A COVID Panic Update by Larry C Johnson

While much of the media and a fanatic bunch of pundits are ferverishly trying to fan the flames of Covid panic, the disease does not appear to be cooperating. Worst of all, Donald Trump is not frozen in place lacking any clue about how to confront the pandemic. Nope, he is pushing ahead on a variety of fronts, which includes getting the best treatment available out to the states and streamlining the production of a vaccine. This is driving the Democrats crazy.

So, let’s start small and look at what is happening in my neck of the southern jungle–Sarasota and Manatee counties. The following comes courtesy of my friend and golfing buddy, Joe A. He sat down and put the numbers of Covid cases and deaths into a spreadsheet and divided the data into age groups. The pictures and numbers tell a great story.

Eighty four percent (84%) of the dead are 65 years of age or older. Wow. There is a shocker. Elderly people are more likely to die than younger people. But the real good news is that an overwhelming majority of elderly who contractted Covid in Manatee and Sarasota counties survived. Two thousand six hundred and sixty one fell ill. Thankfully, 2374 grandmas and grandpas 65 years of age and older survived.

The news is even more dramatic among the youth. Only four people 34 years of age or younger have died from the disease. Guess what? Young people also die from regular influenza. That is a tragedy, but it does not stop the life of the nation. The Covid numbers tell a very simple story–this disease, while potentially deadly–especially to the very elderly–is manageable and should not be used as an excuse to shut down America.

Take a look at today’s numbers from Sarasota Memorial Hospital:

Hospital / ICU Capacity

Total hospital beds: 839

Today’s patient census: 578

Today’s COVID patients total: 48 (same as yesterday)

Total ICU beds: 72 *

Today’s ICU census: 63 (60 yesterday)

COVID patients in ICU today: 16 (17 yesterday)

* SMH increased its ICU capacity from 62 to 72 beds in June and has enough ventilators to create more than 100 ICU beds, if needed, to manage a surge.

COVID-19 Test Results

7-Day SMH positivity rate: 3% (down from 3.6% on Aug. 17)

Patients who have tested positive (excluding repeat positives): 842 **

Patients who have tested negative: 14,821 **

** Reflects patients tested through SMH systems since March 2.

COVID-19 Patient Update ***

Patients hospitalized since outbreak began: 752 (751 yesterday)

Patients successfully treated/discharged: 769 (same as yesterday) {inpatients and patients treated in the ER but not hospitalized}

Patient deaths: 82 (81 yesterday) 

*** Reflects cumulative number of patients treated at SMH since outbreak began in March.

For more information, please click here to visit our dedicated COVID-19 webpage. 

The number of Covid patients is falling and the local hospitals in my community, which is one of the largest in Florida, are handling the disease.

Amidst this good news there is a disturbing development for those of you carrying a Smart phone. I have an iPhone. Apple has surreptitiously put a tracking device on your phone. Go to Settings. Go to Privacy. Go to Health. And you will see the following:

When enabled, iPhone can exchange random IDs with other devices using Bluetooth. This enables an app to notify you if you may have been exposed to COVID-19. Exposure Logging cannot access any data in, or add any data to, the Health app.

A week ago, if you lived in California, you found a more extensive message planted on your phone, without your permission:

Big brother is alive and well in the corporate person of the Tech industry. The normal way to do this is to create an app and give you the choice of putting it on your phone. This is not normal. This is a violation of your freedom and privacy.

I encourage you not to activate this app. And I encourage you to be of good cheer. We will beat this disease.

Reader Interactions

 

Comments

[Godfree Roberts]

Along these lines, readers will enjoy JoePlumber's 2-minute chalkboard calculations: https://youtu.be/65-zHuovSPs

[egl]

There is no app unless you install one. "You cannot turn on exposure logging without an authorized app installed..."

[Keith Harbaugh]

Taking a break from covid-watching,
it is definitely worth noting that Carter Page's analysis of what happened to him
"Abuse and Power: How an Innocent American Was Framed in an Attempted Coup Against the President"
is now available for download for $15.

