How much is enough?

[Whateverman]

The latter. Your Wiki article references the CDC.

The reason I ask is because the numbers don't seem to reflect reality. The CDC admits that's the reliability of its data collection is questionable.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...ses-in-us.html

Confirmed & Probable Counts

As of April 14, 2020, CDC case counts and death counts include both confirmed and probable cases and deaths. This change was made to reflect an interim COVID-19 position statement pdf iconexternal iconissued by the Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists on April 5, 2020. The position statement included a case definition and made COVID-19 a nationally notifiable disease. Nationally notifiable disease cases are voluntarily reported to CDC by jurisdictions.

A confirmed case or death is defined by meeting confirmatory laboratory evidence for COVID-19.

A probable case or death is defined by one of the following:

Meeting clinical criteria AND epidemiologic evidence with no confirmatory laboratory testing performed for COVID-19
Meeting presumptive laboratory evidence AND either clinical criteria OR epidemiologic evidence
Meeting vital records criteria with no confirmatory laboratory testing performed for COVID19
Not all jurisdictions report confirmed and probable cases and deaths to CDC. When not available to CDC, it is noted as N/A.

Why do you have a problem with this?

It's obvious that everyone wants to know how many actual infections/deaths have taken place, just as everyone recognizes that it's practically impossible to know these numbers. Thus, several statistics are tracked in order to provide us with an approximation of the above numbers.

To count actually-lab-verified infections/deaths is useful, but it under-counts the number of actual infections/deaths. To count estimated infections/deaths is a bit better, but has built-in inaccuracy.

It's not like we have any choice. If we want to know actual numbers, we have to put up with inaccuracy to get the closest to them.

[Whateverman]

Everyone knows that there's a real number which represents the number of worldwide cases of malaria in 2019. That number exists, but it is effectively unknowable; no one country is going to have infallible data about the number of cases within its border, because some will never be treated or correctly diagnosed.

Despite this, it's possible to build a standard by which that number is approximated, and as long as all measurements for that year adhere to the aforementioned standard, the approximation is reliable.

[Sparko]

This thread is about the upcoming book from Trump's niece. If you're going to turn it into a general whine about groups of people you think I belong to, then please go elsewhere. Thanks in advance.

Oh sorry, I guess you don't want anyone to criticize your idiotic comments. My bad.

[Sparko]

Everyone knows that there's a real number which represents the number of worldwide cases of malaria in 2019. That number exists, but it is effectively unknowable; no one country is going to have infallible data about the number of cases within its border, because some will never be treated or correctly diagnosed.

Despite this, it's possible to build a standard by which that number is approximated, and as long as all measurements for that year adhere to the aforementioned standard, the approximation is reliable.

A wise man once said, "This thread is about the upcoming book from Trump's niece. If you're going to turn it into a general whine about fill in the blank, then please go elsewhere. Thanks in advance."

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

I'm not sure how someone calls him the dumbest. I thought the younger Bush was the worst.

At the time many of us thought George W Bush was remarkably uninformed made various oral gaffes but compared to Trump GWB seems almost Lincoln-like.

Mencken was remarkably prescient in his 1920 remark.

"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."

[Whateverman]

A wise man once said, "This thread is about the upcoming book from Trump's niece. If you're going to turn it into a general whine [...]

Ronson wasn't whining. You were.

See the difference?

[mikewhitney]

At the time many of us thought George W Bush was remarkably uninformed made various oral gaffes but compared to Trump GWB seems almost Lincoln-like.

Mencken was remarkably prescient in his 1920 remark.

"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."

Right. They just got dumber since GW Bush. You are then projecting that the next one would be Biden.

The especially good thing about Trump is that he is the only President since Reagan to be promoting a healthy attitude toward American independence. Before that we has just had pseudo intellectuals who were like whitewashed tombs. It was sort of like the old tuna commercial "we don't want a tuna with good taste. We want a tuna that tastes good." Okay that is sort of hard to map to what I'm saying -- maybe people will figure it out though.

[Hypatia_Alexandria]

Right. They just got dumber since GW Bush. You are then projecting that the next one would be Biden.

I think Mencken was suggesting that morons elect morons. He was known for his biting wit and sarcasm.

[Sparko]

At the time many of us thought George W Bush was remarkably uninformed made various oral gaffes but compared to Trump GWB seems almost Lincoln-like.

Mencken was remarkably prescient in his 1920 remark.

"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."

Close, but I think we will have to wait for Biden "pet my hairy legs" to win to fulfill that prophesy.

[mikewhitney]

I think Mencken was suggesting that morons elect morons. He was known for his biting wit and sarcasm.

Ah. That is why the Dems promote the decline of education -- in that fashion people will keep voting for Dems. Interesting insight there.

[Sparko]

Ronson wasn't whining. You were.

See the difference?

Oh, so it's only whining when someone says something critical of your comments. Thanks for the clarification.

If you want me to leave, just say so.

[Ronson]

Why do you have a problem with this?

It's obvious that everyone wants to know how many actual infections/deaths have taken place, just as everyone recognizes that it's practically impossible to know these numbers. Thus, several statistics are tracked in order to provide us with an approximation of the above numbers.

To count actually-lab-verified infections/deaths is useful, but it under-counts the number of actual infections/deaths. To count estimated infections/deaths is a bit better, but has built-in inaccuracy.

It's not like we have any choice. If we want to know actual numbers, we have to put up with inaccuracy to get the closest to them.

A friend of mine from California (a liberal type actually) called me last weekend to complain about the lockdown regulations in his county. He said after all of this time, he hasn't known a single person who was infected with covid, or known a person who knew a person who was infected, or knew a person who knew a person who was infected (etc.). Family or friends. I told him the same applied to me. However, we have both had the flu this year, and know several people who have had the flu this year. Something isn't adding up right.

I know there are cases and I know there are deaths because I work in the IT department of a hospital, but even that hasn't filled out like it was assumed. The hospital chain had opened tent-treatment centers for covid and most never saw a single case of infection.

It is politically expedient to pad the numbers of infection and deaths due to covid. And since there isn't a single template being used for testing and "cause-of-death" statistics, I am beginning to doubt.

[Mountain Man]

CDC guidelines were updated to say that if you were in contact with someone who tested positive then you are considered a probable case and added to the daily totals even if you never get sick or test positive yourself..

Also, no requirement for a positive test in order to list it as the cause of death.

So the numbers are undoubtedly being inflated.

[Cow Poke]

A dangerous man with the nuclear launch codes is better than "the anti-american left"???

The anti-American left is destroying us from within, so, yeah.

[Cow Poke]

In fact, Trump is our least warmongering President in decades. Strangely, this is something that upsets liberals.

So, which is it... Trump is going to get us in a war with ... who, Russia? But they're best buds? so.....