CNN and WaPo medical expert admits COVID death toll has

CNN and WaPo medical expert admits COVID death toll has been OVERCOUNTED

Nearly three years into the coronavirus pandemic, CNN medical analyst and Washington Post columnist Dr. Leana Wen admitted that the medical community is “overcounting” the number of “COVID deaths and hospital admissions.”

In an opinion piece entitled: “We are overcounting COVID deaths and hospitalizations. That’s a problem,” Wen cites sources claiming that most “patients diagnosed with COVID are actually in the hospital for another illness.”

Wen begins: “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States experiences approximately 400 COVID-related deaths every day. At that rate, there would be nearly 150,000 deaths a year. But are these Americans dying of COVID or with COVID?’

Wen explains, “Understanding this distinction is critical to putting the ongoing toll of the coronavirus in perspective. Determining how likely it is that an infection will lead to hospitalization or death helps people to weigh their own risk.”

dr  Leana Wen says the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 may be greater than the number of people actually dying from the virus

dr Leana Wen says the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 may be greater than the number of people actually dying from the virus

Robin Dretler, a treating physician at Emory Decatur Hospital, who estimates that at his hospital, 90% of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 are actually hospitalized with another illness.

Robin Dretler, a treating physician at Emory Decatur Hospital, who estimates that at his hospital, 90% of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 are actually hospitalized with another illness.

Wen had the support of two other infectious disease experts who also believe the number of deaths attributed to COVID is greater than the actual number of people dying from the virus.

She quotes an expert, Robin Dretler, a treating physician at Emory Decatur Hospital, who estimates that at his hospital, 90% of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 are actually hospitalized with another illness.

Dretler said this contributes to inaccurate reporting of COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations, which he claims are not from malicious intent.

“By the way, since every hospital patient is tested for COVID, many are positive. If these patients die, COVID may be added to their death certificate along with the other diagnoses. But the coronavirus wasn’t the main reason for their deaths and often didn’t play a role at all,” Dretler told Wen.

The doctor also cites another infectious disease doctor, Shira Doron, who found that in Massachusetts hospitals over the past few months, only about 30% of total hospitalizations involving COVID-19 were primarily due to the virus.

Infectious disease doctor Shira Doron acknowledges there is a gray area in the data where COVID may not be the leading cause of death but may have contributed

Infectious disease doctor Shira Doron acknowledges there is a gray area in the data where COVID may not be the leading cause of death but may have contributed

“During a few days, the proportion of people hospitalized for COVID was only 10 percent of the reported total” who had COVID.

Wen explains, “Doron acknowledges that there is a gray area in the data where COVID may not be the leading cause of death but may have contributed.”

There are commonalities between the trio of doctors, who agree that “an accidental overstatement of risk can make the anxious even more anxious and the skeptics more skeptical.”

“To be clear, if the number of COVID deaths turns out to be 30 percent of what’s currently reported, that’s still unacceptably high,” Wen said.

Her observations have prompted some readers to criticize the timing of her column, declaring that the information was “two and a half years late,” while others have criticized the Washington Post for not emphasizing this issue sooner.

California-based epidemiologist Dr.  Tracy Høegn tweeted:

California-based epidemiologist Dr. Tracy Høegn tweeted: “Amazing how long it has taken the US to accept that this is a problem.”

J. Michael Waller, an analyst at the far-right, anti-Muslim think tank Center for Security Policy based in Washington, DC, noted how times had changed

J. Michael Waller, an analyst at the far-right, anti-Muslim think tank Center for Security Policy based in Washington, DC, noted how times had changed

California-based epidemiologist Dr. Tracy Høegn tweeted: “Spring 2021 [USA] had good evidence > 40% of child COVID admissions were incidental. In 2021 Denmark announced to differentiate with vs from COVID hosp. COVID+ deaths in [Denmark] in 2022 [were] 60-70% incidental.”

“Amazing how long it took the US to accept that this is a problem,” she added

J. Michael Waller, an analyst at the far-right, anti-Muslim think tank Center for Security Policy based in Washington, DC, noted how times had changed.

“Not long ago, the Washington Post called us conspiracy theorists for saying things like that.”

Brownstone Institute President Jeffrey Tucker tweeted, “This isn’t just true recently. This has been the case for three years! We really don’t know how many actually died from COVID, which means even the CFR isn’t accurate.

The Brownstone Institute is a libertarian-leaning think tank formed to respond to government policies related to the COVID-19 pandemic and to oppose COVID lockdowns and vaccination mandates.

1673751363 747 CNN and WaPo medical expert admits COVID death toll has

Schools in Michigan and another Massachusetts school system are bringing back requirements for wearing face masks. A school system in Chicago, Illinois is now asking students to test negative for Covid before they come to school

Since the pandemic began, there have been nearly 1.1 million Covid deaths in the US and 6.7 million worldwide.

US Covid cases have risen 16 percent nationally in a week to about 67,000 new cases a day, according to the latest available data.

This is thanks to a new highly infectious variant, XBB.1.5, and higher mixing this winter during the first normal Christmas season in years.

But experts tell that XBB.1.5 is no more dangerous than other variants and that the winter rise was always to be expected because respiratory diseases are more prevalent in the colder months when people spend more time indoors.

Covid cases in the US remain below the levels they reached over the summer, with about 470,000 cases now being recorded each week, or 67,000 a day

Covid cases in the US remain below the levels they reached over the summer, with about 470,000 cases now being recorded each week, or 67,000 a day

This chart shows the number of Covid deaths in the United States per week that have increased.  However, experts say it could be due to the coverage

This chart shows the number of Covid deaths in the United States per week that have increased. However, experts say it could be due to the coverage

As Covid cases remain stable, flu hospitalizations have continued to decline after flu season began earlier this year

As Covid cases remain stable, flu hospitalizations have continued to decline after flu season began earlier this year

While Covid cases picked up slightly after Christmas, the flu has tailed off after a surge earlier this year, likely due to lower immunity levels.

The latest CDC data shows a total of 11 states now have “very high” flu levels, with about half of the 21 states hitting that threshold in the previous week.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases and hospitalizations are also declining. About 2.4 people per 100,000 were admitted to wards with the disease in the third week of December, the last available, up from 3.3 earlier.

But despite the waning tide of infectious diseases, schools in a total of five states have moved to reintroduce mask requirements.

A total of 21 states had But by the following week, that number had dropped by nearly half to just 11

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 11 states currently have “very high” flu rates (left). That’s about half of the 21 at this threshold in the previous week. States with “very high” flu levels are colored purple and the two darkest shades of red are shown on the map. Those that are purple have the absolute highest stats

Hospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are also on the way down, having risen earlier this year to higher levels than in the past five years

Hospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are also on the way down, having risen earlier this year to higher levels than in the past five years