[BillWade]

The tracking app was installed on my wife's IPhone without her knowing. While I know it's seemingly impossible to live without a smart phone it can be done as I don't have one myself and have no intention of getting one. I do not feel deprived.

[A. Pols]

84% were 65 or older, not 74 or older.

[Fred]

Larry,

Thanks for the write up.
"Eighty four percent (84%) of the dead are 74 years of age or older. " That puts Biden at the highest risk of all. No wonder he's locked in his basement and terrified of speaking with actual Americans rather than paid sycophants. Any news on the death totals from the Mount Rushmore speech? It's been weeks and not a single report.

The "Big Brother" App is the tech companies approach to applying China's social media scoring to the US population. I'm sure they won't collect or sell your location data to anyone, without the right payment; nor is there any police agency that could get that info without a warrant. They will void obligations to respect privacy by rewrting thier terms and conditions, and proclaiming they are doing it because of the 'crisis'. Doing like TTG and ditching tech gadgets will soon become obligatory for those not wanting to live in a scene from a Tom Cruise movie.

[Serge]

It was never the death rate of this disease that had me worried, but the persistent lyme disease-esque symptoms that a subset of sufferers grapple with months after convalescing from the main symptoms/presence of COVID. If this disease becomes as I think it will an endemic virus like the common cold, with humans at a constant risk for reinfection, the chance of putting yourself at risk for a COVID-related permanent long term inflammatory disorder is the truly disturbing thing. Not the insignificant death rate.

[Larry Johnson]

Serge,
Really? Tell that to Joe Biden and the rest of Dummycrats. Trump bad because of the horrific number of fatalities.
Let's deal with facts. You want to pretend that Covid is a "unique" disease. All disease is unique and it all must be looked at and coped with in the context of having a functioning society.

[Deap]

Serge, for an infectious agent that has been among us for only few short months, there is no way you can conclude it is now linked to "permanent long term inflammatory disorders". However, never underestimate the mind-body link to "auto-immune" conditions, regardless of any viral exposures.

[Barbara Ann]

"And I encourage you to be of good cheer."

This is best of advice. I refuse to normalize government mandated social isolation, self muzzling and the climate of fear so many around me seem to take a perverse pleasure in.

Apple's Big Brother app is yet another reason I will never buy a smartphone whose software I cannot control. It may be old fashioned, but in the relationship with my technology, I like to remain the one in charge.

"Worse things happen at sea" as my old sailing buddy used to say (often while we were in difficulty at sea, frustratingly). It is always worse somewhere else: At Least 13 Killed In Peru Nightclub Stampede Triggered By Police 'Social Distancing' Raid. One wonders if the cause of death for these poor souls will be listed as "COVID-19".

[smoke]

In Texas, the total number of people getting tested has fallen. In most of the state now, anyone, even without symptoms, can get a test, often at no charge. State health officials are perplexed.

My guess would be that the people most frequently contracting the virus, people under 45, have become less concerned. A light case may be mistaken for the persistent allergies, for which many areas are notorious. So they may wait for serious symptoms before they test, if they test at all. They would rather not be slowed down by quarantine, if they are feeling okay.

The army runs tests on healthy groups, any time they are moving a group. Inevitably, one or a few positive test show up in any group of twenty or more, seemingly healthy individuals. The positive cases are immediately quarantined. Some become symptomatic, some don't. Almost all test covid negative after 2 weeks.

The Journal of Pediatrics has reported a study that found the virus present in quite a few children who showed no symptoms or only very mild ones.

This suggests to me that the disease will never be eliminated from the population, because people, esp younger people, can be carriers without ever being sick, or not sick enough to notice. Like other viruses that reoccur. But when most of the younger cohort of the population have been exposed, the rate of new infections should become much slower. And for the rest there will be/may already be improved therapies and vaccinations.