covid diagnosis because they were admitted for another diagnosis in the middle of a pandemic? Of course not. no reasonable health care provider/institution/agency/etc would do so. You don't have to like what idiot policy makers do with such info, but don't shoot the bookkeepers.
The other issue with the constant distrust of changing numbers or concern over WITH covid vs FROM covid: sometimes people die or have complications that could be attributed to EITHER covid OR the underlying condition or illness. And it's very difficult to determine the cause, and it may only be known after an autopsy some time later and reporting may be quite delayed. It's not nefarious or fear mongering in the majority of cases. The people involved have no impetus to do so.
Real Examples: dude loses consciousness and wrecks his car suffering horrible injuries and found to be covid positive on admission. Would be have passed out and wrecked without covid? We'll never know. He was intubated for a prolonged period. Was that pulmonary contusions or covid? Should he not be counted as a covid admission? He's certainly also a trauma admission.
Dude's admitted with a heart attack. He's found to be sick from covid. A big ass fatty meal can cause a heart attack. Exercise can. But covid can't? It just seems ridiculous for us to complain about covid counts among those admitted FOR covid vs those admitted WITH covid without knowledge of specific circumstances around each admission.