Buy the Numbers

Data drives our daily lives from what mattress we sleep on, what clothes we dress ourselves in, the food we eat, who we vote for and how to manage ourselves during a pandemic.

We are at the end of April, about 5 weeks into this "safer at home" government mandated quarantine here in California. Some other states have been quarantined for longer, others less and a few not at all. Also at this time, a few states are slowly re-opening and lifting their stay-at-home bands. One is even fully opening this Thursday, assuming the expected backlash doesn't change their mind.

In my opinion the issue is now, ensuring the American people are safe from this virus, but at the same time, getting them back to work, which is also about keeping them safe. There is more than one way to die. Obviously the virus, if contracted and especially if you have an underlying health condition may kill you. But no income can effectively kill you as well. Now some of you may scoff at that, but it's true; and stimulus bills and tax incentives and bailouts are not the answer and long-term can be very hurtful.

This is a complex issue for sure, and the worse part is when it is all said and done, unless the real data comes out and can be verified and agreed upon by all, this will only grow into the next conspiracy theory. Neither side will win, the people will lose and the government will continue playing their games.

Why is the data so important?

It is the only thing we have to drive our decisions. Originally, as the sketchy details were coming in back in January and February we as a country were making decisions to ban travel and imports based on the data we were collecting. One the biggest data sets being looked is the ratio of those infected to those who have died from the Coronavirus.

Now this sounds like it should be a simple task, the coroner will do their job and determine whether or not the person died from coronavirus or not, right? Well, it turns out that it is not that simple and errors are being made.

For example, you are already more susceptible to the virus if you have an underlying condition such as heart disease or diabetes. What happens, say someone with heart disease contracts coronavirus and then has a heart attack. Did they die from coronavirus? Or the heart attack? Did the virus induce or otherwise create the heart attack? This is a very real question that needs to be answered definitively if we're going to be using this data set a guide to determining what is safe and what is not.

Just days ago, the state of Pennsylvania reduced their death count by 200 hundred people! That's a big deal. They were misdiagnosed, similarly to my previous example.

This now changes the death rate and by the numbers makes the virus less deadly.

It is important to understand the difference. The stay-at-home orders came about because it was originally thought that this virus was so deadly, that if contracted, your chances of dying, with or without an underlying health condition could be anywhere from 1.0 - 2.0% and some studies showed much higher. But with adjusted death-by-coronavirus counts dropping, that lowers the percentage.

In conjunction with the death counts being adjusted, the infected rates are increasing and some experts are now saying that the numbers could be much higher due to people being a-symptomatic, or in other words, they have the virus but show no signs of it but have the potential to spread it.

Now on it's face, that is a bad thing that more people have it. But again, it's how you use the data and one way most local, state and the federal governments are using it, is based on its potency to kill. If the total number infected goes up and the total death from the virus goes down, that means the percentage change of it killing you, if infected, also goes down. Some experts are agreeing with a study done by Stanford University that is claiming a mortality rate of 0.01 - 0.02% instead of the original 1.0 - 2.0%. That is approximately a 200% difference!

Let's make it clear, as President Trump has said many times, even one death is too many, so I don't in any way mean to trivialize anyone who has died, or anyone who has lost someone. What I want people to pay attention to is the data and we all want the data to be correct and used effectively.

Take your paycheck, assuming you are one of the fortunate ones who are currently receiving one right now, then change your pay rate down by 200% and tell me if you still think that paycheck is any good?

Why would anyone want to use false numbers?

Just like during wartime, many are profiting from this either financially or politically; and I'm not referring to the presidential election, although of course that would have to be considered. The governors and mayors are definitely using this to their advantage and making deals with companies for safety equipment and other materials "for the better good of the people", but what if the numbers are wrong, then did they really benefit the people? We'll be stuck with the bill later on, or stuck with policy that doesn't make sense.

It is complicated, like many topics that affect the masses. This is by far one of the biggest events in United States history and there will be fallout from this. There will be a need for answers both of the data, the policies or laws created, removed or omitted during this crisis and someone needs to answer them. Lastly, I must note, our main stream media is playing a huge part in all of this and shame on us for continuing to feed on their lies even when we do gain access to the truth, so many continue to listen to them. We need to stop, we need more transparency and news groups need to provide sources for the "facts" as well as be held accountable for printing or airing false stories. Don't be suckered into being their fools.

We're better than this and we deserve better than this. Stand up for what is right.